The person I spend the most time with is my husband. We suit each other well. He has a silly sense of humor, which appeals to me, and we have much in common. He supports my writing, and I support his collecting Star Trek replicas. (I have also supported his writing, but he does very little of that).

We have been married for 19 years (as he reminds me). It doesn’t seem that long, to be honest. Years just fly by, and I swear I’m only 45 (I’m not). It’s enough time that we finish each others’ sentences. Enough time that we kind of look alike.

Richard is my favorite person. The cats like him too. I think I’ll keep him.

Daily writing prompt

What’s the best way to build self-confidence?

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I find the best way to build self-confidence is to keep trying and do better. What I mean by this is that the first time you do something, you’ve done your best. But doing it again and trying something new is doing better than last time. That gives self-confidence, because you see that you’ve done better.

Don’t compare your work to others’, because you’re probably seeing their work after several cycles of getting better and comparing it to your first or second go-around. That will erode self-confidence every time. Measure your own improvement and keep practicing. Keep learning. Keep trying new things.

I thought about a pen name. The advantages of a pen name would be that my writing career would be held separate from my academic identity, and I could hide writing romantic fantasy from my colleagues. The disadvantages? That my writing career would be held separate from my academic identity, and I could hide writing romantic fantasy from my colleagues. Why hide? I like who I am, with all my bizarre facets.

If I had a pen name, however, it would be Marie DeLoye. Admittedly it has a bit more of a romance feel to it. It sounds like gothic romance, though, which is not what I write (although the first draft of what became Apocalypse had gothic elements to it. It was pretty dark).

I got the name from my dad’s side of the family, the French Canadian side. My grandmother’s maiden name was DeLoye, and Marie was my grandfather’s first love. It’s a catchy name. But it is not mine.

Daily writing prompt

What’s a moment in your life that felt like it was straight out of a movie?

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One day, many many years ago, I was 25 years old and in a mood. I could get moody when I was younger, before I was medicated. I was walking alone on a blustery, grey day, my cloak flapping. I wore my headphones, and the song that came on was “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana as I walked through the grass across a park. The moment so matched my mood that I felt like someone should be filming the scene. That was a movie moment. I seem to like dramas.

Another moment was when and how my husband proposed. We had gone to a shop in Valley Junction (Des Moines) that had, among other things, claddagh rings. I mentioned how some people used them as engagement rings, not as a hint, but as a thought. When Richard and I arrived back at his apartment, we sat on the couch. Richard said, “I was thinking …” He said this, and only this, several times over the course of a minute or two. Then he finally asked me to marry him. We went to the jeweler the next day to buy each other claddagh rings. Silly romance, but it works.

I think movie moments should have background music. I had soundtrack music for the first scene; the second scene needed some music. Vivaldi? No, something folky and adorable. I can’t think of what exactly. Maybe a bluegrass version of “Solsbury Hill”. I don’t know!