Merry Christmas from Our House to Yours

 

Merry Christmas my beautiful friends. I hope this finds you all doing well. I'm feeling a little better since my last post. Sorry I threw a pity party out there for y'all. I was going through some feelings, hate that. However, I've managed to get myself back up and running.

I love Christmas, but this has been a tough year. I've had a car accident and had to get a new one. Car payments and higher priced insurance (because of the newer car, not the accident) have made things a little tight around here. And now I find out that my landlord may have to raise my rent because of higher insurance on the building. I'm sweating it, but I'm not going to let it get me down. I can't. I've got a granddaughter to raise and she needs to know that all things are possible, even if that means a few extras need to be let go.

However, I've managed to get most of my Christmas shopping done and I still have money left over. Nobody's getting anything fancy, but everyone will be happy. I've been doing a lot of crocheting in the past couple of weeks. I have 5 totes full of yarn and it's about time I put it to good use. I believe handmade gifts are way better than store-bought ones. 

I've also been fortunate enough to find little things that will make great stocking stuffers and have found a couple of gifts at thrift stores for those who have specialized collections. My son-in-law is a huge Star Wars fan and I found him a Star Wars beer stein for next to nothing. He'll be over the moon.

I wish I could buy everyone one fancy gifts, but that's not what this holiday is about. It's about giving from your heart, not your wallet. It's about telling those around you how much they mean to you. It's about coming together and filling your hearts with joy. 

Please, this holiday season, find a way to love with all your heart. Be kind to those around you and forgive those who have done your wrong. Even if you only do it for your own peace of mind. 

I wish you all a spendid and meaningful holiday season. 

Until next time,
Merry Christmas

~~~~~~~~~~

Christine Graves has been writing online for nearly 30 years. She has written everything from fiction and poetry to reviews and ad campaigns. She runs two blogs, Graves Publications and Collected Keepsakes. She currently writes for a platform called Medium.com and runs several publications through them. 

Christine is also an avid collector of vintage anything and an arts-and-crafts kinda gal. She is a sucker for a garage/yard sale, secondhand stores, and auctions. Because of this, she's opened her first real online shop called Prairied Treasures and another that showcases her AI artwork called Pathways through the Past. 

I Think My Brain is Broken

 

I think my brain may be broken. I'm having a hard time forcing myself to write anything. I've been so busy with all the holiday stuff, my full-time job, and the grandbaby's stuff at school, I haven't had the motivation to do any real writing.

I've been working on making some homemade Christmas gift tags, and I've had a ball putting them together, but it's been more of an excuse not to write than anything else. I keep telling myself that I'm doing it to help bring in a little extra money, but the truth is that once I've made those tags, I don't do anything else with them. I keep saying I'm going to put them on my online store, but I don't. I just put them in bags and set them off to the side.

I will say that I've been more interactive with the outside world lately. That may sound strange but I could be a shut-in tomorrow. It wouldn't take much for me to crawl inside my own little world and never come out. I've been that way for a long time. I never used to be. Before my first marriage, I was the life of the party. Now, almost 40 years and two marriages later, I am the proverbial homebody.

As much as I hate to admit it, I actually enjoy being home alone. It's quiet, it's peaceful, and I don't have to share the TV remote. I'm raising a grandchild, but she has her own things going on between school and her circle of friends. Fortunately, I know most of their parents and the kids have a habit of talking to each other on speakerphone, so I can hear everything that's being said. 

I go through this every so often. I'll be writing away, then...nothing. Everything I write sounds and feels forced. If I have to force it, it's not worth it. On the bright side, I've gone through this enough times to know that I will come out of it eventually and start to write again. I just can't say when.

I'm hoping that once the holidays are over, I'll get back to work. I have a few things I want to try, but I have to have my head clear in order to do so. I've already written and published one 30-minute read on Amazon and am planning on doing more. I'm going to try several different angles to see which one works best. I read that if you're going to do something along these lines, it's best to use pen names for each genre. I don't see me doing that. I'll just use my real name and hope for the best. If it works, cool. If not, at least I tried.

Okay, I think I'm done with my rant. I'm so glad I revamped this blog so I'd have a place to just write whatever comes to mind. I don't have to worry about SEO, or keywords, or even making sense. This is just a space where I can let my hair down and be myself. It's very cleansing. Get all the clutter out of the attic and make room for some new ideas. 

Remember, my friends, make time for your family. Hang out with friends. Step away from the daily grind and make some memories. We're only given so much time on this Earth. Be sure to enjoy every day of it.

Until next time,
Miss Chris!!!

