You may have seen mentioned that I live in Appalachia. You may also have noticed that I live in Ohio. To some, Ohio is an ocean of corn, soybeans, and tomatoes, flat as a tabletop and probably just as featureless. Its endless fields are occasionally interrupted by a sprawling metropolis, but more often by a… Continue reading Appal-lappal-lachia, Sing It With Me
Hypothetical time. A friend has written and published a book, and you, having seen small samples of their writing and finding them to your taste, have enthusiastically said you’d read it. The problem? The book turns out to have a major flaw. Not irredeemable, definitely fixable, but a glaring problem nevertheless, something that is blocking your… Continue reading Dilemmas, Dilemmas: When Advice Isn’t Asked For
I like to cook. Moreover, I am good at cooking, and so I would like to share my abilities with the world. FEEL BLESS-ED (two syllables, thank you). Therefore, I am beginning a weekly feature where I share with you, my darling readers, one of my delicious recipes to grace your taste buds with a world… Continue reading With Thorough Foodiness Week 1: Leek and Carrot Soup
I don’t really follow politics, I don’t watch the news, I don’t read the papers, because whenever I do, I become hopelessly enraged at all the things I cannot change. Mostly I stick to small local stuff that I can actually have a hand in. But the events of the day trickle in anyway via articles… Continue reading Thug and Other Words That Have Lost Their Political Correctness
Yesterday, I was playing on Twitter when the following tweet popped up: @Izi_Garcia Yes! I have a deaf dalmation, she’s 14 years old now. What kind of dog do you have? — Steph (@ShunterNi) September 23, 2015 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Question? Answer. 2015, you continue to blow my mind. Sounds simple, right? Let me tell you a… Continue reading Deaf Dogs and Social Media, Surprisingly Compatable
The first writing I ever queried was a children’s play called “Suiko and the Puzzle Box,” set in Meiji-era Japan. Though the year was 2011, this publisher required me to mail my script rather than submitting it by email. The wait time was three months; when six went by without so much as a word, I thought… Continue reading On Rejection and Affirmation in Publishing
Technology: not my best subject. You know how people go on about how some people are early adapters? Well, I’m the opposite. I had a physical keyboard on my phone until 2013, my voicemail is still the default message, and until a month ago I put two spaces after every period. In a word: if it’s not… Continue reading How Do Websites Work? Probably Not Like This
Under-Paid, Over-Enthused 