I put a values statement on my sales pages to create a professional boundary — I first saw an entrepreneur put her values statement in big, bold, bright letters on Courtney Chaal’s course landing page. Of course, since her business is a bit different from mine, she had a few different parameters. …

Newsletters? Easy — Sales emails? My brain says “no” — Last week I was in a session with my business coach, working on my first-ever live course launch. My program curriculum is built on the book and workbook I wrote for my English-learning clients: 8 Steps for Interview Prep. …

I devoured all the strong-female-protagonist books I could find — I grew up an only child in a family that thought “feminist” was a dirty word. Just those three syllables, in that order, brought to mind angry women burning their bras in the street. …

My favorite author’s thread was all I needed — Ally Carter is one of my favorite authors. I started reading her Gallagher Girls YA series in 2007 when only the first two books were published — who wouldn’t love an all-girls boarding school for spies?! …

A modern heroine from Brooklyn inherits a dangerous and magical estate — Briseis is a very, very stressed-out teenager. Her grades are too low, she distanced herself from her friends, and the rent in her Brooklyn neighborhood is skyrocketing. Of course — her problems mostly stem from a mysterious ability to grow plants by touching them, Poison Ivy-style. …

Who cares if I’m not living up to some hustle bro’s pre-dawn expectations? — When I turned 13, I became a camp counselor for my barn’s summer horse riding camps. We all ended every day covered in sweat, dirt, hay, and… everything else. …

Language evolves because society evolves — it always has and always will — At an early age, I was fascinated by the way I could recognize the distinct writing styles and tones of my favorite authors… It took me years to realize I could break some stuffy, academic rules to find my own writing voice. That revelation took so long because I was…

We don’t need to suffer for our hobbies or amateur sports — I started riding horses almost 19 years ago. As a pre-teen and teenager, I had nothing but time and energy to take lessons, train my horse, work as a feeder, and learn how to become a coach for other beginner riders. …

Three female authors ended my temporarily bookless existence — I was once in a reading slump. A very, very long reading slump. Definitely a multi-year slump. Ever since I was old enough to hold a book and independently read words on a page, I’ve been a bookworm — constantly, physically attached to a book no matter where I was. …