Five Things - March 17, 2025

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. "When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free." - Charles Evans Hughes

2. Did you know that Kevlar was invented by a woman named Stephanie Kwolek in 1965? In honor of Women’s History Month, and because I am a total science geek at heart, I encourage you to read more about her on The Science History Institutes blog page. As a chemist for DuPont laboratories, she was tasked with investigating the next generation of fibers capable of performing in extreme conditions, and she came up with Kevlar! In 1995 she was induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1995, only the 4th woman of 113 members at the time. One of Kwolek’s most cited papers describes how to demonstrate condensation polymerization in a beaker at atmospheric pressure and room temperature (a lot of words for a fairly straightforward reaction). It’s commonly called the ‘Nylon Rope Trick,’ and it is one of the experiments I remember distinctly replicating in Organic Chemistry class many years ago!

3. This Saturday, our youngest child will turn 21. This age, for the obvious reason that she can now legally join us at bars, feels more significant than 18. And, don’t worry, we’ve already taught her to mix a good martini! When I think about Kyra, aside from her incredible musical talent, her voice like an angel, her own unique style and vibe, and her intellectual prowess, I think about her kindness. In a world where cruelty still holds sway, this child of ours is thoughtful, caring, intentional, and above all, kind. Happy birthday, sweet Kyra. You are a beautiful, bright light, and this world is a better place because you’re in it.

4. I’ll be heading to Folsom, CA this week for a ‘sister’ visit. Since Ray and I have been on the road, we’ve definitely spent time with family and friends all over the country, but I used to go to my sister’s a couple of times a year for girl time, and I’ve really missed that. My visit just so happens to coincide with Persian New Year, so I expect I will barely be able to zip my jeans after partaking in the fabulous feast! I’ll try to post some photos of the delish dishes over on Insta.

5. We’re at the midpoint in the semester for school, just finishing our Science Fiction and Fantasy sections and heading into Horror. Mostly, I really dislike the genre, but I have on occasion loved a horror story. Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” sticks with me still. The Stand is an all-time favorite read, and I tore through What Moves the Dead, a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher for class last week. I think I dislike horror because I want to love a flawed character, who in the end comes through on the side of good. With horror, the characters can serve another purpose. Horror writing often features characters who are unlikeable, or who have a fatal flaw, who are the victim, or who are themselves the horror. Funny enough, I notice in my own horror writing, I too use character differently. Charlie, from my short story “Goodbye Charlie,” which you can listen to HERE (my story starts at 18:40) is not my favorite guy, but he’s right for his role. And in “Monster” (coming soon on the Tales to Terrify podcast), both the characters of Cora and Mama are pretty monstrous. Studying Horror is certainly helping me understand the genre better, if not enjoy it more.

Five Things - March 3, 2025

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” - Elie Wiesel

2. In honor of Women’s History Month, and in keeping with my own love of all things nerdy, I encourage you to read about Vera Rubin, an astronomer whose research proved the existence of dark matter. Dark matter is a mysterious substance that’s believed to make up more than a quarter of the universe. It outweighs regular matter, and it plays an important role in galaxy formation and the evolution of the universe. Born in 1928, and coming of age in the ‘40s, Rubin faced extraordinary challenges as a woman working in a male dominated field. Her life and accomplishments are well-chronicled in this article on the National Women’s History Museum webpage. Check it out here: Vera Rubin. In honor of her achievements, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope in Chile has been named the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

3. Looking ahead to March, I’ve got a lot of school work to complete before spring break, so I’ll have my nose to the grindstone, so to speak. After break, it will be time to narrow down my thesis project ideas. For this MFA program, the thesis is a full-length novel, and I’ll need to present a minimum of three proposals to the program director. It’s exciting to know I’ll have the backing of my classmates and a thesis mentor as I work on this project, but per usual, until I have the idea locked down and the outline solid in my head, I’ll be a little stressed!

4. I’m also currently writing a synopsis for a novel work-in-progress. When I went back to school, I left this particular project at the half-way mark. Now, I have to think it through and outline the second half of the book. I’m excited to do it, but it’s also daunting, especially when my creative energy is taxed to the limit at the moment. I am really excited about this particular story though, so wish me luck!

5. We had our first real taste of a wind storm here in the desert. It didn’t happen with a big burst of energy, but rather it was more of a sustained, day-long gusty event. We had to make an emergency leaf-blower purchase to clean the dust and dirt from our outdoor living space, which had about a half inch of accumulated grit on every surface. Mother Nature does her thing pretty much everywhere!

