,

Are you writing for READERS?

I talk a lot about writing books. Of course! I’m a book coach.

But have you really put much thought into the people who READ books?

Yes, you’re writing your book to share your message and to HELP people. That doesn’t go without saying and should be said again (and again!)

AND – for a moment – let’s back up and think about READERS.

These are people who love to read. This is their hobby, their enjoyment, and they LOVE doing it. Most readers read across more than one genre – fiction AND non-fiction. They’re willing to give authors a try.

They voraciously consume things they love. They talk about it. They even create whole fandoms. They lead book clubs. They dress up. They allow books to change their lives.

People who read… read.

They love books.

They love words.

They LOVE reading.

And this doesn’t go out of style.

One thing that these readers want:

YOU.

They want YOUR ideas. YOUR creativity. YOUR thoughts.

You.
You.
You!

In our world today – especially in business – there is the rise of Artificial Intelligence.

My darling author:

AI is NOT a tool for you.

Full. Stop.

Your reader – your precious, beloved reader – doesn’t WANT a computer’s idea, a computer’s thoughts, a computer’s edits… a computer’s SHORTCUT.

That reader – the one for whom YOU are writing for – wants YOU.

They know – and love – that you have done all the messy, “unfun” parts.

The brainstorming.
The development.
The storytelling.
The edits.

Even the flaws, typos, and mistakes.

Don’t give up your passion, your knowledge, your JOY of being part of the author-reader circle for the seduction of “quick”.

Yes, there are parts of writing a book that are hard. There might even be parts of writing a book that are NOT fun.

But they are WORTH IT.

They are PART of the journey – you becoming an author – so you can reach and connect and be REAL with the person who is reading your book.

The journey AS an author matters.

Don’t let Artificial Intelligence stifle your journey, your growth, and cheat your readers out of every bit of YOU.

Prime Day 2026 Gift Guide for Authors

Amazon’s Prime Day starts (June 23-26) so I’ve compiled some things you should grab. Will they all be on sale? I can’t guarantee – but if that item isn’t, a similar item will be! You can click on the title of the item OR the picture to be taken directly to Amazon. These are affiliate links so if you purchase something I should get a tiny payment from Amazon (at no cost to you!)

First off, if you don’t HAVE Amazon Prime – you should grab it. 

Where I live, I can’t actually GET two day shipping on… well… anything really. But the FREE shipping is amazing because when the nearest Walmart is a 150-mile-round-trip journey (that takes a half day and you MUST eat lunch out) waiting a few days for free shipping from Amazon STILL makes sense.

Get Prime

 

Mini Screwdriver Set

When you NEED to physically dig into your tech, you need a teeny tiny screwdriver. This set looks great AND it comes with tiny tools to help you break into tech cases without, well, BREAKING the tech!

 

Under Desk Foot Rest

I’ve been KILLING my feet lately with postpartum plantar fasciitis, that twisted ankle from summer 2025, and just general foot needs. This foot rest would 100% help anybody who needs to remember NOT to sit on or twist their feet while at their desk!

 

Panic at the Desk-o

Because even my KIDS say “panic at the disco” when someone is being dramatic and it’s oh-so-funny! This sign is perfect to lighten the mood for those marathon writing sessions.

 

Colored Pens

I do not need pens.
I do not need pens.
I do not need pens.

(I put them in my cart!)

 

 

 

Poor Man’s Standing Desk

Have you ever wanted to TRY a standing desk but don’t want to commit to fully rearranging your office? This laptop tripod on wheels would be the perfect way to test out a standing desk – without the full expense. Not gonna lie – the thing is gonna shake and wobble… Maybe that will imrove my speling?

 

Laptop Shade Tent

Ever want to work outside and suddenly you can’t see the screen? THIS is your answer! I’m not sure how it would work in summer time heat but the glare reduction alone is worth it if you want to type outside. (Or if you want to get stares at the coffee shop for your privacy screen!)

 

Peeping Cat Bookends

Y’all KNOW I’m a dog person, but this kitty is just too cute. Plus, it doesn’t shed! Or poop in the house! Both HUGE wins for me!

