Empathic Ink

What You Think About, You Bring About... Sometimes, despite their lack of modern technology, such as indoor plumbing and electricity, I envy the Brown family, a.k.a. the  Alaskan Bush People . "Why?" you ask. Because they are practically oblivious to the world around them. They don't hear the negativity that floats around on social media, the news, or in general conversations, so their life is a bit untainted. "But we need to know what's going on in the world," some say. "Don't be blind to the things happening around you." Um... why not? The Brown family has no clue to what's going on, or modern technology, none of them having phones or computers, and they seem to manage just fine... happily, might I add. News will happen whether I follow it or not, and to be honest, I'm much happier when I don't. I'm on a 'need to know only' basis with the news, and that's enough for me. As an author, I am often on social m...

I'm not one to rant... but I'm making an exception today.  I got a call from my sixth grade daughter (who was at school, crying) recently and was told I needed to bring her some clothes to change into because hers weren't 'appropriate' for school and went against the dress code. What??? I thought back to what she had on that morning, which was actually an outfit she wears to church; leggings & a baby-doll style top that came to her thighs--completely covering her butt--and a long-sleeved blue-jean jacket. I took a deep breath and told her I would be right there.  Well, when I got there, she was upset and embarrassed that she had to be taken out of class (missing her lesson) so she could wait on me to bring her clothes. When I asked the office why her clothes broke dress code, I was informed it was because her top didn't come within an envelope's width of her knees. Really? So, let me make sure I understand. She can't wear leggings when she w...

10 Years ago, a legendary story was born. Firstly, let me tell you that when it comes to either being a lover or a hater of the Twilight Saga , I'm an obsessor. I love it to the point that my heart literally aches when "Leave Out All The Rest" starts to play at the end of the movie. And don't even get me started on the feels that "A Thousand Years" incited. With that being said, it's hard to understand how someone couldn't like this series as much as I do (or at least a small fraction), but then I tell myself that there are also readers who don't like Harry Potter  * gasp * , so I do understand that not everyone likes the same things and has their own opinion. However, the bashing of this series and the bullying of this author, no matter your opinion, has become ridiculous. Even if I wasn't a lover of Twilight , I wouldn't do or say some of the things that have been done and said by readers and fellow 'professionals' in the boo...

Are anthologies going to be the new trend dominating this list in the near future? "You made the NY Times Best Sellers list... with eleven other authors... for a .99 anthology? Um... congrats?" I've heard some readers, bloggers, and other authors talking about this lately. How is it that so many authors—virtually unknown authors—have made it onto the once highly regarded NY Times list with books that have never been heard of by most of the population? Well, when you put together a set of 10-15 books, sometimes more, and list them all for only .99, readers are going to buy them. Hey, who wouldn't want that many books for a dollar? Even if only a couple were actually good, it would be worth it. The problem for me is that some of those books, if not all, are making it onto the NY Times list because people like a bargain, not because they are actually great books and being read. Personally, I find fault in that and think that the NY Times listing qualificat...