The Janes picked research as our theme for the month of May and today it’s my turn on the blog. Hope on over to See Jane Publish and read about my visit to the amazing Viking Museum in Roskilde, Denmark during last summer. The museum houses five original Viking ships from the 11th century. These ships were used in a blockade in a sea channel close to Skuldelev, which is 20 km north of Roskilde (the capital of Denmark during the Viking age). During the scrimmage, the ships were purposely sunk and not excavated until 1962, when they’d disintegrated into thousands of …

Last week, I was on Bark talking about how I had to learn to say no to others in order to say yes to myself, and to writing. My friend Sarah set me on the right path when she sent me Justine Musk‘s list of 25 Badass Ways to Say No. People have contributed wonderful comments, obviously I wasn’t the only creative person struggling with making time for my art without feeling guilty. The conversation is still going on. If you’d like to join us, head on over to Bark, or comment below and it will be like we’re talking …

April is my favorite time of year in Spokane. Not just because spring arrives, but because it’s time for Get Lit! During this amazing literary festival, authors and readers worship the written word. The festival began in 1998 as one full day of readings and was sponsored by Eastern Washington University. Now, more than ten thousand people come to the yearly event to enjoy a week of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction literary events. I’ve been a festival volunteer every year, since I moved to Spokane. This year, I’m moderating a panel featuring three amazing authors: Rebecca Zanetti, Danica Winters, and …

I’m extremely honored to be included in a lineup of amazing writers who are kicking off the Get Lit! 2014 Festival during the Eastern Washington University Alumni Association’s Young Professionals event. Here are my fellow performers: Shawn Vestal Author of Godforsaken Idaho and writer for the Spokesman-Review Liz Rognes Singer/Song writer, musician and EWU lecturer in English Composition, Literature and Creative Writing Aimee Cervenka Poet and STEM Retention Specialist at the EWU Academic Success Center This mastercard generic viagra absolute wonder creation of Eli Lilly &Company and by ICOS Corporation. The 100mg viagra cost common issue is stress and relationship problems. …

The March theme over on See Jane Publish is marketing. Today I talk about how clueless I am in that particular area. Stop by and join the conversation. Also, check out the other posts from this month to pick up great tips on how to successfully market your work. Marketing, Schmarketing…A One Reader (Me) Case Study Whenever I try to promote myself or anything I’ve written, I feel like the guy with the bullhorn in the image to the left. I obviously don’t have a clue how to do this correctly. Considering how much more expertise the other Janes have …

Wow! Time flies when you’re having fun and sometimes you neglect your own blog because you’re too busy playing on other websites and at conferences. I just returned home from an amazing few days at the American Writers & Writers Program (AWP) conference in Seattle. I graduated from Eastern Washington University with an MFA in creative writing (non fiction) back in 2010. For the first time, the university sponsored a reception for current students and alumni during the conference. It was so much fun meeting up with old friends who are now scattered all over the states in different jobs, …

I recently read an article on PolyMic about recommendations for cities other than New York for creative twenty-something to consider as their home town. This got me thinking about whether or not where you live determines how creative you are. On Bark today, I reminisce about where I have lived and where I was the most creative. I also suggest additions to PolyMic‘s top five cities list. If you want to see where I think creative people should live and whether or not location determined how productive of a writer I was in the past, head on over to Bark. …

I can’t stop using this expression. It is so much fun. I first heard it as “Totes ma goats, it’s cray-cray adorbs” in this Sprint commercial with James Earl Jones and Malcolm McDowell speaking like teenage girls. According to Urban Dictionary, totes ma goats is “slang for totally, used between full grown men in a bro-mantic relationship, to convey their excitement to a suggestion. Made popular by Paul Rudd’s character in I Love You, Man.” I have a not-so-secret crush on Paul Rudd, but for some reason I never saw this movie. (An error I will soon remedy.) Here’s the scene: …