Category: Saturday Six
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Saturday Six #31: Lessons In Querying

If you haven’t heard the news…I have an agent! I was incredibly excited to sign on with Marlene Stringer of the Stringer Literary Agency at the end of July. Since the day I spoke with her on the phone, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind, asking questions, signing the agreement, a bit of waiting…
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Saturday Six #30: Extreme Weather

I have always been obsessed with weather. I can remember a tornado warning one day after school. I was probably in 1st or 2nd grade, and the sky was greenish-gray while my friend’s mom picked her up from our house. And I remember another tornado warning when my mom ushered my brother and me to…
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Saturday Six #29: The Surprises of Parenting

I wanted to be a parent for as long as I can remember, and I fully recognize that I am one of the fortunate ones who was able to realize this dream. Being a parent is one of the most tiring, thankless, neverending jobs. Actually, I like to think of it more as a “practice”…
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Saturday Six #28: When I Kept Going

When I was ten years old, my parents gave me the thrill of my life: they finally agreed to adopt a cat. We chose a cat at the shelter and named him Punkin (Punky for short), a name I pulled straight out of a what-to-name-your-pet book filled with photos of fluffy felines. Punky was arguably…
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Saturday Six #27: When I Could Have Given Up

Back in March, I participated in my first pitch event on Twitter (you can read about that experience here!). While I didn’t come away with any likes from agents that first time around, I garnered enough benefits to do it again, which I did on June 3, armed with three brand-new pitches (for the same…
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Saturday Six #26: Unfinished Books

For a long time, I thought giving up on books made me a quitter. But as a busy person (mom of four, full-time employee, part-time novelist), I’ve realized there’s not time for everything. And there’s especially not time for books I don’t love. Choosing not to finish a book might mean I’ll miss out on…
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Saturday Six #25: Sweet Strawberry Summer

Before developers purchased the fields, I went strawberry picking with my parents and brother every summer. It was always one of our first family outings once my mom finished the school year as an elementary secretary, together filling flats of locally grown berries. I’m sure crouching and bending in the hot sun wasn’t always the…
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Saturday Six #24: The Sound of Music Revisited (Again)

The first time I watched The Sound of Music, it was my grandma’s copy, recorded from television onto a VHS tape. When I was 10, I was thrilled to get my own copy (also on VHS – a double boxed set!). I can’t say how many times I’ve seen it and listened to the music.…
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Saturday Six #23: Twentieth Century Historical Fiction

I didn’t realize the 20th century had become such a popular setting for historical fiction, until I looked back and saw that six of the last seven I’ve read fit that description, all of which I’ve read this year. Honestly, this gives me a boost of confidence, considering my finished novel and the one I’m…
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Saturday Six #22: Furlough Memories

Today is the one-year anniversary of my last day of work before “pandemic furlough.” Because the funding for my salary relies heavily on tourism, and because tourism shut down last spring, our entire department was placed on furlough. Initially, we were supposed to be off for two months, but as the pandemic stretched on, the…