My Life
Bethany and Resilience
Resilience: re·sil·ience noun ri-ˈzil-yən(t)s Definition of RESILIENCE 1: the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress 2: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change...
Pause for the Super Moon
I'm working on a series of essays about our relationship with the Inadvertent Celebrities we know, the Hamilton family... but I had to pause to post an epic photo from amazing young photography friend Dallas Nagata. Click on the photo to see all her pictures from the...
Inadvertent Celebrities
I have a kind of reverse snobbism that comes from growing up on Kaua`i, a place celebrities love. Yeah, that was Sly Stallone’s horse I exercised at the polo club, and Pierce Brosnan I bumped into in the aisle at Foodland, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar whose legs tripped me...
Tsunami in #Hawaii–a constant shadow.
Tsunami in Hawaii--a constant shadow. Not everyone has grown up in the shadow of these killer waves, but I am one who has. Last night's warning klaxons, traffic jams, barking dogs, and overall environment of anxiety brought it all back. I grew up on Kauai, spending...
Not a food adventurer.
One of the things you learn quickly in Hawaii is never arrive anywhere empty-handed. For a recent meeting at a remote elementary, I wanted to make a good impression with the principal. After that, I was planning to“talk story” with a counselor colleague. So, on the...
The “Big Eight” parenting mistakes.
I often have parents in my office doing what we now call “parent education” (a.k.a. family therapy.) I find myself saying the same things over and over to a variety of faces so I thought I’d distill them here into the "Big Eight" parenting mistakes. 1. Not...
Sometimes happiness just gives you a wallop.
Remember I was sharing The Secret to Happiness a few weeks ago? I said that most unhappiness is the result of disappointed expectations, and I stand behind that. That’s why I tried not to over-anticipate anything for Mike and my 25th anniversary—the plan included...
My Writing
Access to books is a class issue.
I think PRINT BOOKS have an important role to play, even as technology changes. Print books are actually a class and economic issue, because of the secondary, used and donated book market that will disappear eventually. Perhaps it’s my social worker perspective, but...
Unleashing creativity in 2012- telling your tale.
Once upon a time, there was born a princess with golden hair, brown eyes, and unquenchable curiosity. About everything. But she was supposed to be a boy. We have the set-up, the conflict... and we're off and running on my personal tale. Terrifying! One of the best...
Why you won't see some of the best books in bookstores.
The issues stopping "indie" or self-published authors from being stocked in bookstores is the deadly combination of returnability of and pricing. I can't explain it as well as Linda Nagata does in this thoughtful piece on her blog, Hahvi.net where she talks about why...
What some people do when they're moved by your book.
I posted a blog on the Debatable Value of Twitter a year or so ago, when I was still a noob with all this social media jazz. I am since a convert to Twitter as the single best outreach tool a writer has, and Sonia Rumzi is another writer and creative individual I...
Unleashing creativity begins with a timeline of your past.
Now that you have your Book of Secrets started, the main and first task to begin is the personal timeline. It’s a plumbline, really, a way to see when and how big decisions were made about your life—by yourself, and by others. Patterns emerge. Trends. Epiphanies. It’s...
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