~~~~~~~~~~

Christine Graves has been writing online for nearly 30 years. She has written everything from fiction and poetry to reviews and ad campaigns. She runs two blogs, Graves Publications and Collected Keepsakes. She currently writes for a platform called Medium.com and runs several publications through them. 

Christine is also an avid collector of vintage anything and an arts-and-crafts kinda gal. She is a sucker for a garage/yard sale, secondhand stores, and auctions. Because of this, she's opened her first real online shop called Prairied Treasures. 

A True Reason to be Thankful This Year

 

We're still a few days away from Thanksgiving and I'm over here thinking about the things I should be thankful for this year. It's been a hell of a ride and I really do have a lot to be grateful for. 

Okay, let me give you some perspective. In January, I will have been separated from husband #2 for two years. He left me. I was mortified. It took me a good six months just to be able to not burst out into tears around other people. I lived in the house we had shared...for a time. It was an inheritance from his mother, so I had no choice but to move. Another hard slap to the face. 

He'd left me with most of the bills and half of the money. I had to get help from various sources (I was also raising a grandchild), but I managed to find a place for the grandbaby and myself just before Thanksgiving. It was hard for me to get into the holiday mood. I was starting to get past the initial trauma, but it still hurt.

Just about a year ago, I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner in my little apartment. Just me, the grandbaby, her mom, and her step-dad. It was an amazing dinner and we all had a wonderful time. It was the first time since my husband had left me that I actually felt thankful for anything. I still had the grandbaby. I still had my daughter and she had given me an amazing son-in-law. 

For the past year, I've worked my ass off trying to keep my head above water. My husband had taken the new car we'd just purchased together and left me with his piece-of-shit pickup. What's worse? He never made a payment on the car and I either had to make the payments or let it get repossessed and have that on my record as well as his. I paid that car off, even though I wasn't driving it, and added a few good marks to my credit report.

I finally saved up enough money to file for divorce. I didn't get an attorney, I just filed all the papers myself and even made sure he knew what I was doing. I'm not sure if he'd realized what he had done, or if he thought I was bluffing, but we were getting along pretty well. So, after I'd filed, I had him come over for dinner. I served him spaghetti for supper and divorce papers for dessert. Mmmm, yummy.

He signed the papers, then signed the title for the pickup and handed it over to me. It was still a piece of shit, but I had a clear title so I could sell it if I had to. I wanted a new car, but I didn't think I could do it on my own. Between trying to pay rent, pay the bills, and still put food on the table, I was barely getting by. Fast forward two months to the day we went to court for the divorce. 

I stopped at the bank on my way to the courthouse. I wanted to make sure I had enough cash on me to pay whatever was left on the divorce. However, the Universe had other ideas for me. Someone came out of the bank, obviously pissed off, and slammed into my driver's side door. The door wouldn't open and the window was shattered, and I was supposed to be in court in less than 15 minutes. 

I called my (now) ex and told him what happened. He got to the bank before the police did. He was pulling chunks of glass out of my door panel when the police finally arrived. I explained the situation as he took my information. Then, he sent us off to the courthouse, which was (thankfully) just across the street. 

We made it just in time and the judge signed off on our divorce. Still, I was now driving a piece of shit pickup with a door that didn't open and no window...and it was October. Brrrr. I spent a week driving that damn thing before I decided it was time to get a new car. 

A friend had me call her guy. She knew a guy who worked at a local dealership. And not one of those places with the cardboard signs written in black marker. Like, a real dealership with cars inside the showroom and the whole thing. I called him around 10am on a Friday morning and by the time I got off work that afternoon, I was on my way to sign for my new car. I was so proud of myself and so freaked out over what I had just done. I pulled up my big girl panties and did a thing. WTF???

So, here it is, a full year later. I'm still struggling, but I'm still here. I have a new car that I feel safe driving and don't worry about putting my grandchild in. We're warm, we're safe, and we're fed. And that right there is a lot. 

