The premise was definitely promising, but… — Need to Know by Karen Cleveland Published January 2018 I was certain I’d love this book, after all, a good Russian secret agent vs. the CIA story is my weakness, one of them anyway. The story CIA analyst Vivian Miller is working to uncover Russian sleeper cells in the US. While sifting…

How this challenge is helping writers become less wordy… — One of my writing goals is to be more concise. It often takes a paragraph for me to say what can be said in a sentence. But I’m working on it. When I saw the 10–word story challenge, from Marilyn Glover, I knew it could work for me. Thank you…

I heard we’re getting the editor for the phone app back? Excellent news… — When we lost the story editor for the Medium phone app, my writing life took a turn for the worse. The workaround But I found a workaround. I started to write story ideas and drafts in Notes on my iPhone, then emailed them to myself to open later on my PC, then…

We should be more like the little girl in the library… — It’s not every day you see a dog in church, so people notice and sometimes comment about him, being the handsome boy that he is. Occasionally Dale and I, with Cooper my guide dog, will accompany my mom who is 90, to church. …

Is it a coincidence that it started when I asked if no one wanted to be follower 666? — I don’t think folks are that sensitive, are they? To put your mind at ease if you believe that 666 is bad news, it’s actually not. By the way, here’s the post that started my downward spiral.. …

In the first chapter, I already knew this book would be my new favorite of the genre. — The Secretary By Renée Knight Published Feb 2019 The Secretary by Renée Knight is my new benchmark for all future psychological thrillers that I will read. I listened to the audiobook version of The Secretary and I’m glad I did. …

And what about not picking up random food outside? — Resisting food that you have not offered your dog is an excellent skill for all dogs to have. The most popular topic with the kids in schools that Cooper and I visit, second only to who picks up the poop, is about guide dogs in restaurants. What does a guide…

I can’t decide how I feel about this one… Normal People By Sally Rooney Published April 2019 I picked up the book, then put it down, then picked it up again. I do that a lot, but I’m impatient, and if the book doesn’t start interestingly enough, I lose my…

Well, this is what I think of 666 — I passed 666 followers before publishing, and for that — thank you, fellow Medium writers. I appreciate each one. My opinions of 666 It’s cool (to me) when triple 6s show up, I feel the same when a black cat crosses my path, I find a four-leaf clover, or I can decide to walk…