Lissa Matthews's Blog, page 5

Coffee On The Porch…

I started a little series on Instagram called Coffee on the porch… And it’s exactly as it sounds. I took pictures of coffee on my back porch over looking the pond, the trees, the mountains in the distance, and sometimes even cows from the neighboring farm were in the background.

I don’t exactly know why I started doing it, but it’s been an interesting way to see the changes to the land and it combines two of my favorite things…coffee and the view from my porch.

So, since I’m not on Instagram rig...

Hi! Again…

Have you missed me?

I’ve missed me.

However, I’ve sorta found me. Back in December we moved from Charlotte, North Carolina about 100 miles southwest to a small area between Greenville and Spartanburg, South Carolina called Greer. I have a view of mountains outside the back of the house and it takes me less than 30 minutes to get into the heart of the Blue Ridge. I love this area and it fits me more than Charlotte. Maybe that’s why I write small towns so much. I’m a small town girl at heart…

As m...

So, I had a new release…

That’s it to the left.

And here’s where you can buy it…

Amazon
Everywhere Else

And… I suck at marketing.

But I love the book. And the two people I’ve heard from who bought and read it said they loved it, too. Everywhere else there’s been crickets. That’s cool, though.

I watch a lot of Gary Vee and one of the things he said recently was… Okay, well, he said a lot of things recently that I’ve taken to heart. I need these little nuggets to remind me where my focus needs to be rather than where it ...

Life, Change, and Writing

In the midst of this pandemic so many lives have been turned upside down. People have been thrust into new ways of living, existing, coping. I haven’t. My life hasn’t changed much because being home, working from home, homeschooling was my life and to a point, still is. The most I’ve struggled with is finding toilet paper and finding focus. The degree of change has varied with each person, with each family.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot because I know there are people struggling with getti...

Writing When There’s Chaos

Now, I think this needs a little context because there are many things that classify as chaos, this pandemic is one (I have not felt the chaos from the pandemic that others have, but I have struggled with a few things during itfinding toilet paper and finding focus). The degree of chaos varies with each person, too. But in this particular post, the kind of chaos Im talking about is at home. Kids being home. Homeschooling. Maybe even a job outside of writing. The house in a constant state of...

I Suck At Endings

And coming from a romance author, thats kindawell, not a good thing, is it?

My story endings tend to be more Happy For Now rather than Happily Ever After. Ive tried writing HEAs but they dont feel genuine to me. That, too, coming from a romance author isnt a good thing, is it?

Theres a strict definition of romance and its centered around the idea of a Happily Ever After. I even have a couple signs in my office that say Happily Ever After. Thats the aspiration for me at time, I think. But as...

Let’s Go To The Movies…

Actually, lets dont and say we did. Please stay home, stay well, help keep others well, too.

But We can watch movies and from everything Ive seen online over the last few weeks, people have definitely been watching movies and television shows and streaming the entire catalog available on Netflix.

I havent done that, yet, but I have been watching movies. Or, at least listening to them. I have a small television mounted on the wall in my office and I turn on movies sometimes when Im writing...

I Wanted To Be A Planner Person…

but Ive learned that planners dont work for me.

I read a book recently, Dear Writer, You Need To Quit by Becca Syme. It was great and it gave me a lot to think about. One of the things was a process the author calls QTP or Question The Premise. This is a tool to use when you need to question something, perhaps when something isnt working the way you think it should or when you start to adopt a thought process because it works for everyone else and you believe it should work for you, too. For...

Lean On Me Because I’ve Been Where You Are

Working from home.

Homeschooling one or more kids, possibly differing ages.

Significant other working from home now, too.

A bit of history

Working from home began for me 21 years ago. It wasnt my first choice. I wanted to go back to work because I loved my job, but I had a crushed ankle and had a newborn baby and a 5-year old and no family nearby, and the job I loved required me to stand 8-12 hours a day. Needless to say, I couldnt go back to it. We made different choices. We made a lot of...

When all else fails…Music

Music is such a fun and lively and mood enhancing and comfort.

I turn to music almost more than I turn to anything else when I need to get out of a mood, when I need to get into a mood, when I need a smile, a reminder, a hug, a good memory, a certain feeling, to feel safe, and when I need to clean the house.

Music got me through some of the most awful things as a teenager. Music got me through some incredibly lonely times. Music got me through heartache and loss.

And music often gets me to...