Category: Writing

Around the House, Books, Lifelong learning, My Writing, poetry, What I Love, Writing

July 2026 Stats

In July 2026, I wrote 4018 words. Of those words,

  • 223 were for this blog (1 short post),
  • 1207 were for my journal,
  • 777 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons (one for the Open Door Writing Group),
  • 833 were on various social media accounts,
  • 751 were poetry (6 short poems and 2 long),
  • and 450 were in short stories (3 pieces of flash fiction).

This month was chock full of things, like Independence Day and my dad visiting for a solid week, two different days of flash flooding in my area where the power went out and the streets were insane, an online poetry conference with the Poetry Society of Texas, learning how to play Mahjong for the first time and then teaching like three other people my limited knowledge, adopting an orange cat from O’Malley’s Cat Rescue Lounge, preparing for my dad to visit and then he didn’t, keeping one of the other cats from killing the new one, and trying to write poems in new forms I’d never heard of before. There were only 12 days that I didn’t write anything new. I spent nearly all my waking moments this month selecting and revising poems for the Poetry Society of Texas Annual Contest. I had two poems published and got four poems submitted to other places as well. It was a really good month as a working writer.

As for reading, I read parts of:

  • The Virgin Who Ruined Lord Gray by Anna Bradley (e-book; historical romance)
  • Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune (e-book; fantasy)
  • The Hurting Kind by Ada Limon (e-book; poetry)
  • Writing Creativity and Soul by Sue Monk Kidd (e-book; non-fiction)

…and I finished reading:

  • Poetry Society of Texas: Student Award Winners 2025 (trade paperback; poetry)
  • A Sense of Stars by Cade Huie (trade paperback; poetry)
  • Barren Years by Amanda Russell (trade paperback; poetry)
  • The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O’Brien (e-book; historical fiction)

So I have finished 49 books so far this year (and read parts of another 12, mostly for research, but also a couple of things I’ve had to mark DNF.). 

Books, Everywhere But Home, I Am Traveling, My Writing, poetry, Speaking, What I Love, Writing

May 2026 Stats

In May 2026, I wrote 5312 words. Of those words,

  • 607 were for this blog (3 short posts),
  • 410 were non-fiction essays
  • 776 were for my journal,
  • 2439 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons (one for the Open Door Writing Group),
  • 359 were on various social media accounts,
  • 46 were poetry (1 short poem),
  • and 675 were in short stories (3 pieces of flash fiction).

There were only 14 days that I didn’t write anything. As you saw in a my last post, I was super busy this last month. I won’t rehash all of that. My eyes improved a lot, but I was out of town a lot, so I didn’t spend as much time at my desk as I’d like. In the end, I performed 5 poems on stage this month and got one poem and one short story out the door for submitting to literary journals.

As for reading, I read parts of:

  • Attention Seeker by Darcy Michaels (audiobook; memoir)
  • Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune (e-book; fantasy)

…and I finished reading…

  • Imprudence by Gail Carriger (e-book; fantasy)
  • Competence by Gail Carriger (e-book; fantasy)
  • Reticence by Gail Carriger (e-book; fantasy)
  • Romancing the Werewolf by Gail Carriger (e-book; fantasy)
  • How to Marry a Werewolf by Gail Carriger (e-book; fantasy)
  • The Lions of 5th Avenue (e-book; historical fiction)
  • The Little Shop of Found Things (e-book; fantasy)
  • The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (e-book; fantasy)

So I have finished 39 books so far this year (and read parts of another 8, mostly for research, but also a couple of things I’ve had to mark DNF.). 

Everywhere But Home, Friend Time, Lifelong learning, My Writing, poetry, Speaking, Writing

Speaking While Out & About Last Week

It’s been such a busy week! On Thursday, May 28th, I was one of the named headliners (along with my friends Janet Tyner, Carol Thompson, and Ilenya Marrin) for the Winnsboro Spoken Word Open Mic Night for the Winnsboro Center of the Arts. We drove the hour over to Winnsboro once again and had a grand old time with MC Mike Guinn, JDarrell Kirkley, and others.

(Then I went to my niece’s wedding on Friday, which should have a post of its own.)

On Saturday, Janet, Carol, and I got up super early, drove to Grapevine, Texas and performed for the Quicksilver Poetry Festival’s Open Mic as well. I don’t have any photos from that yet, but I will share them once I get copies. We had a fabulous time there as well. We got to visit with all our Ft. Worth Poetry Society comrades, hear some wonderful speakers (including the Arkansas Poet Laureate), listen to other wonderful poets, and see Shakespeare Dallas perform for us.

While I’m sad it took me so long to get into there, I really love our Texas poetry community now that I know where to find them. 🙂

Books, My Writing, Pre-Orders, Writing

Book on disability that I contributed to is available for pre-order!

Picture of the cover of the book "Beloved As We Are: Building a Congregational Culture of Disability Inclusion"

Beloved As We Are, the book on disability in congregations that I contributed to, is now available for pre-order! As you well know, it has been several years in the making. We’re so glad it is finally out!

Here’s the link to the UUA Bookstore’s listing:

Beloved as We Are

It is also listed on Amazon.com.

Around the House, Books, Everywhere But Home, Family Time, Friend Time, health, My Own Personal Weirdness, The Past Comes Back to Haunt Me, Writing

April 2026 Stats

In April 2026, I wrote 4052 words. Of those words,

  • 520 were for this blog (1 short post),
  • 449 were non-fiction essays
  • 1101 were for my journal,
  • 556 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons (one for the Open Door Writing Group),
  • 1277 were on various social media accounts,
  • 471 were poetry (7 short poems),
  • and 121 were in a short story (1 piece of flash fiction).

