Conferences for Readers, Writers & Bloggers

Chriswriters conference

There are a ton of conferences for readers, writers, and bloggers. Like most people, I have a limited travel budget and a limited time frame to travel. Since I work for a school district as a speech therapist, I am off for 10 weeks during the summer. During those ten fabulous weeks, I can pretend that I’m a full time … Read More

Why I Hate Shopping For Dresses

ChrisUtopIA

Today I have decided to rant about one of my least favorite things: dress shopping. There are women who wear dresses all the time and look wonderful. I am not one of those women. Whenever I put on a dress, I look like a fire-hydrant: short, blocky, you get the idea. I can wear pants, capris, jeans and feel good about … Read More

Puppy Pallooza 2016

ChrisUtopIA

Like most authors, I have a day job. Luckily, I’m a speech therapist for a school district which means I am off work for the next ten weeks. Woo Hoo! What will I do with this gift of time? Write, write, write, and spend time with my family and my dogs. My husband and I call summer Puppy Pallooza because we … Read More

Make Me Laugh Wednesday: Introvert Edition

ChrisPenned Con, UtopIA, writers conference

Most writers are introverts. Which means that we count down the days until conferences like UtopIA and Penned Con with a sense of excitement tinged with stress. We know there will be so many people we want to spend time with and we can’t wait to see them. Tackle hugs are planned. We also know there will be so many … Read More

Novel Illustration for Going Down In Flames

ChrisDragons, UtopYA, YA

At UtopYA 2015 I met an artist named Monique. She had the unique idea to draw a character from a novel while she discussed the book…sort of a visual book review. Here is the Novel Illustration she created for Going Down In Flames. It’s amazing. I’ve already signed up to have her do an illustration for Bridges Burned. And I’d love … Read More

Things I learned at #UtopYA

ChrisUncategorized, UtopYA

What did I learn at UtopYA this year? Many things. In no uncertain order, here they are. 1. Make sure you shave both your legs before walking out the door to a book signing. In your distracted state, you may have forgotten one. 2. Put a room key in your nametag. That way if you accidentally grab your driver’s license rather … Read More