Empathic Ink

From an empath's POV... An empath is someone who experiences emotional sensitivity at a deeper level. While empathy allows us to recognize and understand what another person may be feeling, an empath may experience another person’s emotions, energy, or emotional atmosphere more intensely and personally. For more information, I highly suggest checking out Dr. Judith Orloff ! Personally, when I walk into a room, I can immediately sense tension before anyone says a word. I find myself deeply affected by the emotions of the people around me, even when those emotions aren't being openly expressed. Crowded or emotionally charged environments can feel overwhelming, while peaceful spaces and genuine connection can feel especially nourishing. For some empaths, this sensitivity can feel like a gift. For others, especially before they understand what they're experiencing, it can feel confusing or exhausting. I even had issues as a child, which presented as stomach aches and not wantin...

Fully Awake  is here! The Strawberry Moon is often associated with intuition, transformation, and awakening, making it the perfect time to release Fully Awake into the world. The Empath Files is a YA supernatural paranormal series following Blakely, a newly awakened empath who uses her psychic abilities to investigate hauntings and unexplained phenomena. Each book is a new case in which she confronts restless spirits, fractured realities, and emotional truths that refuse to stay buried, forcing her to face the parts of herself she once tried to silence. To celebrate the release of the first book in this series, I'm giving away signed copies! I'll be adding all of the giveaway links below so you can easily find them in one place. (It's only .99, so you could also simply download it.) Being an empath, there's a part of me that lingers on each page, so I can't wait for you to step into the world of Fully Awake . Thank you for being part of this journey with me! Read a...

Things I wish I had embraced a long, long time ago... Don't chase .   What's meant to find you will. Be grateful .   It's a 'biochemical superpower' that rewires your brain to be healthier & more resilient. Never react from a place of anger .   Take some deep breaths, count to 10, & let it settle down first. You may realize a reaction isn't even needed. Silence speaks louder than exposition .  T he most profound stories find their power in the chapters left unwritten & the reactions left unspoke n. Only value the opinion of those who matter .   If you don't care about them, don't care what they think .  Don't let strangers anger you .   If you don't know them, don't let what they do or say affect your mood. Keep the key to your happiness in your own pocket .   Don't give others that kind of power over you . Only give energy to the things & people you value .   Don't feed what you don't want t...

Book 1 of The   Empath Files A YA Paranormal Psychological Thriller The island was supposed to save her. Instead, it became everything she feared.  When their cruise ship sinks, seventeen-year-old Blakely fights to survive. She escapes the wreck, clings to a life raft, and washes up on a remote island with six other survivors. For days, they build shelter, ration food, and hope for rescue. But something is wrong with the island.  Whispers drift from the darkness, shadows move on their own, and one by one, people begin to die, as if the island itself wants them gone. As fear and grief set in, the island grows more unpredictable. The rules of reality begin to bend, and Blakely starts sensing and seeing things she can’t explain. Something unexpected is happening on the island, awakening a part of Blakely she’s spent her whole life pushing away. The more she resists it, the darker her world becomes. Before long, resistance proves more dangerous than giving in, and everything...

This is  so important, I'm surprised I've not talked about it sooner. Well, better late than never! What are Love Languages? I'm sure most of you have heard of love languages, which refer to the various ways people naturally express and receive love. Dr. Gary Chapman identified five main types: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch . Understanding your own love language and your partner's (or child's/family member's/friend's) helps you communicate affection more effectively, because what makes one person feel loved might be different from what makes another person feel loved. I'll explain why this is important after I describe each one. 1. Words of Affirmation Expressing love through verbal compliments and appreciation Includes encouraging words, "I love you," and "I appreciate you" Written notes, texts, and spoken praise all matter deeply Criticism or harsh words can be particularl...

I started to announce what I'm currently working on in a short Facebook post. However, as I wrote, it quickly expanded into more, so here we are. Book News Firstly, what I initially was going to talk about on my author page was how I'm revisiting my first ever (and still my favorite) published series, For Always . Out of nowhere, while working on my current book, Fully Awake , which is about halfway finished, I got a sudden urge to publish the For Always series as a box set. Thinking this could be done rather quickly, and should've been done a long time ago, I soon realized I was very mistaken.  When I went to open the files, which are from several years ago, I was surprised to see that they were all corrupt, and I wasn't able to open them. Because of this, I had to jump through hoops to download and convert PDFs, which messed up the formatting and left me having to fix it for each book, which is a feat in itself. As I started doing this yesterday, I thought, "Why ...

I often take a singing bowl or two outside in the mornings when I can and meditate for a little while. One day, before coming back inside, I shut my eyes and asked my spirit guides if there was anything they wanted me to know. I was told to open my eyes. When I did, a weed that was growing up through our rocks quickly caught my eye. The sun was shimmering off the rainwater that was still hanging on to its leaves, and it was beautiful, even from several yards away. I was pulled to a particular sparkling raindrop, which can actually be seen on the left side of the photo, and was told it was me. It's hard to put into words what that meant, and maybe I'm not supposed to, but it truly touched me and resonated with my spirit. Out of everything in my backyard, a water droplet was able to capture my attention with its wondrous beauty only because of the Light that shone through it at that very moment. We're all represented in those raindrops, which made that little weed one of the...

