I love that word, “process.” Makes it sound like writers know what they are doing, when we’re actually just faking it and hoping no one will notice. Now that I’m working on a fantasy novel, though, I have noticed ... Read More  

Confession: I’ve been hoarding Terry Pratchett novels ever since he first announced he had Alzheimer’s disease. I’ve been doling them out to myself as rare and hard-to-earn rewards because I knew there would come a day that he wouldn’t ... Read More  

Writing a novel is a lot more personal than writing non-fiction. Non-fiction is external – I find and repackage information. Fiction, in contrast, comes from the inside, and sometimes what’s inside is a bit… surprising. When I first started ... Read More  

Back spasm results in a lot of hours on the couch with a heating pad, and when my eyeballs get tired of reading, it’s movie time. Tech Support and I tried to watch Highlander (1986), a fantasy about a ... Read More  

Is anyone else getting a little tired of superhero movies? With the exception of next year’s Wonder Woman, which not only looks awesome, but puts a female hero in a starring role, I am getting pretty burnt out on the ... Read More  

Short post today, because I’m preparing for this afternoon’s Alistair MacLeod Mentorship Reading. I haven’t talked about it on the blog much, but I’m writing my very first novel – a fantasy adventure for ages 10-14. And I was incredibly fortunate ... Read More  

Never fear, science fans, I have several children’s nonfiction projects in the works. But I’ve also been working on my first high fantasy novel, for ages 10-14, and the process has got me thinking a lot about the intersection ... Read More  

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may remember my Uncle Ted, from this post where I rant about how you should never have to pay for hospital parking. He passed away last Saturday after nearly ... Read More