Comfort Reading in Times of Stress

Last week, I was reading a book by a new-to-me author when the scene shifted to the point of view of a character who isn’t entirely likable. That day, I decided that my level of anxiety was too high for me to continue reading his scene. So I decided to try a new novella by an […]

Shower Storyboarding

​​I recently received an Aquanotes waterproof pad. This is a special pad of paper, with a special pencil, that you can use in the shower. It attaches to the shower wall with suction cups. I have wanted one of these for a while, since I often have story ideas in the shower but don’t always remember […]

A Photo Is Worth 1,700 Words

​Today before I started editing, I realized that the picture I had in my head might not be accurate enough for the detail I needed to include in my scene. I needed to find a photograph to work from. Or, in this case, I found a video on YouTube that shows a boat​ passing underneath […]

The March Issue of The KierDevil News Is Out!

The March 2020 edition of my KierDevils newsletter went out on Thursday, March 5th. It includes an account of a bit of a scare that I had recently. 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 […]

Smashwords Read an Ebook Week

I’m participating in Read an Ebook Week over at Smashwords this week from March 1 – 7, 2020. You can find my books if you scroll down on my profile page. When you add one of my books to your cart, you’ll automatically receive the reduced price. Happy reading! Share0 Tweet0

An Unexpected Side Effect of Dictation

​The other day, as I was leaving a voicemail for a friend, I heard myself say “Love, Vanessa” in closing. Oops! I’m so used to dictating my emails via the speech-to-text option on my phone that I forgot I didn’t need to close a voicemail the same way.Of course, having realized my mistake, I then […]

Pet Peeves: How to Pronounce Patreon

Patreon, the online service that helps creators develop a membership business, has a pronunciation problem. I can’t tell you how often I hear writers say that they don’t know whether to say Pah-tree-on or Pay-tree-on. I’ve heard more Brits say the former and more Americans use the latter. The trouble is, this isn’t a generic word. […]

Routine vs Creativity

​I’ve recently realized that I’ve fallen into a rut. I take the same route to and from work. I listen to the same podcasts. I walk along the same trails.Sometimes routine is good. It frees my mind to think of other things. But sometimes routine stifles my creativity and lulls me into a sense of […]

New Direct Sales Option

​I’m ​testing a new feature on my website. If you go to the page for The SSU Complete Box Set, you’ll see a new button Buy Direct from Vanessa. Clicking on this button takes you to the book’s sales page at my payment processor, Payhip. I’m trying the Buy Direct option for this particular box set […]

The February Issue of The KierDevil News Is Out!

Happy New Year! The February 2020 edition of my KierDevils newsletter went out on Thursday, February 6th. It includes some sketches I did recently for one of the locations in WAR: Retaliation.  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 […]