Tag: Writing

  • Let’s Go Fly a Kite…

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    Shellie Pickett
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    Since I was a child, a favorite pastime of mine has been kite flying. One year in my Easter basket, alongside a chocolate bunny, I received a Hi-Flier kite. On the first windy day soon after, I begged my dad to take me to the park to fly it. At one of the picnic tables,…

  • New Release!! Regret No More by Wendy Haller

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    Shellie Pickett
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    After a rewarding 19-year career as a special education preschool teacher, Wendy Haller is thrilled to be living her dream as an author. Her novels are heartfelt escapes: emotionally rich, coming-of-age tales that are raw, real, and relatable. I recently had the opportunity to chat with Wendy about her series that focuses on three estranged…

  • Christmas in July

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    Shellie Pickett
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    Although Christmas in July is not a religious holiday, the unofficial mid-summer celebration, which runs June 25th through July 25th, is six months away from the actual Christmas holiday. For many, it’s an excuse to host festive traditions like decorating trees, exchanging gifts, and watching holiday movies to share the joy and community spirit of…

  • Not Just Another Day at the Beach

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    Shellie Pickett
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    From critique partners or editors, we are told that we should show, not tell. As we know, one of the best ways to do this is by employing the five senses. Easier said than done. Many writers fall into the trap of leaning only into their sense of sight. Guilty as charged. It’s hard work…

  • NEW RELEASE!! Interview with Behind White Picket Fences author Christine Gunderson

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    Shellie Pickett
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    I first had the pleasure of meeting author Christine Gunderson when she was the keynote speaker at the 15th annual Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference in NJ (Liberty States Fiction Writers | A Multi-Genre Fiction Writers Organization. Christine’s debut novel, Friends with Secrets, had been published several months earlier. In her keynote remarks, Christine included…

  • The Beauty of a Beach House Without the House

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    Shellie Pickett
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    Part 2: Don’t Get Tied Down and Lose the Shoes Last week I wrote about opening our RV, or as my four-year-old grandson refers to as Grandma’s tiny house located a mile from the beach at the Jersey Shore.  The first morning in our tiny house, a stream of light cut through my bedroom window…

  • Beauty of a Beach House

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    Shellie Pickett
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    Pt 1 …Without the House About thirteen years ago, long before the pandemic, and while my husband and I were still working, we purchased our first RV. One of the best things we did was to connect with an RV travel club (here is an article that explains them a bit more). One weekend out…

  • Happy Memorial Day?

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    Shellie Pickett
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    For whom is it a happy Memorial Day? It certainly is not a happy day for those who lost a mother, father, brother, sister, grandparent, cousin, or friend while fighting to defend our country/ to protect the human rights of those oppressed in other countries. No matter how proud the families of the fallen are,…

  • Adventures of a Maybe Human

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    Shellie Pickett
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    New Release from Debut Author Michele Montgomery In this week’s post I’d like to highlight the debut novel Adventures of a Maybe Human written by author Michele Montgomery. I met Michele last year via Zoom on Writing Dates sponsored by the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) where Michele is a moderator. During Writing Dates, members…

  • Moms and Plants—We Don’t Always Have to “Kill Our Darlings”

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    Shellie Pickett
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    Oh no, oops! I did it again…  I could not believe the small ivy plant sitting on my desk had keeled over. Vines hung limp on the sides of the ceramic flowerpot decorated with daisies, gasping for its last breath. It had been less than a month since I’d bought that plant. Although it had…