by AnnSheybani | Feb 9, 2026 | Life
Hey there, A while back, one of my friends questioned my penchant for voluntarily placing myself in situations where I could get hurt, for “manufacturing fear.” The world provides enough danger already, why go out looking for more? She was referring to...
by AnnSheybani | Feb 1, 2026 | Writing
Sometime back in May, Walt got it in his head that we should renovate our kitchen. Now, I should mention we’d bought this house sight unseen during the pandemic—intended as a home base for our trips back from Ireland, with Airbnb covering the mortgage the rest...
by AnnSheybani | Jan 26, 2026 | Reading, Writing
People sometimes ask me what it’s like to run a hybrid publishing house. The short answer? It’s like being a professional eavesdropper who gets paid to learn everyone’s secrets—except the secrets are actually really fascinating expertise, and instead...
by AnnSheybani | Jan 18, 2026 | Life
We once had a dog named Edgar whose whole raison d’etre was to kick cat ass. Unfortunately, we also had two cats: Peanut Butter and Mozart. Peanut Butter was a cat-hater’s cat. He had all the swagger of John Wayne, and the cool detachment of Humphrey Bogart. Tail up,...
by AnnSheybani | Jan 11, 2026 | Writing
Maybe you’ve heard it said that most readers never get beyond the first twelve pages of a book, particularly if it’s non-fiction. This supposed tendency is what drives the billion-dollar write-a-book-in-a-weekend industry. Become a published author. Have a book to...