Posts Categorized: Jane Austen Days-Jedi Knights

Author M.J. Pullen blogs with humor about her life as a writer and working mom raising two padawans with her own personal Mr. Darcy.

They all know I want it. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime… They can see the desire in my eyes. Or maybe it’s the stressed-out, “Hanukkah-started-right-after-Thanksgiving-this-year-and-it-will-NOT-let-up” look on my face. In any case… It’s December! The time of year for festivities, family, lots of work, and one of my favorite guilty pleasures.* Not wine, chocolate or online  […]

At no point did I make a conscious decision that I just wasn’t up to blogging at this stage of my life, nor did I formally declare myself ‘on hiatus’ from writing fiction. It happened (or didn’t) like most things in life: with one day slipping away after another. Read the rest

Parenting during the COVID-19 epidemic is an adventure, isn’t it? I’m sure my kids are going to grow up with a special appreciation for public gatherings and health & safety protocols. They’ll be able to lead a hell of a Zoom meeting. They will always remember this special, historic time we spent together. They may  […]

Well, we made it through the first week of social distancing, quarantine, and (for lots of us) involuntary homeschooling. Hope you are faring as well as can be expected, and keeping your expectations for yourself realistic. Lots of us are turning to digital reading, which is lovely. Last week I gave away more than 1500  […]

Knowing that so many of us are sticking close to home right now thanks to COVID-19, I’m doing what I can to make all that quiet time a little more entertaining. Whether you’re in self-quarantine, voluntarily working from home, involuntarily home schooling, or any combination of the three, I’m offering four of my books free  […]

You’ve never been beautifulby traditional standardsIn high school the boys called outSneering against dented beige lockers All pubescent acne and patchy mustaches  Here comes Thunder Thighs     Boom           Boom                  BoomIn corduroy pants you can hear her a mile offCareful girl you’re gonna rub a hole in those  […]

If you follow my blogs and social media, you already know the last year and a half has been pretty challenging. I’ve been struggling with chronic pain, work limitations, and some other run-of-the-mill crap. I’ve been busy and tired. But as I was talking with one of my author coaching clients the other day, I  […]

We rang in the new year with family and friends at our Roaring 20’s, Gatsby -themed party. With work and the kids and my recent surgeries, big parties have been a rarity at our house for the last few years. But when we had to postpone a family vacation we’d planned for the winter break,  […]

Author’s Note: This post originally appeared on Instagram and my personal Facebook page. I’m adding it here in hopes it will reach more people over time. Thanks for reading, and for all the compassion I’ve received in response. You are all so loved and appreciated.  People say I look like her, but it’s so much deeper than that. I have the same tendency to sing  […]

Earlier this week, Hubs and I celebrated our 13 year wedding anniversary. It’s widely known that home improvements are the traditional gift for the thirteenth year, right? (Okay, so really it’s lace, but… WHY?) In any case, this year Hubs and I gave one another the super romantic gift of new windows for half the  […]