#bookinprogress

The Quiet Work of Becoming Better True discipline isn’t loud or performative, it’s built in the unseen hours where no applause exists. This image captures the calm focus of someone committed not to impressing others, but to refining herself from within. Mastery is a daily practice: steady breath, consistent effort, small choices repeated until they shape character. Strength becomes meaningful not when it’s displayed, but when it transforms you. This is the kind of discipline that elevates both the mind and the spirit.

Fueling up with coffee and diving headfirst into my next book project. The screen says Hearts of the Academy… my brain says, “Here we go again.” Let’s see where this story takes us.

https://www.twitch.tv/gooberspooks

Lastly, I have depression, and have been hospitalized 3 times because of it. While I am still struggling a lot with it, I am doing my best to keep fighting and also showing people what it’s like to actually have depression. I am terrified of what life has in store for me, but I’m determined to document it all, the good, the amazing, the bad, the ugly, the dark, and the hideous.

Hey, guys. How are you? It’s spring and thankfully the flowers🌷and critters 😼 are unaware of the chaos.🙀 Here in Seattle, Steve Shulman, a long-time neighborhood friend and community leader died yesterday of coronavirus. 😢 A story in the @SeattleTimes reported his condition on Wednesday. Our oldest son was one of countless teenagers whose first job was working for Steve in his grocery store.🍎🥬🍳🧀 Yesterday during a Facetime call with our son & @queenhorsfall 👩‍❤️‍👨 we told them about the story. They Googled it and saw an update. Steve had died. 💔 We felt sad and shocked. What a difference a few weeks make. At the beginning of March I was skeptical about the barrage of panic-inducing stories. 😱 Now I’m being extra cautious and trying to stay calm. It was another week of self-imposed isolation here in beautiful Seattle. 🌸 I’m grateful I had to concentrate on final exams and projects as the quarter ended today. On Wednesday my book authoring class focused on announcing our books, which are set to publish in Dec. 2020. 📖 It’s a joyful and exciting thing, but it’s hard to feel joy and excitement right now.⚕️ About a year ago I started using Instagram as a blogging platform. 📝 I found it enabled more reach and engagement than my traditional blogs—things that bloggers want but can find elusive. 🔎 So, last year I started writing a book about it, then the book class came along serendipitously. 💻 I’m now doing research🔬 and I wonder if you are willing to help? If you're writing extended captions or posts, or know of someone who does, could you tell me or tag them here? 🔖 I’ll be researching what others are doing and want to set up some interviews. 💬 @ryanintheus is on my list and I spoke with @aeroems who suggested crowd-sourcing for help! 💐 Thanks, Em! I’m also looking to include some of your responses to my posts if my editor thinks they'll make sense for the book. I'll contact you if it happens. 💌 Please stay safe and sane 🙏 and thanks for your friendship and support! ❤️ #bookinprogress #caturday #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catinacupboard #cat #newspaper #catinthewindow #spring #seattle #coronavirus #covid19 #staysafeandwell (at Leschi, Seattle) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9_QsCQgagj/?igshid=176r53da6gqdf

More art for #7InchKara ! I feel like I just dont have enough of Kara and Naomi hanging out. Color adjusting this is gonna be fun, that bright green really screwed up how my camera views Naomi's skin, and my scanner is even worse! #watercolor #painting #bookart #bookinprogress #kidlitart #kidlitillustration https://www.instagram.com/p/B84d38bjsU8/?igshid=157p60btk0tf6

visual projection studies: making safe pencil marks for the painting effort to come #bookinprogress #sketchbook #sketch #drawing #fineart #draw #illustration #art (at San Francisco, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqOtBVSnNxW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=qrijopmze23u

An experiment in accountability. The last sentence at the bottom? That’s the first line of Chapter 1 in my new novel, a thriller for adults called NO MUSIC IN THE NIGHTINGALE. Hope y’all like it. . #writing #writingcommunity #writingchallenge #workinprogress #bookinprogress #reading (at Los Angeles, California)