Nonfiction, Memoir, and (mostly) Fabulist Fiction
In Big Magic, author Elizabeth Gilbert writes about the notion of story ideas drifting about in the ether, coming to rest with one writer or another. If given attention, the ideas stay and grow. If not, they eventually move on to a more receptive audience. I… Continue Reading “When A Writer Gives Up, Part 1”
Writers learn by doing. You can’t be a writer unless you write. For me, this means nearly every day. I may allow myself time off here and there, but it’s bloody rare. Even if part of me wants a day off, there’s another part that craves that… Continue Reading “How Do Writers Learn?”
Hello, all! I wanted to let you know that I’ve started an adjunct site to this one, focused entirely on elephants and the stories behind my book The Man Who Loved Elephants: 30 Years at Oregon’s Washington Park Zoo, which is being offered to publishers… Continue Reading “Where To Go For Elephants”
This is me looking blissful because I found out today that my short story, “The Last Zoo Keeper” has been purchased by The Wild Musette Journal.
Well, it was a hot day, but the breeze kept it from being oppressive and the beautiful shade tree kept us from overheating. Worst things were a) the mess of tent caterpillars, and b) the second set the band played. Otherwise, it was a… Continue Reading “The Joys of Book Promotion”
From the time I learned to read, animals were my favorite subject. I devoured their stories–fiction and non–with a hunger that couldn’t be quenched. Discovering the library at my elementary school was like opening the door to Aladdin’s cave. I chewed through stacks of… Continue Reading “Favorite Animal Books”
I’m going dark for the next week; off for a bit of renewal time with a friend from high school, a chance to girl-talk, woman-talk, and get my head focused again so I can throw myself back into the writing when I return –… Continue Reading “Time Off”
Here’s the latest from Books & Boos Press on the release of Three on a Match, the second book in the Terror Project series. I’m proud to be part of this endeavor–Thanks, Guys!–and to share the spotlight with Kristi Petersen Schoonover and g. Elmer Munson. Patrick… Continue Reading “New Book Release Coming Soon!”
If you’re a serious writer–and by that I mean someone who writes damn-near every day and consistently submits work in hopes of making a sale–you’ll receive rejections. And if you’re in the game long enough, you’ll likely reach a point–probably more than once–where… Continue Reading “How to Keep Writing in the Face of Rejection”
