Blog
WRITING
These two turned 60 authors into bestsellers (And I’m still not over it)
I'm not one to brag on clients (okay, that's a lie—I totally am), but Cecilia and Jason Hilkey are the real deal, and I want you to know about them. Here's what happened: These two came to me at the end of 2024 wanting to publish a parenting anthology. Not a solo...
The blind date that made me realize I was a fraud (and why that was the best thing ever)
I was on a blind date, sitting across from some guy I'd met on Match.com, when he asked what I did for a living. You would have thought I was a street walker, the way I started hemming and hawing. I was so mortified to tell him I was a chemical salesperson—selling...
You’re not a writer, you’re a hoarder (And that’s actually good news)
Let's pretend you're ready to start writing your book. That you're a real eager beaver. Now, word of advice: Before you stare at a blank document for the next three months wondering why writing feels impossible, let's talk about the content goldmine you're probably...
Which Disney princess are you? (And other useless quizzes)
We've all taken those inane quizzes, haven't we? "Which Disney character are you?" "What's your spirit animal?" "Which Friends character matches your personality?" I always end up as Cinderella—probably because she had serious shoe problems, which feels relatable...
READING
What I’m reading now
Every Iranian New Year, we'd drive through Abadan, and I'd watch the flames shooting from the tops of those massive stacks—the oil refinery burning off excess natural gas like some kind of industrial volcano. The infrastructure stretched for acres, a sprawling...
These two turned 60 authors into bestsellers (And I’m still not over it)
I'm not one to brag on clients (okay, that's a lie—I totally am), but Cecilia and Jason Hilkey are the real deal, and I want you to know about them. Here's what happened: These two came to me at the end of 2024 wanting to publish a parenting anthology. Not a solo...
What I learned about acceptance from a dying man and two hospice nurses
Decades have passed, but the two and a half years of illness are still fresh in my mind. I can still hear his voice calling me from the hospital after exploratory surgery. From his tone, I know something is terribly wrong even before he tells me. He’s supposed to be...
The gym guy who made me question everything
Every day, I talk to people who are looking to up their game by writing a book. They've done amazing things in their life and in their business and they want to share the wisdom they've gained. For many, writing a book is a brand new circus trick. It requires them to...
LIFE
The blind date that made me realize I was a fraud (and why that was the best thing ever)
I was on a blind date, sitting across from some guy I'd met on Match.com, when he asked what I did for a living. You would have thought I was a street walker, the way I started hemming and hawing. I was so mortified to tell him I was a chemical salesperson—selling...
What I learned about acceptance from a dying man and two hospice nurses
Decades have passed, but the two and a half years of illness are still fresh in my mind. I can still hear his voice calling me from the hospital after exploratory surgery. From his tone, I know something is terribly wrong even before he tells me. He’s supposed to be...
The gym guy who made me question everything
Every day, I talk to people who are looking to up their game by writing a book. They've done amazing things in their life and in their business and they want to share the wisdom they've gained. For many, writing a book is a brand new circus trick. It requires them to...
In defense of the mundane
I recently put together an anthology about single pieces of advice that changed people's lives—real stories from real people about those small inflection points that shift everything. When it came time to promote the book, I asked the contributing authors to share the...
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Straight-talking, funny and brutally honest, How To Eat The Elephant will give you–yes, you–the push you need to haul your ass off the sofa and position it in front of your computer long enough to produce a real, live book.
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