Well, that was fast. It feels like only a few weeks ago I was lacing up my trainers for my New Year's Day run and feeling bittersweet about the Syzygy-themed songs on my workout playlist. But 2018 quickly accelerated to warp speed. Calendar leaves turned more quickly than pages in an engrossing novel, but a... Continue Reading →
The Accidental Mirror: What Flawed Characters Reveal About Ourselves
Running solves most of my problems. Bad day at work? Fight with the family? Mad at the world in general? After half a dozen sweaty miles, I reach a place where I’m better equipped to deal. It’s especially helpful for working through story issues. My feet go on autopilot, carrying me not through neighborhoods and... Continue Reading →
Save One Snake: Answering the Distress Call of Environmental Fiction
It could have been the opening for a suspense novel. After a week of almost ceaseless rain, a young couple heads out for a long run, feet eager and skin starved of vitamin D. On a humid summer Sunday morning, even the leafy canopy over the trail seems sluggish. What could go wrong as they... Continue Reading →
Racing Andy Weir: On Running, Writing, and Being Realistic
"What are you doing?" my Laddie pants, pulling up beside me as I pause my Garmin. "Book shopping." Drawing the cold March morning into my aerobically scorched lungs, I approach the glass-fronted hutch beside the trail. A Little Free Library appeared in our neighborhood last year, and I've been a devoted trader. "Ooh, look! You... Continue Reading →
New Year, New Story
Every January since I started running about a decade ago (has it really been that long?! Jeez, no wonder my hip hurts) I’ve celebrated New Year’s Day with a long run. Traditionally, the first song I cue on my playlist is U2’s “New Year’s Day”. (Yes, I’m that dorky. No, it doesn’t bother me anymore.)... Continue Reading →
NaNoWriMo, Indie Style: My Rebel Writing Project for 2017
Heroine vows to undertake a mighty task. Despair and self-doubt gnaw on her, and she loses her nerve. But at the last moment she finds her courage and steps up to the challenge. Plot of my next novel? Not exactly. It's the epic tale of how I came to participate in my first-ever National Novel... Continue Reading →