Been trying my hand at a logline for my book, Wonder Gone Missing. I’ve been using “Save the Cat! WRITES A NOVEL” as a guide. I have to say, if you have a long twisty plot in your own book, Save the Cat! can really save your keester. I’ve been working with their recommendations this…

Sunday was a hard day. I was cleaning out my old apartment–something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time–but instead of feeling a sense of joy and new impending adventure, I was mourning my wonderful cat, Vincent. He died about two weeks ago. So I’m leaving the last place he was alive before I’ve…

I’m about a third of the way through the second draft of my novel, (which I’ve always imagined with a cover of a blue butterfly), but I’m hoping to have a solid query letter BEFORE I finish the book.  I remember how exhausted I was from the writing process after completing my very first book–and…

I’m at about 73,000 words on WONDER GONE MISSING–my desert novel of wonder, grief, and cults–and somewhere, oh somewhere ahead, is the ending. It’s like those mirages you see on the highway in the summer heat: The closer I get, the farther away it seems. The thing is: I WANT this ending. I’m craving it.…

I wanted to read and couldn’t. I picked up three different books today, read a few pages, and then tossed them aside grumble-y. I can’t concentrate when I’m worried. And I’m worried. So I ran some errands, exercised, and then picked up my original book and … yup, put it aside. I hate it when…

I ended up returning a lot of books to the library unread this year, which always makes me rueful as the digital scanner checks them back in with that cheery ding. Honestly, it wasn’t a good year, period. I ended up sick for more than a month over the summer, then the cat got sick,…

I’m reading Ottessa Moshfegh’s collection of short stories “Homesick for Another World.” While I had some trouble settling into the stories in the beginning, I’m glad I stumbled across the book at my library. I love it when women write dark, troubled, non-sexy characters–and this book? Yeah. It fits that build. And then some. “Homesick”…

Lately, one of my neighbors likes to talk about how nice I am. She sees how well I take care of my elderly cat, and hey, that’s fine, but I can’t help but feel there’s a degree of malice in her pronouncements. “Oh, you’re so nice.” Right. I hate when people say I’m nice. Kind?…

Public (sort of) declaration of self-imposed deadlines: September 8: 50,000 words October 5: First draft complete January 15: Second draft complete  

Dear Reader, It’s important to be forgiving. It’s important to love the writing process. It’s important to understand this THING … this NOVEL in PROGRESS … is the journey I seek. It’s also important to realize that writing can be frustrating as fuck. On Monday, my 50,000 word, self-imposed deadline is about to go whooshing…