Five Things - February 17, 2025

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. “Everybody matters or nobody matters. “ - Harry Bosch

2. In celebration of Black History Month, I want to call out an author whose work I admire and enjoy. Angie Thomas’s #1 New York Times bestseller The Hate U Give left its mark on the young adult literary world for sure, and she’s now ventured into writing middle grade fantasy. Our class just finished reading her latest novel Nic Blake and the Remarkables, a fun, fast-paced adventure featuring an adorable hell-hound puppy, an array of magical beings, a group of kids seeking justice, and a dragon, of course. Pass this one along to the young readers in your life!

3. I returned from the amazing Superstars Writer’s Conference in Colorado Springs with a to-do list about a mile long! Conferences like this fill my well, so to speak, from both a creative and a business perspective. I’ve tried to immediately implement some of the best marketing and promo tips into my overall plan, I’ve pitched one of my books to a cool publishing house, and I’ve been inspired to finish my fantasy novel ASAP and perhaps consider a Kickstarter campaign for it. The conversations and connections, new and old, were invaluable, and as a bonus, about half my classmates were there!

4. Unfortunately, I returned home with a particularly nasty strain of ‘con crud,’ which knocked me out of commision for a few days. Needless to say, between the weekend away and the recovery time, I’m feeling a little behind. We’re about to start workshops in class again, though, and I’m really excited. Instead of creating a new short fiction piece, we had the option to use the first few chapters of a fantasy or science fiction work-in-progress. I have just such a project underway, so I’m looking forward to getting some solid, early feedback on my new fantasy manuscript.

5. Our trip back was delayed slightly while I battled the con crud, but we’re back in the desert now, and I have to say, the sunshine is doing wonders for my overall recovery. The east coast is inundated with snow, and the west coast was pretty wet and rainy while were there, so 70 degrees and sunny is looking pretty good right now!

Five Things - February 3, 2025

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” - Mary Oliver

2. As things around us feel like they’re on fire, I am reminded that art is resistance. The world needs its storytellers, singers, actors, dancers, sculptors, musicians, painters, (and anyone else I forgot to mention) to remind us of our humanity. Artists hold a mirror up to society. We question and dig. We bring injustice into sharp relief. We invite laughter. We provide entertainment, respite, relief. We provoke change. We ask our audience to look at the world from a different perspective. Art is resistance.

3. In honor of Black History Month, I’m highlighting an author I heard speak several years ago at a writers conference in NYC. Jacqueline Woodson’s resume includes the National Book Award, the Newbery Honor, and the Hans Christian Andersen Medal. She’s been on the NYT best-selling list, served as the Young People’s Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017, was named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress for 2018–19, and named a MacArthur Fellow. Her writing is hauntingly beautiful and heartbreakingly real. If you have an opportunity to read her stories, watch one of her TED talks, or introduce her books to the young people in your life, I highly recommend it.

4. I’m heading to Colorado Springs this week for a writer’s conference. I am so excited because more than half my cohort from grad school will be there. We’ve been online with each other several times a week since September, but we haven’t been together in person since July. Events like this one help to fill my creative well. There’s nothing like spending a few days with fellow creative types to stay motivated, and with my aggressive writing schedule this year, I really need the motivational support! Next post, I’ll share my favorite highlights from the conference.

5. Birthday season is underway, and last night we celebrated Noah’s 27th. This kid of ours is smart, creative, driven, and kind. Last summer, for one of my first school assignments, I had write about my ‘creative hero.’ This is an edited version of that post, which I think is a fitting tribute to the birthday boy!

   All the kids are creative types, but our second son is a writer. He wrote his first ‘novel’ as an eighth-grade project, before I had the whiff of a first draft for my first novel in mind. His mentor, a traditionally published author, sang his praises for both completing the daunting project and for his fresh take on the story. He had the ‘chops’ she’d said. When he finished the draft, he said something like, “I’m not attached to that manuscript anymore. I used the project to learn about process, and my next book will be better.” I was like, “Dude, you’re thirteen. How do you have such perspective?”

   He kept on writing. He went to film school, became a screenwriter and stand-up comedian. He writes more in a month than I do in a year, and he has an amazing attitude. Rarely is he discouraged. He loves to collaborate. He’s willing to pitch something, and then the next thing, and then the next. He has a wild imagination, he works hard, and he is now an extremely skilled writer. In fact, he’s top of my list of people to call when I’m stuck on a plot point, or I’ve written myself into a corner, or I can’t quite make a character land.

   This kid had the courage to do at thirteen something that took me four decades to try! Bravo, Noah, for recognizing that sharing art with the world makes us vulnerable and doing it anyway.

Five Things - January 19, 2025

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. "I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." - Martin Luther King Jr.

