Which Side Way Up? A Lesson in Perspective...

Feb 3, 2013 by

Which Side Way Up? A Lesson in Perspective

I live downtown. In my neighborhood it is far more common to hear the sound of sirens, late night (or early morning, depending upon your perspective) drunken yelling, or the ratta tat tat of construction than it is the call of a seagull or the chirping of a robin. You can imagine my surprise then as I stood below a winter-bare tree and heard the serenade of small birds over head.  I looked up to find a handful of birdies hopping from one barren branch to another, and doing things I don’t think I’ve ever seen birds do. In their rummaging the leafless and seemingly lifeless tree for whatever goods it might have, they hung themselves upside down, defying gravity with the tight grip of their tiny feet as they investigated every nook, cranny,...

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Lessons Learned On My Back

Jan 26, 2013 by

Lessons Learned On My Back

First, get your minds out of the gutter people. Okay? M’kay … On Sunday, January 6th, I stood up from my couch and was promptly pulled backwards and down, the result of a tweaked back muscle. I had been FaceTiming with my best friend and leaning close to the computer to see her pretty face. I got up to remove some potatoes from the oven and that small gesture was the beginning of a severe back injury that continues to challenge me even as I write this post … standing up, sitting down, standing up, sitting down.  (FYI, I almost wrote ” that continues to plague me” but that sounded too defeatist for an optimistic girl like me.) From that small moment, a trip to the ER was born.  Speaking of “born”, not even...

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Under Review

Jan 16, 2013 by

Under Review

I’m new to the Twitter game. As a new author, I’ve been told by everyone, how important it is to develop a Twitter following, follow others relevant to your profession, and live even more extensively online. (Seemingly impossible for an extroverted personality like me who already has such an inept and cowardly filter.) “Show your personality, Nicole. Just be you … in 140 characters.” Sigh. Since the past two weeks have found me on bed rest, nursing an angry back, I figured I’d use the time to tweet, read tweets, retweet, search other authors who tweet and follow them, and hang out with celebrities I’d never hang out with in real life. Suddenly I find my twitter feed full of other authors, book agents, publishing personalities, and —scariest of all— book reviewers. Admittedly, the...

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Beyond the Boundaries

Jan 12, 2013 by

Beyond the Boundaries

I was walking downtown the other day and came across this: By “came across” I mean nearly tripped over. There, in the middle of the sidewalk, protruded the robust roots of a very tall, very confident tree. Its age was betrayed by the cement buckling on top of it. Clearly, when this tree was first planted, it must have been more agreeable with its surroundings. I imagine that at one point in its life it behaved and lived peacefully within the 4×6 plot of land it had been given. But then, it just kept growing—spreading wider, reaching higher, living freer—until its boundaries became more of a suggestion than a rule. Its pursuits undoubtedly spurred on by Seattle’s abundant rain and occasional sunshine. I’m feeling a little bit like that tree these days. I’m growing...

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