Stop apologizing for not being more productive. We are in a global pandemic. Managing expectations is an incredibly useful professional skill, but especially in 2020, when managing expectations is the difference between setting reasonable goals and living in a perpetual state of panic and/or depression, because you feel like you’re constantly disappointing everyone. Stop apologizing […]

Each day is a fresh new opportunity to show the world what you’re made of. Some days, you’re made of honor. Courage. Art. Other days, you’re comprised of potatoes. Baked. Fried. Or liquefied, into vodka. (Or perhaps, all of the above.) Really, you have to look at your life as a semi-intentional mix of many […]

Book: Found photos. Eerie descriptions. Magical. Movie: CGI tricks. Underutilized British actors. Samuel Jackson. Perplexing and bombastic climax.

op·pres·sion /əˈpreSHən/ noun noun: oppression; plural noun: oppressions prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control. “a region shattered by oppression and killing” synonyms: persecution, abuse, maltreatment, ill-treatment, tyranny, despotism, repression, suppression, subjection, subjugation; More antonyms: freedom, democracy the state of being subject to unjust treatment or control. synonyms: persecution, abuse, maltreatment, ill-treatment, tyranny, despotism, repression, […]

Entitlement is a funny thing. Hard to recognize, especially in ourselves. Difficult to escape. It’s not just a mindset we develop during our best times. Not only a set of behaviors adopted out of carelessness. For some, it’s like a religion, or an inheritance. A way of life passed down from father to son. Some […]

“Always Be Grudging” by Michelle Hauck In late fall of 2013 it seemed my writer career had taken off. I’d just gotten an agent. I’d placed an earlier story, Kindar’s Cure, with a small press, but I didn’t feel complete without an agent. Now, my humorous middle grade story was being read by the important […]

Sorry I haven’t blogged in a few days, friends. I promise I’ll have many exciting things to report in the New Year, including a thrilling new WIP. In the meantime, here’s what my Christmas looks like: (Also this:)

Feel free to add your own captions for this photo in the comments. (I think you can find it on page 192 of the Skymall Catalogue.)

Waiting on word is the worst form of torture there is. And that’s about it for today’s wisdom, kids. Enjoy the day!

There once was a girl with potential, Who struggled with things existential. She wrote down her thoughts, In scribbles and blots, While wondering, “Have I gone quite mental?” THE END   (This message brought to you by: Monday.)

You might have noticed a sudden and shocking absence of “flair” on this blog. This is why: http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2012/07/blogging-authors-beware-you-can-get.html You’ve been warned. ***Legal disclaimer: to my knowledge, I have not intentionally used any copyrighted materials without the express permission and/or knowledge of the owner(s). THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless […]

*Marcus wasn’t much to look at, especially where cruise ship bartenders are concerned. In fact, the first time I met him I think my inner monologue was something along the lines of “Gaaah! I didn’t see you there. How did you sneak so close to me, Stalky McRaperton!?” But in spite of being a rather […]

Here lies P.R. Job. We never saw it coming; it was quite sudden. One day, it was fresh and new, full of promise. The next, it was dead. Like a newborn kitten with distemper, all rowdy and playful until suddenly it chokes and dies in your lap a week before Christmas. (But that’s another story, […]

It’s amazing how many people don’t appreciate wit. And not just nonplussed by a well-timed observation or a snappy rejoinder or a clever comment. Like, zero tolerance for a smart mouth. None-zo. When it comes to movies, people expect zingy one-liners. They roll their eyes over cliched professions of sincerity, and voice their desire for […]

I’m saving all my brilliance for later. (It heightens the suspense.)

I’ve been deathly I’ll for almost three days now. Once, my family took a cruise for Christmas vacation. I was sick then, too. This is the first time I’ve gone downhill, health-wise, since signing on. Which leads me to believe that it’s the holidays, not the stress or the weather or the germs, that make […]

Why do I spend so much time stressing out? She wondered to herself, as she fast-walked down a long, narrow hallway on her way–but already ten minutes late–to an event where she would ad-lib a one-hour lecture in front of two-hundred complete strangers. God only knows. It might be the diet, she told herself. Yeah, […]