Wintersβ Day In
Spilling the tea since 2006. Wanna cuppa?
Conversations on life, faith, stories, and creativity from author and songwriter (and aspiring mermaid) Talena Winters.
The Benefits of βEscapist Fictionβ
Humans are made of stories. And, no matter the "world" that a story may be set in, at the heart of every good story is a character who is overcoming difficult situations that must be relatable to the reader in some way, or the story would not resonate with us. In this post, I talk about some ways that fantasy and other genres of fiction have benefited me, and why I think everyone should read or watch it.
I Saw This Going Differently in my Head
Iβve always had a semi-structured writing style, but recently discovered that Iβd been running my business like a writing pantser. (As in, βflying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants.β) But times, they are a-changing. How a little βplotsingβ will (hopefully) make a big difference.
Adventures in Authoring
Being an author, I have discovered, is nothing like anyone ever expects it to be. And today, I made a decision to go down a road in my career that surprised even me.
How to Make Yummy Homemade Ketchup
Whenever we have guests over for a cookout, they always ask me for my ketchup recipe. Here it isβ5 ingredients, 5 minutes, and no fuss is all it takes.
Making Love Work
My 7 βNo-Duhβ tips for creating a happy, healthy relationship with your partner.
Healing from Loss, One Bite at a Time
There is an old joke that goes, "How do you eat an elephant?"
"I don't know, how do you?"
"One bite at a time."
The not-so-hidden truth in here can be applied to so many thingsβprojects, goals, ginormous meals. But today, I'm going to talk about how I have found this true when tackling emotional hardship.*
*No elephants were harmed in the making of this blog post.
Through the Canadian Rockies to the Pacific Northwest
Photo recap of a whirlwind weekend road trip to Seattle, Washington, with a ton of natural beauty along the way.
Insanely Optimistic
Some days, writing fiction for a living feels like walking through sludge in a mudstorm. I'm going to be honestβI spend a little bit of every day wondering if I'm actually going to be able to pull this off. But no risk, no reward. Right?
Author Interview: About Me and "Finding Heaven"
On Sunday afternoon, I had the privilege of being interviewed on Facebook by author Joy Norstrom, one of the authors with whom I am co-hosting the Inspiring Women event at Audreys Books in Edmonton on Thursday. (The other is P.D. Workman.) For posterity's sake, and in case you missed it, I am copying the interview here.
A Conversation with Myself: Wherein I Give Myself a Solid Smack
I work alone, people. And usually, I love it. But on days like today, when all I wanna do is drink tea and read books, this is what conversations around my office sound like...
7 Things: The Busy Writerβs Edition
Obligatory blog update. Mostly about writing. But also with a motivational Facebook Live video and guest post mention, in case you missed it. ;-)
A Winterβs Day In βThrough the Lensβ
Today, I had a break from writing. So it was kind of a look-at-life-through-the-lens sort of day. Here are a few things my camera and I saw. Also, I was so honoured to be featured on Mary DeMuth's podcast the Restory Show.
Finding Heaven Book Launch Event
I hosted the book launch for Finding Heaven on November 16 at my local library, two days after the book was released. It was a great event. Here are some photos to prove it.
When the Mirror Lies
Over and over again, I have seen how what we believe to be true about ourselves, we make true about ourselves. And there's nothing that anyone else can say to change that self-image unless we want to change it.