I am Dana, a writer, editor
and small business owner living in the thriving metropolis of Bakersfield, California.
A Little About Me…
I am best characterized as a ringmaster of many circuses, but I’ve actually made money as a freelance writer for various magazines, as a nine-time contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul, and working with haunted attractions across the United States. I was the president of Writers of Kern for five years and the editor of the nation’s first citizen journalism magazine, The Northwest Voice. When I earned my degree in English, someone said, “Wow, you just wasted four years of college on a degree you can never use.” My response was, “It took me nine years, thank you.” I am a mother, grandmother, wife, daughter (of a King), sister, and friend. I wear cowboy boots a lot because they’re my favorite, I mind my own business, and I am a follower of Jesus. I seek Him daily, have failed Him in the past, and yet He remains.
My birth stone is a coffee bean.
Autumn love
Wow, you know you’ve been busy when you look at your last update and it was four months ago! So here I am, on the anniversary month now of my mom’s passing, and my family has increased by THREE! Three new babies in 8 months. We laugh when we think how God works; it took three new grandbabies to dull the pain of losing someone as amazing as my mom. I’ll always miss her, but life and love goes on, and I will see her again. (For anyone keeping track, I now have 7 grandchildren!) Thank you for your support, calls, texts, and emails, and if you’re one of the ones needing a project done, I will get back to you as soon as I can. I know many of you like to call on the phone, but if you want a faster reply, please send me an email by clicking the contact button on any of these pages. This is ALSO my favorite month of the year! Happy October and Halloween! I hope you are living your BEST life, are loved, and have let go of any burden holding back your happiness. You are forgiven, worthy, and God has a plan for your life! We have all made mistakes because we are human. But God knew all the mistakes we would make and STILL has a plan for our good. Love yourself, love your people, and love this life you have been given! xo
Flowers after the rain
As the summer rolls along (happy first day of summer, btw!), I’m one birthday older and what I hope is much wiser. After the loss of my mom and after the pandemic (is it really even over?), things had to change, of course, but never to the degree I...
The Obituary Writer
So, here’s something I don’t market about myself: I write obituaries. I don’t talk about it, because I don’t like writing them. The sensitivity required to write a story worthy of a family’s loved one is daunting, draining, exhausting, sad, emotional, and I cry a lot, even when I...
Autumn is drawing near
I had another of my recurring dreams last night about Halloween and haunted houses, so I woke up and prayed for the participants in my dream (though they have no idea they were actually IN my dream nor for whom I’m praying), and I’m smiling. God often shares with...