Grace O’Malley didn’t just defy the odds—she defied an empire. Born into a world where women were expected to fade quietly into the background, she carved out a life of rebellion, leadership, and high-seas adventure. From commanding a fleet to negotiating with Queen Elizabeth I, Grace rewrote the rules for what a woman could do—and dared anyone to stop her.
If you’re serious about writing — I mean serious-serious — then at some point you’re going to have to give things up. And not just a Netflix show or two. I mean real, soul-wrenching, this-or-that decisions.
I’ve made them. I gave up socializing. I gave up making clothes and jewelry. I took lower-paid jobs so I’d have the energy to write.
Writing takes time. And if your life is already full, then something else has to go. That’s the reality. You can’t wedge a writing career into the margins of a life that’s already packed.
Most people think writers live glamorous lives — champagne book launches, exotic research trips, and endless hours of leisure to dream up stories. The truth is a lot less Parisian café and a lot more 4:30 a.m. alarm clocks, fourteen-hour workdays, and muttering at characters who won’t behave while the laundry piles up.
In this post, I pull back the curtain on what writers’ lives really look like, why the myths persist, and how those rosy assumptions can sometimes hurt more than help.
In the early days of indie publishing, simply hitting “publish” could bring in income. Now? Discoverability is a battle, the market is saturated, and writing fiction full-time is a dream that more and more authors are having to compromise. This post digs into why multiple income streams aren’t a failure—they’re the new normal—and how indie authors can adapt without giving up.
If you haven’t heard of X Company, you’re not alone—but you’re missing out. This Canadian World War II spy drama combines gut-twisting espionage with quiet, powerful romance in a way that still haunts me years after watching. The storytelling is sharp, the characters unforgettable, and the romantic tension? Off the charts. Don’t let the soft-focus promo poster fool you—this one pulls no punches.
Juggling multiple pen names, a production pipeline, and the occasional bout of procrastination takes more than just caffeine and stubbornness—though those help. In this post, I break down exactly how I manage my writing and publishing schedule, from rotating pen names to keeping six+ books in postproduction at once. I also explain why I never write more than one book at a time and how I use a 300-step checklist to keep my head (mostly) attached.
On this day in 410 AD, Rome was sacked—and the world changed. But perhaps the real marvel isn’t that Rome fell. It’s that it lasted more than a thousand years. From primitive huts to aqueducts, concrete, dentistry, and legal systems we still use today, Rome wasn’t just a city—it was civilization. This post explores what a millennium really means… and what we lost when Western Rome fell.
I thought I was stuck at 1,200 to 1,300 words per hour because I had been for years. But I wasn’t. I was just telling myself I was. This month, I’ve finished one book, written another in nine days, and started plotting a third—all while juggling a demanding side gig. If you think you can’t write faster, maybe it’s time to stop believing that.
After my fourth serious trial, I’m calling it: for me, dictation is dead—at least for now. The modest bump in words per hour just doesn’t outweigh the tech friction, location lock-in, and editing overhead. If dictation plus clean-up time gets you more net words than typing, go for it. But if you’re already a clean, fast typist, the numbers might tell you to stick with your keyboard.
Boudicca wasn’t just a queen—she was an inferno wrapped in iron. After the Romans flogged her and assaulted her daughters, she rallied her tribe and scorched a path through Roman Britain so fierce, it still smolders in the national memory. She’s not just part of history—she is history. And maybe, just maybe, she shares blood with Arthur himself. The stories blur. The legends tangle. But oh, what a tale they tell.
