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How does no one know about this amazing song, “Darkest of Night Skies”? Emily discovered it through her Apple Music radio station just this past year. Yet, it seems like it’s been a part of our daily music rotation for quite a bit longer. The Native Sibling are a brother-sister acoustic folk duo, whose first…
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Often, I ponder how many incredible ideas end up falling through the cracks over the years. With the postal service and shipping industry both in overload crisis mode, it’s not just ideas getting lost in the mail. Of course, who really sends letters anymore? Rather, how many great ideas, including pitches for manuscripts that never…
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Road trips are one of my all-time favorite pastimes. Adventures on roads less traveled are even more my favorites. Back roads often provide the most inspiring memories. But oftentimes it’s less for the remarkable scenery and landmarks than the company shared between family, dear friends, and special loved ones. The conversations shared range from small…
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“Take Note, There’s Still a Hole in Your Heart” – Volcano Choir, “Dancepack” My wife and I often listen to Bon Iver, as my wife Emily is a big fan of Justin Vernon. Justin also has another musical project called Volcano Choir, which we both also enjoy, for the most part. One song from Volcano…
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There she sits, dreaming up names for her heroes and heroines, her villains, and her trusty steed, or car, or spaceship. She dreams of an endless space, full of wonders, delights, and dangers she can’t yet fathom. The train that is her imagination has not yet departed for such reaches, frontiers, and fantastic outer spaces…
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5 Red Flags Every Writer Should Know When I first published this post several years ago, it originally helped dozens of writers steer clear of scammy agents. While the literary landscape keeps shifting, the core red flags haven’t changed. I’m bringing it back for 2025 — refreshed and polished — because too many hopeful authors…
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As a child, my world was a symphony of sounds and melodies that swirled around me in a whirlwind of wonder. I’d hum along to familiar tunes, losing myself in the rhythms and beats. I let the music take me to places beyond reality, stimulating my already wild imagination. During these innocent times, I’d often…
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As a word, ‘woke’ is a culture war casualty. It’s a word that once meant ‘pay attention, your life might depend on it’ is now tossed around like a slur—or worse, a joke. ’Woke’ was originally a word of deep awareness and resistance in African-American vernacular; to stay woke meant survival, vigilance, and solidarity. But…
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The deepest cuts of my writing often emerge in the latest hours of the night. When they do, the inspiration slowly fades as dawn approaches. If this phase of inspired prose is left to wane without expression, it’s lost forever. So, to force rest when there is none seemingly to be had is pointless, especially…
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Have you ever had a moment where you were sure the creative juices were about to start flowing, but then refused to gel into anything useful? Many of my scribblings over the years would start with a great idea, then suddenly stopped making sense. Sometimes, my train of thought will even stop mid-sentence. Sometimes, I’d…