• In Pursuit of Personification: Writing Stories to Honor Your Animal Friends

    It is no surprise animal stories are a favorite among many readers. For one, animal lovers are able to connect to pets, while readers who may not be animal lovers gain a new perspective. Readers can get questions to answers surrounding ways animals interpret the ever-changing world. Writers exercise creativity by providing a voice for those who we cannot verbally communicate with. But why are animal stories so potent? A writer can take a topical issue, such as animal abuse, and pen a novel advocating animal rights. The writer gives the animal a voice. The writer encourages compassion, inspiring the…

  • Advice Only a Mother Can Give: Writing Books of Guidance for All Children

    Take it from Mom; she knows best — “You probably should bring a jacket,” or “Don’t chew with your mouth open.” As an adult, you will find yourself speaking these same fateful sayings to your children, while giving the “I mean it” face when they refuse. The words of a mother are ones that each of us carries into life with a sense of apprehension at first, but gratefulness when the advice turns out to be needed. Many mothers like you may wish to impart these pearls of maternal wisdom in a published book for not just your sons and…

  • A Mother’s Love: Legendary Family Recipes

    They say that it’s a challenge to master an heirloom recipe and make it the way mom does. However it’s difficult to deny that there is sacredness to family recipes and accomplishment in mastering them the way mom or grandma did. In imagining Mother’s Day gatherings full of love, laughter, flowers and food, we are reminded that each dish tells a unique story. In reflecting, what foods have fed your heart and spirit? What story does each spice, scent or bite trigger? What ingredients are you most connected to? Recalling each recipe grandma or mom has passed down, what memories…