dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 08/10/2026"Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." - E.L. Doctorow I have any number of stories and ideas tapping on my mind. Read on dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Early mornings. Spectacular views. 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. 042
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 03/10/2026First day of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. If you have never been, you are missing out! 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 01/10/2026"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost's 1915 poem, The Road Not Taken Every now and then, I think about the roads I didn’t take. Not in a regretful way, necessarily. dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Silver brought Chloride, New Mexico, to life, and the collapse of silver nearly took it away again. dsmarshauthor.substack.com 001
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Origami is delicate by nature. It starts with a single sheet of paper, and it doesn't take much to crush it. So, there's something surprising about seeing that same art form made to stand up to the New Mexico sun, wind, and weather. dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Starting My New Calling - Sapphire's Journal Read the journal and other Frontier content on my Substack. dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Making Plans in Pencil "We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails." - Dolly Parton dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 16/09/2026I’m so excited! I got to use my windshield wipers today. 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 14/09/2026The Santa Fe Trail - It was never a gentle stretch of country. Eight hundred miles, and not a single bridge anywhere along it. dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Craft fair at Mariposa. Great time and great people. Dsmarshauthor.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Craft fair today. I'm putting some artwork out there as well as my books. We will see how it does. 020
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 11/09/2026"When I get a new idea, I write it down in a file called 'Ideas.' I don't work on it, but putting it there honors the idea and tells my brain, 'I’ve recorded you, you are safe, now let me get back to work.” - Brandon Sanderson dsmarshauthor.substack.com 010
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Every September, the New Mexico State Fair rolls around again. The rides light up, livestock fill the barns, and people come from all over the state. It feels like one of those things that's simply always been here, but the fair has a history of disappearing. dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 03/09/2026"Every new month feels like a bit of renewal, but there's something special about September!... there is something jubilant in that fresh autumnal start." — Patience Strong dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 28/08/2026I don't think the slower times are necessarily bad. Maybe they're just part of the rhythm of creating, the same way the dry heat is part of a New Mexico summer. Not every cloud brings rain, and not every idea is going to turn into something. Sometimes we just have to wait for the monsoon. 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Come check out my Substack. dsmarshauthor.substack.comdsmarshauthor.substack.comThe Threshold Dispatch | D.S. Marsh (Donna Marsh) | SubstackNotes from a writer's desk on creativity, caregiving, and the quiet strength found in everyday lives. Click to read The Threshold Dispatch, by D.S. Marsh (Donna Marsh), a Substack publication.… 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Steins, New Mexico "The rage for railroads is so great that many will be laid in parts where they will not pay." George Stephenson Steins was formally established around 1880, but it was the Southern Pacific Railroad that really gave the town a reason to grow. dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Making Space to Be More Than a Caregiver – Maintaining Parts of Your Own Life and Identity “Solitude is where I place my chaos to rest and awaken my inner peace.” - Nikki Rowe dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Route 66 100 Years-The Mother Road “The sprite of Route 66 is in the details; every scratch on a fender, every curl of paint on a weathered billboard…” – John Lasseter dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 13/08/2026"Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do." — Steve Jobs The Stories We Come Back To Sometimes my enthusiasm and ideas get ahead of me. My mind races with all the things I need to get down on the page. dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 11/08/2026These smoke filled days of summer are hard on everyone in the Western U.S. 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 09/08/2026Elfuego Baca is a folk hero from the New Mexico Territory. He was born in 1865 and wanted to be a peace officer. That put him at odds with a lot of bad people. He was only 19 when he started standing up for others. Read more on Substack. dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 07/08/2026"Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress." — James Clear I don't think there's anything wrong with reevaluating. My question for you is, have you ever run into this, and how did you handle adjusting your goals and your expectations for yourself? 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 07/08/2026Do you ever loose track of the days? I do. 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 30/07/2026As we begin the second half of the year, perhaps this is a good time for all of us to pause for a few minutes. Celebrate what has gone well, learn from what has not, and give yourself permission to adjust your course if needed. The year is only half written, there are still many pages left to fill. 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 26/07/2026Lake Valley is another ghost town in New Mexico. The name was derived from the ancient lakebeds nearby. It was founded in 1878 after a major silver strike. During the time it was a town, it was moved twice before settling at the present site. dsmarshauthor.substack.com 010
