Author | Lightnews

Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 16

Two young men. A black bear. Nothing on but our boots.

Absurdity and terror under the Sierra Nevada stars—an unforgettable night when survival and laughter blurred together.

#WildernessTales #BearEncounter #Memoir #Adventure

Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 16

Naked Except for Our Boots
open.substack.com/pub/whereima...

Naked Except for Our Boots

A night of absurdity and terror in the Sierra Nevada

open.substack.com

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 15

The half-dome, the mosaics, the light — Union Terminal is more than architecture. It’s memory, story, and timeless design all in one.
A morning alone in Cincinnati’s Art Deco icon.

#Cincinnati #Architecture #ArtDeco #Travel #Photography

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 15

Lines and Light: Cincinnati Union Terminal
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Lines and Light: Cincinnati Union Terminal

A morning alone with one of America’s greatest Art Deco landmarks.

open.substack.com

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 14

What happens when you hand over a story you’ve carried for thirteen years?

I’m learning that waiting for feedback is not idle—it’s the work of trust.

Read the full post: Before the Feedback Arrives
#WritingCommunity #AmWriting #BetaReaders #IndieAuthor

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 14

Before the Feedback Arrives
open.substack.com/pub/whereima...

Before the Feedback Arrives

Trusting others with the story I’ve carried for thirteen years

open.substack.com

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 13

A child with butterfly wings, pencil in hand, lost in creation. I sat with coffee and gratitude, realizing I was watching something much bigger than a Saturday morning.

#ChildhoodInnocence #ArtOfNoticing #Gratitude #Photography #Family

Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 13

Butterfly Wings and Morning Light
open.substack.com/pub/whereima...

Butterfly Wings and Morning Light

The innocence of childhood and the art of noticing

open.substack.com

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 12

Out of collapse, I built something raw: wires, rage, and brokenness set aflame with light. What I love about it isn’t beauty but honesty—a record of survival.

What have you forged from your own fire?
#Creativity #Resilience #Photography #InnerFire

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 12

Painting with Light: The Furnace Within
open.substack.com/pub/whereima...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 11

Locked in a dead train car. No air, no way out. I screamed at the platforms flying past, pounded with my shoe, and thought: this might be how I die.

Full story: Trapped: Next Stop Humiliation

#Trapped #MemoirMoments #NearMiss #SurvivalStory #HumiliationStation

Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 11

Trapped
open.substack.com/pub/whereima...

Trapped

Next Stop: Humiliation

open.substack.com

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 11

Independent publishing has felt like balancing two lives at once—writing the story and building the bridge for it to reach readers.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
#IndiePublishing #WritersLife #AmWriting #BookJourney

Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 11

Everything I’ve Learned So Far About Independent Publishing
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Everything I’ve Learned So Far About Independent Publishing

Why the journey matters as much as the finished book

open.substack.com

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 11

Independent publishing has felt like balancing two lives at once—writing the story and building the bridge for it to reach readers.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
#IndiePublishing #WritersLife #AmWriting #BookJourney

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 11

Everything I’ve Learned So Far About Independent Publishing
open.substack.com/pub/whereima...

Everything I’ve Learned So Far About Independent Publishing

Why the journey matters as much as the finished book

open.substack.com

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 9

What happens when stone meets sky in perfect balance? My new series, Lines and Light, begins with the Al Noor Mosque in Sharjah, where morning light turned architecture into grace.

#LinesAndLight #Architecture #TravelPhotography #Sharjah #UAE

Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 9

Lines and Light: Al Noor Mosque, Sharjah
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Lines and Light: Al Noor Mosque, Sharjah

Grace in Stone and Sky

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 8

The series began in wonder. It ends the same way — but deeper now, shaped by gratitude and perspective.

This is the final chapter of Streets, Squares, and Stories.

#TravelReflection #EasternEurope #Perspective #Storytelling

Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 8

Streets, Squares, and Stories: What I Brought Home
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Streets, Squares, and Stories: What I Brought Home

Perspective from a Journey Through Eastern Europe

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 7

In Budapest, a pharmacist slid medicine through an acrylic cylinder. In that simple act, I heard something bigger—kindness flowing across languages, like the Danube itself.
#Budapest #Danube #Kindness #TravelReflections

Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 7

Streets, Squares, and Stories: A River of Voices
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Streets, Squares, and Stories: A River of Voices

Reflections on language, kindness, and the sound of the world flowing by

open.substack.com

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 5

One daisy stood apart this summer—ordinary yet unforgettable. 🌼 Sometimes the simplest bloom carries the heaviest weight of joy and memory.

Read the full post: Friday Flora: A Summer of Daisies
#FridayFlora #DaisyLove #SimpleBeauty #NatureReflection

Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 5

Friday Flora: A Summer of Daisies
open.substack.com/pub/whereima...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · Sep 4

A wooden door that felt more like a poem.
A flag carried not in anger, but in honor.
A city suspended between past and present.

Bucharest left me with fragments worth carrying.
#Bucharest #TravelReflections #DefianceAndHope #LastLight