Today, my boy Smokey turns 16. He and his litter mates were born on Halloween, on the front porch of a co-worker of mine at the time. Their mom was a stray. When they were eight weeks old, my co-worker brought all six (or eight) kittens to work. I chose Rosie because my co-worker said … Continue reading Sweet 16!
Washington State Book Award Finalists
Congratulations to all of those who were selected to be finalists for the Washington State Book Awards! 13 Books for Youth honored in Washington State Book Awards, sponsored by the Washington Center for the Book! (Awards are for books published in 2016.) I've read several of these books already and am glad I don't have to … Continue reading Washington State Book Award Finalists
#IWriteBecause
Authors: Share your story with the #IWriteBecause Project and @ReedsyHQ will donate $10 to @RoomtoRead: https://blog.reedsy.com/iwritebecause?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=iwb&utm_source=mailchimp Writers! This is a great way to contribute to a worthy cause!
On the subject of dragons
April 23 is St. George’s Day in England. When I saw this in the month-at-a-glance pocket calendar where I keep track of my life I thought, Those wonderful Brits have made a holiday that includes a dragon. Well, after a little internet research, it turns out that the dragon is just a small part of … Continue reading On the subject of dragons
Being Reminded of the Importance of Language
I recently ushered for a play which turned out to be a multi-level, heart wrenching, language fest. All in a little over two hours. It was a play about a family with three adult children, one of whom had been born deaf, all of whom were living at home. The parents were both writers. The … Continue reading Being Reminded of the Importance of Language
What’s Next
While I wait to see where Smokey’s story will land, I’m working on another novel, this one a young adult with themes of friendship and loyalty. It's in its first draft infancy, so things may change, we'll see.
The Process
I love the editing process, but I don’t know how many times I wondered if I wasn’t just wasting my time working and re-working chapters or paragraphs or sentences. Even words. If you’re a writer, you know what I mean. Sometimes it takes a while before you know you have it right. For me, there's … Continue reading The Process
The Journey
When I brought Smokey home in December, 2009 and learned some of what happened, I knew I had to write about it. I entered an early draft of the story to the 2011 Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest where Smokey’s Walkabout was a finalist in the Children’s/Middle Grade category. That early draft was way … Continue reading The Journey
The Story
Smokey’s Walkabout is a middle grade novel that tells the story of a cat who leaves home and takes the next two years and nine months to return. The story is inspired by actual events. Smokey is my cat. And he really was away from home for two years and nine months. He’s fifteen now, … Continue reading The Story
Happy News!
I have accepted an offer to be represented by Steven Chudney of The Chudney Agency! This is a culmination of many attempts over the years to have my writing work represented by a literary agent. For me, this is a dream come true. A mere period ( . ) will not suffice!
