AS GREAT AS YOU WANT TO BE: Yes, it’s a mental practice!

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Saltwater TaffyAS GREAT AS YOU WANT TO BE: Yes, It’s a mental practice!

Saltwater Taffy reminds us that feeling good about yourself it is a mental practice.

Have you ever notice moments in life where you feel really excited about who you are?  You know those moments where you feel really connected, filled with direction and have an overwhelmingly high sense of self-assuredness?   The reason these moments arrive in our lives is so we can realize how… Read more

7 AMAZING HAPPINESS SECRETS FOR TWEENS

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Happiness secretsHAPPINESS SECRETS FOR TWEENS

As the author of Saltwater Taffy, happiness secrets for Tweens is the easiest post I could ever write.  The reason is because I know what you are going through.  Being a Tween-Ager can be confusing, challenging, and sometimes…well, for lack of a better word, it can downright be very frustrating.   That being said, there are some amazing happiness secrets for tweens that can help make this time feel more like an adventure than an ongoing nightmare.

Being happy in life takes practice.  Ask you parents.  It is an ongoing choice we all get to make, day in and day out.  No matter what you go through in life… Read more

SELF DOUBT or BIG DREAMS

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Saltwater TaffySELF DOUBT or BIG DREAMS

You have to decide if self doubt or big dreams will lead your adventure when going after something you love.   The reason I wanted to talk about the self doubt or big dreams because it’s a choice and a battle I have been dealing with the evolution of my adventure novel, Saltwater Taffy.

When we think about going after our dreams, self-doubt has the uncanny “in-ability” of creeping in, looking for ways to defeat us before we even begin our adventure.  The more mental attention we give to the dream and not the Read more

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Phoenix BOYS & GIRLS CLUB

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Middle grade fiction

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Phoenix BOYS & GIRLS CLUB

The latest stop on our middle grade fiction stop with Saltwater Taffy finds us at the Boys & Girls Club of Phoenix.

After canvasing the city with Saltwater Taffy for tweens and parents alike, Illustrator R.C. Nason and I ended up at the Jerry Colangelo Boys & Girls Club of Phoenix.  The kids at this club were my toughest audience to date.  I am sure it has something to do with the tough neighborhood they are in, but WOW…it was like pulling teeth for the first 15 minutes of my talk.  But…for those of you who know me, this is precisely the reason I am out here.  To uplift and elevate! Read more

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Dreams & Doubts

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Middle Grade Fiction

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Dreams & Doubts

The term Middle Grade Fiction is not only a genre for children’s books, but an idea of how a thought can be a work of fiction sometimes.

When I first thought about this post for Saltwater Taffy, I gave it the title: “Dreams VS. Doubts.”  Then, I realized the topic is NOT a battle, but a choice.  When you battle something, you give power to the other side, which is why we now have a title of MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: DREAMS & DOUBTS.  Doubts had nothing to do with capturing my dream of writing my book Saltwater Taffy.  I simply made the CHOICE to tell the story no matter what.  That’s the dream — doing what it takes to finish something — the desire to do it NO MATTER WHAT. Read more