How Reviews Support Authors (and help us write better books!)

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How Reviews Support Authors (and help us write better books!)

*Guest post by Sarah Stonich

You know that new heart-hugging ‘care’ emoji added to Facebook since the pandemic? It seems like it’s doing double duty these past weeks. As I sit to write this post, my city, Minneapolis is in the news every day. The neighborhood south of where I now live was decimated after peaceful rallies protesting George Floyd's murder were infiltrated and inflamed by outsiders; looters, and misguided bad actors. This murder-by-police has enlivened a movement–one that is spreading from a humble neighborhood to the attention of millions across cultures, borders, and time zones.

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Book Review: The Checklist Book by Alexandra Franzen

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Book Review: The Checklist Book by Alexandra Franzen

I'm a list maker. When I saw Alexandra's book, The Checklist Book, I knew I had to read it. Sometimes I think I make lists just for the sake of making a list. Other times, I'll make a list, and then I don't follow it and end up doing other things.

One of the big things I learned from reading Alexandra's book is why certain checklists don't work for me. It’s the same reason I make a list then don’t follow it!

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Visualize Your Ideal Life

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Visualize Your Ideal Life

I was about 12 or 13-years old when I read a book about high-performance athletes and how they get to Olympic level. I was a competitive figure skater and wanted to make it to nationals. Sadly, I can’t remember the name of that book, but it was fascinating.

One of the things I started doing was playing my solo music before bed, closing my eyes, and visualizing completing a perfect performance. That year was one of my best in terms of how I placed at competitions. While I never made it to nationals, I did make it to provincials that year.

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Why It Might Be Better For Your Wellbeing to Not Write Every Day

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Why It Might Be Better For Your Wellbeing to Not Write Every Day

Last month I shared a wonderful guest post by Desiree Villena—4 Reasons Writing Every Day is Great for Your Wellbeing. While I agree with the points Desiree makes, I also found myself questioning whether writing every day is great for everyone. If you follow author Becca Syme on YouTube, you’ll know about QTP—Question the Premise.

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4 Reasons Why Writing Every Day Is Great for Your Wellbeing

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4 Reasons Why Writing Every Day Is Great for Your Wellbeing

Guest post by Desiree Villena.*

As someone who writes for a living, I’ll admit it’s not always something I want to do. Getting started some days is like pulling teeth (if you’ll pardon the cliché from this purported professional wordsmith).

But unlike a trip to the dentist, I always feel much better immediately after a writing session — mentally, emotionally, and sometimes even physically. To me, this is a sure sign that writing is good for my wellbeing, and I know that many of my writer friends feel the same!

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I Asked the Wind: Interview with Poet Valerie Nifora

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I Asked the Wind: Interview with Poet Valerie Nifora

I had the pleasure of speaking with poet Valerie Nifora about her new book I Asked the Wind. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I Asked the Wind is a collection of poems about love. Valerie and I chatted about her book and what advice she has for aspiring poets and anyone searching for love.

Scroll down for the video, or continue reading for a summary of our chat.

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Journaling to Let Go of Worry and Cultivate Optimism

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Journaling to Let Go of Worry and Cultivate Optimism

This post was previously published on the site Create Write Now and is republished with permission from Create Write Now and Mari McCarthy.

GUEST POST BY MELIA DICKER

I was born a worrier into a long line of worriers. As a child, I’d often lie awake at night, terrified that burglars would break into my house, or that I’d fail the upcoming test at school the next day. Now that I have a home and children of my own, I fret about the dozens of details required to keep our lives humming along, from packing lunches to meeting urgent deadlines at work.

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