Skipper Bay

05/26/2026

11x14 house portrait I did for a fellow real estate agent as a closing gift

05/20/2026

Wow I'm bad at posting these here, but look at allllll these amazing creators I've featured on my newsletter! You can read the funny stories from each of these contributors and others at taryndoingitallwrong.substack.com
And be sure to subscribe if you like them and don't want to miss (or you like me and want to make me look popular) 😆 it comes to your email, so you don't have to worry about figuring out substack.

05/18/2026

Every single one of my gasts are still completely flabbered!!! For fear of spewing celebratory word-confetti like I did when accepting these two (Best Debut and Best YA Speculative😮😮) awards, I'll keep this short, but the meaning this has for me would exceed the character limit for a post. Thank you.

04/25/2026

Hanging out at my very fav bookstore, today for !! If you haven't been to this hidden gem in the heart of downtown Castle Rock, come on by!

04/23/2026

3" mini portrait, watercolor. I love doing these. I feel like I get to know a tiny little bit of a person I'll never meet in this life, and then feel a little tiny bit of what it must mean to have lost them. I like to think these give their loved ones one more way to keep them nearby.

04/21/2026

I know the picture looks like my sign says "table ho," but I assure you I stuck to just one table at a time (to hoST). I did get around between meals, but only to teach my four workshops.

I took pitifully few pictures at Pikes Peak Writers Conference this past weekend—kind of sad considering I met many amazing people and had a wonderful time. I loved taking speed pitches to help the authors practice before they pitched to agents and soak up all that excited energy. I teared up and giggled profusely at people's real life stories, and combined the two when I laughed so hard I cried at Mary Robinette Kowal's keynote. Plus I got to see the best calves I've ever seen on a literary agent. Even if they were the only literary agent's calves I've ever inspected.

Thanks to the staff for putting on an incredible conference and the countless hours behind the scenes. I could feel the love behind the labor! And thanks to the attendees who let me know they enjoyed my classes. There's nothing that makes me feel more fulfilled than someone saying they had a breakthrough or changed an approach or a mindset for the better because of something I said. I'm honored to be a tiny piece of anything that helps creators keep creating.

03/02/2026

Storycon was a whirlwind of awesome and I took a relatively small number of photos. But I do have a fabulous story involving pirates and shenanigans around town. That story will have to wait for my March 25th newsletter. For now, follow your captain. bought my book. Have you? ☠️

02/17/2026

Another anthology illustration!! It's going to be so good.

01/26/2026

These snowflake earrings are hand-drawn (I'm not a dextrose with my feet yet) and totes adorbs, plus they're clip-on for you un-holey people. This pair is headed to the post office!

01/26/2026

01/26/2026

Storymakers Conference registration opened TODAY with a HUGE discount available for 3 days only. This is where I won my first contest, found my first editor, got my first agent feedback, and discovered my first publisher (not to mention learning almost everything I know about writing and meeting so many amazing people)!! We've got some incredible keynotes, workshops and classes lined up, come take a gander!

Register at storymakersguild.org