“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.” ~Dr. Seuss, American writer I’ve opened my eyes and seen: Mr. Right walk into my life after I wasted too much time and emotion on Mr. oh-so Wrong. the never-to-be-forgotten faces of my newborns — all four of them. the ugly Truth … and discovered that yes, …
A Departure of Sorts: Priorities
“A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with—that’s poverty—but how efficiently we can put first things first. . . . When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it’s clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar. ” ~Victoria Moran, American writer & …
In Others’ Words: Silence
“For some moments in life there are no words.” ~David Seltzer, American screenwriter A picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes a breath is worth a thousand words. Or one heartbeat … to … the … next. One thousand words. Not a single one of those thousand words need be uttered … but the width, breadth, height and depth …
Why This Romance Writer Believes in the MBT Frasier Contest
Picture this: Me, in an overcrowded elevator at the 2010 American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Conference. I’m standing nose to name tag with a petite blonde woman. Her nose. My name tag. The conversation goes like this: Woman: Oh, you’re Beth Vogt. You finaled in the Frasier. Me (uncomfortable & now a bit surprised she could even read my name …
In Others’ Words: Getting Ahead
“The secret to getting ahead is getting started.” ~Mark Twain, American author & humorist And the rest of the quote goes: “The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” Duh. I tend to over-complicate things. Spend too much time staring at the big picture and letting …
In Others’ Words: Winter
“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” ~Edith Sitwell, poet We haven’t had a lot of snow in Colorado yet this winter. Today there’s been a bit of snow on and off — nothing much to …
In Others’ Words: Blessings in Disguise
“What seems to us as as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.” ~Oscar Wilde, Irish poet & playwright Blessings in disguise. If only those blessings-to-be showed up in our lives as what they were going to ultimately be: blessings. But no. They stay hidden as we trudge through the darkness. The pain. The days where our our hope is …
Contemporary Romance Writer: What’s in a Name
httpv://youtu.be/8LHjykG6MTA I put alot of thought into naming my kiddos. No one every told me that, as a novelist, I would agonize over naming fictional people. But I do. This vlog, which runs about a minute and a half, gives you a glimpse into my author-angst about novels, names, and keeping it all straight. Any favorite names for people — …
In Others’ Words: Change
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” ~James Baldwin, African-American writer Let’s take a can change/can’t change look at this quote. Can Change: It’s Wednesday. How’s your week going? Look at that To Do list you scribbled on Monday — or formatted on an Excel spreadsheet, for you uber-organized …
In Others’ Words: Criticism
“Don’t mind criticism. If it is untrue, disregard it; if unfair, keep from irritation; if it is ignorant, smile; if it is justified it is not criticism, learn from it.” ~Unknown Criticism. In the past, I paid entirely too much attention to critics. Sure, there were some people ready to let me know where I’d been less-than, not enough, or …