Relationships – Elise Stephens

Be Awkward: An argument for minimizing miscommunication and assumption

“Awkward” Definition a: lacking social grace and assurance b: causing embarrassment Most of us don’t like being awkward. Sometimes we’re just unaware of the awkwardness in a situation and sometimes we mistakenly perceive a situation to be more awkward than it really is. Actually, I’m not sure *any* of us like being awkward. We don’t like saying something that could make others embarrassed or upset, or at the…

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August 15, 2023

Daily Life / Inspiration / Overcoming Obstacles / Personal Growth / Relationships

The Gardener’s Way

I never used to think of myself as a gardener. There’s a patience and a faithfulness that it calls for. And I didn’t possess a lot of patience for most of my life. Until my firstborn came along and then…I just had to learn it. Gardening requires a good deal of foresight and hopefulness. You weed and prune and look forward to that gorgeous season where…

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July 18, 2023

Publishing / Relationships

Nebulas!

I can't state enough how much I love in-person conferences and the huge dose of energy infusions that I get from attending them. My most recent adventure was the Nebulas Conference in Anaheim, CA. Now that I'm easing into the process of volunteering for conference programming, it's a good feeling to get to take part in discussions that both help me and the other people on…

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June 15, 2023

Inspiration / Relationships

Costa Rica! Together!

Some of you know that my family (my husband and my two kiddos and me + my brother and his wife + my sister and her husband + my parents = 10 of us!) traveled together to Costa Rica at the beginning of 2023. It was a beautiful adventure. We got to swim on gorgeous beaches, watch incredible jungle life (monkeys! iguanas! parrots!), hike, zipline, explore,…

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April 27, 2023

Inspiration / News / Overcoming Obstacles / Personal Growth / Publishing / Relationships

Finding My Agent: A True Story

I’ve wanted/dreamed/struggled for years to find a literary agent. I remember sitting in a quiet corner of the Northgate branch of the Seattle Public Library, hunched over a table with The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit (Elizabeth Lyon) lying open beside me as I tried to painstakingly write out a query letter. Every sentence was agony. It was like learning a new language in which I…

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April 25, 2023

Inspiration / Publishing / Relationships

The Road to Publication (is a very long one!)

I had the opportunity to join several other authors online to speak candidly about our varied roads to publication and the surprises and lessons we've learned thus far. This is a lovely bunch of people and we had a great time together! The first ten minutes of the video were accidentally lost during the recording process and, lo-and-behold, as the salvaged recording starts I'm finishing up…

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April 18, 2023

Daily Life / Relationships

A Rough Start

Hi friends! It's been a while since I've checked in, and I want to explain part of that. The beginning of school was a *really* rough start for me and the kids this year. It's my fourth year of homeschooling, so I'd like to think that I have at least some of it figured out by now. My daughter entered kindergarten this year, which meant I…

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November 4, 2022

News / Personal Growth / Relationships

My First WorldCon – Chicago style!

It began as a compulsion. I needed more regular infusions of writing nerds in my life and I was really wising up to that fact. Also, I'd discovered that one major preventative for depression symptoms (more about my mental health journey can be found here) is to keep planning good things in my future so that I can look forward to them. At the tail end…

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September 15, 2022

Personal Growth / Relationships

The Mirror Lies: Guest Post from Sam Knight

They say the mirror doesn’t lie. I’m here to tell you that it does. It takes time to realize it, it takes time to even be able to tell, which means many people never see it on their own. So, I will show you. Unless you don’t want to know. In which case, you should turn back now… You were warned. Most people think of mirrors…

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August 6, 2022

News / Publishing / Relationships

Love, Loss, and Painted Secrets

I'm pleased to announce that my short story "Focal Point" is now available from Haven Speculative! This is my second published story from my lumastration universe (and I have two more in the pipeline that are awaiting their own publication days)! This story began as a much larger novelette, an exploration of grief, shameful secrets, and the vulnerability of the road to emotional healing, all through…

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May 12, 2022