I started writing my first novel at age eight. It was about a family of pencils that came alive at night and wandered around the classroom having various adventures. I was several chapters in when a well-meaning adult asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.
“I…
Congratulations! Your newly minted adult will soon fly the nest. It’s natural for a parent to feel uncertain about this major change. This book will tell you everything you can expect during the three trimesters of empty nesting.
The anticipation of the first trimester comes in two flavors: dread and…
As I head into my second year of writing and publishing online, I’m scrolling back through my old stories and sharing my favorites along with my thoughts. Join the journey.
I first wrote this on Facebook. The power of being able to put words to my grief and share it…
It took years for my needle phobia to grow. It took one day to cure it.
I’m happy to share my method with any other needle phobics out there but I have to warn you. Following through requires serious commitment.
All you need to do is give birth. …
2022 is the year I embrace music and reclaim the joy of listening to albums. So far I’m off to a rip-roaring start and ready to elevate this resolution to one of the best ideas ever (thanks Nia Simone McLeod).
Of course, it’s early days. According to research, January 12…
Greatest Generation, Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, Zoomers: which overly simplified and ridiculously hyped group do you fall into?
Who cares, you say?
Every person churning out content for a deadline who needs a quick story.
How am I supposed to read on the internet, says the imaginary reader…
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. — Dalai Lama
This is not a don’t worry be happy kind of post.
Nasty, huge systemic messes are frightening us all. Putting your hands over your ears and eyes and shouting, “I…
I haven’t done a review of a writer in a while now but I have a winner for you all today. Orrin Onken is full of laugh-out-loud humor and realism about life in retirement.
Please don’t skip Onken because you’re young. We do too much shuffling off into our own…
My phone rang while I was on my bike pedaling towards the ocean that separated me from my brother.
“Hey, Mary,” he said in his typical drawl. We moved around a lot in those first two decades of life we grew up together, but the Kentucky sojourn took root a…
If you are looking for a list of serious artsy fiction or hard-hitting well-researched nonfiction, this is not the list for you.
In 2021, I read books to escape into another world. I read for happy endings or at least satisfying conclusions where everything is neatly wrapped up. …
Writing, wondering, and wandering across three continents. Finding the funny everywhere I go. https://marydj03.medium.com/membership
