Popsicle Summer
Last summer, my poem was chosen as a winner of the Sidewalk Poetry Competition in Appleton, WI. The poem, Popsicle Summer, was stamped into three sidewalks through the city, and I got to read the poem at city council. Now, my city is celebrating our newly renovated public library, and I’m delighted to share my poem has been […]
Flight of Fantasy
Why am I writing a humorous fantasy novella, when my career as a novelist so far has been filled with long science fiction stories? The Strategy I have, in fact, been writing another big science fiction story. It’s in developmental edits and currently stands at 150K words. It’s deep storytelling and carries a wide spectrum of POV characters, both […]
20 from ’24
Last month I shared some of the things I learned over my three years as an author, and at my writing group this month, we did an end-of-the-year exercise to record 20 achievements from this year. Here they are, in the exact order they occurred to my little, holiday-buzzing brain: 1. Took the Southwest Chief train to […]
20 Things I Learned as an Author
It’s my three year anniversary of becoming an author. I’ve been a writer my whole life—first journals in middle and high school, then papers, articles, and many short stories—but deciding to publish is a different experience. You’re not only writing, you’re actively sharing your words with readers. You’re not only drafting stories, you’re hoping perhaps to make enough […]
155,000 Words
We’re going to talk about a 155,000-word project, but first, let me give you some numbers so we’re all on the same page. To be considered book length, a book should have a minimum of 70,000 words. Science fiction and fantasy novels are typically longer than the norm because there’s so much worldbuilding to convey. Here’s the […]
My Dear Lucy
My Dear Lucy, I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough […]
A Decade Later
I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in The Kingdom of eSwatini from 2011-13. This summer, I returned for the first time along with my kids and husband who served with me. The school hosted a welcome back celebration where we were able to catch up with teachers and former students. A highlight was visiting the library I worked […]
Wherefore Art Thou
Everyone knows the famous line from Romeo and Juliet, “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” I always thought Juliet’s famous question asked where Romeo was. In actuality, Juliet wonders why he is Romeo at all. Why is she falling in love with a member of the Montague family, her own family’s mortal enemy? What does that mean […]
The Nebulas
The Nebulas. Where else can you find a room full of NASA scientists, magazine editors, Hugo Award winning writers, virtual reality game developers, and people who spend their days dreaming up strange worlds? I came out this year to Pasadena, CA for the four-day Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer’s Association conference. It all started with a 5 AM […]
How to Be Creative
This month, I broke up a séance. I walked into a basement room where 20 people had gathered and demanded to know what they were doing. Nervous laughter broke out. Brave members of the group explained that secret clues had brought them to that location and one woman handed me an envelope. I tore it open—a woman had […]