The July Issue of The KierDevil News Is Out!

The July 2020 edition of my KierDevils newsletter went out on Thursday, July 2nd. It contains two SSU puzzles. A trivia puzzle and a word search puzzle. Enjoy! If you’re a subscriber and don’t see it in your Inbox, please check your Spam or Junk folder. For Gmail users, it might also be on your Promotions tab. If […]

Seriously? And I Thought Legalese Was Bad

I received a report from the doctor today regarding a rash on my skin. The verdict? I have a skin rash due to inflammation. They clearly have no idea how much attention writers give to words, because I found this statement hilarious. Now, maybe in medical terms skin rash and inflammation are two different things. But to […]

Fashion Is Face Masks

In this age of COVID-19, face masks are becoming the new fashion statement. I’ve seen masks with cartoons drawn over the mouth and nose area. Masks that have those filter circles. Some folks in our office building just use a scarf or bandana. Even I’ve finally graduated away from the paper, surgical style masks provided by […]

The Mystery Poop

This morning, an odd thing happened. As I was opening my blinds downstairs, I noticed a fresh pile of poop sitting on top of the cedar chips near the back fence. The pile was big enough to have been left by a medium to large dog. It also had a bit of an oddly cylindrical […]

Anti-Racist Reading

Image by Pol Solé Sallés. Licensed via Depositphotos.If you’re looking for reading material about race in America, here are several resources: “Resources for Race, Equity, and Inclusion”, from We Need Diverse Books, a non-profit working to bring diversity to children’s books. “Books About Racism to Educate Yourself and Support Black Lives” from OprahMag.com. “The Best Books for Discussing Racism […]

The June Issue of The KierDevil News Is Out!

The June 2020 edition of my KierDevils newsletter went out on Thursday, June 4th. It contains the latest round of funny typos. If you’re a subscriber and don’t see it in your Inbox, please check your Spam or Junk folder. For Gmail users, it might also be on your Promotions tab. If my emails are consistently ending […]

#BlackLivesMatter

Image by Pol Solé Sallés. Licensed via Depositphotos.​#BlackLivesMatter You’d think that as a writer, I’d be able to put together an eloquent blog post about the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer and the protests that ​have sprung up as a result. ​N​ope. I can’t find the right words to express my emotions. I’m bouncing […]

Murderbot: A Lesson in Character Growth

One complaint authors frequently make is that writing fiction has ruined reading for pleasure because they can’t turn off their editor brain to enjoy a story. I usually don’t have that problem. However, every once in a while some aspect of a book I’m reading for pleasure will jump out at me. Sometimes it’s a plot element […]

–of the Action

​As writers, we’re told to start in the middle of the action so the reader doesn’t get bored. We don’t want to give our reader details and backstory that aren’t necessary for understanding the current action. We want the reader to care about the character and understand the situation enough to want to turn the […]

Loving the Library

I’m so thankful to belong to two excellent local library systems, particularly in this time when all physical libraries are closed. If one system doesn’t carry an ebook, it’s pretty much guaranteed that the other will.  I love being able to check out books by authors I’ve never read before. Reading an excerpt of the first […]