Why do we adore our favorite novels? When a story grips us enough to be a favorite, some type of bonding has occurred. We connected to something as we read. This experience can go deep—for readers and for writers—and leave a lasting impression. What fascinates me is the crossover between fiction and real life, when stories or characters influence us to […]
Read MoreWhen I sat on the couch in my living room this morning to explore the delicious topics of play, healing, and creativity, something surprising happened. Even though those topic have pervaded my life and I wrote a novel that explores them, until today I hadn’t really researched the synergies between those topics.
I fired up Google and started clicking links, following my curiosity, doing searches like play and healing. About two minutes in, I suddenly started sobbing […]
Read MoreI wonder if I’m alone in having the experience of reading gay romance and, in the process, rethinking my marriage. Before I started reading gay romance, I read het romance for long time and didn’t rethink my marriage. Why was reading gay romance so different? Following that question’s trail of clues continues to take me to places where I feel more at home. […]
Read MoreReal life occurs in the ongoing, sweat-soaked wrestling match between competing expectations. Do you know the feeling of really wanting to do something that someone else really wants you not to do? Or the situation where you say what you think and someone else tells you that’s not right? Or how about when one part of you has always done something this way, but another part of you wants to try doing it that way for a change? […]
Read MoreWhen my new friend Andre told me about his quest for meaningful work, he mentioned ideas like getting a job on an oil rig in the North Sea or working for the post office, but he didn’t seem enthused. I had similar concerns for myself, and since Andre and I shared a love of personal development, we took to meeting in a cafe to listen to each other, ask […]
Read MoreThe enormous romance genre encompasses a wide variety of subgenres, so there’s plenty to choose from, and we readers of romance tend to be voracious. This doesn’t surprise me. One of my definitions of romance is a story focused on main characters who catalyze self-healing for each other and thus reach true intimacy and a mutual happy ending. Romance stories show us how to love and be loved as our real selves. Of course we want stories (and then more stories) about […]
Read MoreYou know that feeling when you’re pulled in different directions but don’t know which direction is right for you? This choice is at the root of creativity and healthy relationships. How we navigate moments by making choices adds up to a life. Our degree of courage to accept who we are and act in truth ripples out to shape society.
Do I do what I know to be the right thing for me, even when doing so […]
Read MoreWalls built to keep out undesirables are as old as the first circled heap of stones. From stone walls to thwart invading hordes to security key pads and passwords, we humans devote vast resources to devising foolproof ways to separate us from them.
As I reach the three-quarter mark of the first cohesive draft of the novel I’m writing, it’s time to […]
Read MoreWe have some catching up to do in the realm of inclusion. In a quest to learn and level up over the years, I’ve developed a collection of resources about reading and writing inclusive romance. Listed below are my favorites from that collection. This is a place to […]
Read MoreOne of the main characters in my novel Everyday History writes articles about his treasured possessions. Each article focuses on a meaningful object and the important history it encapsulates. Reader interest in that novel and those articles led to this series of guest articles in the same style.
Lauren Sapala blew into my life when I started writing my second novel. She’s an author and writing coach for INFP and INFJ (that’s me) personality types. Through her books, our conversations, and: […]
Read More
