top of page
Search


Adobe and Its ToS Debacle
Photo by Antoni Shkraba on Pexels I know, I know, I should get used to our AI overlords already. Why should I care that tech titans are...
LaCalaveraCat
Jun 11, 20243 min read
5 views
0 comments


Having Someone Close to You Read Your Novel Draft
Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels Today’s post will be short. I’m very close to finishing my final self-revision of my novel before I start...
LaCalaveraCat
Jun 10, 20242 min read
3 views
0 comments


Creative Benefits of Running
Photo by Philip Ackermann on Pexels For my new health regimen, I try to stick to a schedule of running every other day. Every day, I try...
LaCalaveraCat
Jun 5, 20242 min read
2 views
0 comments


Salem, Massachusetts, Springtime Haunt
Photo source: Merlina McGovern The sun was shining hot and high in the sky. The gentle lap of water along the shore of the harbor was...
LaCalaveraCat
Jun 4, 20242 min read
1 view
0 comments


Getting Ready to Query a Literary Agent
Photo by Viktor Talashuk on Pexels So, I have now written my first book. I have done a first-pass major revision where I have filled in...
LaCalaveraCat
Jun 3, 20242 min read
9 views
0 comments


Write What You Know
Photo by Los Muertos Crew on Pexels I spent a lot of time on the first draft of the novel I’m working on stymied because I was wondering...
LaCalaveraCat
May 29, 20243 min read
3 views
0 comments


Crew Lessons
Photo by Patrick Case on Pexels Perhaps, when I have more energy, I’ll write more about the terrible business of children’s sports....
LaCalaveraCat
May 28, 20242 min read
3 views
0 comments


What is Your Favorite Season, and Why Is It Autumn?
Image source: Calendarr screenshot of https://www.calendarr.com/ It hit about 88 degrees today in Arlington, MA. Hot and humid and an...
LaCalaveraCat
May 22, 20242 min read
2 views
0 comments


The Powerful Maturity of Taylor Swift
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels I’ve been listening to Taylor Swift’s “Guilty as Sin” off her latest album, Tortured Poets...
LaCalaveraCat
May 21, 20243 min read
21 views
0 comments


Fixing Plot Holes Like a Boss
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels This weekend, I spent a fair amount of time on my novel revisions. I’m about two-thirds of the way...
LaCalaveraCat
May 20, 20242 min read
1 view
0 comments


The Importance of Community
Photo by Leah Newhouse on Pexels Town lists might seem like a gaggle of gossips. There are whole meme accounts (my favorite is Best of...
LaCalaveraCat
May 15, 20242 min read
8 views
0 comments


Panic at the Editing Party
Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels Yesterday, I felt a terrified panic that would have been right at home in a slasher flick. I’d been...
LaCalaveraCat
May 14, 20242 min read
4 views
0 comments


So Far Away on Mother's Day
Photo and art source: Merlina McGovern Sometimes I wonder about life journeys being passed down through the generations. This past...
LaCalaveraCat
May 13, 20243 min read
12 views
0 comments


The Massive Distance Between Short and Long Stories
Photo by Dave Mohammed on Pexels Yesterday I spent my morning revising a horror short story. In the afternoon, I switched over to my...
LaCalaveraCat
May 8, 20243 min read
2 views
0 comments


Writing with Friends
Photo by Monstera Production on Pexels I’m sitting in my home office and staring at this blank white digital screen. I’ve got Taylor...
LaCalaveraCat
May 7, 20242 min read
1 view
0 comments


Cookbook Recommendation: Milk Street Noodles
Image Source: Merlina McGovern Dinner time for our small family of three is pretty much fend-for-yourself time. This isn’t a habit I...
LaCalaveraCat
May 6, 20244 min read
1 view
0 comments


Finding a Grave
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels Memory is a funny thing. When I was writing a post this week about memory, I had forgotten a date. It was a...
LaCalaveraCat
May 1, 20243 min read
1 view
0 comments


Ten Minutes to Relaxation
Photo by Prasanth Inturi on Pexels I’m looking at the calendar, and yup, it’s the end of the month. It’s almost like clockwork at this...
LaCalaveraCat
Apr 30, 20244 min read
1 view
0 comments


How Do We Remember Our Past?
Photo by Merlina McGovern This isn’t some larger question about our collective past. Although I’m interested in history, I’m not a...
LaCalaveraCat
Apr 29, 20243 min read
6 views
0 comments


Submitting Your Short Stories
Photo by RF._.studio on Pexels I have a short story that I really believe in. It’s informed by a painful trauma in my past, and, for me,...
LaCalaveraCat
Apr 24, 20242 min read
2 views
0 comments
Blog: Blog2
bottom of page