Melanie Hooyenga

Getting to Know Theresa Pocock

Getting to Know Theresa Pocock

Theresa has been writing for fifteen years and has more story ideas than she could possibly write and still have a life. She is an avid audible ‘reader’, boardgame lover, Zelda player, book collector, adventure chaser, and history ‘studier’, besides being a mother of three, a musician and a homeschooler. Also in her life are, two Yorkies named Teddy and Wilbur, a hot husband named Andy, and many many supportive and amazing friends. She lives on the Olympic Peninsula but is an Idaho girl at heart.

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Getting to Know Cori Cooper

Getting to Know Cori Cooper

Cori Cooper lives in the magical Arizona Mountains, which she’s pretty convinced is the setting for all the fairy tales. Besides writing stories, she adores hanging out with her family, playing board games, hiking and baking, baking, baking. Like Cat’s family, she’s positive Cinnamon Rolls fix everything.

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Introducing The Book of Good: Pride

Introducing The Book of Good: Pride

I’m donating $1 of every sale of The Book of Good: Pride to Out on the Lakeshore, a local (to me) organization whose mission is to provide a constant source of support and understanding to the LGBTQ community.

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Getting to Know Ruth Mitchell

Getting to Know Ruth Mitchell

Ruth Mitchell is a novelist, champion party planner, and aspiring star baker. When she is not writing she can be found spending time with her family, which often includes hiking and exploring the natural beauty of Southern California.

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Use Your Words

Use Your Words

My brain is constantly jumping from one thing to the next, the tangents leading from one train of thought to the next lightning-quick. I pride myself for being able to make connections in others’ conversations long before they get to the point, and I often get frustrated if I feel like someone is taking too long to get to that point.

Yes, this is partially what leads me to interrupt people a lot (a terrible habit, I know), and it’s also super annoying for the person I’m talking to when I assume incorrectly and take the conversation in a direction they weren’t expecting.

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Getting to Know Gabi Justice

Getting to Know Gabi Justice

Gabi Justice lives in Florida with her husband and children. She spent most of her adult life writing editorial copy for local magazines after graduating from the University of South Florida. Florida provides the settings for her coming-of-age stories that highlight bullying, misjudgment, acceptance, and teen anxiety. Her main characters are goal-oriented teenage girls with a drive that can be fierce and dangerous.

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Showing ‘Gratitude’ by Supporting Mental Health

Showing ‘Gratitude’ by Supporting Mental Health

In honor of my birthday month (yes, month) I plan to donate all March proceeds for The Book of Good to Mosaic Counseling, specifically toward youth counseling and programming.

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Getting to Know Dallas Woodburn

Getting to Know Dallas Woodburn

A former John Steinbeck Fellow in Creative Writing, Dallas Woodburn’s writing has been honored with the Cypress & Pine Short Fiction Award, the international Glass Woman Prize, and four Pushcart Prize nominations. When she’s not writing, Dallas hosts the podcast Overflowing Bookshelves, teaches writing classes for teens and adults, and unapologetically bakes pumpkin-spice everything all year round. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter.

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Getting the Junk Out of Your Head

Getting the Junk Out of Your Head

I recently started to journal again, and I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner. The concept is simple enough—open a notebook or word doc or whatever device you prefer, then write down whatever’s on your mind—but there are a lot of reasons people might avoid journaling.

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Word Puzzles

Word Puzzles

The momentum I felt at the end of the puzzle is the same thing that happens when I get to the end of a manuscript. In the months I’m writing the first draft, it can be a struggle to reach my daily word goals, but when I’m in the final chapters, it’s not uncommon for me to double or triple those goals. The words just fly out of me!

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