S.A. McClure's Blog, page 2

It's been awhile since I wrote anything. And for that, I am sorry. The exciting news? My debut novel, The Search, is officially published! If you haven't checked it out yet, you definitely should. It's available for purchase on Amazon. Oh, and if you like my Amazon Author Page between now (6/17) and (6/22) you have a chance at winning a free e-book edition. I know. I know. It's too good to be true. Alright. Enough self-promotion. (But seriously. Download, read, and review!) Recently, I have been

 One of the greatest things I learned in my master's program was that giving false hope to people-promising things we don't know to be true-can cause more harm than good. I believe this. I believe that when we tell our friends, family, and our students that "everything will be ok" or that "everything will work out" when we don't actually know that for sure, we can cause more harm if things TO NOT turn out to be ok.  One the flip side, we shouldn't take away hope. We shouldn't tell a student or a

I have never liked the phrase blood is thicker than water. It seems to indicate that families are only designated by blood. By biological means or by marriage.  I think that family is so much more than blood relatives. Family means being a part of something bigger than yourself and caring about someone else more than you do yourself. It means, as Lilo said it, never leaving someone behind or forgetting them. Family is what you make it. This means that friends, blood relatives, colleagues at

Suicide. It is a scary, often misunderstood, action. Some call it selfish. Others call it a permanent solution to a temporary problem. It is a product of mental illness. Depression. Drugs. An all-consuming desire to just stop. To cease existing. Suicide is stoppable. Even though, so often, people feel like there is no way out.  There is always a way out. A way to talk through the crisis. A way to show that you care enough about a person, that there is enough hope, for them to survive. For them

I recently watched a clip of Peter Dinklage giving a commencement speech at his alma matre, Bennington College.  Now, the footage was a little old (from 2012), but the ideas that he presents in his speech are things that every new college student, really ANY PERSON should consider as they take their journey through life. Give yourself permission to fail. How often are there things we want to try but make excuses as to why we can't? How often do we create things...art, literature, music...only to

***Spoilers*** Does anyone really know anything, or is it all a matter of perception? Jon Snow died. And rose again through the power of the Lord of Light. His watch has ended and he is about to make a big splash in Westeros. Because, it has become fairly obvious that George R.R. Martin (or at least the writers of the show) are going to make Jon Snow a Targaryen. Not the bastard son of Ned Stark and some unknown woman.  Perhaps this is why Ned was so reticent to discuss the mother of his child.

When I was little kid, I dreamed of having superpowers. The ability to control time. The weather. Move objects with my mind. I always wondered what it would be like to have the ability to save the world. To make a difference in the lives of others. And, with the onslaught of new Marvel and X-Men films that have been having major success recently, the desire to use my talents and strengths has once again rose to the surface.  But, here's the thing. Superheros were designed to show us that our

 Ok. This won't be super long today. But. Take the quiz. Find out which superhero you are. Come back to find out more. It's that simple. Take the quiz now!   

There is a zombie craze going on. With so many shows, novels, movies, and survival guides out there, it is not surprising that theories about how to survive the zombie apocalypse run rampant. But, the real question is, what would you do in an apocalypse (zombie or otherwise)?  Let's set the stage. I was out on a walk a few days ago. It was warm, buggy, and a little--well mostly--silent. And I began thinking to myself, what would I do if the end of the world came upon me in that very moment?

Dear Childhood...and Lifelong Best Friends, We've known each other for like...forever. Or, at least it feels that way. We grew up together. Shared moments together that have, and I hope will continue to, solidify our friendship. From elementary school embarrassments to our first crushes and eventual kisses, we have been there for each other. And, now that we are adults, have moved away from each, each one living in a different city, each one at a different point in our lives, we still remain.