Kristine Wyllys's Blog

A pocketful of hope

I wasn’t going to write an end of the year post like I have in the past. I tried. I sat down to start it more than once but couldn’t get much past:

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I don’t even want to recap this year in any way. I don’t want to try to glean lessons from the trashfire and while there was many many MANY good moments in 2016, remembering them makes me anxious over how hard we may have to work to have even somewhat similar good times.

2016: the year I had to up my medication to deal with it

I really don’t want...

It’s Quiet Uptown

I don’t think I’ve posted this much on my blog since 2013-14. I don’t think I’ve needed to write so bone deep badly since then.

Whew. It’s been a month, hasn’t it? It’s been a year. I keep hoping it’s all a horrible fever-dream. At least November. It seems so impossible so much grief could exist in 30 days.

But, for the first time sinceWednesday, thisgriefI’m carrying in my heart feels pure. It’s not weighted down with extra stress and anxiety. You, my community,didthat.

God, what have I ever...

Hey, Pretty Girl

Hey, Pretty Girl.

I imagine you waving me away right now with that laugh of yours. Brushing off the “pretty” or asking me with that smirk if I liked your hair. Thirty-one years of seeing it every which way; wet, sweaty, tousled from sleep or surgery, you never stopped being a little embarrassed about your hair.

You taught me to tease it, or was it back comb? wincing as I practiced on you because you were so tender-headed. Later, I’d use that skill when your hands shook and your arms couldn’t...

Make something up

When I was 18, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

I got the phone call while sitting in my ex-boyfriend’s car. One day, a little over a year later, in fact, he’d be my husband. But in that moment, he was something like my friend but not. He was comfortable and familiar and even while we wandered, dated new people, connected our names with an “and” to others, we kept each other in sight.

He’d had a job interview and I’d had a broken down car and classes I was already late for. I decided, for...

COVER REVEAL: Susie Warren’s The Sheltered Heiress

Cover designed by Kim Killion of Hot Damn Designs

HIS DESIRE FOR REVENGE IS COMPLICATED…

Felix Goldman is a self-made billionaire, admired for his design aesthetic, bold choices, anddefending the underdog. But his success hides a core need for revenge. Years ago, the Bollesfamily destroyed his mother, shattering his childhood and sense of safety. Slowly, he amassesenough wealth to destroy the Bolles’s flagship company—and the legacy of unfairness they’veleft behind. So close to achieving h...

I can speak for myself. I am awesome.

Disclaimer: the following post was written entirely by my son. I have not edited, tweaked, or otherwise touched it in any way. It’s being posted with his consent, or, rather, his encouragement (“so people can know me!” he said. Then, “Maybe I will be Internet famous.”) I don’t know if this will make him Internet Famous like he hoped for, but I’m pretty excited for y’all to know him.

I am in third grade and eight years old. I have a very moderate case of Autism. Sometimes I don’t like havin...

Hello, old friend.

I wasn’t gonna do this, sit down and write anything, but here I am, sitting on the last page of 2015, and I feel like I need to leave my mark on it. Write those words down before I close the book and put it on the shelf.

There was a lot of good this year. A lot of good. And there was the best: Betty and I moved into our (my) dream home. The home we plan on growing old in. Those who know me best know what a big deal this is. Ever since I struck out on my own, Betty at my side, I’ve resisted p...

How I kick NaNoWriMo’s ass.

Or at least how I avoid having a mental breakdown during it.

I’ve participated in NaNo for — a lot of years now, under two different accounts. Both of my published books were actually born during NaNo. Some years, I was more successful than others, but every year I wrote all or most of the book I’d set out to write. And through those years of participating, I’ve figured out some tricks, ways to ensure I crossed the finish line at the end of November. These aren’t tricks to write X amount of w...

How Chris Pratt, a segway, and a pack of chickens broke me.

I’m bipolar.

It’s a weird way to start this post off. I’ve tried different opening lines, arranged words around, trying to find the right combination to ease into the heaviness that’ll follow. But I keep coming back to those two words. It’s where this story starts. Where, in a lot of ways, I start. I’m bipolar and it’s not a secret, but it also kinda is.

I talk about being bipolar a lot. Or, at least, more than I used to. I’m not afraid to throw it out in a conversation about mental health,...

SHE GEEKS: Jupiter Ascending.

As always with my She Geeks recaps and reviews: spoiler heavy.

Facts about me:

I love space.
I love Science Fiction.
I love space operas.
I love campy.
I love melodramatic, over-the-top anything.
Throw a romance in there anywhere, and it’s a recipe for me to fangirl until the end of days.

I’ve seen a lot of people talking about Jupiter Ascending since it came out, but reactions were mixed, so I kept putting off watching it. Betty ended up renting it from OnDemand last week, making my mind up...