Chynna T. Laird's Blog, page 7

Foodie Friday ~ Easy Cheesy Tortellini Bake

Ever have one of those weeks where planning dinnertime meals is a huge hassle? You know you have to make something hearty and healthy for the kids but you have no energy to go the whole nine yards for a meat/potato/veggie meal? I think I may have a great idea to add to your 'Quick Meals' recipe list.

I came across this recipe idea through a recipe site called, Delish. If you're looking for new meal ideas, this is an awesome one to include in your favorites.

Now, I'm all about making most o...

Writing Sample Wednesday ~ Looking For More Contemporary New Adult?

Welcome to our sample day.

I have to apologize for getting a bit behind in our posts this week. I've had to direct my attention to other issues. BUT...we'll do our best to stay on track.

Today I'm sharing a snippet from my novel, 'Passing Loop'. The manuscript is all finished, but still needs a bit of tweaking while I find it a good home. In the meantime, I thought I'd share bits and pieces of it as things are edited (and re-edited).

I love this story. This is the only one that never came to me...

Writing Prompt Saturday ~ Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone

Welcome to our writing prompt day!

I just realized that we missed our Foodie Friday segment. It was utter chaos around here yesterday with appointments, meeting a few deadlines and my daughter coming back from a week-long school trip. Despite the lack of sleep, things calmed down, as they always do. And here we are.

As writers, we are so fortunate because there are so many different elements out there to inspire and guide our writing. When I first started sending my work out for the world to re...

Writing Sample Wednesday ~ A New Home for Dark Water

Here we are for our Wednesday segment.

I have to admit, it's been a bit stressful the past few months. I have a few new projects ready to go that I'm researching suitable homes for, and a few others that are floundering out there temporarily as I transition them to a new home. The journey has not been an easy one, especially for my readers who want the books but aren't sure at the moment where to find them. Rest assured, everyone. I have tidbits of good news, which I'll share in a moment.

We've...

Talk About It ~ Random Acts of Kindness Week (Feb 11 - 18)

Welcome to our Tuesday segment.

I thought we'd take a bit of a happier path today. As most of you know, I have no fear in tackling the tough stuff but once in awhile, it's nice to go down a more cheerful route.

My youngest reminded me that Thursday is Valentine's Day. Gone are the days where I scrambled to find boxes of Valentines for each of my four kids to give out to their school friends. I'm not sure any of them even enjoyed participating in it, honestly. Nothing says 'Happy Valentines Day'...

Music Mantra Monday ~ '90's Music That Made A Difference

Welcome to our Monday segment.

The 1990's were an interesting time (for those old enough to remember them). It was a decade where everyone was really trying to figure out who they were, what they wanted and where they fit into the 'big picture'. The music scene was no different.

I remember rap becoming really popular back then, not that it wasn't for a long time before but there were artists who exploded onto the scene and really made a twist on this genre. There were angry, grunge bands throwi...

Foodie Friday ~ Tomatillo and Chick Pea Curry

Hello fellow foodies!

After dropping my kids off at school, I came home and scrounged around in the cupboards and fridge to see if there were any ingredients that need to be used up before I do our grocery shop.

Every week I try to get a new ingredient to challenge me and to expand my kids' culinary curiosity. This morning, I saw beets I'd forgotten about and a little bag of tomatillos. Obviously, these two ingredients don't exactly spark any inspiration to use together so I decided to roast th...

In The Spotlight ~ Book Review: Breaking the Cycle of Abuse

Welcome to our Thursday segment.

In keeping with our theme for this week, we're going to do a review of a book written by an abuse survivor. Hannah Reinbeck bravely shares her story of childhood sexual abuse and neglect in her memoir,  Breaking the Cycle of Abuse: My Journey From Victim to Survivor . Stories such as Hannah's are so important to have out there because these issues happen a lot more often than we are either willing to realize or accept. Sure...

Writing Sample Wednesday ~ Dark Water Is An Award Winner!

Happy Hump Day (I love saying that).

It's been a very crazy start to the New Year and I'm hoping it just means that there are good things on the horizon. And I was proved right a couple of weeks ago with a wonderful surprise about Dark Water .

I know it's been a confusing time for readers out there trying to find copies of a few of my books (Dark Water, Just Shut Up and Drive and Blackbird Flies). I apologize for this but appreciate your patience as I am in the process of placing these books int...

Talk About It ~ Building A Health Self-Esteem, Self-Image and Self-Confidence

I had a post all planned for today's segment, but I have decided to go in a different direction based on the same idea.

As we touched on in yesterday's post, the 'selfs' (self-esteem, self-confidence, self-image, self-respect, etc.) are crucial in a young person's development. And kids aren't born with 'selfs', they are learned. That's why when they are stripped down, for whatever reason, it is so difficult in building it back up again.

This is something I have worked on, and continue to work o...