It’s been a while, but I have been known to use the phrase, “When hell freezes over.….” One can use this in a location such as Houston, because it so seldom freezes over. Not that I am comparing my favorite city to hell, mind you, but there are a few similarities during the summer when the temperatures jump up to three digits. Anyway, 2025 started off with snow. It was enough to stick to the ground with enough padding of the white stuff so people could slide down any and every hill in the city. Not that anyone had any type of sleds, but they did have pool toys and cardboard boxes that served the purpose. Since I am a full-time writer and don’t have to go anywhere for work, I thoroughly enjoyed it. You would think that I would feel so inspired by the beautiful scenery that the words would flow out of me and onto the page, or computer screen, or whatever. That did not happen. Is this the dreaded writer’s block that I hear other writers talk about? I would love to say that I have never suffered from this before, but I would be lying. Has anyone ever attempted to write an entire book about how it feels and how to cope with the dreaded writers block? I’ll research that the next time I am stuck for words and content.
The world has been crazy lately. In addition to the winter wonderland that has set in around many parts of the country, California has been on fire. I was mesmerized by watching the size and enormity of the blazes. Since I am many miles away and know nothing about fighting wild fires, my best contribution seemed to be watching CNN and picking the appropriate organization for my donations.
Okay, so now we have one part of the country freezing and the opposite end is burning up. And, my most pressing assignment is to write a blog about what it is like to be a writer and what my methods are to accomplish this. I think. Then I sits and thinks. Then I thinks some more. Crickets. Nada. Nothing. I am too distracted by my own thoughts about all of the crazy stuff that is going on right now. Whatever happened to normal? Maybe, I’ll go for another walk in the snow and think some more later on.
What to do? I start calling on all of the Creatives I can find or think of. I talk to them via zoom, talk to them over dinner, talk to them on the phone. I read poetry and look at works from my favorite visual artists. Because of this search, I found a new author! Yes, I have yet one more book to read while I am not writing. But this is a good book full of medical mysteries, strong characters, and suspense.
The Panacea Project by Catherine Devore Johnson is my new discovery. I heard the author give a talk about her writing and writing process. She even read the first chapter of her novel for her entranced audience. I am always impressed by what writers (and Creatives in general) are willing to put up with to work on their latest project. Catherine Johnson has a full-time job, a husband, and children. How does she find time to write? She just does it and she finishes her work. I am always impressed to learn that other writers submit their creations to so many journals and agents and publishers. Finally Catherine found the correct fit and the rest is history. Since this novel revolves around a medical mystery with much intrigue, of course, it should become a movie that is filmed in the heart of the Texas Medical Center.
I snapped a quick picture of Catherine while she was presenting at this author’s talk. I learned a lot listening to her. She is a local author here in the Houston area, so hopefully I will be there when her next novel is completed. I felt humbled that she can juggle family, work, and life in general. My biggest responsibility is my cat. And, I might add, my cat is very supportive of my writing endeavors. So, I am writing once again and it’s not all journal entries. Some if it involves actual story telling! Many thanks to Catherine Johnson for the inspiration. You can check out The Panacea Project on both Amazon and GoodReads. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have.
Until next time.……
One of the worst things that can happen to an author is to lose files. The pace of life today makes working digitally from the beginning the most productive path. This leaves you vulnerable when the technology breaks down.
The process of writing by hand gave me a chance to slow down the creative flow. Since I’m a very good typist, word-processing the work is always faster. Going from a handwritten story to typing it up allowed for revisions as I went. This first revision during the word-processing was an integral part of the writing flow for me.
Among the items seemingly gone was a story I had been writing about a University of Houston history professor who goes back to Viking times and brings a bunch of them here to the new world. The ripple effects being that Native Americans don’t end up wiped out by European colonization later on, because the Vikings who arrive integrate with the natives and fortify them. Vikings were known for their willingness to assimilate new things into their culture, which is why so much of their culture ended up a victim of christianization. (As a Christian myself, it pains me to say that, but religious institutions are never true to the heart of the spiritual belief they represent)
I have a subscription to Freedom With Writing, which sends out a newsletter every week. In it the team that hosts this service compiles contests, calls for submissions, editorial pitch requests, potential work in a vast array of writing related jobs, conferences, and other cool information aspiring writers can use.
Successful lady living in the big city has to make a trip to quaint picturesque small town. There she rekindles her romance with an early love or meets a local man and falls in love. She learns the importance of simple life and the meaning of Christmas.
Once upon a time, I started writing a novel. I had the basic story line, the location, most of the characters, the beginning and three possible endings. It’s a real fun story about a historic art deco building located somewhere in the downtown area of some-city, 
Being a patient in a hospital is an alternate reality. It doesn’t matter how long you are there, time and space play by their own rules. Anything that exists outside the walls of the building becomes irrelevant. I am sure there are some very good and logical reasons for waking patients up at the oddest hours to check vitals and draw blood. Antibiotics attached via an 
One time when I was getting some coffee at the nurses station, I noticed a pumpkin made to look like a heart. Apparently, for fun and frolic, the staff have a pumpkin carving/decorating contest for Halloween. At first I thought this was a pace maker, but I was wrong. It is actually a Left Ventricle Assist Device otherwise known as an 
However you choose to celebrate it, this time of year, and this holiday in particular, asks us to take a moment and look at our lives with gratitude. It seeks to shift our perspective from what we lack or haven’t yet accomplished, to what we have and what we have already done. It is a wonderful opportunity to take stock in your life and see all the things that are going well, count your blessings, and perhaps bring to the forefront of your mind the things that are good. Putting aside for at least a day all the things that are wrong in the world, your relationships, in your life, this day asks us to search for that which is good, that which is working, and to be grateful for it.
My absolute favorite night of the year has come and gone once again. Haunted Holidays took place on November 9th at the Brazos Bookstore. Literary artists gather together on this night to share their own scary spooky stories about any of the fall and winter holidays. To me the scary season begins with Halloween and doesn’t end until New Years. This year there were several poems and essays about the election. Yep, many consider that to be one of the scariest nights of the year! I had the honor to host the event and dressed up in my scariest finest formal clothing for the evening.
The following people participated in this event: Jere Pfister, Denise Bossarte, Katherine McDaniel, Jean King, Margo Toombs (who also read a selection by Rebecca Chirak), Dedra Murchison, Laura Pena, Sandi Stromberg and yours truly. One of the scariest stories was written by Katherine McDaniel. She told us a tale of living in a haunted house and everything was based on actual events! 
As a publisher, I have the joy of working with amazing creatives in the process of putting together their books. We publish fiction because the world needs a place to escape the harsh realities of life as well as a safe space to explore tough issues.
Usually, the Halloween post would be done by Ellen. She is the queen of Halloween. In her home, she has skeletons that remain in place all year long. She has figurines and all manner of cool ghostly decorations. But, she’s been doing all the posting lately, so it’s my turn.