I'm thankful for the people I have around me, however many or few there may be. I'm thankful for the chance to be the person that I've become. And I'm thankful that I've been given another chance to prove to myself and the world that I will be okay.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

~~~~~~~~~~

Christine Graves has been writing online for nearly 30 years. She has written everything from fiction and poetry to reviews and ad campaigns. She runs two blogs, Graves Publications and Collected Keepsakes. She currently writes for a platform called Medium.com and runs several publications through them. 

Christine is also an avid collector of vintage anything and an arts-and-crafts kinda gal. She is a sucker for a garage/yard sale, secondhand stores, and auctions. Because of this, she's opened her first real online shop called Prairied Treasures. 

Opening a New Online Store Through Redbubble

 

One of my favorite forms of creativity is in creating computer-generated artwork. I have a couple of different places where I create AI art and I've created a lot of images over the past two years. I use most of them for stories or articles I write on Medium.com, here, and on my other blogs. 

The problem is that I've created way more than I'll ever use and I'm wasn't sure what to do with the rest. Now, I have an idea. I've opened my own Redbubble store and added some of my artwork. I can add my images to all kinds of products such as T-shirts and coffee mugs.

Okay, so here's the thing. I enjoy the whole creative aspect of having an online store, I just suck at the whole getting-it-uploaded-and-ready-for-sale part. Redbubble has taken care of that. All I have to do is upload my artwork, choose which products I want my image on and hit the button. They do the rest for me. 

The downside is that I don't much off any sales. I get 20%. It's not a lot, but it's still something. If I actually sell something, I'll be blown away. Honestly, I'm having more fun just adding my images and seeing what they look like on real items. And all those images I've made in the past? Yeah, those are still sitting on a flash drive somewhere. I've been creating new images for my shop.

I've been looking over some of the products others post in their shops and am blown away. There are some very talented people out there. I thought I was doing pretty good, but some of the stuff they're creating shows just what an amateur I really am. 

However, rather than getting frustrated, I'm learning how to edit my images on those products so they stand out a bit more. I'm learning how to customize my own work to make it a little more sellable. I'm learning how to create images that stand out from the rest. I still have a long way to go, but I'm learning.

So, if you're in the neighborhood, stop on by my little shop, Pathways Through the Past. You can see some of my artwork and see what it looks like on everything from stickers to comforters. I'm always adding new artwork and creating new products. If you don't see anything you like today, come back and look again in a couple of days. 

Until next time,
Miss Chris

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christine Graves has been writing online for nearly 30 years. She has written everything from fiction and poetry to reviews and ad campaigns. She runs two blogs, Graves Publications and Collected Keepsakes. She currently writes for a platform called Medium.com and runs several publications through them. 

Christine is also an avid collector of vintage anything and an arts-and-crafts kinda gal. She is a sucker for a garage/yard sale, secondhand stores, and auctions. Because of this, she's opened her first real online shop called Prairied Treasures. 

A Month of Gratitude

"Being Grateful" by Christine Graves via Canva Pro

 

It's the month of November and I have a lot to be grateful for. There are days when it doesn't feel like it, but I do. I have to remember where I was even just a year ago and I've come a long way. I've spent the past year making my own way in this world while caring for my grandchild in the process. I know it sounds weird, but this really is the first time in my life I've had to do this all on my own.

Today, I'm grateful just to be here, typing this post out, being able to sit in my own home and play on a computer I paid for, with the help of the Internet I pay for each month. Does that sound bad? I hope not because that really is what I'm most grateful for. I'm grateful that I've had the drive to keep myself going even when I felt like throwing in the towel. 

I'm grateful that I've got a decent paying job and am able to afford a few small things. I don't go out to eat all the time and I've got to be careful with my spending habits, but I've been doing this for almost a year now. I just hope I can keep up the momentum. 

I'm grateful that I still have the power to get myself up each morning and get myself out the door. Trust me, it wouldn't take much for me to become a hermit and never come out of my cave. I don't have much of a filter anymore and it takes a lot for me to keep my mouth shut in certain situations. 

Finally, I'm grateful that I got to see the sunshine again today. I'm at the age now where I'm starting to see the obituaries of people I went to high school with. I know I could be next. I'm not getting any younger and though my health isn't horrible, I've had a few scares over the past couple of years. I'm so thankful that I'm still here to hug and kiss my grandbabies.

Throughout the month of November, I'll be posting about things I'm grateful for. I'm so thankful that I get to do this and I'm even more thankful for those of you who stop by to read my silly little things. I consider each of you a blessing.

I hope you have something to be grateful for today. May you all be blessed.

Until next time
Miss Chris

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christine Graves has been writing online for nearly 30 years. She has written everything from fiction and poetry to reviews and ad campaigns. She runs two blogs, Graves Publications and Collected Keepsakes. She currently writes for a platform called Medium.com and runs several publications through them. 

