Category: Everywhere But Home

Crafts, Essays, Everywhere But Home, Family Time, Friend Time, health, I Am Traveling, Lifelong learning, My Own Personal Weirdness, My Writing

March 2026 Stats

In March, I wrote 6037 words. Of those words,

  • 416 were for this blog (2 short posts),
  • 2474 were for my journal,
  • 0 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons
  • 2744 were on various social media accounts,
  • 168 were poetry (2 short poems),
  • and 651 were in short stories (4 pieces of flash fiction).

There were only 9 days that I didn’t write anything, but my word count was low due to several things. It was a whirlwind of a month. I participated in both my first Trivia Night and a BYOC Night (Bring Your Own Craft) with local friends. I have a new favorite Ice Cream/Coffee Shop. Our family had two car accidents, and while we are all unharmed from them, our poor cars were, and so we played musical cars for several weeks. We also had time with family and friends and soon-to-be family. One week we had a special brunch/lunch/dinner/activity out every single day of the week. I saw nearly all of my specialty doctors, got to watch The Nugget once (and saw her another day), took a bookbinding class, and got addicted to playing Pokopia. We also traveled some more, this time to San Antonio for our youngest son’s WGI competition. We made it my birthday trip (a month early) and splurged out on touring the San Antonio Zoo, the Botanical Gardens, and eating at a Food Network highly rated burger joint. It was all fun and delicious and I even managed to go to a marvelous bookshop that is now in my Top 5 of Bookstores Ever. Comment below if you want the name and location of any of those things. 🙂

As for reading, I read parts of:

Defy or Defend by Gail Carriger (audiobook; Fantasy)

…and I finished reading:

  • A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher (audiobook; YA Fantasy)
  • Braiding Sweetgrass by Robyn Kimmerer Walls (audiobook; Non-Fiction)
  • Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger (audiobook; Fantasy)
  • Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger (audiobook; Fantasy)
  • Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger (audiobook; Fantasy)
  • The Curious Case of the Werewolf that Wasn’t by Gail Carriger (e-book; Fantasy)
  • Meat Cute by Gail Carriger (e-book; Fantasy)
  • Poison or Protect by Gail Carriger (audiobook; Fantasy)

As you can see, mostly audiobooks. I started having trouble with my eyes months and months ago, but they were getting worse, fast, and I was waiting out my next eye doctor appointment. Once there, I was pretty quickly diagnosed with Binocular Vision Dysfunction (I was sitting there minding my own business and the eye doctor said “OOoooh…do that thing with your eyes again.” Me: “What thing?” She paused and while she waited, my eyes did the thing again, so there was a bunch more testing than usual.) In any case, I have new glasses on order that have special prism lenses in them and hopefully these terrible migraines and eye strain feelings will go away soon. 🙂 (Also, can I say how excessively lovely the Gail Carriger books are in audiobook form? I love the voices and the music and of course, all the steampunky weirdness and adventures!)

So I have finished 22 books so far this year (and read parts of another 5, mostly for research, but also a couple of things I’ve had to mark DNF.). 

Okay, I think that’s it. It was a super fun month! 🙂

Writing, Everywhere But Home, What I Love, Organizing, Speaking, My Writing

Speaking Engagement today, March 25, 2026 at Open Door Writing Group

Hey y’all! I’m talking about Writing Subplots at Open Door Writing Group today! Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel! Hope to see you soon!

Essays, Everywhere But Home, Lifelong learning, poetry, Speaking, What I Love, Writing

Upcoming Speaking Engagement on March 19, 2026 at the Rusk County Poetry Society

I will be speaking to the Rusk County Poetry Society at their March meeting on March 19, 2026 in Henderson, Texas. My topic is “Line Breaks and White Space.” Hope to see y’all there!

Everywhere But Home, Speaking, Writing

Speaking Engagement at TPL on February 25, 2026

This week at 1pm in the Makerspace at the Tyler Public Library I will be speaking at the Open Door Writing Group on What I Learned from “Write Smart, Write Happy” and “How to Make a Living as a Poet”, including tips and tricks to help you live your best, most creative, productive writing life.