2. So many of you reached out to check in on us as the devastating fires swept across Los Angeles. Thank you! We are far enough away not to be threatened, but we can feel the Santa Ana winds from here, and they are fierce. The boys are okay too, but they’re still on alert as the conditions that sparked the fires are still in play. Amidst the destruction and loss, kindness, generosity, and the spirit of community are flourishing here.

3. In class, we’re reading, writing, and studying science fiction this semester. As many of you know, science fiction is my first literary love. I love it for many reasons, but one is that exploring meaningful ‘what if’ questions through storytelling feels so satisfying. I think when we pose these questions set in the future, or on a far off planet, or on a generation ship, etc., we may find more freedom in that exploration. We can talk about really challenging things without being quite so on-the-nose with them. Maybe we’re creating a more accessible space to have some of these conversations when we are not as personally invested in the issues? 

4. Tomorrow, the new book club I joined will be discussing one of my books. This is both exciting and little nerve-wracking. Wish me luck!

5. I woke up this morning exhausted. On Mondays, I take a yoga/sculpt class, and it tends to be quite challenging, but I made myself go anyway. As sluggish as I felt walking in, I ended up having a really good class. I used heavier weights, did more reps, and finished strong. Here’s what I realized. Over the last several months, I’ve been focused on my physical, mental, and spiritual health, and this work is paying off. I am stronger, more resilient, more centered because of it, and I now trust this work will help carry me through the tough days. So, a little advice if it resonates… Do what you gotta do to take care of yourself. Find joy wherever and whenever you can. Build resilience. On the bad days, and there will be bad days ahead, these practices will serve you well and create a reserve to access as needed.

Five Things - January 6, 2025

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, to all the people you can, in all the places you can, as long as ever you can.” - John Wesley

2. In keeping with my intentions for the New Year, I started an art class last week, and it was fabulous! I’ve mentioned before that when my art became my career, it lost a little of its shine. That's not to say I don’t love writing, and I am extremely grateful it’s now my profession, but I wanted to make some kind of art just for the sake of creating something, with no expectations attached to it. This class provides me that experience. It’s held in a beautiful artist co-op in Old Town with lovely art and lovely people all around. I’m so excited to see how my first project turned out!

3. Ray and I had what I now call an ‘adventure day’ last week at the Salton Sea. While not a National Park, it’s a really interesting place. There’s been a ‘sea’ in the Imperial Valley on and off for millions of years. This latest incarnation happened when flood waters broke through a canal gate, spilling water from the Colorado River into the basin for almost two years before a repair could be engineered. For scale, the Salton Sea is larger than Lake Tahoe.

4. This is my last week of school vacation, and I’m really excited to start classes again. The format will be the same, but instead of focusing on romance, mystery, and thriller, we’ll be studying science fiction, fantasy, horror, and westerns. The reading list is amazing! I’ve already ordered my pile of books, and I can’t wait to dig in.

5. It’s January here in the desert, and I must say, with the sun shining every day and the temperatures hovering at a perfect 75 degrees, I’ve made a pretty productive start to the New Year. While I don’t make resolutions, per se, I do create a list intentions, both personal and professional, on which I try to focus. Personally, I’ve committed to what I’m calling radical self-care, which includes more yoga, more art, more laughter, and more adventure! Professionally, I’m committed to completing all my lingering half-finished novels, submitting every piece of short fiction I write for school to publishers, participating fully in my classes, and figuring out my thesis project for next year. We’ll see how that all goes!

Happy New Year!

"Well, we have a whole new year ahead of us. And wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all be a little more gentle with each other, a little more loving, and have a little more empathy, and maybe, next year at this time we'd like each other a little more." — Judy Garland

Five Things - December 16, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. “Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” - J. R. R. Tolkien

2. I just finished my last assignment for the semester, and I am now officially on winter break! So far, this program has been everything I’d hoped for. The workshops have been truly a highlight. I am amazed by the talent and storytelling abilities of my colleagues, and I also think they’re incredibly generous, kind, and thoughtful people. This semester, I challenged myself to write outside my comfort zone, and I’d also hoped some of my work from class could do ‘double duty’ and be used professionally, and this is happening.

3. My mystery story, “The Accused, Charity Vale” was acquired by Inkd Publishing! It will appear in their anthology Detectives, Sleuths, and Nosy Neighbors: Dying for an Answer, and publication is scheduled for April 2025.

4. This Wednesday is cookie swap day. I miss my old neighborhood cookie swap, so I’m really happy to participate in this one. Tomorrow, I’ll be up to my ears in butter, flour, and powdered sugar as I make seven dozen cookies for the event. Wish me luck!

