Posts By: MJ Pullen

M.J. Pullen is a distracted writer and the mom of two boys in Roswell, Georgia, where she is absolutely late for something important right now. Her books include quirky romantic comedies and playful women's fiction. She blogs erratically with writing advice, random observations, and reflections on raising very loud kids and dogs. Join her Distracted Readers newsletter list for updates, free content, giveaways and more.

Author Computer Hacked: Terrible Novel Disseminated Everywhere

posted on 09/04/2014

Featured image for Author Computer Hacked: Terrible Novel Disseminated Everywhere - Image Source at https://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/shockedMJ-300x300.jpg

With the kerfuffle this week about hackers accessing naked pictures of celebrities, it got me thinking about what is on my computer and phone I wouldn’t want shared. I don’t have any naked selfies (sorry to disappoint), but I do have some pretty horrifyingly bad prose lying around. And some God-awful poetry. Overwrought, melodramatic letters […]

Self-Publishing Workshop Nov. 15th: Perks, Pitfalls and Process

posted on 08/27/2014

Featured image for Self-Publishing Workshop Nov. 15th: Perks, Pitfalls and Process - Image Source at https://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/typewriter2-300x225.jpg

“Can I talk to you about self-publishing?” I get this question often from my fellow writers, usually when they have completed or nearly completed a book, and are thinking about the next steps. They’ve heard that self-publishing is the road to riches, or that it’s career suicide. Maybe self-publishing is a sign of failure as […]

Talking Off-Page and Off-Stage

posted on 08/25/2014

Featured image for Talking Off-Page and Off-Stage - Image Source at https://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ShakespeareSpoiler-208x300.jpg

I recently finished reading The Husband’s Secret, by Liane Moriarty, which I adored… right up until the very end. I won’t spoil it for anyone, because it’s absolutely worth reading despite the following complaint: there was this EPILOGUE… Now, if you’ve read it, maybe you are rolling your eyes with me or maybe you loved […]

Suburban Mom Seeks Adventure: Has Own Minivan

posted on 08/20/2014

Featured image for Suburban Mom Seeks Adventure: Has Own Minivan - Image Source at https://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/grandcanyon-ERquote-small-300x210.jpg

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” I love that advice from Eleanor Roosevelt, a supremely cool person in so many ways. I’ve always thought of myself as a fairly adventurous person, and as I chatted with a mommy-friend the other day over coffee, I realized that so many of the things I’m proud […]

A Brief Note of Thanks + Robin Williams Tribute Video

posted on 08/17/2014

Featured image for A Brief Note of Thanks + Robin Williams Tribute Video - Image Source at https://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/WaxSeal-300x199.jpg

I just want to say thank you for the outpouring of support last week. Like many survivors of suicide, I was particularly affected and saddened by the loss of our beloved Robin Williams. Thinking of the impact of his loss, I re-posted this blog from last January about my own mother’s death, and so many […]

A Bit of Grace about “Balance”

posted on 08/11/2014

Featured image for A Bit of Grace about “Balance” - Image Source at https://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/elizabethgilbertquote-300x300.jpg

Well, hi there, blog! Come to think of it, hi there, keyboard and written word, while we’re at it… I have been away for a couple of weeks: away from you, away from my desk, away from my favorite coffee shop and everything else writing related. This wasn’t a formal vacation that included a trip […]

Parenting Conundrum Continued: Consequences (and a Little Fun)

posted on 07/22/2014

Featured image for Parenting Conundrum Continued: Consequences (and a Little Fun) - Image Source at https://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/sorrymommynote-225x300.jpg

You can read the first half of this post on our struggles to get our five year old dressed and out the door in the morning. (Or you can just accept that we struggle to get our five year old dressed and out the door in the morning.) We try — when we’re not desperately […]

Parenting Conundrum #6,891: Getting on the Bus

posted on 07/21/2014

Featured image for Parenting Conundrum #6,891: Getting on the Bus - Image Source at https://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/jedibagel2-225x300.jpg

He didn’t have a fever. There was no vomit or strep throat or even a runny nose — none of the usual signals that my workday was about to go off the rails so I could be home with my kid. Why, then, would anyone in her right mind pay to send her child to […]

Everyone’s Seen it. Posting Anyway.

posted on 07/18/2014

Featured image for Everyone’s Seen it. Posting Anyway. - Image Source at https://mjpullen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/disneywriterstop-300x293.jpg

It’s Weird Al! On Grammar! I think my work here is done. Okay, not entirely done. If you want the full grammatical analysis of the video, you can check out this article on Slate. The article also mentions one of my favorite Vampire Weekend songs, “Oxford Comma.” That is the best title to a song, […]

Thanks, B*tches!

posted on 07/18/2014

I had the best time hanging out with the Book B*tches book club around the corner in Marietta, Georgia last night. Such a fun group, and they have a terrific club name. Special thanks to Jess Eaton for making delicious brownies with salted caramel gelato, healthy tacos for everyone, and for using her Vitamix for […]