At last, here’s the cover art for my forthcoming novel, Requiem in La Paz! Dulcinea is very happy with her complimentary review copy. Requiem in La Paz is a dark romantic fantasy set in Bolivia, featuring a Faustian bargain, a former child prodigy, and a mountain that swallows men. Damon Za’s evocative cover design perfectly […]
Category Archives: Writing
Why I Write What I Do
Thanks so much to my fellow author, Kate Lansing, for including me in today’s Blog Hop. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a fantastic group of storytellers since becoming a full-time writer, and I’m excited to join their conversation about writing. And now, let’s hop to it! What are you working on? I’m doing final […]
Swift Rejection
If you’ve been in the writing business for any length of time, you’ve been rejected. No matter who you are, no matter how successful, someday you’re going to have one of those days when the agent passes on your manuscript, when the editor can’t find a spot for your story. Sometimes the blow comes swiftly, […]
Marsh, wetland, slough
When I was in Fargo last month, I drove north along the river to visit my beloved slough. I’m currently working on a story about the Red River of the North and its destructive spring floods. The Red has been a constant presence in my life: first as a child, and now as an adult. […]
The Finish Line
So I finished the last chapter of my novel. I wanted to celebrate the moment, but my husband was on the California Zephyr and the kitties were utterly indifferent and Dulcinea is still just a puppy and didn’t really get that it was a big deal. Fortunately, cell phones are marvelous devices for capturing a […]
Steering the Craft
Last night I sat up reading Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1998 book Steering the Craft, a collection of writing exercises for the “Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew.” I’m currently a lone navigator, getting used to being alone with my craft, so I marked a number of Le Guin’s writing exercises to try out later […]
What to keep
Moving into a new home is a lot like editing a manuscript: you need to achieve a total clarity about your goals, so you can figure out what to let go and what to keep. A few years ago, I made a pass at revising an old story I’d written, and I kept too much. […]
Happy New Year!
I’m finally back online! Despite the accidental deletion of my blog, 2010 was the best year ever. And 2011 will be even better. This year, I’m planning to: Write 1 novel. Knit 1 item per month. Read 1 book per week. Move to Colorado. Start a new career. Adopt and train a puppy. Design my […]