5. Wishing you all a Happy Holiday. May the season be filled with love, light, and joy!

Five Things - December 2, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. “People speak of hope as if it is this delicate, ephemeral thing made of whispers and spider's webs. It's not. Hope has dirt on her face, blood on her knuckles, the grit of the cobblestones in her hair, and just spat out a tooth as she rises for another go.”

2. I’ll be in RI this weekend for the Annual Rhode Island Author Expo on Saturday, December 7th from 10 am - 4 pm at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick! Signed books make excellent holiday gifts, so if you are in the area, come check us out. With over a hundred local authors, you’ll likely find something for the readers on your list. The event is also packed with panels, author Q&As, raffle items, and more. I’ll be hosting a kaffeeklatsch focused on the pros and cons of using a pen name at 11:30 am and moderating a panel titled “Pathways to Publishing” at 2:45 pm. Hope to see you there!

3. We are slowly settling into our winter home here in the southern California desert. As with any project large or small, things always seem to take longer than expected. Finishing our outdoor space has been no different, but we were able to host the family here for dinner this week, and my mom and dad helped decorate for the holidays, so it’s feeling rather cozy now.

4. I’ve recently started a meditation practice. I’ll admit, I was skeptical as to whether or not I’d notice a difference day to day. The last time I seriously worked with meditation I was in medical school, and everytime I’d relax and try to Zen out, I’d fall sound asleep! These last couple of weeks, though, I’ve been using an app. I’ll choose a five to ten minute guided meditation in the morning and another before bed, and I actually notice a difference. It’s subtle, but my sense of well-being feels solid. During the day, if something rattles me, I can recenter more quickly. I guess the practice is worth the hype!

5. Last week, while family was in town for Thanksgiving, we made a trip to Joshua Tree. Although I’ve been once before, every time we visit a National Park, I’m reminded of Planet Earth’s beauty and diversity. If you have a chance, it’s worth the trip!

Five Things - November 18, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. I’m also starting a daily meditation practice. I’ll be using a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus for the week, and I’ll share as the first item on the list. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things, starting with the quote of the week…

1. “All forms of heartbreak, loss, or defeat will require you to embrace a temporary state of uncertainty if you want to someday move forward effectively. Because it is within the unknown where you will find the clarity to rebuild. Pay attention to who or what helps you feel grounded whenever you are overcome with feelings of fear and doubt, then, make those elements your primary focus and watch as your life naturally begins to sort itself out.” - Kyle Creek

2. Ray and I both need a travel break for a little while, and I’m ready to settle into our winter space. I’ve already found a great yoga studio, the best local grocery store, and a good hair stylist. I’m joining a book club while we’re here, and I’m planning lunch dates with some new friends. Ray found us a great acupuncturist, and my body is so grateful! While we aren’t ready for a permanent home yet, we think taking a little down time for the next few winters will strike the right balance between adventure and rest.

3. There’s still a lot to do before wrapping up the semester for winter break, but I feel so satisfied with what I’ve accomplished and learned already. I’m currently workshopping a mystery story, which is way out of my comfort zone. The inspiration for this particular story came from a couple of places. First, I’ve been obsessed with the Lizzie Borden case since I visited the museum a few years ago. There was a particular legal element in the case that stuck with me. I won’t say, because it directly inspired my story, and no spoilers, but if you ever have a chance to visit the museum, I highly recommend it. Another piece of inspiration was a graphic on social media that said, “They didn’t burn witches, they burned women.” Growing up in New England, and having taken many a field trip to Salem, MA, this resonated. The Lizzie Borden case and the Salem witch trials took place almost exactly two centuries apart, so I had to pick a time period and focus on getting the details right. I chose Salem twenty-five years after the trials, and it’s been really interesting to take a deep dive into the research. As soon as I work through edits, I’ll find a way to share my story with anyone who’s interested.

4. I am so grateful that the art I am so passionate about has become my life’s work, but a funny thing happens when your art becomes your work. Well, it’s work. I’m not complaining, and I wouldn’t change a thing, but I do miss having something creative in my life that I do just for the joy of it. To that end, I’m planning to sign up for a glass art class. It doesn’t start until the new year, but I’m really excited. I’ll let you know how it goes.

5. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. The unique thing about Thanksgiving, as far as holidays go, is that it’s only about food, friends, and family, and our gratitude for those things. There is no other agenda – no gifts to buy, no atonements to make, no goals to set. Just a gathering around a table. I hope you all find joy and peace around your table next week. Happy Thanksgiving!