Christine is also an avid collector of vintage anything and an arts-and-crafts kinda gal. She is a sucker for a garage/yard sale, secondhand stores, and auctions. Because of this, she's opened her first real online shop called Prairied Treasures. 

God Wants Me to Write about Him

"Faith in God" by Christine Graves via Canva Pro

 

Okay, I know how weird that sounds, but it's true. I've had it on my heart for quite some time now that God wants me to do a blog about Him. I've tried to chalk it up to my overactive imagination, but I'm pretty sure it's really Him pushing me.

Here's the thing. I was raised a Protestant. I've been part of the Baptist faith, the Pentecostal faith, the Methodist faith, and even the Koinania faith (it's a non-denominational faith). I was raised to put all my faith in God and trust that whatever happened was God's will. I wasn't always happy with the outcome and God knows that. 

However, even with all the Christianity I've been a part of, I'm NOT a religious person. I believe in God, with my whole heart, but I think the term "organized religion" is a load of crap. God knows this too. I can't say He's happy about it, but He knows how I feel. I believe in God, not all the crap that comes with that term.

So, I've decided to listen to Him and start posting more about Him and how He works in my life. No, this isn't going to become a blog completely dedicated to God (sorry Lord), but I will be doing more posts about Him and His work in the world. I think we all could use a little help from God in the world today.

I'll be honest, I'm not exactly sure what I'll be writing about just yet, but I'm sure He'll tell me what he wants me to say. Anyway, I hope He does. I've got a few ideas. One of my very first stints as an online writer was a little blog called Finding the Father. I was pretty proud of it and I spent a lot of time bringing it to life. However, it was through a site called Webseed.com and they went belly-up and took my little blog with them. I was bummed.

I realize that most people don't want to have Christianity shoved down their throats, and I get that. I'm one of them. But I'm not looking to make this into that kind of place. I want the focus to be on God and His word. Not all the other BS that humans have woven into the mix. 

I hope you'll stop by in the coming weeks and see where I go with this. I promise I'll still have other things here, but I want to bring God into this and give Him a place to be heard. I just hope I can do Him justice. 

Until next time,
Miss Chris

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christine Graves has been writing online for nearly 30 years. She has written everything from fiction and poetry to reviews and ad campaigns. She runs two blogs, Graves Publications and Collected Keepsakes. She currently writes for a platform called Medium.com and runs several publications through them. 

Christine is also an avid collector of vintage anything and an arts-and-crafts kinda gal. She is a sucker for a garage/yard sale, secondhand stores, and auctions. Because of this, she's opened her first real online shop called Prairied Treasures. 

I Published My First Amazon Short Read

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, I finally did it. I published my first book of fiction on Amazon. It's not the first book I've published here, just the first book of fiction. It's a strange feeling knowing I've finally done something I've dreamed of doing for years.

The book is called Investigating the Beyond--Celeste Bordeaux. It's the first book in a series, and it's a short read, only about 5,000 words. It's listed in the 30-minute read section. In the first 24-hours, my book made it to the top 100 in the 30-minute read/teen and young adult category. I was over the moon.

Of course, that didn't last long. But I'm okay with that. It just means I've got to finish Book 2. I'm about halfway through at the moment and am hoping to have it finished this weekend. Once the first draft is finished, I'll let it sit and simmer for a couple of days. Then I'll go back and re-read it. I'll fix a few things, make sure it's as close to perfect as possible, then send it off to my editor. Yes, I have an editor and she is amazing.

I also have a designer to do my book covers. I love her work. Some of her book covers just drop my jaw to the floor. If it wasn't for these two women, I'd probably never have had the nerve to hit the publish button. 

I've wanted to be a published writer for as long as I can remember. I've had a couple of stories published in print, a few poems, and have been publishing online since the early 2000s. But this is different. Yes, it's still online but I can honestly say I did it. I've written a story, had it polished and packaged by professionals, and put it up for sale. That's amazing.

Here's the kicker, I actually made a little money. No, not a lot...less than a dollar...but I made a little money. For me, that's a win. It was never about the money. If it was about the money, I'd have given up a long time ago. It's not for the chance to be famous. I'm okay living in the shadows. It's simply one of those dreams that never seemed to go away. 

I'm in my late 50s and I've finally seen my dream come true. And I'm not done yet. I have a few more writing dreams to work on and now I have the drive to do so. I'm not the best writer in the world. Not by a long shot. But I love what I do. If someone out there loves it too, awesome. If not, oh well, on to the next.

Remember, you're never to old to dream. Embrace your dreams. It's what makes you, you. 

Until next time,
Miss Chris

Starting My Online Store Through Bonanza

Well, I did it. I've officially opened my own online store. I'm not going to lie, I'm not sure what I'm doing. I do, however, think I've chosen the right place to get started. I've opened my shop on a platform called Bonanza.com.

I first found Bonanza about 8 years ago, but didn't really set up a shop until 2020. Even though I had set up a shop, I never did anything with it. In truth, I chickened out. I had myself convinced I couldn't do it, so I didn't. I want to prove myself wrong.

