December 25, 2019


This lady waits no more...

After two years of revising and editing, this "Little Lady" of a novella has finally made her debut into the world this holiday season! A spinoff novella anchored in the Pretty Princess Universe, this truly was a labor of love that was conceived during NaNoWriMo 2017. While it only took me three weeks to write this novella that November, it took about another year and a half to revise and edit. A huge part of the reason was that I had enjoyed writing the story and had connected to the characters. And since this is a holiday-themed novella, I had truly immersed myself in the holiday season all year long for nearly two years!

On an even more personal note, I've recently been "plagued" by what I deem to be the most physical challenge regarding my health to date; I won't go into any details except to say that I can't recall ever feeling so daunted in my entire life. But by the same token, I've tried to embrace this experience as one of faith, hope and trust...that all will be well. That this is yet another "bump" in the road of life that's inviting me to become more of who I am...a better, more spiritual, more loving person, daughter, sister, friend, writer, creative writing teacher, Yoga and Pilates instructor, and of course, Kitty and Doggie Auntie and animal advocate. The "World Premiere" of my latest book, A Lady in Waiting, only fuels my passion to want to write and publish more books  as I help others to achieve their own literary dreams; to continue to help my loved ones and others heal as I continue to heal myself.

I'm forever grateful to my loved ones, my family and friends, and all the beautiful furry, finned and feathered creatures and wonders of the natural world who have helped me make this dream of putting a book out into the world possible!

So it is in this Spirit of Gratitude, Comfort and Joy, that Faith, Hope and Love will prevail! Wishing you and all your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Joyously Healing Happy New Year!

June 21, 2019

Paying Homage...

Happy Summer Solstice and Happy International Yoga Day!

During the writers' retreat in Paris this past Spring, I thought about the old adage of "Teach what you wish to learn."

Well, as my lesson plan was chock full of writing prompts that encouraged participants to observe and write using all the senses, I invited myself to do the same. And there's no better place in the world than Paris for a writer to do just that! I'm sure that there are several other places elsewhere in the world where one can experience a sensory feast, but for me, Paris eternally holds a special place in my heart as far as heightening the senses is concerned.

That said, once I was able to take a break from teaching at the writers' retreat, I became a flaneur and strolled along the Seine and the fact that the rain was relentlessly pouring that day made the experience all the more sensual! Most poignant, however, was paying homage to the dear Cathedral de Notre Dame whose towers I had planned to climb up to so I can get up close and personal with the gargoyles and where I could light a candle and meditate. Alas, that was not to be as our Dear Lady had partially been consumed by fire but thankfully survived. Notre Dame is a symbol of resilience and when I walked around her, my clothes drenched from that rainy day, it was as though she and I were being cleansed. And as talks about the beloved cathedral being rebuilt were in the air, I couldn't help but feel that photographing her in that post-fire state was sacrilegious. Yet, my love for what Cathedral de Notre Dame symbolizes, her resilience and strength after surviving centuries of war and occupation, represented what I honor most about my time in Paris: that despite everything, we must persevere. Bruised, battered and burned, Cathedral de Notre Dame may look embattled but Our Lady still has a lot of fight left in her. And as I sniffed the scent of the rain that day as I paid tribute to Notre Dame, vowing I will one day return to see her again, I renewed my own vow to stay true to my writing passion no matter what obstacles may seem to linger on my path.

And guided by the spirit and strength of Notre Dame, onward we go...



May 31, 2019



Paris Writers' Retreat 2019

Finally, after years of waiting to return to my Creative "home," I finally got the chance to go back this Spring not just to write but also to teach novel writing at my first ever Paris Writers' Retreat!

This is a first of a series of blog posts from the trip which will focus on my own personal adventures and experiences. But first, some history on why Paris has been my Creative Haven all this time. I first visited Paris after a summer studying abroad in Madrid years ago. I had always dreamed of visiting Paris with a special romantic someone but I quickly realized when I was there for the first time, that I didn't need to have a romantic partner to enjoy Paris---the City of Light had put a spell on me with its own brand of magic! I was a stressed-out, burned-out fledgling journalist when I took a sabbatical that year. But by the time I reached Paris, I immediately felt like I had come home! Back home to my creative writing self! Since I had been so mired in my journalism career, I had put my creative dreams aside. But long solo walks around La Tour Eiffel, around the Left Bank, La Sorbonne, and La Marais, proved that the literary ghosts of the past had haunted me, had guided me back to my creative writing self---my authentic self. When I left to go back home to the Bay Area, I had left a huge part of my heart behind. I couldn't wait to go back. 

So it was quite serendipitous when immediately upon my return home, I chanced upon a business card for French language lessons at a local French bistro and quickly signed up. Through Sara Villat and her French with Class, I was back in Paris within a year for a French class field trip. To my delight, I found that the magic of Paris continued to refresh my creative juices as I found myself writing, with pen and tiny notebook in hand, at places such as inside the sanctuary of Saint-Chappelle, surrounded by glorious stained-glass windows, and high up the towers of the Cathedrale de Notre Dame, with the precious gargoyles keeping me company! These first two trips to Paris resulted in the creation of my novels Not Just Another Pretty Face and Pretty as a Picture where Paris is very much a main character!

With my return to my Creative Homeland this Spring, I can say that it was well worth the long wait. I can't believe it took me so long to revisit Paris and now I can't wait to return for more of that Parisian literary magic!

And so with every blog post in my Literary Paris series, I shall continue to revisit Paris as I share my photos, experiences along with some literary musings. For more photos of the Paris trip, please visit me on Instagram @literaryyogini

à bientôt!