Five Things - November 4, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. The Petrified Forest was amazing! Every time we visit a National Park, we are in awe, and this one did not disappoint. Allow me to geek out for a moment… The land that is now the desert containing the Petrified Forest in Arizona was once wet and lush. Then, over two hundred million years ago, the wood from this forest washed into an ancient river system and was buried by a massive amount of sediment. Over time, the organic material broke down and was replaced with minerals like silica. The tree trunks are no longer wood, but gorgeous quartz in an stunning array of colors. If you ever have the chance, it’s worth a visit!

2. We are now in our winter home at an RV resort in Indio, California, just south of Palm Springs. Our site has great outdoor living amenities like a full kitchen, dining area, and sitting room, with screens to block out the wind, sun, and occasional rain as needed. We wanted to do a little bit of work on it, like put on a new roof with heat lamps, fans, and recessed lighting, and have it painted, so it’s a little bit of a construction zone at the moment. I can walk across the street to one of the pool areas, however, so that’s where I’ll be doing my homework until things are finished here. Not too much of a hardship!

3. Before we arrived here, we made a week long stop in Orange to see our boys and their significant others. It’s so nice to be close by! Even here in the desert, it’s only a ninety minute drive, and when we really miss them, we can take our house and pets with us and head out for a visit.

4. Ray and I spent Halloween in Disneyland. Although I really wanted to dress up as Dorothy so Daisy could play Toto, this wasn’t the year for costumes. Instead, we went on our favorite rides, had an ice cream cone on Main Street, and reminisced about our favorite Disney trips with the kids over the years. It was a much needed fun ‘date’ day!

5. “Voting is the expression of our commitment to ourselves, one another, this country, and this world.” – Sharon Salzberg

Five Things - October 21, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. Save the date! I’ll be in RI for the Annual Rhode Island Author Expo on Saturday, December 7, 2024. In addition to signing all my titles, including the HORIZON trilogy and my Maggie Clare romantic suspense series, I’ll be moderating a panel titled ‘Pathways to Publishing’ and hosting a Kaffeeklatsch discussion on the pros and cons of using a pen name, aptly titled ‘What’s in a Name?’ I know it seems early, but the holiday season will be here before we know it. I hope to see you there!

2. We’re spending our last few days in Albuquerque. So far, we’ve enjoyed the balloon festival, had dinner at a fantastic farm to table restaurant that we found last time we were here, enjoyed another great meal in a fancy place in Old Town, and practice yoga at some amazing studios. Our next stop is the Petrified Forest in Arizona. We haven’t been to a National Park in a while, and we’re both excited to experience this one. I’ll post pics on my Instagram!

3. So the balloons… Instead of braving the crowds, traffic, and crazy parking, we woke up at the crack of dawn and went to a local brewery. They opened their doors and patio at sunrise, so we took Daisy dog, our travel mugs, and watched the balloons float across the morning sky from a barstool. It was really cool, and we didn’t even remember it was happening until we arrived. Just another reason to love New Mexico!

4. In school, we’re studying mysteries and thrillers, and I’m currently working on a mystery story! Mystery is a genre that intimidates me, quite honestly. While I have incorporated many thriller elements into my own romantic suspense novels, and I've written suspense-heavy science fiction, mystery is a bit of a different animal. So, I've been eager to dig into the reading materials for this module in hopes for inspiration. Well, inspiration is happening, due in large part to better understanding the mechanics of how to make a mystery work. I'll still be stressed until I work out the exact plot and resolution for my own story, but I'm getting there!

5. Vote, my friends. It’s a privilege many in this world still don’t have. “Somewhere inside of all of us is the power to change the world.” - Roald Dahl

Five Things - October 7, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. In class, we’re starting a section on mysteries and thrillers. While I’m quite comfortable writing thrillers with twisty plots and high stakes, I have to admit, I don’t know much about mysteries. I don’t really read them, and I’ve never written one. That’ll change by next month since our next creative writing assignment is a mystery, so wish me luck!

2. It’s October already! When we started this journey, I wondered if the fall would still be my most productive writing time, and I’m pleased to report that I’m writing all the time! Much of this can be attributed to school, where I have no choice but to make content, workshop it, and move on to the next thing. It’s a fast pace, but writing faster was one of my goals for 2024. I’m also trying to find a home for whatever I create in class, whether that’s a podcast, anthology, or expanding the work.