There were seventeen days that I didn’t write anything. I spent April Fools day offline, as always, but this year with breakfast out with Ree, writing group shenanigans midday, and NTBMO family dinner for a nice ending to the day. I spent half a day at the car dealership with my youngest child as his Emotional Support Human while he bought his new car (he’s never bought from a dealership before and wanted some help with contract parsing).

My spouse and I went to DFW that Friday to do some paperwork for a new fun thing and visited the Mustang Museum and wandered the mini Riverwalk in Irving along the way. Saturday we sat around waiting for tornadoes all day, which kept my dad from being able to drive up for Easter, alas. Sunday dawned a bright, beautiful day. All three kids made it over for crepes (a combined Larson/Holcomb/DoUB tradition) and egg hunting and bunny business were done by some family members while others hid from the camera (*cough eldestchild cough*), though I did sneak a picture of my spouse later. I went to my second Poetry Society of Texas meeting on Zoom and that was nifty! I was inducted as Corresponding Secretary of Rusk County Poetry Society at their April meeting. Also that week, my youngest went off to the WGI World Championships and I watched it all from afar. Then I finally got my new prism lenses. They are so lightweight and yet manage to make everything regularly-3D again without the double vision I’d been experiencing. It’s going to take a little getting used to. So while I could start working on the computer and doing up close work again, it has taken longer than I’d hoped it would.

Fortunately, the birthday celebrations started – first my son’s, then mine with family, then mine with friends (a craft night!). And at the end of the month I led the Open Door Writing Group in playing word and story games. I was so very busy, I didn’t get any poems or short stories submitted anywhere. So, I didn’t get any poems or short stories submitted anywhere.

As for reading, I read parts of:

  • Imprudence by Gail Carriger (audiobook; fantasy)
  • Book By Book (hardcover; non-fiction)

…and I finished reading:

  • Defy or Defend by Gail Carriger (audiobook; fantasy)
  • Ambush or Adore by Gail Carriger (audiobook; fantasy)
  • Soulless by Gail Carriger (audiobook; fantasy)
  • Blameless by Gail Carriger (audiobook; fantasy)
  • Changeless by Gail Carriger (audiobook; fantasy)
  • Blameless by Gail Carriger (audiobook; fantasy)
  • Heartless by Gail Carriger (audiobook; fantasy)
  • Timeless by Gail Carriger (audiobook; fantasy)
  • Prudence by Gail Carriger (audiobook; fantasy)

So I have finished 31 books so far this year (and read parts of another 6, mostly for research, but also a couple of things I’ve had to mark DNF.). 

Speaking, What I Love, Writing

Upcoming Speaking Engagement – May 6, 2026

This Wednesday, I’m speaking to the Open Door Writing Group about Characters and Body Language.

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

Around the House, health, My Own Personal Weirdness, My Writing, Organizing, Uncategorized, What I Love, Writing

February 2026 stats

In February 2026, I wrote an unreasonably tiny amount of words (4422). Of those words,

  • 416 were for this blog (2 short posts),
  • 1972 were for my journal (27 entries),
  • 722 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons (one for the Open Door Writing Group),
  • 1134 were on various social media accounts,
  • 0 were poetry (none! at all! alas!),
  • and 178 were in a single short flash fiction piece.

There were only 2 days that I didn’t write anything, but most of it was tiny little journal entries on my phone because it was a terrible, no good, very bad month. I got Covid again and then developed Adhesive Capsulitis in what used to be my good shoulder (while doing physical therapy for my bad shoulder). So either I couldn’t breathe or I couldn’t move. It was an agonizing month. I didn’t go to most of my writing group meetings and I didn’t get any poems or short stories submitted anywhere. I was a lump. A painful lump. (My kids redecorated my house for various holidays – the Super Bowl is a holiday, right – for me because I was so pitiful. They are such good kids.)

My son Greg came and did this for me one day. ❤️ Such a good son.

As for reading, I read parts of:

  • Braiding Sweetgrass by Robyn Kimmerer Walls (audiobook; non-fiction)
  • Write Smart, Write Happy by Cheryl St. John
  • How To Make a Living as a Poet by Gary Mex Glazner
  • Accessibility for Everyone by Laura Kalbag

…and I finished reading:

  • An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (audiobook; romance)
  • The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard (e-book; fantasy)
  • THOtE Bonus Chapters by Victoria Goddard (e-book; fantasy)
  • THotE Further Scenes by Victoria Goddard (e-book; fantasy)
  • Traditional Culture Days at Uni by Victoria Goddard (e-book; fantasy)
  • Feonie and the Islander Regalia by Victoria Goddard (e-book; fantasy)
  • The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard (e-book; fantasy)
  • Saint of the Bookstore by Victoria Goddard (e-book; fantasy)
  • At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard (e-book; fantasy)

Some of you may quibble about the bonus chapters and further scenes and short stories as being separate books, but I’m not having any of that because The Hands of the Emperor should have been about 5 full size novels by itself, as should At the Feet of the Sun. So I’m counting the rest individually. Sue me. Bwahahaha. (please don’t. why would you?) So I have finished 16 books so far this year (and read parts of another 7, mostly for research.). 

My cats wouldn’t leave me the entire time I was sick and in pain. I love them so much.
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.