Well, it's that time of year again... We find ourselves nearly in the middle of June and, as such, thoroughly entrenched in National Dairy Month, Adopt-a-Cat Month, Safety Awareness Month, and Accordion Awareness Month. We also are (supposedly) to rally together in June to promote camping, candy, roses, and vegetables (https://nationaldaycalendar.com/june-monthly-observations/). However, while I bet…
The irony is that I was unable to write this story for several months due to the demands of the everyday... enjoy! đ Unravel Not another! she thought, plucking at a thread on her favorite navy blue jumper. It hurt her to pull on it, she was so fond of the old sweater. With…
I was inspired this morning as I walked to practice piano for an upcoming recital... this would have been great, had I been inspired to practice. Rather, I was inspired to set the opening of Wordsworthâs The Prelude to music. My roommate (bless her) stopped me just in time: âRyanne, if you write a melody and…
I took this photo on a sunset run and added the words (surprise! They were not actually fabulous skywriting!) as I was doing some reading later. The exercise, combined with the wisdom of St. Hildegard, were a welcome relief to an emotional day. Sometimes on overcast days like today, we fail to remember the sun.…
Yesterday was the birthday of renouned American author, Ray Bradbury. Three more years and we can celebrate his 100th birthday. But even in 2017, Bradbury's birthday is special to me because his stories provided the kick-in-the-pants I needed to take my writing seriously. Before entering high school, my family and I made a trip to…
The world is a mess. Whatever your political views, we can all agree that it's a rough world out there. However, while the news is increasingly depressing, I found an unlikely hero to cheer me for a few hours: Winnie-the-Pooh. Somehow I grew up reading everything in reach yet missed this classic! So I decided,…
I'm back from a six week tour and study trip to four different countries and, thanks to jet lag, my brain is wide awake while my body is still confused as to whether it's time for second breakfast or a mid-morning nap. So I will take advantage of this forced downtime to go on my…
I often refer to my novel as "my baby" and I know this is a tiny bit weird. But, being a writer, I really could not care less if I'm weird. Still, I think I have a valid point when I call my novel a baby, as... "Writing a Child" It changes each…
I love children's books: always have, always will. However, so many people pass the age of 12 and think they must "grow up." They somehow rationalize leaving behind the lovely rows of Newberry Medal winners for the cringe-worthy gratuitousness of the "teen paranormal romance" section. When did that even become a section?! Or rather, WHY?! But I…
Okay real talk. I hate Fridays. A lot. And, to be even more honest, I am not a huge fan of Saturdays either. But I do LOVE Mondays! Fresh start, strict schedule, etc. I often possess more of a "Thank Goodness It's Monday" (hence the title of this post) mentality than the more normal "TGIF." You…
