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My latest book needs your help, and it needs it now, so I’ll keep this short and sweet:

“Just Call Me Is” will introduce children to concepts that we, as adults, are becoming more and more familiar with. Things like meditation, presence, gratitude – all, of course, by way of a relatable (and, sure, somewhat snarky) guide, the reader’s Inner Self (IS).

It is a story, it is a journal, it is a book of exercises and tools, and most of all, it is a guide to living in presence for young people.

My son thinks the book is excellent. He was up late in his his bed with a flashlight doing the writing after reading the the whole thing in just a couple hours. And I’m impressed how well he is grasping a concept like higher self. I’ve struggled with explaining it to kids.
– Jonathan Thompson, Psychedelic Parenting

Please help make this a reality – pledge today or find our more at www.JustCallMeIs.com.

And tell your friends! ❤

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As keeping with my new, accidental tradition – here is my latest, monthly blog post!

So where have I been since the last post in early November? What have I been doing? I had a birthday, a Thanksgiving, a Christmas, far too many sweets, gained a job, did some acting work, typed some poems, made some art, watched a whole lot of Netflix…

And here we are, on the second to last day of this month – and this year. I’ll be honest with you – I am feeling a little less than accomplished right now; blame it on the sweets and the Netflix, but I feel like lately I’ve been in something of a creative rut. And while I think New Years resolutions may as well be called Little Reasons to Feel Bad About Yourself, and won’t, nope, I won’t, can’t make me, not going to happen, you can go –

I won’t do them –

I do feel like the start of a New Year and the end of another is a good time to reflect and set positive intentions. Not unrealistic expectations to hold yourself to; but sort of vague goals – purposeful intentions about how you want to FEEL in the New Year. In life. And then letting Life fill in the how to get there.

And if you’re tempted to call that a New Years resolution, well, you can just go lick a pole, because I’m setting these intentions to begin today.

Which brings us to this somewhat rambling post. See, I’ve decided that I want to feel more creatively turned on this coming year, and the last two days of 2015, and a big part of that for me, is writing. Writing short stories, books, poems, journal entries, and yes, even blogs. An hour a day keeps the psychologists away.

I’m also starting to dip my toe a bit further into the acting pool. I think a big reason I’ve been feeling less than inspired to write is that I’ve been going through a shift in desires – I’ve been craving more socializing, more interactive creativity, and more fun. Acting and improv are a fun, social way to scratch that creative itch, without having to hole up for hours on end in isolation.

So sure, my vague Non-New Years Resolution-goal is to feel empowered and satisfied creatively – but moreover, not to beat myself up for those times when I just don’t feel like making something beautiful, something funny, something worth keeping – or something, anything, at all.

I tend to should all over myself. When I am not writing, I should be doing more of that. When I am not painting, of course that’s what I should be doing. But at the same time, I should be at the gym. And on an audition. And promoting my previous books. And also, probably being more social. And less social. And –

It’s exhausting. And I know I can’t be the only one who does this. So if you need to borrow a non-New Years Resolution-goal for yourself, take mine: Be kind and patient and more loving with yourself. Don’t bother starting in 2016; start now.

It should make life a whole lot easier.

But you don’t have to take my word for it.

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Books can change lives. In this Ted Talk , Lisa Bu discusses just that. And it got me thinking, what books have shaped my life? The way I write today? The way I act? The way I think?

What books have made me… me?

So here they are. The 10 most influential books (so far) in my life:

1- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Not because this was my favorite of the series (it’s the fourth, if you must know), but because this was the first book that really drew me completely into a world I found much cozier and more welcoming than the one I was in at the time. Books are an escape, but to me, even today, this series feels like home.

2- Where the Red Fern Grows
I can’t exactly say why this one sticks out in particular – perhaps it is because I love dogs so much, or perhaps it is because this was the first book I ever remember making me cry (okay, cry is an understatement.) I read this in fourth grade when my best friend’s mom had just passed away. I suppose it stands out because it was during this year that I began to understand loss in a real way.

3- Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing
Not at all a Fiction, like WTRFG, but for me, one of the weepiest reads of my life. It is about a woman, Anita Moorjani’s near death experience. It will make you look at life – and death – with new eyes.

4- The BFG
The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory… it’s hard to say which has been the most influential in my reading, writing, and just plain living preferences. These books, from the earliest of ages, had me diving deep, deep, deep into my crazy imagination. It’s my favorite place to be.

5- Why Is God Laughing?: The Path to Joy and Spiritual Optimism
I believe this was the first of my many Deepak Chopra books. It’s a great, light introduction to the prolific (and genius) writer – an almost childishly simple look at God, life. And that’s what I love about it. Why should things be any more complicated?

6- The Tao of Pooh
Along the same lines as No. 5 – The Tao of Pooh brings a much needed lightness to the spiritual conversation. Plus, it’s Winnie the Pooh!

7- The Secret
Go ahead. Are you done sneering? That’s fine. This book may have gotten an awful lot of flack for promoting goals based around wealth – and let’s be honest, fulfilling one’s one selfish needs. But it got a lot of people talking about something bigger – what you put out, you bring back (sometimes tenfold!). You create this thing you call life, and this book really brought that into a sharp relief for me.

8- The Hobbit
The Hobbit over the rest of The Lord of the Rings trilogy? Really? Yes, really. The Hobbit was one of the first Fantasy books I ever read, and no matter how many times I read it, at no matter what age, I still love its simplicity. The whole thing feels, to me, very much like taking a stroll through the Shire.

9- The Giving Tree
This book is perfect in its simplicity, from its words to its loosely sketched illustrations. ‘Nuff said.

10- The Fault in Our Stars
Oh, John Green, you emotional ninja! This was the first of Green’s books I ever read – when I was done, I promptly bought all of the rest and read them, back to back. This book introduced me to beautifully crafted, emotionally gripping YA fiction, ripe with complex and utterly real characters- of which there are a surprising number of books. If you want any more recommendations in this vein, just ask. 🙂

Bonus- The Fantastic Fable of Peter Able
Of course this book changed my life. Not only is it the first I’ve had published on a large scale, but writing it (along with its sequel) has gotten me through a lot of life’s difficulties. I don’t know where I’d be without it.
(Thanks, Peter!)

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars