Maria's Journal

  Photo by Louis from  Pexels Hello,   It's Christmas! As my previous blogposts indicated, the holiday season provided me an opportunity to do some self-reflection. Below are topics that I wish to share with you -- my readers. December 4 th What does the holiday season mean to me? December 11 th What is the driving force in my writer's life? December 18 th In what area/s do I need to improve self-discipline? December 25 th What do I wish for today? After a long year when we've endured so much despair, I think it's only befitting to wish for the Coronavirus vaccine to reach as many people  as possible.  There's a rising concern about the U.S. receiving adequate dosages for all 50 states and surely, with the worldwide demand for the medicine, this is just cause for alarm. However, I trust that local and state governments are taking the necessary steps to ensure everyone who wants a vaccine gets it. As the vaccine continues to be rolled out cross country I can't he

Photo by Louis from  Pexels Hello,   7 days till Christmas folks!  As my previous blogpost indicated, now that  the holiday season is officially here, I see this as an opportunity to do some self-reflection. Below are topics that I wish to share with you -- my readers. December 4 th What does the holiday season mean to me? December 11 th What is the driving force in my writer's life? December 18 th In what area/s do I need to improve self-discipline? This year I have really struggled with writing. In fact, I found inventive ways to avoid writing altogether: my car's trunk is a mess, I seriously need to re-arrange it, and my bathroom, well I just got it remodeled, surely I need to find the most perfect bathroom accessories, and what about my dear friend in Colorado, for pete's sake, I haven't talked to her in over a month, must call her tonight. Argh..so many excuses! So, in what area do I need to improve self-discipline? In the 'butt in chair' routine. The '

Photo by Louis from  Pexels Hello,   Fourteen days till Christmas folks!  As my previous blogpost indicated, now that  the holiday season is officially here, I see this as an opportunity to do some self-reflection. Below are topics that I wish to share with you -- my readers. December 4 th What does the holiday season mean to me? December 11 th What is the driving force in my writer's life? I remember when I first knew I wanted to be a writer, I was 11 years old, and I had just read about a dozen of Barbara Cartland's romance novels (my grandmother’s stash). At the time, I'd fallen in love with the genre and the art of story writing.  Since the early days of writing, my driving force has been introducing sassy and unique characters into my stories. Not only are unique characters engaging, but they're also fun to write. In fact, it was several years into my writing that my 'driving force' was validated when I began receiving 'fan' mail, what an honor! J

Photo by Louis from Pexels Hello friends,   I can’t believe Christmas is only three weeks away!   Even after this turbulent year of Covid19 I still think we all have many reasons to rejoice. A vaccine for Coronavirus is just weeks away from being introduced in the U.S., the weather in New York City has been mild so far, and well, the lighting of the Rockefeller Plaza Tree went without a hitch; albeit the celebration was much different than other years.   Now that the holiday season is officially here, I see an opportunity to do a bit of self-reflection and wanted to share with you – my readers – my thoughts.   December 4 th What does the holiday season mean to me? I know this is a cliché statement, but to me, the holiday season is a magical time and for more reasons than simply giving and receiving gifts. The holiday season is a magical time because it seems like we all just hit the pause button to reflect on our blessings.  The holiday season is also a time to think of oth