I have a shop set up on Etsy, but to date, I've never made a single sale. Granted, I don't have much over there, but I've had a few digital items listed for almost a year now. Honestly, I haven't done much in the way of networking or marketing. And yes, I know that a crucial element to success. I'm just not sure how to go about promoting my shops other than what I'm doing right now. Post it on one of my blogs that get literally NO traffic.

Anyway, about the shop. I call it Prairied Treasures. This name came to me a long time ago. In the early 2000's, I was thinking of setting up a shop on Ebay and the name just came to me. I live on prairieland and most of what I'd planned to sell were handmade items and vintage pieces I'd collected throughout the years. And just when I was about to go all in, life went sideways and it never happened.

Fast forward ten years and I was finally able to get back to the idea of setting up my own shop. The problem was that things had gotten way more technical since I'd last played with the idea. I had to learn how to do things all over again. 

Of course, my first stop was at Etsy. I set up my shop and began the learning process of how to make it work. I'm still learning, but I've managed to figure out that it costs money to list the items, as well as costing money when you make a sale. It's not a lot of money, but still...

Etsy charges a 20-cent fee for each listing and will automatically renew those listings every 4 months. Depending on your inventory list, that could get a little pricey, especially if you're not selling much. 

Also, Etsy limits what you can sell on their platform. According to their What Can I Sell page, they allow handmade items and vintage items that are at least 20 years old. And though that means you could potentially sell anything made before 2000, you still have to be very careful.

Finally, there is a lot of competition on Etsy. I mean, A LOT!!! It's hard being a little fish in such a huge pond. I make a lot of handmade paper items, as well as make a lot of Junk Journal embellishments. There are hundreds of other shops on Etsy that sell the exact same thing. 

So, why Bonanza? There's NO LISTING FEES. Bonanza does charge a one-time shop set-up fee of $14.99, then charge 25-cents per transaction plus a Final Offer Fee (3.5% minimum-30% maximum depending on choice of advertising package)

They are a little more lenient on what you can and can't sell on their site, but you should still look through their prohibited items list just to make sure. Most items on the list are common sense. No guns, drugs, get-rich-quick schemes...that kind of thing. 

I don't have a lot on my new shop yet, but I am working on it. I've got several Christmas brooches I'm planning on listing, as well as a lot of junk journal embellishments and ephemera kits I'm working on. I think this is going to be the best place to work my magic. 

Now, I just need to figure out how to do some proper marketing and I might have a shot. I guess we'll see. Stay tuned.

Until next time,
Miss Chris

Freewriting for Ideas

"Deep in Thought" by Christine Graves via NightCafe Studio

 

I'm so glad I found this blog once again. I like the idea of having a little space to just let my fingers dance across the keys and see what comes out. I've been working on trying to open up an online shop, but I keep distracting myself with details. I'm sabotaging myself, really. I do it all the time.

I've been using an AI generator to help me come up with ideas. I really like Gemini AI. It's helped me come up with some really cool ideas. Now, with that being said, I also have to admit that I don't like the idea of having AI write my pieces for me. Just doesn't feel right. As a writing prompt creator, I'm all for finding ideas to write about wherever you can find them. But to have an AI program write FOR ME? No, thank you.

In correlation with me opening up my own online shop, I'm also trying to revive my website, Collected Keepsakes. I've been trying to come up with ideas on the types of articles to write that has to do with collecting, collectibles, and collectors. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. It sucks. "Hey, get a niche site," they said. "It'll be fun," they said. "Oh, just go with what you know." I'm trying.

I've got to figure out how to combine my "collectibles" website with the idea of creativity. I've been in a very creative flow lately. Problem is that I'm trying to swing from writing a full-length novel, a short series of 30-minute reads, and keeping up my Medium sites, to trying to get stuff put together for my shop and getting the word out about it. My brain's turning to mush.

I've decided that I'm going to try and sell a few of the things I've got around my house. I have a whole jewelry box full of vintage Christmas brooches that I'll never wear. My mother collected them, so what better idea than to pass them along to other collectors and let something she thought of as beautiful, go to a new home. She would have loved that. I'll keep a few pieces that have special memories, but this is something she would have fully approved of.

I also have way more crafting supplies than I'll ever use. I get most of my crafting materials from second-hand stores, garage sales, and auctions. Plus, I used to work in a craft store and got 20% off everything, including clearance items. I may have gone a little overboard. That was 10 years ago and I still have totes and boxes full of stuff. Time to let some of it go. 

Maybe if I work on doing a specific post each week. I thought of doing a "Pinterest Find of the Week" and talk about finding ideas on how to make your own collectibles. I'll have to think on that a little deeper. I can show off crochet items, sewing projects, tips on making miniatures, or do a spotlight on different websites. Yeah, I'll have to think about that one.

I have a lot of ideas, but nothing solid. I do know that it's never going to happen unless I just do it. Stop coming up with reasons why I can't and just do it. Stop whining about not getting it done and fix it. I'm the only one standing in my way.

Okay, I'm done for now. I'm so happy I found my little blog again. It's not the blog I thought it would be when I started it 14 years ago, but it's still here. I'm still here.

Until next time,
Stay creative!!!

