The Fear of Success

24 Feb 2020.Reading time 11 minutes.

When I was 20, I went to Culinary school in NYC. I loved it. The city was big, bustling, daunting, yet beautiful. I was on my own for the first time in my life, free to make my own choices, and free to succeed or fail. I’d made it through the entire program with flying […]

Following the Leader

27 Jan 2020.Reading time 16 minutes.

Five years ago, God laid on our hearts that He wanted us to move. We didn’t know where or when, but we felt the pull south…

Forever Blessed – No Matter What!

20 Dec 2019.Reading time 20 minutes.

I’m sitting here nestled on the couch, surrounded by boxes, finishing a hot bowl of my grandmother’s Japanese soup, and trying to find the words to relay the last couple weeks of my life. The only descriptions I can come up with are “blessed” and “forever changed.” …

Desiring Weird

30 Sep 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

I’ve come to a revelation this month. It’s not a brand new idea for my mind. In fact, if you’re a friend of mine you’ve probably heard me say this before: I’m weird. i.e. unnatural, odd, bizarrre, freaky, unearthly, and not normal. I’m not a shy person – goodness, no! – so I’m not afraid […]

Changes Bring New Life

20 Aug 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. – Viktor E. Frankl

Wow, that quote hits me square in the forehead. It pretty much sums up the last two months of my life.

Short Story: Two Rules

8 Jun 2019.Reading time 7 minutes.

Stories are my life. Not a day goes by where I’m not considering a new book, revising a plot, digging deeper into a character’s backstory, imagining a distant world, or creating something totally different. My usual creations are novels, plays, or poetry. It’s been years since I dabbled in the art of short stories. I […]

The Novel Life of Tessa Gloom

5 May 2019.Reading time 1 minute.

For months I have poured myself into one goal: creating an original play. Weeks of writing, painting backdrops, creating props, casting, hours and hours of practices, running lines, rewriting lines, working with talented young actors, trying to find working microphones, figuring out sound and lighting, creating playbills, flyers, and tickets, scheduling issues, etc. It’s all […]

The Theater, The Theater

21 Jan 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

The stage has followed me since the age of seven. I was selected to star in a Christmas church play, in a production called “It’s the Truth Ruth” as the character of Ruth. I can still sing my catchy solo in my head when I hear that title. Those were the days; when people didn’t […]

Hello. Blink. Good-bye.

31 Dec 2018.Reading time 7 minutes.

2018 for me can be summed up in three words: Hello. Blink. Good-bye. I feel like it was just New Year’s Day. Andrew and I were talking fondly of 2017, and our many dreams for 2018. I thought my book would be signed this year for one. My novel, The Judas Killer, went through quite […]

Poem ~ Pearls

11 Oct 2018.Reading time 1 minute.

I’ve had quite the day today with a roller coaster of emotions. Honestly, I’ve had an unusually heavy last few months. Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed, my vent is in writing. More specifically: writing poetry. I penned (or typed) this poem just a couple of minutes ago. If it speaks to you, please let me know! […]