MJ's WRITING JOURNEY
Latest Posts

Reading Roundup 2021
Remember way back at the beginning of 2021 when the global health situation was in flux? Remember when we were being forced—yet again—to work from home, to cancel our travel

My First Year as a Self-Published Author: The Hard Truth
As I write this post, I can’t help but feel a little melancholy about the past twelve months. It was exactly a year ago that I unfurled my hand and

Choosing Your Novel’s Setting When You Don’t Live in the US
Imagine a Pacific Northwest city close to the US-Canada border that boasts lush forests, stunning nearby mountains, a small working harbor with a cruise ship terminal, and a population of

Four Awesome Design Tools for Authors and Other Creatives
As a person who lacks any formal graphic arts training but one who appreciates good quality design when she sees it, I’m always on the lookout for tools to beef

Seeing the Number 444 Everywhere? What it Might Mean
Near the beginning of 2001, when my husband (then-fiancé) and I were preparing for our upcoming summer wedding, something bizarre happened. Something so odd you might shake your head and

For the Love of Little Free Libraries
You may have noticed one in your neighborhood: a small, brightly painted box perched on a post, strategically placed at the curb in front of a private residence. The box