This holiday season, I’m sharing the story behind my book launch, including Pay-It-Forward bundles, ARC updates, and creative ways to give back. Follow along for behind-the-scenes insights, mental health reflections, and joyful reading moments.
“Progress & Resources Rhymes” (According to Alma): Book Updates & HelpFul Tools
If you ask me how my indie-author journey is going, I’ll answer: “Somewhere between thriving and spiraling with purpose.” From moving my launch and expanding partnerships, to prepping swag and DIY booth experiments, this process is messy, chaotic, and full of unexpected lessons.
With the right illustrator, collaborators, and a pause to grow, every hiccup is shaping how I show up—and how this book reaches the families and organizations who need it most.
My Oscar Speech—we all have one
I have to confess something: I love working on my Oscar speech. On long runs, music pumping, I imagine myself on stage. In my daydream, I’m married to Markie Mark (Matt knows), & I’m winning an Oscar for a movie I built entirely in my imagination – a retelling of Oliver Twist, based on a READ MORE
The Hardest Thing to Write: the word sorry.
This post, though, isn’t really about the apologies I’m practicing. It’s about the years I spent waiting to hear them from others. I shared my own imperfections not to center myself—but to show that I’m doing the work on my impact, even as I navigate the hurt that came from theirs.
From Kids’ Book to Mental Health Advocate: Sharing My Author Journey
Discover how writing a children’s book for my kids became a powerful journey in finding my voice, speaking openly about mental health, and connecting with audiences through podcasts and storytelling.
Fighting My Brain: A Mom’s Real Battle
A raw, honest reflection on parenting with depression and anxiety. One mom shares how intrusive thoughts, mom guilt, and self-doubt nearly stole her joy—and how she learned that clouds don’t last forever.
I Respectfully Disagree: Why My Picture Book Highlights a Parent’s Mental Health
When a hybrid publisher told me my picture book about parental mental health “wasn’t right for kids,” I disagreed. Here’s why I believe children can understand complex emotions—and why we need more stories about parents with cloudy days.
Seeing My Story in Color: A Vibrant Reaction
Mom’s Cloud at the Beach was born from collaboration, imagination, and a touch of vulnerability. As she waited for the sketches to arrive, she carried the weight of expectation—wondering if the illustrations would capture the emotions she had poured into the story. When the PDF finally appeared, it wasn’t exactly what she had envisioned. The focus shifted, the colors highlighted emotions she hadn’t anticipated—and in that unexpected moment, she found the connection she truly needed.
A Conversation Had: Unlocking Some Insights
This author wanted the identity of Mom to be her whole world. She created a chosen family, she created her own family, and in doing so, she could leave the old self behind and fully embrace someone she was ready to share. She comes with clouds, yes, but on other days she brings fierce sunshine—a kind of sunshine born from knowing darkness, one she can use to spread joy.
One question stopped her in her tracks: “But why?” It was simple, yet demanded an honesty she hadn’t fully given before. She realized she’d spent so long telling a story of strength—the cloud she carries is only a part of her, not the whole. But in that moment, she began to speak more fully, more truthfully.
Breaking Cycles: A Weekend of Parenting, Joy, & Mental Health Awareness
This Mom faced a long weekend solo with both kids, anxiety in tow, and chose to do things differently. Instead of spiraling, she filled their days with joy: a cozy game night, movie time, a bubble parade, and an AFSP walk—dressed in beads, carrying love, and supporting causes close to her heart.
Even the harder moments—bedtime battles, tantrums, and morning chaos—became opportunities to pause, listen, and collaborate with her kids. Alma’s simple solution to the “shoe struggle” worked, proving that small shifts can break big cycles.