Wrap your head with this material...

My younger son, who I'll refer to as Gomez from here on out, got me sick. The way it happened is this. Gomez: "Mommy, I want a kiss." Me, a fool: "Aww..." leans in for kiss Gomez sneezes in my mouth. This happened twice. It's not in this book, but feel free to check out Stop Licking That. It's up for pre-sales! https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Licking-That-Karin-Mitchell-ebook/dp/B01MZWOIUL

1. It's annoying. 2. No really. 3. Just 4. Fucking 5. Stop 6. It

It's not easy to measure success. And if you do it in terms of could-I-live-off-my-writing, then no, I'm not successful. I'm on this author FB group where people are measuring and advertising and do all these things I've never heard of and it's good because I get ideas, but then I get intimidated too. By their success measured, I don't think I'd be doing so well. But if you do it in terms of have-I-made-progress and did-this-matter-to-anyone, then yes. I do try the things people on these sites say (some of them anyway.) And sometimes I inch forward. Here's the progress. I saved enough money and paid for a Kirkus review just before Christmas. They feature less than 10% of their reviews in their print media and mine got picked. That's cool. But not as cool as the did-this-matter-to-anyone category.      Yesterday I talked with parents who had adopted their son years ago and have struggled to figure out his behavior ever since. I gave them...

What we lack in our society is not training or education or wealth but the mirror that we hold up to each generation that shows them their worth: the value of youth to bring energy and solutions and push and push until they are realized the value of middle age to see the value of both sides of the coin: young and old, and keep on in the midst of the storm amid all its fury and whorl to see the simplicity of a single moment of abundance the value of old age where vanity takes its leave and we are free to help and simply be with our knowledge. Our youth are without purpose. We don't show them their value and they are left wandering, disconnected from each other and us, without the necessary means to channel their instinct for change. They used to be the risk takers we needed in hunting and battle. Those with the courage to stand up to the group and say "stop." Those who would stand up to a genocide. Those who would encourage us to walk when we're used to driving, ...

I've picked away at the task of networking lately. I fall down a rabbit hole of groups on LinkedIn or I search book lists for similar books. I read reviews and search public profiles and youtube videos to see how people are doing the business of writing. I toss around ideas about redoing the cover, I review other books, I contact folks I think I might connect with. I attempt, again and again, to describe who I am to strangers in the hopes that this will be the right connection to foster good professional development and a network of awesome. I want a network of awesome. Awesome people, doing work of all shapes and sizes to make the world a better place. Among recent friends I have a woman lawyer who does immigration law and a former race car driver who works to make parenting advice accessible to all. These are mostly mommy or skiing friends though. I'm looking for the writers and the readers. I find a writing connection because the person writes about marketing or writes a...