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 23/07/2026“You must restore it. ... If you keep pouring creative energy into your projects, you'll run dry. But you can refill the well by taking in new images, ideas, sounds, and sensations.” — Julia Cameron (Author of The Artist's Way) dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 19/07/2026Sapphire’s Journal Entry – Learning the Frontier dsmarshauthor.substack.com My favorite pastime so far has been panning for gold in the rivers. It is peaceful work, even if the rewards are small. I will continue to learn more about this frontier life I've chosen. #yellabellyrp #redm #redmserver 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 16/07/2026If you are anything like me, summer has a way of slipping by faster than expected. One minute it feels like there is plenty of time before fall events begin, and the next minute, calendars are filling up, and you are wondering where the last two months went. dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 12/07/2026Today reminded me that I am a long way from Saint Denis. The frontier asks different things of a person than city life ever did. I suppose I had better learn those lessons quickly. #yellabellyrp #redm #redmserver #rdr2online 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 09/07/2026It's important to plan vacations, even if you aren't feeling up to it. They refresh. They don't have to be long or complicated. Even a day trip helps. 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 05/07/2026My name is Sapphire McCallem. I am thirty-two years old and was born and raised in Saint-Denis. My family is well known in business circles, and as the eldest daughter, there were expectations placed upon me from an early age. Read more on Substack. dsmarshauthor.substack.com #yellabellyrp #rdr2 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Lately, I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to measure a season by what we produce instead of what we gain from it. We often feel guilty if we’re not checking items off a list or making visible progress toward a goal. 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 29/06/2026Reevaluating my writing commitments and how far I'm stretching myself. 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 28/06/2026Many frontier towns flourished for a time before fading into history. This series looks at some of those places, starting with Dawson, Colfax County, New Mexico. It was once a bustling and successful coal mining town. Read more on my Substack at dsmarshauthor.substack.com 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 25/06/2026There are times when my creative ideas are so prolific that I can barely keep up with them. One idea sparks another, and before long I have a notebook full of possibilities that all seem exciting. I need to be careful not to let new ideas pull me away from the work already on my desk. 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 18/06/2026Lately, I have been taking a hard look at my own schedule and writing commitments. Like many writers, I get excited about new ideas, new opportunities, and new ways to connect with readers. Over time, I realized I may have said yes to more events, projects, and goals than I should have. 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 16/06/2026The Creative Life Does Not Need to Look Impressive “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” — Hans Hofmann The work still counts. The small burst still matters. The creative life is still real, even when it happens in pieces. 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 14/06/2026Notes from the Frontier grows out of a roleplay world called Yellabelly, set in 1902, where characters try to build lives across towns, ranches, trails, mines, farms, and unsettled places. It is part roleplay, part frontier storytelling, and part creative exploration. 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 13/06/2026I have discovered the creativeness of role play games. I am using it as a way to flex a different creative muscle. So far I love Yellabelly RP! 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 07/06/2026My new Substack section, Notes from the Frontier, grew out of a fictional roleplay world inspired by the American West. It will include Sapphire’s journal, true frontier stories, ghost towns, pioneers, and the traces people left behind. “It’s the way you ride the trail that counts.” — Dale Evans 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 06/06/2026NM CreativeCon is happening today. This will be a chance to find out how the state is helping the creative community. I'm excited! 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 04/06/2026#caretaking #caregiving #cancer #illness #strong 000
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 28/05/2026Why Over-Structuring Kills Momentum – Let Your Creative Self Free Structure helps at the beginning of a project. It gives you a place to start and reduces the friction of that first blank page. Even a loose outline can make the work feel more approachable and less overwhelming. #IndieAuthor #Create 010
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 26/05/2026What You Carry vs. What You Actually Use The question is not how much you can carry. The better question is whether what you are carrying is still being used, or if it is simply something you have gotten used to holding. #BusyLife #Creatives #IndieAuthor 010
dsmarshauthor.bsky.social @dsmarshauthor.bsky.social · 21/05/2026Opportunities are present throughout the community. They tend to reveal themselves gradually, through connection rather than visibility. Once you are part of that, they become much easier to see. #NewMexicoCreatives #IndieAuthor #IAmWriting 040