3. When I’m starting a new writing project, I’m totally stressed out until I have the infrastructure worked out in my mind. Before I know where a story is heading, including the major plot points and character arcs, I spin. For me, the heavy lifting happens in the planning. Last week, I had to write a synopsis for a novel I haven’t written yet. A synopsis, for those wondering, is a two page summary of the entire book, complete with the ending. Most writers would rather have a tooth pulled than write a synopsis. Anyway, since I loved the premise for my short story ‘Run, Harry, Run,’ which I wrote for my last workshop, I wondered if it would make a good full-length novel. Once I worked through this synopsis exercise, I decided that yes, it will, so I’m adding it to the pile of projects on my list for this school year! If you’d like to read the opening scene, you can check it out on my alter-ego’s blog post here: Short Fiction Fun!

4. We’re still in Nashville. All our repairs were finished, and we got our brand new windshield, but just as we were about to head out of town, no hot water! That should be fixed by today, and then we’ll continue our westward trek. If all goes according to plan, we’ll be in Albuquerque by Saturday.

5. “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not get bent out of shape.” – Cate Price

Five Things - September 23, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. We’ve been in South Carolina for a few days spending quality time with family. Highlights from the week include many, many laughs around the dinner table, excellent barbeque, and a great day watching Clemson football. Growing up in New England, we just don’t do college football like this. The energy and atmosphere, and the sea of orange in a stadium that seats over 80,000 people, was something to behold. They also won by a lot, so that was fun!

2. We’re heading to Nashville next, and I can’t wait to experience it. After some repairs on the RV, we’ll have another full week to explore. I’m making my list of things to do, but if anyone has suggestions…

3. I have to read a novel per week for school. I love that I can curl up with a cup of tea and a good book and call it homework!

4. I’m writing this on Sunday night because tomorrow is a travel day, so it’s actually the autumnal equinox. I often use this day to remind readers that I wrote a book titled EQUINOX, which is actually the third book in my HORIZON science fiction trilogy. If you haven’t checked it out, there’s no time like the present, or the equinox, or whatever! Here’s a LINK just in case.

5. "It's the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!" – Winnie the Pooh

Five Things - September 9, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. You may remember that I had to write a short story to workshop at residency for grad school this summer? I ended up crafting a flash fiction horror piece titled “Monster,” a modern day Frankenstein tale with an AI twist. While I’ve written and sold two horror stories in the past, this is not a genre I gravitate towards, and I've never tried to write flash fiction before (a short story under 1000 words). Well, I’m excited to report that Tales to Terrify acquired this awful little gem, and it will feature on their podcast sometime in the next couple of months! I’ll include a link here when it’s out. If you’d like to have a listen to my other horror stories, you can find them here: Goodbye, Charlie (story begins at 18:40), and Lady in Blue (story begins at 16:39).

2. Fall is in the air! My alter ego discussed my feelings on apple pie, pumpkin spice, and productivity on the ‘Dear Maggie’ blog. You can read that post here: It’s Pumpkin Spice Season!. In summary, fall is my most productive writing time, and it’s a good thing because grad school is a lot of work. Of course it is. It’s grad school. But I am no longer a spring chicken, and doing homework late into the night is a thing of the past, so I’ve been even more obsessive about planning my time. The calendar, notebooks, and to-do lists are back in full force! Those who know me understand I live and die by my organizational system, but truly this keeps me sane.

3. One thing, among many, that I love about my work life is the flexibility. I can plan my days and weeks around my personal rhythm to maximize productivity. The downside to this is that sometimes I don’t totally step away for weeks. As this semester kicks into high gear, I’ve committed to taking at least one full day a week completely off from work, school, and all writing related things. Ray and I are back on the road, and there’s so much to see! When we started this journey, we’d rock into town, make a list of all the things we wanted to do, along with the things we needed to accomplish that week, and make a plan. Well, we’re back to that strategy. Last week, we spent a whole day at Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, reading in our beach chairs and wandering the boardwalk. This week, we’ve already got tickets to the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian in DC, and reservations at one of our favorite restaurants in Georgetown. Next stop after this, Kentucky and Nashville!

4. Last week was our 31st wedding anniversary! Yes, you read that right. 31 years! We spent it on the beach and enjoyed a relaxing day together (that day off I mentioned above). People ask how we’re doing now that we essentially live in a tiny, mobile home as big as the bedroom in our last house. My reply is that we are having a blast! I feel incredibly grateful to be on this journey, not just the one in the RV but the one through life, with my best friend, partner in crime, and biggest fan. We look back on what we’ve accomplished together and feel gratified. We look ahead at the future we’re building and feel excited. Mostly, though, we look at each other and know we are with the person we want to be with most in the world.

5. “I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.” - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Five Things - August 26, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. I can’t believe we’re wrapping up our last few days in Rhode Island! Next week, we’ll hit the road again and head to Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi to finish our tour of the eastern United States. We’ll also be stopping in South Carolina for a long weekend to visit family before starting our trek back west. Our intent is to stay at each spot for about a week so I have time for school and Ray has time to work.