 

 

Glitter Highlighters

I 1000% geek out on office supplies. So I TRY not to overwhelm the gift guide with them but these are just oh-so-fun!

 

Recipes from the World of Tolkien

If you’ve ever wondered what a Hobbit, an Elf, or a Dwarf might eat in a day’s meals, this cookbook is for you! Whip up some tasty fare with recipes that cover all six mealtimes from the realm of J.R.R. Tolkien. Divided by the time of day, these recipes use modern ingredients and culinary techniques, and American measurements. A great resource for Lord of the Rings parties, this book is a perfect way to experience real food that tastes like a fantasy!

(Someone could buy this for ME!!!)

 

 

Understated Gel Pens

I love the sophisticated and understated style on these pen barrels. So sophisticated! And perfect for when YOU’RE pretending to be a moody author who is brooding at rain clouds. (You are, just pretending, RIGHT?!)

 

Reading Thinker Sculpture

If I’M gonna dust it, it needs to be extra interesting. I LOVE this take on “The Thinker” statue and the interesting use of negative space for the statue’s body fits my vibe.

 

Taco Holders

Because TACOS are always the answer!

Writer’s block? ……….Tacos!

Bad day? ………. Tacos!

Great book review? ………. Tacos!

Paper cut? ………. TACOOOOOS!

 

 

Glow in the Dark Stars

I was about 10 and went to a camp that had these in the dorm room. Then my Papa Charlie and I NEEDED them in his room. And yes, I had these ALL OVER my childhood bedroom… and they are still so much fun. Add these to anywhere you need some whimsy. (They WILL plummet from the ceiling at THE most inopportune moments!)

Wikki Stix

My kids got these at a restaurant and LOVED THEM. I don’t recommend them for the car + summer but they are 100% great for fidgeting to MAKE something. (Without making a mess.)

 

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

For a quarter century, more than a million readers – scribes and scribblers of all ages and abilities – have been inspired by Anne Lamott’s hilarious, big-hearted, homespun advice. Advice that begins with the simple words of wisdom passed down from Anne’s father, also a writer. I read this in college and highly recommend it!

 

Gel Keyboard and Mouse Wrist Rest

(Say ‘mouse wrist rest’ three times fast!) I LOVE wrist rests for my computer and THESE would match my chair! They come in different lengths and colors.

 

Washi Tape Set


If you journal this is a MUST. I also recommend pretty tape to decorate your note books – great for creating tabs or just fun color to brighten an otherwise dull book.

 

 

Looking for more gifts? Then check out the Gift Guide for Authors 2025 edition.

A Crazy Challenge for Connecting with Your Creativity

#myth – I need to be really creative to write a book.

#truth – creativity is fickle and comes and goes.

Creativity is a wonderful thing. And when you’re in the flow, there’s no better feeling.

AND waiting to feel creative (or inspired) and only writing from that space is a recipe for frustration.

If you’re not feeling creative… it’s time to go out and CREATE creativity. Creating creativity in one area of your life, especially in a low-risk way, breeds permission to be creative in your writing.

Here’s your crazy challenge:

Purchase (from a real store) some of the following supplies (hint: you should be able to do with for UNDER $10)

  • Paint, paper, brushes
  • Modeling clay or PlayDoh
  • Beads, glue, ribbon
  • Seeds, beans, rice, lentils, and glue
  • Silk or fake flowers, a wreath form, glue
  • Small wooden shapes or objects, paint, glitter
  • Crayons, markers, paper

Now, MANY of us will have these items at home. But I want you to plan a trip to a real store.

Handle the objects. See how they FEEL in your hands, how they look in the light, the textures and smells of the shop. THIS is part of the challenge – finding inspiration before you even begin!

Again, you don’t need to break the bank! Keep that budget under $10.

When you come home, you’ll need to supplement your supplies with scissors, paper (or a file folder), and from whatever easy-to-grab supplies you have at home.

