A home that caught my eye in Salem. Definitely not the house I grew up in. In grad school, I had a final exam with a one word question. We had to write about this one word. (For the life of me, I can't remember how much time were were given, but it was at …
Recently I watched Brene Brown's Netflix special. This article talks about it. Brene says that joy is the most vulnerable human emotion. We’re so afraid that if we let ourselves feel joy, something will come and take that away from us and we’ll be hit with pain, trauma, and loss. As a consequence, we try …
Many of us often love waiting for that magic date or hour to set sail on a new adventure or making whatever change brewing in our minds. But I'm not waiting for the full moon or the New Year or any of that. I designate this moment magical enough. For a variety of reasons (that …
Sometimes you have to change your plan. I tend to put a lot of thought into my plans, and can therefore be resistant to changing them. But the universe is going to do what the universe is going to do, plans be damned. My novel was published by the late, great Plum Tree Books/UK. This …
I'm getting ready for my first book signing ever. I'm participating in a group book signing. Three other authors and I will be at our local Barnes & Noble. I'm glad that other authors will be there. Takes some of the pressure off. I ordered a poster for my table. I'll back it with foam …
As I mentioned in another post, I'm reading Austin Kleon's book Show Your Work. A while back, I read his book Steal Like an Artist. I was attracted to his work because he uses text in his art like I do. Anyway, to earn money, I teach. Also, I'm homeschooling my kiddo. If I'm not …
Okay, maybe in that picture I'm just typing an email. It's hard to say for sure. But my husband took that picture around the time I started my novel--in the year 2000 or 2001. And that's the laptop I started writing it on (RIP first laptop) and the desk I was sitting at. I certainly …
The publication of my book makes me very happy. I could go on and on and on about it for days. As anyone who's been my friend for any length of time can attest, my ability to obsess over a topic knows few bounds. And this publication thing is taking up a great deal of …
My novel arrived today. I'm trying to think of something clever or insightful to say. I'm too gobsmacked. All I can manage is to wish you vast amounts of luck and deep wells of persistence in whatever dream you're pursuing. I think Woody Allen is a jerk, but this quote of his still works for …
Soon, I will have an actual physical copy of my book, The Blue Jar, in my hand. That's going to be amazing and unbelievable. There's the feeling of finishing something. Then there's the feeling of putting that something out into the world. I started this novel as a writing prompt on a Tuesday afternoon in …
Marta Pelrine-Bacon 