Just a Taste of My NaNoWriMo Project
This November, I’m finally trying my hand at fiction via the world of competitive novel writing. Below is an excerpt of what I’ve written thus far, with minimal editing. The hardcore editing comes after November, when all 50,000 words are stored in my laptop (and backed up elsewhere). Oh, and don’t worry… there’s no need for a spoiler alert. The narrator is Polly Borden-Thibodeaux, one of my three main characters (all female, all Central Texans). For years I’ve kept a small notepad where, over the

Happy Halloween!
For several months, I’ve threatened to turn up on Halloween as Word Girl. Ta-da! The photographic evidence is at right, though I still need a yellow belt and a red scarf. Not familiar with Word Girl (aka Becky Botsford)? Shaaaaaame on you. She’s the coolest, smartest girl superhero ev-ah who works hard to maintain a balance between work and home life. Plus, in a few years she’s gon

A Scene from the Loop
The stage at Scenic Loop Cafe I love writing about the historic Scenic Loop/Boerne Stage corridor (exhibit A). It’s the kind of place rich with historic and contemporary characters that begs to be chronicled. There’s one little story that I’ve never told because the ri

My “Good Mood” Campaign
Over on Twitter, I regularly receive compliments for my positive tweets. It’s always nice to hear that kind of feedback because it means that my upbeat approach to social media resonates. (There’s enough “negative” news out there already, right?) Well, there’s a little contest going on over at NatureMade’s Sam-E.com to find a new “good mood” blogger. The winner gets a 6-month gig and a nice salary. It’s clear that the company is looking for som

BBQ Book Review at DailyYonder.com
At the end of a trip to Dallas with family friends, I remarked to my mother and the other lady that “This wasn’t the trip that I thought we’d have, but it was fun enough, I guess.” I got into some serious trouble for what, near as I can tell, was my first honest, critical review. I was 10 years old, tops. You’d think I’d have learned to steer clear of writing them, now wouldn’t you? Nope. Recently Julie over at the Yonder asked me to review a copy of Republic of Barbecue