Blank Page
We love a blank page, actually.
All that possibility can go
anywhere forward or back.
I once drank spiders under
the porch or they drank me.
Sandbox sunshine glittered far
from the school bullies.
My aunt’s willow tree hide-away
down by the stream was a house
I could not see from a distance
and did not care to visit. We
bring our childhoods with us
if we’re lucky or not, and fingers
that once learned to play
scales now type softly to
tinnitus in one ear.
Limbo Season
Most days, time does what you expect. It goes by in a predictable way, and you can count on it to link up with a pattern of meals and work and sleeping. Then we hit holidays with the family and all the sudden you’re up to watch Spidey at dawn or assembling a Cozy Coupe in the basement during dinner prep. A moment of a toddler calling “Nonna Nonna Nonna!” expands to fill a lifetime, and a big guy with an axe splits wood that flies across freezing air toward… Continue reading
Lucky Pumpkin
During a lovely visit with family this weekend, I had a chance to draw with my granddaughter. Usually she does her own artwork, but this time she dictated what I should draw for her, and then she added the pumpkin lines. Sweet, no? I love a gentle, bit-by-bit collaboration.
Weekends make me feel lucky. Time with family does, too. Writing has its challenges, but it usually allows me a healthy balance of work and life. When I dream, drive, chat with people I care about, take walks, do puzzles, and… Continue reading
Milestones and Priorities
I just finished a milestone revision of my latest novel, and it feels amazing. To stretch my limbs and mark the moment, I took a walk up a sunny hill and honestly, I feel so good. Revising line-by-line is my absolute favorite part of the writing process, and when I get the words right, the ideas sing in my mind.
I’m also fried. Ha! And my to-do list is long.
I’m so thankful for this work and the people who support me. Yes, the world is wild and terrifying right… Continue reading
Sunny July Days, Sweet and Dangerous
In mid-July, while visiting family in Minnesota, I had the pleasure of attending a baseball game with my sister’s family and hanging out in the section at the end of the third baseline. Baseball is the best. The Mud Hens were hitting virtually every pitch, and the score was 8 to 1 by the time of the seventh inning stretch. Did I care that the Saints were losing? Not at all.
At one point, a little girl dropped off the top of the wall before us, and a player ran… Continue reading
Writing vs. The To-Do List
Writing is at the top of my to-do list. It’s listed there in large, blue type so I see it first thing whenever I open the file. It comes before completing a project for my granddaughters, ordering a flag, sending a condolence note, sending bookplates to a couple of readers, writing a thank you note, returning emails, and making a photo album for 2021. The other things matter to me, some a great deal, and some are so timely they get moved high on the list. But if I start… Continue reading
Ari & Milo, my serial novel, is now up on Wattpad! I drew illustrations to go with each chapter, and best of all, it’s free! Because of problematic themes, this novel is for mature readers age 17+.
Book Trailer for Promised