
Winters’ Day In
Conversations on life, faith, stories, and creativity from author Talena Winters.
Pour a cuppa and stay awhile.

Becoming Healthier Through Better Time Management
An update on my progress toward getting fit, and what I’ve finally done that is working.

What I Decided
While looking for a way to make my writing business sustainable, I discovered that the answer was in front of me all the time. Life is good.

Real Talk: What the EHT Black Hole and My Fiction Career Have in Common
The Indie Publishing process, and the unique struggles that is posing at my current career phase. I need your help to make this thing work.

The Waterboy Cover Reveal
Two weeks from today, on March 27, I will be releasing The Waterboy. It will be free and available exclusively to my newsletter subscribers. Here is the cover, blurb, and a short behind-the-scenes about the book.

Finding Gratitude in a Week of Highs And Lows
It’s been a strange week. And by “strange,” I mean it was like there were an extra six really-high highs and kinda-sucky lows stuffed into it without much of a breather between one or the other. So, for posterity, here are the highlights, and a moment to be grateful, too.

Big Release Week Ahead for Books and Knitting Patterns
New fantasy novella coming, a new dragon thriller story, and a new knitting pattern. Yep, just a few things going on! (And you can read my upcoming mermaid fantasy book for free!)

Equilibrium: What a Rush!
Today, I had an epiphany. I realized that my idealized state of “balance” and true homeostasis are not the same thing. This is going to change everything…

New Title & Cover Reveal for my WIP!
I’m so excited to share my new cover and title with you! It blows me away! :-)

Work Afraid
Here’s a secret: We’re all afraid. Every person who succeeds at something has had to confront fear at some point to get to where they are. The trick is to start anyway.

The Benefits of “Escapist Fiction”
Humans are made of stories. And, no matter the "world" that a story may be set in, at the heart of every good story is a character who is overcoming difficult situations that must be relatable to the reader in some way, or the story would not resonate with us. In this post, I talk about some ways that fantasy and other genres of fiction have benefited me, and why I think everyone should read or watch it.

I Saw This Going Differently in my Head
I’ve always had a semi-structured writing style, but recently discovered that I’d been running my business like a writing pantser. (As in, “flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants.”) But times, they are a-changing. How a little “plotsing” will (hopefully) make a big difference.

Adventures in Authoring
Being an author, I have discovered, is nothing like anyone ever expects it to be. And today, I made a decision to go down a road in my career that surprised even me.

Insanely Optimistic
Some days, writing fiction for a living feels like walking through sludge in a mudstorm. I'm going to be honest—I spend a little bit of every day wondering if I'm actually going to be able to pull this off. But no risk, no reward. Right?

Author Interview: About Me and "Finding Heaven"
On Sunday afternoon, I had the privilege of being interviewed on Facebook by author Joy Norstrom, one of the authors with whom I am co-hosting the Inspiring Women event at Audreys Books in Edmonton on Thursday. (The other is P.D. Workman.) For posterity's sake, and in case you missed it, I am copying the interview here.

A Conversation with Myself: Wherein I Give Myself a Solid Smack
I work alone, people. And usually, I love it. But on days like today, when all I wanna do is drink tea and read books, this is what conversations around my office sound like...