Assorted Ramblings

Grandfather Oak

Fall of the Star Queen, Flight of the Sunsparrow, Short Stories

Sometimes, the devastation is too much.

Character Sketches

Flight of the Sunsparrow

I'm learning to use Procreate. Character sketches from Flight of the Sunsparrow are a fun, stakes-free way of learning.

Mine, But also Ours

Blog, On Writing

I was once invited to live for a week with a herding family in Mongolia. An extraordinary experience, and a lesson in shared meaning.

The Confluence – Chapter One

The Confluence

Bereaved widow Lucy Marin inherits a bookstore and building, only to find the inheritance blocked when the supposed decedent is declared missing, with no possibility of a death certificate and foreclosure proceedings looming. When the building begins offering clues—some of them supernatural—Lucy teams with retired police chief Ben Magnusson to solve the crime, and the two of them discover far more—in the case, and in each other—than they ever imagined possible.

Parasitic Mushrooms, Snakes, and the Chateau D’If

Blog

If you are a thinking person engaged with the world of publishing you cannot avoid the topic of AI.

Shepherd’s Derelict in Audio Book!

Shepherd's Derelict

Those of you with long memories will remember my first novel, Shepherd's Derelict, in which a young woman begins to suspect her elderly father of murder.

The Scene Worksheet That Fixes My Biggest Writing Problems

Fall of the Star Queen, On Writing

Avoiding taking heads and descriptive mayonnaise.

And so it begins

Fall of the Star Queen

Starting a new novel project is daunting, to say the least. I thought this would get easier!

The Everlasting, by Alix E. Harrow – Review

Fantasy Book Recommendations

One of the most gorgeous fantasy books I've ever read. The Everlasting left me devastated, narratively satiated, and surprised at every turn.

Be the First to Read Flight of the Sunsparrow

Flight of the Sunsparrow

If you're interested in being an early reader for Flight of the Sunsparrow, please let me know!

Flight of the Sunsparrow: That’s a Wrap!

Flight of the Sunsparrow

Three years. 120,000 words. One finished manuscript.

Waiting for Mr. Tumnus

Flight of the Sunsparrow, On Writing, The Confluence, Wisconsin

On submission. On hold. On edge.

Enchanted Fantasy Map Coffee Mug

Gifts for Fantasy Authors

Looking for the perfect gift for the fantasy author in your life? Buy the Enchanted Fantasy Map Coffee Mug and bring peace back to your mornings!

Interview with Marian Exall

Overall Interviews

Join me in conversation with author Marian Exall, whose new mystery, Loners, features a detective who refuses to believe the convenient narrative that the death she is sent to investigate is a suicide.

Superior, they said, never gives up her dead, when the…

Wisconsin

The fiftieth anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald was commemorated in Superior this past weekend and all these years later I feel a residual disloyalty for not attending.

Remembering Jennifer Blomgren

Where Do I Sleep?

I was saddened today to (very belatedly) learn of the death of Jennifer Blomgren—author of 3 picture books we collaborated on. She was a generous, creative, and utterly unique being. The world was better with her in it.

Flight of the Sunsparrow – Chapter One

Flight of the Sunsparrow

Sneak peek! Chapter One of the second-world fantasy novel I've been writing these past 3 years. Originally titled The Cuttlefish, it's undergone a transformation to Flight of the Sunsparrow. A better title, yes?

You Can’t Always Get What You Want, Especially in Fiction

On Writing

A well-worn principle, but I'm writing this blog article as a reminder to myself

The Bone Shard Daughter

Fantasy Book Recommendations

What if dismantling empire meant literally reclaiming your bones?

Writing Cozy Romantasy While the World Burns

Disaster Draft, The Confluence

"May you live in interesting times," is said to be a curse.
If that's true, I'm ordering in cases of garlic, iron, and holy water.

Reader: It Self-Destructed

Disaster Draft, The Confluence

A quick accountability post for transparency.

Legends and Lattes

Fantasy Book Recommendations

This book was the coffee-scented hug I didn't know that I needed. Honestly found myself riveted to the page, wondering if the rattkin's chocolate croissants would be a hit with the clientele. I don't know how Travis Baldree managed to make a book both cozy and a complete page turner, but he did!

Disaster Draft: One Month In

Disaster Draft, The Confluence

I'm trying to rough draft a novel in 90 days. Read on for the one-month check in.

The Ten-Thousand Doors of January

Fantasy Book Recommendations

A phenomenal book, unlike anything I've read in a while. A portal fantasy with characters who will skitter ;-) across your imagination for a long while after the reading.

Disaster Draft: Pre-Game

Disaster Draft, The Confluence

Follow along as I attempt to rough draft a novel in ninety days. Stretch goal: maintain my marriage, sanity, and health while doing it!

The Novelry: Review

On Writing

When it became clear that my novel in progress was more of a mess than my pandemic haircuts, I turned to The Novelry. Here is my review.

Otter Family Part 2

Watercolor

More of this otter family from San Juan.

Spotted Towhee

Watercolor

An upcoming trip to San Juan Island has me thinking of the island and the wonderful times spent there with Captain Jacobson. I spent a fantastic day there painting this little fellow in the sun.

Epigraphs

Flight of the Sunsparrow, On Writing

One of my favorite parts of fantasy novels are those in-world bits of lore and history that some authors include in their chapter headers—epigraphs, I am told by a kind stranger on Bluesky.

The Killing Moon

Fantasy Book Recommendations

You hardly need me to tell you N.K. Jemisin is a must-read. This book was recommended to me as a comp, as my own WIP also deals with dream magic. Luckily, the similarities stop there—phew! I'm looking at you, you fickle polyamorous muses.