BanterByBuffy Shop opens

I have three collections in my BanterByBuffy shop. You will find these graphics on everything from clothing to household items to glassware. I hope you enjoy shopping!

Make Me Care collection



Climax collection

Grammar Rules collection 

 WIP collection

Cliffhanger collection

My inspirational playlist

Here are the songs I listen to when I need to keep the faith!

Inspirational song of the day

Another inspirational song

I love this song. Added it to my playlist:) Enjoy!

Excerpt: Don’t forget to listen to your little voices

Excerpt from Smart magazine column
 

Don’t forget to listen to your little voices

I hear it. I know you can’t. I wish you could.

It’s that little voice inside of me that tells me I’m doing exactly what I’m meant to do. Funny how something so quiet can speak so loudly. But it does.

I even hear it when I’m sleeping. It comes to me in the quiet of the night, slipping into my dreams, nudging me on. I feel it with every part of my being. It’s how I know that I’m doing exactly what I’m meant to do.

When I was a teen, I thought I had life all figured out. But the older I get, the more I realize how little I knew. Decades later, I’m still learning and growing and figuring life out.

There is one thing I have figured out, though, one thing I’m certain of. Each of us has a gift, a talent. You just have to find yours.

Read the rest

Slideshow of some writing quotes

A run, a literary agency and the importance of perseverance

I have been dealing with a crappy cold for several weeks. On Sunday, I felt somewhat normal. Not 100 percent, but well enough to attempt a run. So I laced up and took off.

I was determined not to stop and walk -- no matter what. I labored through mile after mile, surprised at how much my legs hurt. At times, I thought I was going to die.

It wasn’t pretty, but I made it. I had run seven miles, a feat I wasn't sure I could do considering I hadn't exercised in weeks.

But something kicked during the first mile. The determination to finish, to persevere. It reminded me of my writing journey. How important it is to hold onto our dreams and not give up.

On Saturday, my literary agency (AKA Literary) held a conference call with its authors. We come from around the country -- East Coast, West Coast, Midwest. I’m so blessed to be part of this amazing group. And I’ve come to realize just how special this agency is.

An unexpected sign

An accountant friend who was considering going to seminary told me that she asked God for a sign. If she received flowers by the end of the day, it meant it was the right path for her.

The hours ticked by but no flowers came. She thought for sure a delivery truck would pull up to her house and a smiling driver would deliver a beautiful arrangement.

It was the end of the day and she was outside working in her yard when suddenly her small son bounced up to her.

I'm inspired by...

Here are some of the things that inspire me.

*The painting of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane that hangs in the front of the sanctuary.


*People who give not because they want recognition, but because they truly want to make the world a better place.

*Children laughing themselves silly.

*People who live their faith, despite the many challenges they face.

*Marathon runners for their commitment and perseverance.

*The smell that permeates the air after the grass has been cut or a summer rain has ended.

 What inspires you?

(Long) quote of the day from me

I never understood how someone could step up to the plate and not whack the ball as hard as they could. It's not always going to be a homerun. Heck, it might not even be a single. Could be a out. But you have to try. You have to give it everything you got. If you fail, you fail. Tomorrow's another day. You step up to the plate again and maybe, just maybe, this time you'll succeed.


I've watched too many people step up to that plate and cower in the face of the big man on the mound. He's scary, I know. But you're scarier. And, you've got something he doesn't. And that, my friend, is the determination to succeed. You know that it might not be today. Could be tomorrow or the day after that. But one day, hopefully soon, you'll hit that ball out of the park and the dude on the mound will shake his sweaty head in disbelief. "He did that?" he'll ask. And you'll look at him, a smirk sneaking onto your face, because you know something he never figured out -- that all the curve balls in the world won't stop you from going after what you want.


That, my friend, is called determination. It's knowing with every ounce of your being that you succeed even when you try and fail. That success isn't something you're owed, but something you make. And you make it through not giving up, but by stepping up to that plate time after time and whacking that ball as hard as you can. So no wimpy hits here. I want to see big-ass tries, people. I know you can do it.

Sign on my computer...

This is the sign that I have tapped to my computer. And don't look at the dust! 

In case you can't read it, it says:

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."

Quote of the day

"Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all." --EMILY DICKINSON

Quote of the day

"I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams." --Dr. Jonas Salk

Back from Disney

Well, I'm back from Disney. We had a great time as usual. For as many times as I've been there I never tire of that magical place. I love the story of Walt Disney, a man who had a dream and never gave up on it despite numerous setbacks and huge financial losses. I love that he remained a kid at heart and admired his creativity, drive, passion, work ethic, optimism and too many other adjectives to list. So I start my way back to work and the blogging world with these quotes from Walt:

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

"When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable."

"You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."

And for the writers and readers in all of us:

"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island."

Cycle, er, write hard

I used to teach an indoor cycling class. They'd call me Buffy the Cycle Slayer. (Yeah, I know, the jokes never stop!) I wasn't above getting off my bike and standing in front of a rider and encouraging him or her to push their limits. Might sound a little extreme, like something a Cycle Slayer would do, but dang it if you were in my class you were going to work hard. Let me rephrase that. We were going to work hard. I was going to help you, encourage you to get through the intense workout and we would finish together.

I tell you this because the writing journey can be like a cycle class. It's grueling and there are times when you think you can't possibly push past the pain. But you can and you will. Your eyes might burn from your sweat. Your throat might be dry and your lips caked with goo. But you will not give up because I will not let you.

So the next time you're writing and you feel like you just can't pedal any more, visualize me standing in front of you, encouraging you to keep pushing, keep going.

So much of the writing life is the journey. Yes it's damn difficult. Yes, there are days when you'd rather eat that family size bag of kettle cooked chips. And, yes, there are days when you wonder if you have the talent to travel with the best.

When these doubts and fears creep into your life, push them aside like you mean it and keep pedaling. Once you get to the top of the hill, coming down the other side, with the wind in your face and the sweet smell of victory thick in the air, life is great.

Quote of the day

"Like stones, words are laborious and unforgiving, and the fitting of them together, like the fitting of stones, demands great patience and strength of purpose and particular skill."
--Edmund Morrison

Quote of the day

"Practice, practice, practice writing. Writing is a craft that requires both talent and acquired skills. You learn by doing, by making mistakes and then seeing where you went wrong." --Jeffrey A. Carver

WOW! The power of words

Love this video. Shows how powerful words can be. What do you think?

 

Quote of the day

"What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers."

--Logan Pearsall Smith

Writing: An act of discovery

Robert Frost said, "I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew. Writing a poem is discovering."

I agree with Frost that writing is an act of discovery. I usually know how I'm going to start a book and sort of how it will end. And maybe some plot points in between. But the fun and exciting part about writing is seeing where my characters take me. Sometimes, I'm surprised. Things happen that I didn't expect or a twist of events leads me in a different direction or a decision turns out opposite of what I had hoped. I never try to force a piece to go in a certain direction. I've found that when I try to force it, it doesn't work.

When I sit down to write, I'm excited to see what will happen next. It's a thrill like no other. Honestly, sometimes I feel a bit weird. Is it normal to be so excited? I hope so.

What about you? Is writing an act of discovery? Do you ever feel weird or maybe a bit odd by how excited you are about your work?