Everywhere But Home, Speaking, Writing

Speaking Engagement at TPL on January 28, 2026

This week at 1pm in the Makerspace at the Tyler Public Library I will be speaking at the Open Door Writing Group on Planning Your Writing Life, including tips and tricks to help you live your best, most creative, productive writing life.

Everywhere But Home, My Writing, Speaking, Writing

Speaking Engagement on January 21, 2026 at Asher Point

Asher Point reached out to me through the library to come speak to their book club about writing, books that I’ve written, and all things books and reading. I can’t wait to talk to their Book Club! 🙂

Everywhere But Home, My Own Personal Weirdness, My Writing, poetry, Speaking, What I Love, Writing

Upcoming Speaking Engagement – ODWG on November 26th, 2025

I’ll be speaking this upcoming Wednesday afternoon at the Tyler Public Library’s Open Door Writing Group. We meet on the 3rd floor of the Tyler Public Library in the Makerspace from 1-3pm. I’ve been asked to talk about “Forms in Poetry” again and I’ve been practicing writing some different forms so I’ll have some contemporary examples for you! I know it’s the day before Thanksgiving, but we’re home this year for it, so I’m taking a chance on others being as excited about poetry as I am. 🙂 Hope some of y’all can make it! 🙂

Around the House, Books, Everywhere But Home, Family Time, My Own Personal Weirdness, My Writing, Parenting, The Past Comes Back to Haunt Me, What I Love

September 2025 Stats

In September, I wrote 4097 words. It’s still a busy month, even if all of your kids are out of high school. Yeah.

Of those words,

  • 346 were for this blog (2 short posts),
  • 0 were for my journal,
  • 2024 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons (one for the Open Door Writing Group),
  • 448 were on various social media accounts (which seems low, I know, but I’ve been trying to cut back on that and spend more time reading lately),
  • 1142 were poetry (3 short poems and 2 long),
  • and 137 were in short fiction (1 piece of flash fiction).

There were 19 days that I didn’t write anything. I spent a lot of the month either moving my eldest child to his new apartment or I was editing for Caro’s Quest. One of the books I beta read for came out this month, so I’m feeling that weird sense of accomplishment about that (you know, in that way where you walked alongside a friend going through something that you got to help with, so it’s like it’s partly yours just a little bit?). Meanwhile, I personally didn’t get any poems or short stories submitted anywhere.


As for reading, I read parts of:

  • The Comfort Book by Matthew Haig (audiobook; self-help)
  • The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie (e-book; mystery)
  • Let Loose the Dogs by Maureen Jennings (e-book; historical mystery)
  • …and I finished reading:
    Nothing Romantic by Kennedy Hope (e-book; LGBTQ+ romance)
  • System Collapse by Martha Wells (e-book; science fiction)
  • Except the Dying by Maureen Jennings (e-book; historical mystery)
  • Poor Tom is Dead by Maureen Jennings (e-book; historical mystery)
  • Conversations in the Garden* by Chelsee BreAnn (manuscript; poetry )

So I have finished 48 books so far this year (and read parts of another 16, mostly for research, but also a couple of things I’ve had to mark DNF.).

*The title of this book has changed since it was in beta. It’s permanent title is Honeysuckle Memories.

Everywhere But Home, Lifelong learning, My Own Personal Weirdness, My Writing, poetry, Speaking, What I Love, Writing

Upcoming Speaking Engagement at ODWG this Wednesday, September 24th, 2025

As requested by one of our lovely writers, I’ll be talking about “White Space and Line Breaks” at the Open Door Writing Group this Wednesday from 1-3pm at the Tyler Public Library in the 3rd floor Makerspace. Looking forward to seeing y’all then! #writingcommunity #writinglesson #poetry #whitespace #linebreaks

Everywhere But Home, My Writing, poetry, Short Stories, Speaking, What I Love, Writing

Speaking engagement this Wednesday, August 27th, 2025

As requested by one of our lovely writers, I’ll be talking about writing for contests at the Open Door Writing Group this Wednesday from 1-3pm at the Tyler Public Library in the 3rd floor Makerspace. Looking forward to seeing y’all then! #writingcommunity #writinglesson #writingforcontests