Do you love the phrase, or not?

Do you feel a need to talk about this subject? Join the upcoming online discussion!

How to Diagnose and Treat “I’m right!” Syndrome A Clever Guest Post by Martha Engber

Don't believe conflict entrepreneurs! Most Americans want unity and share common ground. Check out my guest essay on "Together Across Differences" if you want to help this country start pulling together. togethernow.substack.com/p/how-to-dia...

What's your guess? Is this the most polarized the US has ever been?

Can you detect when someone is trying to manipulate you by triggering your disgust?

What do you know about the War Powers Resolution? Me: nothing, so I decided to find out.

2026 Truckee Literary Crawl Schedule Check out the schedule for 2026 Truckee Literary Crawl

Congratulations to Jacque Gorelick, who will be joining me at the Truckee Lit Crawl on April 11 in the beautiful Lake Tahoe area! If you're in the SF Bay Area — or the Sierras! — check out the schedule and come hear us read!

2026truckeeliterarycrawl.sched.com

I recently watched a documentary about the male influencers making money off of the “manosphere” on a message that women are no more than subservient body parts.

Forget that! So here's my message to you great people—male and female— who resist that messaging.

Are you making any headway on dropping the "us" or "them"? If not, this article is for you!

Did you learn civics or what it means to be a citizen when you were a kid?

The “Bootstrap” Line: How a Sarcastic Phrase Became America’s Favorite Saying

Growing up in a predominantly middle-class, white suburb of Chicago, the culture around me embodied the mentality of "pull yourself up by your bootstraps!" I grew up believing the phrase meant picking yourself up after…

Are any of you other authors getting bombarded by AI generated marketing scams like this one?

Citizen Spotlight: Coalition Builder Ada Salami To view the interview on the Vigilant Positivity YouTube channel, click here. During chaotic political times, it’s easy for citizens to assume a dystopian future awaits. But such seismic shift are …

For my uniting Americans blog, Vigilant Positivity, I interviewed Ade Salami of Democracy 2076 and she and her org are trying to do what seems almost impossible: getting Americans to visualize a "pro-topian" future rather than a dystopian one. vigilantpositivity.wordpress.com/2026/02/05/c...

Santa Cruz surfers hailed for rescuing family of 6 after boat capsizes at Steamer Lane Surfers in Santa Cruz are being recognized for their bravery after rescuing a family of six from a capsized boat, with the fire chief praising their quick response.

What a fantastic story of courageous citizenship! I believe most of us Americans would jump in to help in an emergency. Such a great example of what it looks like to come together! www.ksbw.com/article/sant...

I went to Santa Cruz this morning and just wanted to share the love regarding Mother Nature. She is the Top Dog of this earth, especially during chaotic times.

My son isn’t much of a social media guy, but I’m posting this poignant cartoon in honor of his birthday today. A sharp guy, he’s got a good sense of humor, training in philosophy, and a good grip on the state of the human species.

#family #love #friends #sons #gratitude

Kelly Lacey of Love Book Tours has just organized a monthlong read-along for my book and it starts today! Fellow authors and readers alike: I highly recommend Kelly and her company! She supports writers to the highest degree and readers get a chance to read books for free!

#books #novels

Do you know any Dungeons & Dragons fans? If so, share this post, because the creators of this new D&D module FOR COUPLES deserve a shoutout for their unique twist on a traditionally very male game.

#D&D #RPG #fantasy #creative #game #couples #romantic #gift #fun #writing

80% of Americans want out of our current chaos and hostility. Here's a positive alternative that includes a call to action. Please forward this post! vigilantpositivity.wordpress.com?p=1235

So the climate is wonky. For sure. In honor of the birthday of my first novel, THE WIND THIEF, about an woman who believes she alone must stop a war of winds, what's your wackiest encounter with Mother Nature?

Me: seeing a wildfire race down a hillside on I-5 when driving south into Los Angeles.

Apparently they're big on university campuses because it's easy for them to get around and maybe less likely they'll get beat on than in a city setting.

I’m visiting a friend in Oregon, which is doing what it should by reminding me to set aside work and the news to enjoy nature. This is The Knoll trail on the Oregon coast.

If an author can make me hear birdsong, taste foraged mushrooms and see someone smile from the heart, I'm in! Congrats to fellow writer Frances Rivetti for doing just that! Read my review below or on my blog: www.marthaengber.com/post/book-review-floating-in-the-middle

We saw a ton of these delivery bots on the Oregon State University campus. The slogan on them reads “Meals on 6 Wheels,” because they do have that many wheels. I live in Silicon Valley, but have never seen these. Has anyone else?

When writing BLISS ROAD, my memoir about being the daughter of an undiagnosed autistic dad, I found almost no resources for. Then I found the Adult Children of Autistic Parents Facebook page. If you know of anyone who has/had a neurodiverse parent, please share this info!

Though this will be my seventh book, the fact it will be published feels like the first time I got a "we'd like to publish your book" letter. If you've had the pleasure of getting that news , post a link to your book! If you're working toward that goal, post about your WIP!

Minneapolis woman shot and killed by ICE officer Federal officials called it a "vehicle ramming" incident, while local officials said video evidence shows “that is b---s---."

I was very, very, very sorry to hear about the Minneapolis woman killed by an ICE agent. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

That is the best excuse ever.

That is quite the pastoral photo!

Thanks for pointing out my error so I could fix it! He was born on Dec. 26. I have no idea where my brain was…