What's an Empath? I'll tell you how it feels to me: I can sense emotions and often take those on as my own. If you cry, I'll cry with you—not because I want to, but because I can't stop it. I also feel claustrophobic in crowds, like everyone's energy is suffocating me with anxiety. If I say something that annoys you or makes you mad, I'll instantly know it without having to see your face. I know if someone is lying. I sometimes feel other people's pain as if it were my own, as well. Not only that, but I also have a "knowing" as soon as I meet someone, like getting a quick download of who someone truly is energetically. It's been a curse most of my life, but now it feels more like a gift. Why I'm Writing This Most adult empaths were once child empaths. I was one of those kids. As a child, I didn't just hate school—it made me physically ill. I'd wake up sick, even vomiting, not wanting to go. I can still remember the butterflies that ...

When my daughter was in the fifth grade, she had to write a short story for school. As I read her story about two sisters who accidentally got whisked away to a magical land of fairies and gnomes, I was intrigued. As soon as I finished reading it, I had to know how it ended... and Revery was born. My daughter is almost twenty-one, now. After working on this story off and on for ten years, expanding upon what she'd started all those years ago, it's finally complete... and FREE to download & read this weekend! Download it for free  HERE ! “Sometimes, it’s not about the destination. It’s about taking a leap of faith and hoping you land where you’re supposed to be.” When sisters Kayla and Braylee stumble upon a mysterious book in their grandmother’s attic, they have no idea it will change their lives forever. The ancient tome,  The Book of Pervium , is no ordinary relic—it’s a gateway to a world they’ve only read about in bedtime stories. With one accidental turn of a page, t...

The  award-winning Mountain Makins Festival is an Appalachian Folklife Festival celebrating the unique culture of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Known for high-quality crafts and artisans, the festival features a juried arts & crafts fair, top regional musical talent, storytellers, authors, children's activities, and more. It also includes demonstrations of traditional crafts, such as blacksmithing, basket making, and woodturning. All activities take place at the historic Rose Center . Mountain Makins 2014 I was invited to be a part of Mountain Makins again, this year, so mark your calendar so you can stop by & say hi! I'll be in the author's section! From the acknowledgments of my most recent book, Paranormal Pariah of Prater Hall : Bill Landry and Janae Mitchell There’s one more thing before I go… I’d like to acknowledge Rose Center, which is the historic building that inspired this story. As a kid, I took dance lessons there. Walking down the hallways, it ...

As a mom, I was rather strict. We did let our kids live life, but we also had rules that we expected to be followed. Even so, I'd be questioned as to why they weren't allowed to do something or get the occasional, "But so-and-so's mom lets them." My favorite comeback for this was, "Maybe so-and-so's mom doesn't love them as much as I love you." That one usually shut them up. How could they argue with love? As a mom, I've been hated. Neither of my kids ever said it to me, but I'm sure they thought it. And when that happened, especially as they got older, it hurt. The way I see it, though, if you're not hated (or at least strongly disliked) at some point, you're not doing it right. If we try to make our kids happy 100% of the time, we're failing them and ourselves. As a mom, we learn as we go. Yes, there are numerous books telling you how someone thinks you should parent, but let's get real, here. Every child, family, and en...

In March of 2022, my daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. On one hand, we're thankful that's all it is and that as long as she doesn't eat OR get exposed to gluten at all for the rest of her entire life , she'll be okay. On the other hand, Celiac Disease is no joke!  It's not a simple food allergy. It's an autoimmune disease that can affect her entire system, not just her stomach, and it has. Looking back at the problems she started having in middle school, a lot of things make sense now. Is it all connected to Celiac? We'll never know. However, after doing a lot of research, I'd say it played a role in a lot of it. That's why I wanted to share our experience because, from what I've learned so far, this autoimmune disease affects everyone differently. Joint Pain Around sixth grade, my daughter started complaining that her knees hurt when she bent down and that her ankles sometimes caused her pain when she walked. After talking to her ped...

I often hear parents of newborns say, “It’ll be easier in a few months when they’re on a better sleeping and feeding schedule.” That never happens. They often say, “It’ll be easier when they’re toddlers and can do more.” Yes, they can do a lot more, leaving you chasing them everywhere and tired for several years. Then they say, “Oh, I can’t wait until they start school so I can take a break.” And then your baby goes to get out of the car on that 3 rd day and starts to cry, not wanting to go and have to leave you, yet again, for what feels like an eternity. You’ll cry, too. Then it’s, “It’ll be so much easier when they can drive themselves to school and ball practice.” And then you worry yourself sick every time they get behind the wheel or ride with a friend. During those tough teenage years, they say, “I can’t wait for them to grow up and start living their own lives.” Then, they do. That’s the part no one warned me about! Letting go, for me, has 100% been the hardest part of be...

Disclaimer: This post is from my own personal experience and was written to give help and advice to new writers. Again, this is how I go about publishing my books and everyone's experiences may be different. It's a bit of a long read, but I wanted to keep all of the information and links together in one place.  Over the past ten years, friends who are new to writing have asked me many questions about many things, from self-publishing to query letters. Because of this, I thought it'd be easier to direct them here instead of repeating the same things over and over again. I'm not an expert when it comes to the things I'm going to talk about, however, any help new writers can get is better than nothing. I wish I had someone to help guide me along the way instead of having to learn everything on my own. With that being said, let's begin. After recently being an Acquisitions Editor for a small press, I realized just how many writers don't edit their work... like, ...

This week is the 11th annual Read an Ebook Week on Smashwords! Several books, including mine, will either be FREE or on sale on Smashwords from March 1st-7th, so make sure you take advantage of this event. They've made it easy to find what you like to read, from young adult to romance  and  horror , or if you just want to see what's free . Available for all e-readers! My FREE ebooks: For Always Leaves of Three In An Instant Unleashed Haunted My 50% off ebooks: Your Worst Fears Ricochet Feels Like Rain Happy reading!