If it’s not EASY to grab in your house, if it’s complicated, buried, or frustration-making… DON’T DO IT.

Now, set a timer for 20 minutes.

CREATE.

No right or wrong way. PLAY with what you have. Lean into the feeling of creativity without expectation, rules, or negative consequences.

Experiment with doing it “wrong.”

  • Mix all the colors of clay together!
  • Paint the sky pink.
  • Use the beans, rice, lentils (and spices from your cabinet) to create a mosaic. Or just a bin to run your fingers through.
  • Be abstract! Throw “art skills” out the window.
  • Use your crayons or markers to color on wood, plastic, glass.
  • Paint with your fingers.
  • Make a wreath; hang it up.
  • Put glitter on EVERYTHING – without worrying about the mess.

At the end of your 20 minutes… you can continue, or you can STOP. If you choose to stop, you may NOT entertain any thoughts of waste, mess, or frustration. In fact, if you’re fighting those feelings then KEEP playing.

This crazy challenge is to tap into your childhood sense of creation, creativity, and play.

What you’ll find is the NEXT time you sit down to write, you’ll automatically be able to tap into your creativity more deeply and easily.

Speaking of creativity…

If you’re worried that your creativity is too small – or too fickle – to write a book, then you’re in luck! Because doors open soon (February 18) for Finally Write Your Book.

This is my PROVEN course that guides you through my 5-step process to go from idea to finished book – easily and without getting derailed or lost. INCLUDING how to cultivate that fickle creativity AND how to write without it.

Harnessing your creativity IS important when it comes to writing your book – but it’s not the be-all, end-all need! You also need to know what and how to write so that you can reach your reader and share your message.

Doors open soon for Finally Write Your Book – watch for the email OR get on the waitlist here.

It was a crazy Thursday!

Our closest Walmart is about 75 miles away. And as a family of six, we’re there once a week because things like apples and bananas just don’t keep. The plan was to drive up, do our shopping, and then the kids and I would drive home. Ben would stay to go to work.

Except just as we were gassing up, he called me:

He’d forgotten a critical piece of equipment and had to go home to get it.

Oh no!

I offered to make the round trip drive a second time because as tired as I knew it would make me, it would give HIM a chance to nap before the potential of flying a helicopter all night. (Night shifts, man! I could NOT do it, I can’t sleep during the day unless I’m sick.)

So kids and I gassed up and headed home.

Except when we got close to the Ranch… 75% of the kids had to poop! I let the dog out to pee (he peed on the porch), changed two diapers and got the two bigs to go to the bathroom, then changed another poopy diaper, grabbed a cheese stick and a cup of coffee for the road and MOTORED.

We were about 20 miles from Ben when…

The van started to fill with stink. So much stink.

I assumed it was New Baby. I assumed it was a blowout.

By the time I got to Ben’s hotel, everyone was feeling a little green from the stink. And he was asleep. (Good he rested but I had a Code Brown!)

I finally had the front desk ring his room. I’m sure she thought something nefarious was going on – nope but poo-splosions. We passed in the lobby – he went to the van with the rest of the kids. I got to his room only to discover:

Wrong kid!

While New Baby DID have a poop, it was a tiny poo. About this time Ben calls me from where he was with the other kids in the van. In between his gagging I learned that it was Baby Cheeseball who needed the hazmat.

And BOY was it hazardous.

She got a full shower in the hotel.
Change of clothes.
Car seat got wiped down and a towel borrowed from the hotel so she wasn’t still sitting in you-know-what.

Unfortunately, that brown adventure added an extra HOUR to our day. So I was driving home in the dark. Which I NEVER do because my driving night vision is just… well, it’s terrible. Plus cows.

Friday I spent in bed with a killer tension headache. But the equipment was delivered to Dad Dad and an adventure was had by all.

Note to self:

Don’t give kids ring pops in the car. They cause explosive poops. Better to do that at HOME.

It’s Time to Update Your Bio!

Lots of attention is given to consistency – and I’ll admit being consistent in your writing actions IS how you write a book. (No, sitting down to write STILL isn’t the first step – but it IS a step.)

