Does Timber Howligan pass the Bechdel test?

I believe in equal opportunity reading. Having both a boy and a girl, I’ve seen some differences in their preferences for certain kinds of stories…they’re gender differences, but is that a bad thing? When my daughter wants to fill her shelves with Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious, I don’t make a big deal out of it. …

The Latest Fight Against the Machines

No, this has nothing to do with Terminator Genisys. But yes, it is a rehash of a familiar plot—not sending robots back in time, but my perpetual battle against my children and their “device time.” Why do I have to be the bad guy? Yeah, I’ve got something in common with Arnold, and I’m proud …

Timber Howligan First Month Update: Success!

Self-publishing is a business, so here’s the accounting: I promised to donate any proceeds to charity, the animal rescue organization Alley Cat Allies. Here’s what Timber earned in his first month out in the world: $4.07 from CreateSpace (11 copies) $11.87 from Draft2Digital (5 copies) $85.70 from paperbacks I sold directly (28 copies, including 12 …

America’s shame? Yes, but Britain’s hands aren’t clean.

The racially motivated terrorist attack/hate crime against the peaceful bible study participants at a Charleston church this week by one very sick individual has outraged our country and the world, opening us, yet again, to attacks by other countries--safe in their holier-than-thou gun control laws, convinced that these types of things wouldn't happen elsewhere. They …

Day before publication

Yesterday my husband came up with a really good idea for marketing Timber Howligan. “You should partner with Animal Rescue Societies, and get them to sell the book to raise money.” What I should have said was, “That’s a great idea, honey. Thanks for thinking of ways to help out. In a few months, once …

Summer reading fun, device-free

We work hard around here to protect our reading time. It isn't easy--those long summer days are great for swimming, bouncing on the trampoline, and once school ends, there's the biggest temptation of all: Device time. When my son turned eight, he earned himself the right to an iPad mini by being a voracious reader …

Less than a week–publication date June 12th!

Less than a week until Timber Howligan’s publication date (June 12th! June 12th!)! You may wonder what the penultimate week in a self-published author’s life looks like. This is my basement, where I set up shop… Screenprinting t-shirts. Yes, that’s right. My kids just finished their last week of school, so one batch of t-shirts …

Making things is fun…even books

It’s a long-standing controversy I probably have little original to add to it. But since some professional writers have argued that self-published novels dilute the quality of fiction on the market, making it harder for readers to find good reads, now that I’m actually self-publishing my first novel, I have a more informed opinion about …

Timber is an Alley Cat Ally

A long-promised post: When “Timber Howligan, Secret Agent Cat” comes out in June, I said I would donate any proceeds to the American Humane Association. That was my first pick. I like that they are concerned with the lives of all animals kept by humans, not just house pets. Having lived on a farm, Timber …

One Bite at a Time

“I can’t wait until June.” My son’s friend came up to me at lunch today and spoke these words, rousing me from the Good Part of my book. I was supervising the class of fourth graders, who usually talked amongst themselves, played cards, or otherwise stayed occupied with age-appropriate activities. It was an easy gig. …