when a haircut isn’t just a haircut

I had an experience yesterday that I’m still stewing over, and while the occurrence itself was problematic, there are some larger issues at work, too. What better way to process than through a blog post, I guess? Burnout is a very real thing, and I’ve apparently been in varying states of autistic burnout for long […]

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at the end, a possible new beginning

There haven’t been too many blog posts from me this year—only three, if the Scrivener project in which I keep all these entries is to be believed. I was only somewhat more active in this space the year prior. Many things kept me from blogging more, including health, stress, grief, anxiety, and a bunch of […]

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2022 eligibility post

This is my first ever awards eligibility post—not because I’ve never written anything award-eligible before, but because I felt unworthy and for a long time I was naive about how nominations work. Even deep into middle age, impostor syndrome looms large. This, at least, changes now; I hope to make an annual habit of this […]

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anticipation

Nearly two months ago, I submitted an application for a writer’s retreat scheduled for later this year. I put a lot of thought and effort into that application, even though I wasn’t sure at the time how much I wanted to attend the retreat. And then I forgot about it, for a month or so. […]

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seven and a half years down

It occurs to me that today marks seven and half years since the daily headaches began.  I’d had headaches before 19 November 2014; I just hadn’t had them every day before then. It’s been a difficult, ugly journey. However. I think I’ve finally found something that helps. After trying so many different prescription medications, vitamins, […]

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September flowers. Portland, Oregon. (Jennifer Willis)

finding my rhythm, and more experiments in publishing

On October 5, my latest novel, Crooked Curse, will be available. This is the first book in a new paranormal cozy mystery series—Haunted Coast—set in the same literary universe as the Rune Witch urban fantasy books. It’s also the first book I’ve published in nearly three years. I’m not so much thrilled about that part. […]

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giant red hibiscus flowers in Portland, Oregon. (September 2021; Jennifer Willis)

educating the helpers: an unfortunate burden

“It’s just an article,” she said to me on the Zoom call. “Just because it’s posted on the Autism Speaks website doesn’t mean they wrote it or that it’s objectionable.” The fight had nearly gone out of me. This was a scheduled appointment with a resource specialist in my therapist’s office, and it was the […]

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