But what about those must-do actions that aren’t something that need to be done on a daily (writing!), weekly (newsletter), or monthly (list building, bookkeeping) basis?

I’m not talking about the annual things that you do that have external deadlines – like software renewals or doing your taxes. Those things can’t easily be ignored.

What about the things that still need to happen on the regular AND don’t have external deadlines?

Namely…

Updating your About the Author information.

Life changes – and while nobody is going to jail over not updating their About the Author information, having it “wrong” when you need it is just… frustrating! New Baby is almost 18 months old and occasionally *I* still find copy where I say I’m a mom of three!

All because I didn’t use my OWN system in Pretty Witty Bios to check over and then update my About the Author stuff where it lives out in internet-land.

Author! Do better than I did.

 

Grab YOUR copy of Pretty Witty Bios (it’s a steal at $9) and then don’t just write your About the Author details – use the included tracker to keep track of where you’re putting that bio. Then update it annually!

The end of January is a great time for these tasks. The luster of the new year has worn off (and it was never magic anyway!) but you still want to be productive – just in a more manageable, baby bite way.

PERFECT TIMING!

Get Pretty Witty Bios

 

 

Two Goals You Should Have For Your Book

You have a lot of goals as an author. Goals for your book should include:

  1. Readers turning pages
  2. Readers turning into clients

And there is a WORLD of difference between the two!

If the reader won’t read your book, they don’t get the transformation in their life that you want for them. (And that they want for themselves!) Using storytelling techniques pulled from fiction is my go-to to help with goal number one.

You don’t want your reader’s journey to end when they close the back cover! You want to make it easy for them to continue their experience in transformation – WITH YOU. (Not somebody else!)

Which means that you need to know

  • Exactly their journey inside the pages of the book (aka the Hot Mess to Clarity Curve)
  • What their next step is after the book

The only way to support the reader after the book is to move it from a one-way conversation (author to reader) to the ability for a two-way conversation (the reader can communicate back to the author.)

And here’s something you might not like:

  • Having them follow you on social media… isn’t enough.
  • Putting in your website URL and having them check it out… isn’t enough.

You need to move them to your email list – and you need to give them a compelling reason why they should do that. And do it NOW, rather than later.

I’m covering all this and more in my new training:

Calling All Clients: Use Your Book’s Call To Action to Turn Reader into Clients 


With Calling All Clients you’ll be able to:

✏️ Know what makes a good Call to Action for your book

📖 Know where to put it in the book for maximum reader engagement

😖 How to avoid having the book suddenly feel like a sales pitch (instead of a book)

💻Exactly what tech to use – and what to avoid – to gather your reader’s email addresses

🤷 What to deliver as your Call to Action gift or freebie (hint: it’s not actually a lead magnet!)

🎁The difference between a book bonus and a Call to Action (and when to use each)

​

And the best part? You can come to the LIVE version of this training – and ask questions! AND you get lifetime access to the recordings too!

Here’s what we’re covering:

  • EXACTLY what a Call to Action for a book is (and how it’s different than other places in your business)
  • What it should be and what it should NOT be
  • The tech you’ll need to deliver it
  • Avoid using THIS as a call to action in your book (because it won’t work!)
  • Moving your readers into leads into clients
  • Why you absolutely need a Call to Action in your book (and what is the easiest offer)
  • The ONE THING to avoid at all costs

When you come LIVE you also get:

✨ $50 up-front discount off the full price of the course
✨ Q&A after the live training to clean up anything that you’re confused on
✨ The “edited and cut” version loaded to your private course platform
✨ Lifetime access to the course PLUS any updates
✨ Post-training invitation to Voxer coaching with me

Learn more and grab your ticket >>> $47, Happening Live Jan 22

 

 

 

FYI: Calling All Clients is all about getting you reader to buy from you – again! (They bought the book, after all.)

In the training, I am covering where and how fiction authors need to use a Call to Action to get their readers into their email list (and then what to do next!) If you write fiction, you should totally register as well!

1 2 3 4›»