~~~~~~~~~

Christine Graves has been writing online for nearly 30 years. She has written everything from fiction and poetry to reviews and ad campaigns. She runs two blogs, Graves Publications and Collected Keepsakes. She currently write for a platform called Medium.com and runs several publications through them. 

Christine is also an avid collector of vintage anything and an arts-and-crafts kinda gal. She is a sucker for a garage/yard sale, secondhand stores, and auctions. Because of this, she's in the process of opening up her first real online shop called Prairied Treasures. 

Asserting Dominance Over My Dream

"Bucket List Book" by Christine Graves via NightCafe Studio

 

Don't you just hate it when someone hasn't touched their blog for over a year then just out of the blue, they're like "Surprise, I'm back." Me too, but here I am.

I think I pop into this place every now and then simply to make sure it's still here. I don't know why I care, as you can see I don't touch it on a regular basis. But I like knowing that if I need a place to just write something...anything...I can do it here. 

The sad part is that once I get this all done, I have to reteach myself how to put in the image and all the other stuff that makes it pretty once it's done. Weirdo. 

I'm thinking of using this spot as my freewrite space. I know I've said that before, but I do like the freedom of my Blogger space. It's here and no one knows me. If y'all run across this by accident, stop in and have a cuppa joe. 

I've got a lot of things going on in my head these days. Since I'm no longer married, I spend a lot of time alone. So, what does an old, single woman do when she's all alone? Well, she writes of course. Silly, what were you thinking???

I'm working on a 30-minute read series I'm going to publish on Amazon Kindle in the next few days. Well, the first installment will be. I'm kind of excited about it, and kind of nervous. I'm not sure why, I just am.

I'm also in the process of writing my first full-length book. It's taken me almost 2 years and I'm still not done with it. It's called The Pin-Up Girl Murders and it started out similar to a Kindle Vella but I was publishing it on Medium. I've got a nice little following so hopefully it will do me some good.

Now that I'm on my own, I don't have to worry about someone telling me that they don't want me spending all my time writing online...or at all. I've always wanted to be a writer, but someone has always tried to stop me. My first husband would tell me it was a stupid dream and I needed to spend my time taking care of him and the kids. Husband #2 got it in his head that I was doing things online that were immoral. And all I was doing was trying to make a little extra money doing what I loved. Assholes.

I need to get it out of my head that I'm not good enough to do this. I need to remember that this is the dream I've had since I was a kid. I didn't want to be a doctor or a lawyer. I didn't want to be a model or a movie star. I wanted to be a writer. Well, I wanted to be an archaeologist too, but writing was my first love.

I'm hoping that if I get back into this whole blogging thing, I'll get my flow back. I walked away from writing altogether for 6 years. I've spend the past 6 years getting my groove back. Now, it's time to take it to the next level. I have to do this. I'm the only one standing in my way now.

This will be my "I need to get my fingers and my mind limbered up" space. I'll throw in a free write, maybe post about some random shit I find interesting online, probably talk about ancient history and that kind of thing as well. 

I don't know what I'll do in the meantime, but I'm going to be a writer. A paid, dyed-in-the-wool writer. You watch. 

Let's get this party started.