Things That I Love & A Few Things That I Kinda Like

Things that I love...
My kids
My husband
The rest of my family
My friends
My Kindle Fire
Jesus (this list is not in order)
Indie films
Memoirs
Hippies
Non-judgemental people
Running
Listening to my 3 year old talk
Sports
Large couches
Bookshelves
Family photo albums
Listening to Ben Harper
The beach
Reading books to my kids
Coffee
Writing
Jamming on my ukulele

Things I kinda like...
Tattoos
Green Tea
Camping
Pottery
Smoothies
Drip candles
Reality TV

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales". - Albert Einstein

I could not agree more with the quote above. Imagination is key. Books have the power to unlock a world of imagination and creativity in our children. Nowadays, it seems as if more and more children are spending time watching TV. Instead of putting on the Disney network, have them pick up a book, or better yet,  pick up a book and read it to them. It seems to me that the most intelligent children are the ones with the most imagination, the ones who do not set limits for themselves, the ones who are not afraid, the curious, the free-spirits...

Vegas Valley Book Festival Here I Come!

Tomorrow I will be doing my FIRST book signing. I am really looking forward to getting to meet some fellow authors and new potential readers. Since my last post I  have taken on a part-time job working for my favorite non-profit. I thought that with my new job, having 2 little kids, and all the other things life throws at me that I would have less time to write. Funny thing is it's given me more to write about and therefore I actually write more. I've learned that if it's something you care about then there is always time to do it.

My Next Project

I am currently working on my next project. It is a children's picture book series geared towards 3 to 5 year old readers. I am SO excited about this project and am hoping to find the perfect illustrator and/or perfect publisher. If this process has taught me anything it is to have patience. I do not want to rush into anything because I believe this series has great potential. And I must admit, having my children as my inspiration for this project has made writing this series seem pretty natural and pretty awesome.

What Makes a GREAT Writer?

What really makes a person a writer? Creating a super popular blog with thousands of followers, writing a book, self-publishing a successful e-book, working as a journalist for a national newspaper or magazine? I think there are a lot of things that make a writer. But what I am really wondering is what makes a person a GREAT writer? Is it after 20 or 30 years of work, after selling a million copies of their latest book, after landing an incredible literary agent, after gaining international recognition? I suppose that is what many of us in this society would consider as great. However, after really thinking about this question and examining myself a little, I believe there a few key things that make a great writer. A great writer is someone who writes with no fear, writes without limits, writes honestly and openly, writes without regard as to what the critics might think, writes with confidence, writes from the heart, writes without second guessing, writes with integrity. The hardest part is picking up that pen or opening up that laptop. After that, I believe any of us have it in us to be a GREAT writer.

Don't Lose Sight of Your Audience

As an author, it can be really easy to lose sight of who your audience is. I was putting final touches on my second book and I found myself becoming more and more particular about each and every sentence. I then reminded myself that this book is geared towards second graders. It is of course important to make sure that there are no spelling or grammatical errors for this (and any) age group. However, I had to keep reminding myself that this book was for the readers, not the critics. And I am pretty sure that the 6 through 8 year olds who get this book will enjoy the read. 

I Think da Vinci Had it Right

"Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication". That is still probably one of my favorite quotes. I am sure Leonardo da Vinci was referring to works of art when he made this statement. However, I cannot help but feel like this can be applied to all aspects of life. In this day and age, it seems so many of  us are obsessed with the finer things in life. And we work hard to acquire these things. I have learned though, that it's not so hard to be happy with less. As long as we have what we need, that should be enough. Whether it be simplicity with the style of our homes, the things we acquire, our artwork, or with how we raise our kids. We do not have to have it all to be sophisticated, sometimes a whole lot less makes for a more sophisticated work of art, a more sophisticated person, or a more sophisticated family.