After hitting an author millstone, Maria Riley felt inspired to share ways that people can support authors without spending a cent.
The Story Behind the CWG Book Blasts
Michael Fraley explains the benefits of participating in the monthly CWG Book Blast.
Creating a “Social” Social Media Presence
Creating a “Social” Social Media Presence During last month’s Catholic Writers Conference Live in Chicago, I was blessed to offer a presentation on the importance of creating a truly “social” social media platform. Flat posts that bombard followers with “salesy” type content does not help build the loyal readers most […]
My Part to Play
Autumn is just about here, and I am grateful beyond words for so many things. Even as local and world upheavals distress my soul, so I breathe a prayer and turn my gaze to tasks at hand. What is my part to play in this maelstrom we call life with […]
Menagerie of Hidden Influences
My synaptic mailbox is full. Sitting in a relatively quiet room—the birds are chirping outside, the downstairs refrigerator is rattling, and the drier is whirling about—I alternate my gaze from myriad unfinished projects to pictures and paintings covering the walls to the well-tended jungle growing just beyond my porch. In […]
OldEarth Encounter Themes
Recently, I celebrated another year marked on the calendar of my life. I am also considering how best to focus my energy and enlighten my soul, so I look back on my previous accomplishments and peer ahead into exciting new projects. In our vastly changing world, we still follow an […]
Faith Based Schooling
One day I shared with my university professor father the name of a religious text I was using in my homeschool, and my dad snorted in disgust. “Use books with real material, for God’s sake!” The I-couldn’t-shoot-through-it-with-a-laser-gun irony was not lost on me. After all, every choice I made in my homeschooling […]
Head for Shore
The lake before me runs at an even pace with ripples breaking against the rocky, wooded shoreline. November trees adorned with crumpled, brown leaves shiver in a cold breeze. Evergreens standout, their pine branches waving as if to salute distant friends who never get any closer. This should be a […]
Put Your Mind in a Better Place
“Temptations prove thee.” A line from a prayer book I read this morning stopped me in my mental tracks. I had been talking the night before with my daughter about the value of professionalism in our world and how important it is to apply the concept to our thoughts as well […]
Opportunities
Every now and again, an opportunity strolls up and shakes my hand. Over the years, my response has changed from over-exuberant my-life will-now-be-so-much-better fantasy to a take-it-as-it-comes-live-in-the-moment reality, saving me a great deal of disappointment and offering me a whole new take on life. Recently, I connected with two podcasters, Dick and Jay, who […]