by Kristin A. Oakley | May 31, 2026 | Books and Movies, Creativity & Craft, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter
Opposable thumbs? When I attended elementary school, my teachers asked, “What makes us human? What separates us from the beasts?” They then posited the opposable thumb theory—we’re human because, unlike animals, we have opposable thumbs. That theory...
by Kristin A. Oakley | May 4, 2026 | Creativity & Craft, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter, Writing Life
In November, I’ll attend Author Nation in Las Vegas. With 2,000 attendees, it’s one of the largest writers’ conferences in the world. This year, they’re producing three anthologies, including a sci-fi one with Andy Weir (the author of The...
by Kristin A. Oakley | Mar 9, 2026 | Creativity & Craft, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter, Writing Life
I’ve received feedback from three of my critical readers and know I’ve got more work to do on the last two books in The Devil Particle Series. Even so, I’m almost done with these novels. I’m mourning the characters and the story and am almost...
by Kristin A. Oakley | Nov 20, 2025 | Creativity & Craft, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter
Picture a world with no moral evil—no wars, no terrorists, no mass shootings, rapes, kidnappings, burglaries, etc. This world wouldn’t need a Department of Defense, a criminal justice system with its jails and prisons, a police force, or even security systems...
by Kristin A. Oakley | Mar 2, 2025 | Creativity & Craft, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter
Imagine you’re working in an office, dressed in a suit and tie or a blouse and skirt, seated at a cubicle, staring at numbers on an outdated computer screen, selecting the ones that are “scary”, and moving them to a trash bin. You don’t know...
by Kristin A. Oakley | Feb 2, 2025 | Creativity & Craft, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter
How we sound, what we say, whether we joke or take everything seriously, gives people insight into who we are. For instance, when my sister and I realized people couldn’t tell our voices apart on the phone, we had a blast pranking boyfriends. People who are good...
