That Time Our Books Debuted During a Pandemic


Dear #Writingcommunity, As a first-time author, I’ve looked over the industry checklists and prepared for pretty much any challenge I might face leading up to my book launch. A global pandemic wasn’t one of them. My first picture book, The Voice That Won the Vote: How One Woman’s Words Made History, hits store shelves in two days. I’m sitting here…

THE VOICE THAT WON THE VOTE: Cover Reveal!


A version of this post originally appeared on the Soaring 20’s blog Before becoming an author, I never understood the big deal about cover reveals. Why all the hoopla about the front of a book that isn’t even out yet? Now I get it. The business of bringing a book into the world happens mostly behind the scenes. There’s the…

Assumptions Are Scary!


Boo! Here’s my entry for Susanna Hill’s 8th annual Halloweensie contest for children’s writers. The rules: Write a 100-word Halloween story, incorporating the words shiver, cauldron, and howl.   Assumptions Are Scary! Beth hated to hear all the howling next door. Those poor kidnapped animals, scared to the core. When the witch drove away and returned with big bags, the…

Let it Go? Not Quite Yet…


This post originally appeared on Here in Maine, the tour buses packed with leaf peepers have left the roadways, and our fall foliage has gone from bright to brown. In mindfulness circles, nature offers a mirror for different seasons of personal development and, like the late-autumn leaves, this one’s all about letting go. Frustrated with a controlling coworker and wishing…

Exposing the Good-Natured Grope: It’s Time to Put the Jest Defense to Rest


It’s an exciting time for women’s voices. Long-silenced stories of sexual violation are rising up out of hiding and into the public discourse. Fear of retaliation has become strength in numbers, as powerful perpetrators like Harvey Weinstein are brought to their knees, along with the system that enabled unchecked assault. The secret shame of so many has become a source…

I’m Here


Dear Evan on Your First Day of 8th Grade, You just disappeared around the corner en route to the bus, and I’m swiping through 14 pictures of your back. After the obligatory first-day photo featuring a stilted smile (no, approval is not required before posting, as first-day-of-anything pics fall under the Mother Override Exemption), and suddenly lanky teenage arms dangling…

Wandering Minds Welcome


When I tell people I’m a mindfulness coach, the conversation generally goes something like this: Them: “I could never do that; my mind wanders too much.” Me: “Perfect! You’re mindful.” Everyone’s mind wanders. And mindfulness is paying acute attention to what’s happening in the present moment. So if you’re aware that your mind is wandering, you’re halfway to a successful…

On Chocolate Mousse and Chapter Two


Did you know that Monday was National Chocolate Mousse Day? Neither did I, until the woman ahead of me in the grocery checkout line explained that’s why she was buying her kids the towering brown mass of mousse with smaller swirly dollops blooming from the top. “I promised my kids I’d bring home chocolate mousse for dessert,” she told the…