Category Archives: happiness

Day of the Turkeys (with one exceptional squirrel)

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For our first wedding anniversary, Melissa and I went to Onyx cave in Eureka Springs. Heading out, we were, as usual, watching for good pictures, our cameras at the ready, as I steered the Avalanche (whom we lovingly call Ava Lanche, as in French style Launch-SHAY. She is like another one of our pets.) Just down the road on Highway 23, we stopped to take photos of a tree full of turkey vultures. Creepy and wonderful. This was balanced by a precious little bluebird Melissa captured nearby. But not a turkey bluebird. We were starving, but thought we’d just stop … Continue reading →

Nom Nom Nom de Plume (with a side of science and metaphor)

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How delicious. To be someone else. To reinvent oneself. I’m not talking about who you are at your core, but about characteristics that might not be serving you anymore. I’ve done it several times over, and not only with names. As long ago as my early twenties, I began referring to myself and introducing myself to others by another name. Eventually, it led me to legally change it. Psychologically, that was one of the best decisions I ever made for my health. I maintain that the name-change wasn’t running AWAY from something, but running TO. Seeking identity. I wanted to … Continue reading →

That Whooshing Sound

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Message in a bottle… After almost two years of struggle with the vicissitudes of Indie writing and publishing, I have, I believe, come up with a solution to all that has been vexing me, and keeping me from reaching the goals I have been working so hard to achieve, and all that has annihilated the joy to be found in the journey. With the new lease on life I got after my return from New Zealand, I have been focused mostly on getting my health back, but also in increasing and maintaining the momentum in my career, which I didn’t … Continue reading →

New Harbor Witches: Keepers hits top TEN on Amazon

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New Harbor Witches: Keepers is now officially a top ten ‪#‎bestseller‬ {happy dance} I have always been so proud of this book, and the second in the series, Ravens, even though it had yet to get a good foothold in the market, because it’s in such a specific niche category. I do believe it has universal appeal, however, and maybe this increased visibility will help those readers find it. My next project is likely to be book three of that series, as a matter of fact. Been toying with it a bit, and it’s pulling at me a bit stronger … Continue reading →

Fiction as World View I'm a firm believer in Recycling--except not when it's a character or a plot.

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I have had some criticism from a few readers who were disappointed when I introduced new characters and locations and plots in my series fiction, and allowed the main characters to have a slightly smaller role to make room; apparently these readers wanted the same story again, the same characters, the same sex scenes, the same dynamics, the same formulaic challenges, the same everything. Essentially, they wanted to read about characters who lived in a vacuum, and never had any interaction with others, nor any natural progression. This mindset is not only elitist, fearful, and unrealistic, but within fiction, stale, … Continue reading →

Singing, Snoring & Joy

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Something happened to me. I was applying formatting to print file for one of my books, feeling the dessicated adrenal supplement coursing through my veins, and i was singing along to Shawn Colvin on “Get out of this house”, formatting, and feeling pretty damn good…and then i just started crying…not from sadness. It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in such a long time…one I can only describe as the elusive feeling of pure JOY. It made me want to perform again, write songs again. Buy a guitar to use until i could get mine from storage…I could barely sing … Continue reading →

Syzygy gets GLOWING review!

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WHILE BLINKING AWAY HAPPY TEARS::: If I never get another review in my life, this will suffice. I have never been so overjoyed by not only how well this reviewer understood what i was trying to accomplish–on EVERY LEVEL–with Also Known as Syzygy, but that the review was glowing like Christmas lights, while also being profoundly intelligent and insightful. All the hard work is now worth it. I could not be more pleased by what this reviewer had to say about one of my books (all of them, really). This book was, at times, very difficult to write, but I … Continue reading →

Belated & Premature Well-Wishing

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  This morning, I woke–still groggy from my trip to Ellaville–and had to fend off a Kissy-Monster. It was terrible. I can’t really talk about it. But my beloved had put a card and a little velvet pouch on the pillow next to me. A little gold bracelet and a sweet card. Valentine’s day is not a big deal here…yet, she had not ignored it…she is sneaky that way.  I had decided to ignore the event, so it wouldn’t make her feel guilty for not acknowledging it. Now I’m the one who feels guilty that I didn’t go ahead and … Continue reading →

The Extended Metaphor of Us

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She flew in under my radar. buzzed my ivory tower, until I noticed her there, gracing the sky with her beauty, like an elegant, fragile bird. When I stopped searching the sky for Harpies and pterodactyls, I saw her…strong in her weaknesses, swooping and ascending, wings white as snow, reflecting the sunlight of hope. And when she landed, and I looked into her azure eyes, I saw her soul, her damaged but still strong wings, and I stroked her, felt the softness of her feathers, smelled the scent of wind and rain, heard the beauty of her song. And I … Continue reading →

Creativity, Intelligence & Depressive Realism

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From a Facebook post I made, a thought-provoking subject emerged. Jae Baeli : “Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.” ~ Ernest Hemingway Tina Harada likes this. Amanda Gulledge I frowned when I read that so I would feel more intelligent. Candace Lynn Breaux Is that why I am unhappy so much of the time? LOL Jae Baeli LOL. Amanda–you crack me up. Candy–probably, yes. Victoria Bard love it…so true! Sandi Partee hmmm…so does that mean I’m not intelligent? Cause I’m happy as a lark! LOL! I understand Sandi’s reply was meant lightly, but let me just … Continue reading →

Letter to a Battered Heart

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Open letter to a friend whose heart is battered…. I remember that you were there for me when I was going through a lot and had no one. So I will do my best to be here for you, now. In this life, you have to separate your mental and emotional things, your habits, your beliefs–like laundry. Whites over there, colors over there, delicates there. You can’t throw them all in together or the colors will bleed and what was once pure and white is now sullied. Some things must be kept apart, some things put together, and you always … Continue reading →

Kindred Romance

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This is a bit retroactive, but felt I should post something…. I‘m almost afraid to say it.  I think I’ve finally met someone normal. Stable. Real. A Kindred.    After the debacle of my last relationship, i am quite gun shy, and yet, this woman has managed to get around my defenses. It’s so easy to be in her company. Everything just seems to flow smoothly. It’s effortless to spend time with her, and I find myself feeling genuinely happy whenever she’s around. Kelly and I have been dating 3 to 4 times per week for the last month–long, all-nighters … Continue reading →

Brain Sex

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For the first time in a long time, I feel that there might just be better things on the horizon for me. I had a phenomenal 6+ HOUR conversation last night on the phone, and it made me so happy to have such great rapport with someone. Communication is vital to me, and last night was a validation of why it’s such an important part of my life. I have always enjoyed what i call “brain sex”–that is, engaging someone intellectually in a way that is so satisfying and inspiring, that you feel some chemical in your brain has been … Continue reading →

Truth or Consequences

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When it comes to lasting relationships with people in your life, I guess it might all come down to two things: Do I want to be right or do I want to be happy? I can, without hesitation, say that being happy is my choice. The next question becomes: can I be happy with the way things are right now, and with the way another person in my life is right now, warts and all? That answer remains to be seen and might take a little more time. The thing is, after 8 years of college and some pretty hard … Continue reading →