Empathic Ink

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!