2. Yes, school is back in session this week, and I’ll admit, I’m slightly intimidated by the size of the reading list and the amount of required writing, but I do love deadlines, so I’m ready to dive in!

3. As the summer winds down, and I have to get serious about school, I also need to get serious about my physical health. It’s great fun when life feels like a party every day, but I’m not a spring chicken anymore. I have a lot of work to do this fall and I need better sleep, so I’m implementing my plan for ‘dry September’ a week early. I’ll be the one drinking herbal tea on my Zoom meetings, LOL.

4. Ray and I got to see Zac Brown and Kenny Chesney at Gillette Stadium this past weekend. While I am not generally a huge country fan, Zac is one of my favorites along with Chris Stapleton, who we got to see in Denver last year. Aside from expanding my musical palette so to speak, I use these country music concert opportunities to showcase my amazing collection of cowboy boots!

5. “Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.” — G. Randolf

Five Things - August 12, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled “Five Things” where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. I’ll be teaching an in-person class at Rogers Free Library on Monday, August 19th at 7:00 pm. The topic is one I love to talk about, and it’s a popular program I’ve hosted on previous webinars and discussed on panels. It’s titled ‘Editing: Soup to Nuts’ and here’s the blurb…

   For many authors, the editing process is a daunting one, but a well edited manuscript can mean the difference between a book that’s ready for the world and a document that sits in a drawer collecting dust. Let’s talk about the different parts of the editing process and how to successfully find and work with an editor. We’ll also spend time discussing the goals of a developmental edit and how to work effectively with beta readers or critique partners. Learn practical techniques that will help make the editing process efficient, effective, and satisfying!

   You can register HERE. Writers friends, maybe I’ll see you there!

2. We’re slowly checking off musical bucket list items as we travel the country, and I finally, finally got to see Green Day! The concert was at Fenway Park. We had great seats (thank you, Ray!), the band did not disappoint, and I got a cool new t-shirt.

3. Since returning to RI from residency, we’ve been doing ALL THE THINGS, from concerts, to dinner dates at our old favorite hang-outs, to Block Island, to time with family and friends. So far, it’s been a wonderful whirlwind of activity, but I may need a vacation from my vacation as I am no longer in my 30’s or even my 40’s. Not sure how it happened, but apparently I’ve been alive for more than half a century. This is shocking, even to me, but true. Taking a down day at a friend’s house yesterday and just chatting and sitting by the water was just what the old body called for. I may have to build a few more days like that into the schedule.

4. My shipment of school books has arrived for the fall semester, and wow, it’s a big pile! I had to clean out a couple of shelves to house all my new book babies, and they all look fantastic. Our focus in the fall will be the mystery, thriller, and romance genres. Not only will we be reading and analyzing novels from those genres, but we’ll be writing our own stories. It’ll be an adventure for sure.

5. “When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” ― Paulo Coelho

Five Things - July 30, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled “Five Things” where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. You may have noticed you’re receiving this on a Tuesday instead of Monday. It's been more and more challenging for me to get my Monday blogs up on time due to my school schedule and the fact that Monday’s are often travel days for us. With that in mind, I’m experimenting with posting on Tuesdays for the third quarter of 2024. We’ll see how it goes!

2. I’m back from my residency, and wow, it was everything I could have imagined and more! Our cohort is just an amazing group of people. We bonded quickly and spent nearly every waking moment together. The class workshops were positive, productive, and supportive. It was like having your best beta readers, who care deeply about you and your work, live with you for a week. I’ve never formally workshopped my writing before, and with this group, it was a fantastic experience. The rest of our days were filled with craft talks offered by the graduating class, readings from their theses, and faculty craft talks, which were superb. It was a lot of work, but so satisfying. I feel confident I made the right choice with this program. We all have a couple of weeks off before the more intense fall semester begins, so I may just sleep for a few days straight!

3. “I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.” - Brene Brown

4. I’m on a cleaning spree. While we’re stationary for a while, I have a list of all the cabinets, drawers, and storage spaces that needs sorting. Since I packed nearly everything I own for my trip to Colorado, unpacking provided the perfect opportunity to tackle the first project. I cleaned my clothes closets and drawers and produced a giant garbage bag full of stuff to donate. I don’t know how things accumulate so quickly, but living in such a small space, there’s only so much that can fit. My remaining clothes are now sorted by type of clothing and color, and it makes my little OCD heart very happy.

