by Coleen T. Houlihan | Feb 6, 2026 | Writing, Perseverance, Self-Publishing
The year was 2016. It was the year I said I would self-publish a novel. Fast forward and a lot has transpired, none of which is a self-published book. Why? Well, stuff gets in the way… If you are a parent, you know this. If you are a college student, you know...
by Coleen T. Houlihan | Feb 5, 2026 | Writing, Motivation for Writing, Perseverance
So I decided to start 2016 off with an editorial bang… Several years ago, I’d located an editor who did a great sample edit on one of my pieces. Lack of funds (oh, you know, single-motherdom, modest work, bills, and collection calls) kept me from being able to afford...
by Coleen T. Houlihan | Feb 5, 2026 | Writing, Patience, Perseverance
We’ve all read the success stories, seen the interviews where writers who succeeded in the publishing world very calmly, and with a small hint of humor, patiently tell the interviewer, “No, actually this is not my first book… I’d been writing for ten years...
by Coleen T. Houlihan | Feb 5, 2026 | Writing, Motivation for Writing, Reader
I’m desperately seeking a reader who laughs in all the right places, finds my pacing perfect, my sense of humor witty, my elocution fresh… I want a reader who enjoys how I touch them with all the right metaphors, finds my clichés delightful, is unafraid of my...
by Coleen T. Houlihan | Feb 5, 2026 | Writing, Deadlines, Motivation for Writing
Sometimes we have the best intentions. Tell ourselves in three weeks I’m going to have the first three chapters written. But… But, faster than the streak of a lightning bolt through the sky, those three weeks have gone by and barely a word has been written....
by Coleen T. Houlihan | Feb 5, 2026 | Motivation for Writing, Perseverance, Writing
Your mother was right; there are just some people you can’t please… We learn quickly about the awesome capacity of the sea and all the little fishies. Romantically we’re pretty sure one, if not a few of them, will be gaga for us… eventually. But the same...
