Last weekend, I went to a public park owned by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation—the Hollywood Bowl! And yes, you can bring your own food and beverages to picnic with friends and family. I love the open-air venue (and according to her latest memoir, Dolly also thought it was a special place). I remember when I first came to LA, and … Continue reading Lift Up Your Lightsabers!
I’m a huge proponent of getting out in nature, whether it’s to relax or remove oneself from digital devices. I find it literally grounding, and though my family opted to travel to Leslie’s stomping grounds this summer (the Big Island), it was my first time, and I wasn’t sure what I’d discover. We did plan for nature-y things like hikes (that journey to Papakōlea Green … Continue reading Waiting on Hope
When my brother was in high school, he took a photography class that stretched his creativity. One of the assignments was to find objects that formed the letters A to Z. It was fascinating to see common items transformed into letter shapes. I decided to do a quick repeat of this idea—but with punctuation. Here’s what I found: Backslash \ Colon : Dash – Exclamation … Continue reading Punctuation is Everywhere!!
I was on a panel the other day and had to answer a question about deliberateness—that is, do I insert particular messages and themes? I answered that I’m an organic writer, but upon reflection, I do incorporate intentional elements: family, community, justice, self-discovery… And now as I’m working on my current draft, I’ve been more mindful about word choice and contemporary issues—not to the extent … Continue reading Practicing Mindfulness
Even though I know that taxes (and death) are certain, I feel like I’m always ill-prepared. And this year seemed to be full of mishaps. So, without further ado, here’s my Top Ten List of personal #taxfails this season: 10) Procrastinated. Despite having the date automatically labeled in my calendar, my sense of time got muddled around March. Then, all of a sudden, I discovered … Continue reading Top Ten #TaxFails
We recently had the Los Angeles Marathon, and two of my family members (spoiler: not me) ran it! It’s been said that writing is like a marathon, but is it really? The quote is often attributed to Robert McKee, and as I combed through running pics, I reflected on this analogy. Here’s my takeaway: SIMILARITIES Mileage 26.2 miles. Friends, this is long. Runners trekked from … Continue reading Is Writing Really Like A Marathon?
My desire to escape to the past could be due to the news. Or maybe I just need a different creative outlet than writing. Whatever the case, I’ve been leaning in on retro clothing choices. Okay, so I’ve always had a penchant to dress in period pieces (hello, poodle skirt for Halloween!). And I admit to having gone in themed outfits to match musicals (see … Continue reading Going Retro
It’s 2026? It’s 2026! I felt like the end of the year kinda bled into the new one. But maybe that’s because I didn’t ring in the new year. Confession: I couldn’t even muster the energy to watch the ball drop. I also didn’t make a resolution or write a one-word goal. But I actually do enjoy the idea of new beginnings. And, clearly, I’m … Continue reading New Year, New Book, New Vision
The other day, my family and I went to the seaside, where I spotted objects floating in the water. “See those buoys!” I said, pronouncing the word like boys, whereupon the rest of my family looked at me oddly. They corrected me, stretching “buoy” into two syllables, more like boo-ee. (To be fair, after some online digging, it seems like the latter is the American … Continue reading Readers Who Mispronounce
Happy Halloween! 🎃I’m a chicken Chick when it comes to spooky things. But I like surviving exploits and mildly scary happenings. Take, for example, my recent Fairbanks, Alaska trip. (Spoiler: I did not see the aurora, which would have featured amazingly spooky spectacular lights.) Scary Airplane Experiences ✈️ If I didn’t know before that I would be an #AmazingRaceFail, I know now. On the way … Continue reading Semi-Scary Alaskan Shenanigans
I’ve been asked many times in a panel whether I’m a plotter or pantser. I generally land in the middle. (Although since my publisher prefers having a synopsis, I’ve veered more toward plotting.) For traveling, though, I’m a serious plotter. I’ve tried before to be more “spontaneous,” and it just ends up with people sitting around staring at each other and doing nothing. To maximize … Continue reading Travel Style: Plotter or Pantser?
Hey! Jen here with a personal update… It’s been said that you’ve gotta kill your darlings when writing. Now, I get to do it in real life. While I’m not killing a darling, I do generally like keeping my organs around. Sadly, I’ve had this growing fibroid (aka Fran), who’s been lurking and taking over others’ space. Fran has recently been bullying my bladder and … Continue reading Guess I Don’t Really Need This Organ…
Chicks on the Case 