5. Sometimes, I forget what airport I’m flying into. It’s a strange phenomenon. Although I am going home, our home isn’t stationary. I remember when we started this journey, we marveled that when we shut the shades at night and our pets curled up on the bed with us, no matter where we were in the country, we were home. Being back in Rhode Island, where we actually owned a home for decades, I wondered if we would feel differently. I am pleased to say our tiny, mobile home still feels like home!

Five Things - July 15, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled “Five Things” where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. We are officially in Rhode Island for the summer! In some ways, it feels like we never left, and in others, I feel a little displaced. It’s home but not really home anymore, if that makes sense? Regardless, summer is in full swing here, and since it’s the Ocean State, I look forward to lazy days on the beach, barbecues with family and friends, music, concerts, and lots of laughter. I know time is going to fly, so I’m attempting to live in the moment, soak up the sunshine, and enjoy it all – just as soon as I get back from residency.

2. Residency is almost here! I’ve completed the rather daunting reading list, caught up on all my assignments, participated in the summer online classes and discussion boards, and I am finishing up the short story due in a few days. I’m really excited to meet my cohort in person and dive into the coursework more deeply. I’ll let you know how it goes.

3. One of the fun things about this grad school program is the discussion board conversations we’ve been having online. We recently had one on vulnerability, something I’ve blogged about many times in the past. I’ll share my small part of the conversation here as I think it’s relevant to all creative types.

   We are not our work, but creative work can feel more personal to us, closer to our hearts. Even when writing genre fiction to entertain our readers, there is still something of ourselves woven into it in a way that's different from other types of work. Layer onto this the fact that in the writing/publishing field there is a very real intersection between art and industry, and that space can be uncomfortable. I've learned I need to behave differently, and think about what I'm doing differently, when I'm creating vs. when I'm working on the business side of things. When I'm writing, I do so with discipline but also with the heart of an artist. I am creating. It's my process. It's my art. I want it to be the best it can be, but I am not thinking about my agent, the publishing house, the current trends, marketing, promo etc. Not yet. But I will think about those things, and I will have to shift my mindset. Rejection is part of the process. Bad sales are an opportunity to learn more about the market. A bad review might have a nugget of truth worth thinking about, or it might be an opportunity to remember my work isn't for everyone. It's always a choice to take things personally, to be upset, angry, frustrated when things don't go as we'd hoped, but it's also a choice to show up and do the work professionally, to be open to learning, and to keep creating.

4. The short story I’m working on is a creepy horror piece. I don’t write a lot of horror but every once in a while the dark side of my brain latches onto an idea, and I can’t let it go. Sinking into that space is a little unnerving, but there’s also something very satisfying about writing outside my comfort zone. I have to share this piece at residency, and I honestly don’t know how it will be received, but I do feel like it will be an opportunity for me to grow as a writer, and that’s the whole point of my new endeavor.

5. "We may never be strong enough to be entirely nonviolent in thought, word, and deed. But we must keep nonviolence as our goal and make strong progress towards it." - Mahatma Gandhi

Five Things - July 2, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled “Five Things” where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. You may have noticed you’re receiving this on a Tuesday instead of Monday. It's been more and more challenging for me to get my Monday blogs up on time due to my school schedule and the fact that Monday’s are often travel days for us. With that in mind, I’m experimenting with posting on Tuesdays as the third quarter of 2024 begins. We’ll see how it goes!

2. Speaking of school, the summer session is in full swing! We’re currently in our reading period for Fundamentals of Genre Fiction, meeting weekly for the Common Read, and by residency, I’ll have finished drafting a short story to workshop. I’ve written and sold many short stories over the years, but working without a specific prompt or theme had me pretty stressed out! Fortunately, I spent Dallas Fan Expo with two of my best writing pals, and I talked through an idea with them until it felt solid enough to run with. Writing is often a solitary endeavor, but the experience of being a writer isn’t. Having a supportive community of creative friends and colleagues makes all the difference.

3. Ray and I are finishing our official tour of New England, and we’ll be in Rhode Island for the rest of the summer by next week. While we’ve both spent plenty of time in each of these states, our rule is that we have to spend the night in the RV in order to put the corresponding sticker on our map, hence the whirlwind, slightly exhausting tour of the Northeast!

4. July 1st marked the first day of the second half of 2024. At the midpoint of the year, I make it a habit to review what I’ve accomplished and what I still have on my professional to-do list. Just as importantly, I try to assess my personal health and well-being. At the moment, I have a nasty cold, so my head is a little foggy, but I’ll be spending time this week reflecting, course-correcting, and prioritizing for the second half of the year. It’s a solid practice, and one I highly recommend!

5. “May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.” — Peter Marshall