Category: Blog
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A Slight Tickle
In honor of Halloween this year, I thought I’d share a horror story with you. Well, it was horrific to me, but it may be funny to some of you. When I was 16, I got a job as a lifeguard. One day while I was up in the stands, my boss brought some pizzas…
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On Writing: Thank God for No’s
I’m at a point where I’m going to start querying agents again. I’ve got several picture books (PBs) that are ready to get off my computer and on to a bookshelf somewhere. Last year I printed (I won’t say published) a few copies using the Barnes and Noble Press, and gave them to my kids…
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27+ Things I do to Reduce and Reuse
Two weeks ago, the city I live in stopped collecting recycling. There aren’t enough truck drivers, so until 32 people with CDLs get on the payroll, I now have to take all my recycling to the nearest center and sort it out myself. While the city will collect plastics #1 through #7, the center only…
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On Writing: Can You Call Yourself a Writer if You Don’t Get Paid?
This has been a hot topic in the writing community for a long time now – should you call yourself a Writer even if it’s not your day job? I’m not sure if this is even a debate anymore, because all I ever hear is, “If you write, then you are a Writer.” But I’m…
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When You Can’t Trust Your Own Memory
Shortly before I graduated college, my friend Liz and I went for a hike outside of our town, San Marcos, Texas. There was a riverfront area popular for picnics, grilling, and hiking, but on this Spring day we decided to stray off the well-beaten (read: boring) path and see if we could find anything cool…
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Cristo, and other people I knew
For four years, I worked on and off at a restaurant in Gruene (pronounced ‘Green’), which is the historic part of the small Texas town of New Braunfels, located on I-35 between Austin and San Antonio. I have soooo many stories about that place and the people I knew. There was Chase, who acted just…
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My Worst Job Interview
The offices were three rented rooms in a mid-rise building, the artwork on the walls cheap, the furniture nondescript. I was asked the usual “Where do you see yourself in 5 years” type questions, and then told, “We have quite a few people applying for a limited number of positions. We’re only taking the best…
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The Deep End
I think by the time you reach a certain age, you’ve had a few close calls with death. The first time I brushed past the Grim Reaper was when I was about seven. It was summer time and my day care center had bused us all to the community pool. The kid to adult ratio…
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City Wildlife
We don’t use our front yard very much. We’re pretty private, unfriendly people and we prefer our fenced-in backyard where we can be outside and not have to see or talk to anyone. Consequently, the local wildlife prefer the front yard. Last month a robin built her nest under our gutters, and by standing on…
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Happenings
Sometimes weird stuff just happens to you, you know? Here’s some weird things I can think of off the top of my head: A couple years ago, I was sitting on a hill eating lunch with my family and we got to talking about four-leaf-clovers. I said, “You know, I have never found one.” Then I looked…
Kate the Writer 