We binge-watch episodes of our favorite shows and binge-listen to episodes of our favorite podcasts. Why not binge-read episodes in our favorite genre? In July 2021, Amazon launched Kindle Vella as a way to offer avid readers an alternative to reading news or surfing social media on their phones for short spurts of time. I’m…
Tag: #YoungAdult
Teens need our collective prayers
We’re always praying for our kids. Right? We worry a lot. There’s so much that can go wrong in an instant. Our worry levels escalate toward the end of Spring Semester, especially with our seniors. What if they fail a class? What if something awful happens during or after a senior party? What if the…
Scripture to pray over teens
I’ve never prayed harder than I did during my children’s teenage years. Not only did I pray for them, I prayed for my husband and me. I asked God to strengthen and instill trust in our relationships, keep our children from harm, grant all of us patience and understanding, and . . . the list…
Libraries & Authors
Did you know that in the U.S., authors don’t receive payment each time readers check out books from libraries? However, if you listen to a song on Spotify, the artist receives $.0005. That half of a penny could add up. Last year, Spotify paid cellist Zoe Keating $12,231 to stream her music. Can you imagine…
The Haunted Heinz Mansion
A spooky true story for the Halloween season: I saw a ghost when I was fifteen years old. Or, maybe it was someone pretending to be a ghost. I had begged my parents to let me accompany my English teacher and four other members of our school’s literary magazine staff to see Sylvia Plath’s “The…
Dying To Read That Text?
Last year, I almost rear ended a car that had stopped suddenly in front of me. I’m ashamed to admit that I was texting during that close encounter. It scared me so much that I vowed never again to text while driving. On July 1, Georgia followed 15 states that ban texting while driving. Governor…
Miracle In A Cave
Have you ever prayed for people who don’t believe in Jesus? That’s what believers around the world have done for the past few weeks—pray for those in Thailand, which is 94.5% Buddhist, according to the country’s 2015 census. Yesterday, those prayers were answered in the best way possible when Thailand Navy SEALS and cave diving…
Race to your Kindle!
I’m thrilled to announce that not one, not two, but THREE of my writing partners published books in the last month. It’s so exciting to see a book I critiqued make to it print. Julane Fisher, who lives on the other side of the lake from me (45 minutes by car), released Sour Lemon and Sweet…
Senior Pranks
Senioritis. It’s a real thing. High school seniors are ready to GET OUT! They’re so close to graduation. In fact, the rounds of parties have already kicked off. But, there are still a few weeks left in their final semester. What could they possibly do to occupy their time while they wait? Cram for finals?…
#MeToo
It happened to me at age sixteen. Near closing time at the neighborhood drugstore where I clerked the front counter, the cafe owner next door poked his head in to say I was welcome to his leftover apple turnovers. I always bought one to go with my lunch. After we locked up, I dashed over…