Dear friends, My fiction manuscript proposal is ready for my literary agent to present to publishers, but "platform" is vital to publishers these days - they want to see a ready-made following for a new author before accepting the project. Currently, 264 readers subscribe to my newsletter, and 1000 is the minimum expected by publishers.…Read more Would you be willing to help?
Writing A Book
Take the Next Step
I'd always dreamed of writing a book, a story to give someone hope to take the next step. In 2012, I started writing a fiction manuscript with the humble, first-step challenge to myself: Can I even string enough words together to create a full length manuscript? In thirty minute/day writing sessions, the story accumulated, very…Read more Take the Next Step
One Last Indigo Iris
An indigo iris motif weaves in and out of my fiction manuscript. In words and images, the flower presses it's way into my soul. With this last of four paintings of an indigo iris, I think I finally understand it... At least for today. Indigo Iris (4); 2021; 13" x 16"; mixed media: ink, watercolor,…Read more One Last Indigo Iris
ShoutOut Colorado Interview
Please visit the wonderful online publication, ShoutOut Colorado, featuring the people of my home state, Colorado! This interview was originally published in ShoutOut Colorado, December 22, 2020. Hi Colleen, how does your business help the community?We are not alone. I keep stumbling on this theme wherever I go in the world (and strangely, especially among…Read more ShoutOut Colorado Interview
The Indigo Iris and Healing
Indigo Iris 2; 2020; 12" x 19.5"; mixed media: watercolor, chalk, acrylic, ink, pastel. Work on the the proposal for my fiction manuscript came to a full stop as I faced the barrier of painting an indigo iris, a key motif in the story, symbolizing the main character's journey toward healing. For some reason, I…Read more The Indigo Iris and Healing
Indigo Iris
Indigo Iris; 2020, 12.5" x 20"; mixed media: watercolor, acrylic, ink, chalk, pastel Moody, resilient purples yield to vibrant violets, accented by yellow bursts of hope. An indigo iris motif calls the main character in my first fiction manuscript to a journey of healing. Click here to receive artist and author updates: Sign up for…Read more Indigo Iris
Join the Search!
Come along… …as I paint and write about "fragments of light," glimpses of glory leaking through the cracks. Join the search by signing up for my new quarterly newsletter and special artist/author updates. Join the Search I need your help… …it turns out writing these days is a lot more than spinning a story! As…Read more Join the Search!
When A Life Catches Fire
(c) 2019, art and excerpts from Come After Me, fiction manuscript, by Colleen Briggs. RELIGION... Pine Springs, Colorado, USA March, 2002 Chinook winds howled down the tree-lined streets. Branches overhead tussled and cracked. Halfway down the next block, a limb crashed to the ground. She tugged her hat tighter over her ears. After wandering for…Read more When A Life Catches Fire
Studio Update
After a season of living art - a miraculous trip to Kenya, the wedding of our oldest son, hosting our Kenyan family, and starting a new/old job with Hope's Promise (I previously served with HP from 2006-2012), I'm thrilled to be painting again. Feels like my soul is breathing , taking in all the momentous…Read more Studio Update
The Fire of Creating
For me, art is dialogue. A message sent out into the world, quivering in the space between two people. A word spoken, waiting for response. A spark extinguished if not received. After too many messages crumpled in the receivers’ hands, I stopped communicating—for me, it was a series of entering art exhibits and experiencing a…Read more The Fire of Creating