The goal of fiction is to entertain. Commercial fiction readers want an exciting, absorbing story. And for some readers, it’s is all the better if the story is subtly infused with an important and timely social issue. As an author drawn to writing stories about social justice and the consequences of climate change, I constantly […]
Science, Truth, Social & Environmental Justice, Fiction, and Entertainment Read More »
My new novella, The Byrd River Flood, was just released by Paper Angel Press. Inspired by the true story of the 1995 Pajaro River flood in Watsonville, California, The Byrd River Flood is an adaptation excerpted from my eco-thriller, Fruit of the Devil. It portrays the social, emotional, environmental, personal, and political causes and costs
Here in California, in March, 2023 we’re experiencing another “Hundred Year Flood.” President Biden is flying in to inspect the damage and consult with Governor Newsom. We’ve heard that people in the mountains have been stranded in heavy snow and have lost their lives. There have been floods and landslides, collapsed roads and bridges. People
Hundred Year Flood Read More »
MAPLE PERSIMMON UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE adapted from food52.com Mary’s NOTES This cake, adapted from a Food52 recipe, is amazing. Fresh persimmons resting in maple syrup and melted butter on the bottom of the traditional cast iron pan give the cake on top an incredible caramelized crunch around the edges. The maple cream cheese frosting is wonderful,
Maple Persimmon Upside-Down Cake: Cozy Winter Baking Read More »
On September 18th, I finished the first draft of Chapter 4 of my new novel. Enjoying the Research – what rocks are used for various colors in cave painting? “A sudden light revealed Delfina’s surroundings. Delfina’s mother stood before her, holding a candle. Behind Ramona was an alcove in the rock wall of the cave.
August again, already. 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic just won’t quit. We got vaccinated. Took a trip to Kauai. Thought we were about to get back to normal. But then . . . the whole country slid backwards. Wearing masks again, even though vaccinated. The new Delta variant … Weed it and Reap. And yet our
Sharing the Harvest. Learning the Art of Canning. Read More »
Introduction Yes. We’re all eager for our schools to reopen. The Covid-19 pandemic has now ravaged our country for over a year, killing more than half a million people, causing great economic hardship to all but the wealthiest, and exacting a savage psychological and emotional toll on our entire population. Everyone agrees. Social isolation and
REOPENING OUR SCHOOLS – A Teacher’s Perspective Read More »
This month may be the most crucial month in the history of the human species. if Trump gets another four years, the devastation he and his thugs will cause to democracy, civil society, social justice, and the environment will be irremediable for generations to come—possibly forever. NOW is our last chance for a Free and Fair Election in the USA. Now is the time to pause your “business as usual” and put your whole self into SAVING the WORLD from Trump. Volunteer today!
Election Season in the USA Read More »
An updated version of this post is now available on Medium, an online journal. Summer Solstice 2020. Personal and societal trauma have paralyzed my writing muscles. It’s been half a year since my last public blog post. What can I say about death, pandemic, and massive, violent political upheaval that might be comforting or of
Writing in the Time of Pandemic – A Work in Progress Read More »
Trump has been IMPEACHED by the House of Representatives, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is currently holding the Articles of Impeachment instead of passing them on the the Senate, because Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, aka Moscow Mitch the Grim Reaper, has vowed he will not hold an impartial impeachment trial. Pelosi has stated she will
2020 A Year for Political Action Read More »
A Short History of the annual Native American Alcatraz Island Un-Thanksgiving Sunrise Ceremony This is a “rough cut”—an excerpt edited out of my novel, Fruit of the Devil, due to the fact that it was deemed too “history heavy” for a fictional read. It is important that we study history so we don’t repeat our
Rough Cut: Indigenous Thanksgiving Sunrise Read More »
Today I am bathing in a peak watershed moment of my life. After a lifetime of longing to “be a writer,” and twenty years of gestating the story of Fruit of the Devil, my first novel is being published this week. I was recently asked to write about “How I Measure Success as an
Measuring Success as a Writer Read More »
When my editor told me I should find ways to give my protagonist more agency, I wasn’t sure what she meant. I didn’t recall ever having heard the word agency applied to a quality a character should have, although I imagined everyone else must know exactly what it meant for a character (person) to have
It took me three years to write the first draft of my novel, Fruit of the Devil. Writing was ecstasy—the story poured out of me as if it were being channeled. The characters came alive. Then I found out the horrible truth—that “writing is rewriting”—and I embarked upon what has now become five years of revising, editing,
Rough Cut Resurrected: Watsonville Peace & Unity March Read More »
I’ve always loved the ocean. My mother used to tell me that the ocean will “cure anything that ails you.” My older sister taught me to comb the tidepools and to bodysurf in Laguna Beach, not long after I learned to walk. I rode my first wave at Huntington Beach pier, wearing an inch-thick neoprene
Why the Protagonist is a Surfer Read More »