Have you ever published something and gotten a resounding echo in response? Nobody read your article, the editor rejected your book, or you sold one lonely e-book?

What went wrong? You thought your writing was interesting, structured properly, and your grammar was correct. I’ve had this happen, and it sucks!

I’ve learned to ask this essential question, “Why should my reader care about what I’ve written?”

The answer, “Because I think it’s good,” or “Because I think it’s funny, interesting, or educational,” won’t work.

Next question. “How do I discover what my reader cares about?”

Most of my writing is for business blogs and websites. I must know what my reader is interested in. …

Are you ever puzzled about how to maintain healthy body weight, blood pressure, and fitness? Cholesterol and other health indicators not where they should be?

What about your state of mind? Are you lonely or having a hard time finding your purpose in life? Feeling too much stress?

Are you wondering what the heck these things have in common?

A lot, as it turns out. Many of us have a general sense we could be healthier, but somehow it’s become so complicated, we rarely know where to start.

Should you eat keto, vegan, paleo? Lift weights or run? Cross fit or yoga? How do you stay well and have a long…

I’ve only lived in Texas for 20 years, but as the saying goes, “I got here as fast as I could”. Some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met, beautiful natural vistas, and the kind of self-sufficient folks I love to hang out with. There’s a reason I stay. And let me say, we are all helping each other right now.

In my apartment building, a lady on my floor set up a table with a sign “Free”. Leave some food, take something if you need it. This week I’ve seen a rotation of soup, tuna fish, Cheerios, cookies, and…

I love marketing! Lots of people don’t — especially writers. Perhaps you’re shy, or it just feels weird to sell something you’ve created yourself.

When I first started writing, I was uncomfortable charging for an ethereal product—something conjured out of my head. But if we want to make money, we must acknowledge we are selling something, which in this case, is our writing.

When I opened my first bookstore, advertising intimidated me.

I imagined begging people to buy what I sold, constantly being annoying.

All my money had gone into buying books and getting the store open. I’d delivered flyers, had yard sales, painted houses, and worked two jobs…

Seed catalogs, calendars, and graph paper with garden sketches cover my table. Peat pots with teeny tomatoes cram the window sills — you know the signs, spring is around the corner.

Here in Central Texas, the gardening discussion boards seem to be especially full of complaints about the dreaded squash vine borer (SVB) this year. Many people say they’ve given up on growing zucchini since it’s one of the insect’s favorite targets.

Supposedly, these awful insects are only a pest east of the Rocky Mountains, but I’ve heard isolated reports of damage in New Mexico.

Borers have their favorite plants.

They prefer plants in the…

I often say, “I grew up in the library.” Growing up on a homestead in Alaska, with long nights and no electricity, books were my inspiration and entertainment.

Homeschooling my five children on a budget, we depended on weekly trips for books, research, and the outstanding programs in the children’s room.

Now, as a writer, I rely on the library for books, electronic databases, and access to the New York Times. I’ve made new friends through the writing group and book club sponsored by the library, too. …

As a child, I did not learn Mother Earth creation stories from indigenous people yet I knew her as the one who held me close, that nurtured me with her essence. Now older, I call her Gaia, the ancestral mother of the earth, and she remains my higher power.

My mom’s temperament was mercurial, and I craved the consistency I found in nature. The natural world is predictable and dependable. Rock will be solid and heavy today and tomorrow. The river will always run downhill, the sun will rise and set today and again tomorrow.

Nature was a place of safety to me as a child.

I escaped to the soft…

As writers, we spend a lot of time indoors and not moving. It’s easy to keep filling up our coffee cup and add a snack. Hours go by, and there we stay, sitting and typing or reading and writing—or Zooming.

No fresh air, no exercise, and often no human interaction.

Until a couple of years ago, I was a full-time organic vegetable farmer. My days were spent digging, weeding, bending, and carrying. Getting enough fresh air and exercise was never a problem.

But once my life changed, so did my body. I’m still working on it, but here are some…