Story time… it’s a long one I am nearing the end of the writing process for my first book manuscript. It is a historical fiction novel aimed at middle readers (typically defined ages 9-12, although I’ll admit that the vocabulary is rather more advanced than most 9-10-year-old children). The novel is the first in what…
Author: L.M. Beatty
Passionate Believer. Freelance writer. Addicted to coffee, sunshine & laughter. Loves to untangle knots. Reads magazines out of order. Thinks cake is a separate food group.
Inspired to find & share about the remarkable things that make life extraordinary.
Peaks & Valleys
I have been unemployed now for almost six weeks. More accurately, I have been minimally employed for almost six weeks. Last November, after a summer of lots of soul searching, I decided that the time had come for me to quit my full-time day job to have more time for working on books (three very…
Book Review: How Should One Read a Book?
“Most commonly we come to books with blurred and divided minds, asking of fiction that it shall be true, or poetry that it shall be false, of biography that it shall be flattering, of history that is shall enforce our own prejudices. If we could banish all such preconceptions when we read, that would be…
Bedfellows
I can’t believe we’re here again. We stare intensely at each other.But,we’re not actually seeing anything.There’s nothing more to look at,nothing to be said.The same story has been told one too many times.We’re caught in a perpetual charade of power dynamics.Me: thinking I am the master,Him: knowing that he holds the controls.Many things are being…
Off line – Pt. 2
What do you do when you stand in line? Can you wait patiently? Can you maintain focus on the back of your predecessor’s head? Can you keep your mind engaged without a glance at technology? What about in the nonlinear lines in which we spend our time— the doctor’s office, the DMV, the pew of…
A Year in Review
There’s nothing quite so humbling as revisiting the goals/resolutions/lists set for oneself 360-odd days ago. This year, I fairly often referenced the goals I set out to do back in January. I actually did a decent job at producing what I set out to accomplish regarding writing, giving generously, making new recipes (72 to date…
Book Review: Greater Than Grief
In Greater Than Grief, Christena Estby documents her family’s journey through the trials, triumphs, pains and joys of raising four kids, two of whom have a terminal diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It is an amazing story of embracing life as it comes and along the way, finding positive coping mechanisms to manage when things…
Off line – Pt. 1
Lines are important. They provide boundaries and create structures. Boundaries are healthy. Without boundaries: I might overstep, might overwork, might overshare. Structures hold me up. With structures: I can thrive, I can rest, I can stand strong. What’s kind of funny is that when people think of “lines” they think: Level, straight, vertical, horizontal, diagonal….
Book Review: The Secret Garden
I grew up in the heyday of the 90s movies. Disney was still animating by hand, cartoons were a normal part of weekend plans and live-action movies had that specific film-processing quality that made everything feel magical and nostalgic. Such was the case for the 1993 film, The Secret Garden, which I watched with consistent…
Book Review: Until Heaven Parts Us
I have been dancing and teaching dance for the majority of my life, which means that I have met so many wonderful dancers along the way. Our paths don’t always continue to cross after they leave the dance studio where I teach, but thanks to social media, I often follow along their adventures from afar….
L.M. Beatty 