Would You Tell the Truth No Matter What Was at Risk?

Would You Tell the Truth No Matter What Was at Risk?

This is the dilemma my protagonist, Cynthia Webber, faces in Murder Audit. Her piece-of-work boss, David Jerew, threatens her career and her life if she tells the truth about what she found during the routine audit of David’s top client, Prairie Pipeline Company.

When I started writing Murder Audit, besides wanting to show that accountants are more than short men with bow ties and glasses held together with tape, I knew I wanted to focus on the fiduciary duty a professional accountant has to their client. This is a professional ethical relationship built on the highest trust. Sadly, when I was a CPA, I met a number of people in the profession whose ethics I questioned. If you read Murder Audit, you will see that David, the antagonist, has no ethics.

Read More

15 Ways to Skyrocket Business Growth

15 Ways to Skyrocket Business Growth

*this post contains affiliate links.

I think it was a couple of years ago when I first met Dave Charbonneau in a Facebook group. He had an interesting sounding Facebook group of his own, The 15 Minute Business, that I decided to join. In the group, Dave shared lots of helpful business tips and introduced a program he was beta testing.

Read More

Review of the Hello Writer Subscription Service

Review of the Hello Writer Subscription Service

It says, “Hello, Writer.” Does this mean I’m officially a writer?

About a month ago, I was snooping around the Internet researching writing retreats when I came across the Firefly Creative Writing website. It has such a fun, inviting feel to it that I spent some time viewing their services. They offer writing retreats and a host of other services: coaching, editing, workshops, and studio time. As I was about to leave the site, I noticed a section called, “subscription service”. I’m a sucker for snail mail, so I was intrigued.

Read More

Taking Risks and Redefining Success: Why I Went From an In-Demand Accountant to an Unknown Author

Taking Risks and Redefining Success: Why I Went From an In-Demand Accountant to an Unknown Author

I've been blogging for about 2 years now. Before this blog, I had a health and fitness blog but that website is long gone now. It was one way I dealt with having a high stress career.

Over the last couple of years, I've shared bits and pieces of my story here on my blog. I’ve written about why I didn’t write for twenty years and how I define my success as a writer, but I haven't really shared why I went from being a successful accountant to an unknown author. It's about time don't you think?


Read More

September is the New January: How to Earn a Full Year's Income in Only Ten Months

September is the New January: How to Earn a Full Year's Income in Only Ten Months

I LOVE September! For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved September. I love the cooler temperatures, hitting the books, meeting new friends, and taking in the beautiful fall foliage. This year, I’m excited for my kids to go back to school. I love spending time with my kids, but this past summer was very stressful for me.

Read More

Want to Save Tax? Avoid These Costly Mistakes When Starting Your Business

Want to Save Tax? Avoid These Costly Mistakes When Starting Your Business

In my almost twenty years in the public accounting industry, there were a few questions I got asked almost every day: How can I avoid paying tax? How can I pay less tax? Why do I owe so much? Tax avoidance is illegal, and thank goodness, because there are a lot of essential government services taxpayer dollars pay for. The good news is, there are ways you can reduce your tax bill. For now, I’m going to focus on small business owners and the top three mistakes they can avoid to save tax.

Read More

Top Tips for Creating a Daily Writing Schedule

Top Tips for Creating a Daily Writing Schedule

Okay, I admit it - I like routines! I love knowing what I’m going to do and when I’m going to do it. Having a set time to for work and a set time for fun is really helpful for me. With September right around the corner, and the kids heading back to school, I’m counting the days to get back to a solid writing schedule. Finding time to write is one of the biggest complaints aspiring authors have, so I thought it would be fun to see what tips other writers have for creating a writing routine.

Read More

The Differences Between Revising, Editing, and Proofreading

The Differences Between Revising, Editing, and Proofreading

As little as one year ago, I would have lumped all changes I made to my writing into the category of “editing”. But since taking my first novel through the process of revising, editing, and proofreading, it’s clear to me that these three processes are very different. While revising, editing, and proofreading do overlap, they each serve a different purpose and have different objectives when it comes to improving your writing.

Read More