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 »
So you don’t think there were Grizzly Bears in California in 1999? You might be in for a surprise. To find out more, read this latest excerpt from my novel, Fruit of the Devil. (A short stand-alone thriller with a speculative twist, published in the Santa Cruz Weird anthology, available on Amazon.) The Fish and
Rough Cut: Grizzly Bears in California! Read More »
Years ago, in my first draft of Fruit of the Devil, I described my protagonist’s research into the multinational corporate persons who control global chemical-intensive agriculture. The passage is obviously too long and didactic to include in my novel, but a friend recently encouraged me to resurrect this buried limb of Fruit of the Devil,
Rough Cut: The Devil’s Family Tree & the House of Butterflies Read More »
Rough Cut: {The True Story of “Prudenciana” Elementary School} A California History snapshot: Designed and painted by artist Guillermo Aranda, Mary Flodin, and Amesti GATE students in the late 1990’s, the mural above depicts the cultural and natural history of the land where the school was built, from the time of the native Ohlones through
Rough Cut: Prudenciana Elementary School Read More »
Rough Cuts: {Watsonville Brown Berets, a snippet cut from Fruit of the Devil. This is a true story from back in the day . . .} Sunday morning, August 28, 1998. Prudenciana Elementary School. Watsonville. Aurora opened the door to the computer lab. Jose Santos, the new technology assistant, was down on his hands and
Rough Cut: The Shipper/Packer/Cooler Industry and the Brown Berets Read More »
3rd Year of Restoration, 2065, A.G.W.D. * Recording #568-e from the archived collection of Dr. Melody A. Escobar, Anthropologist Narrator: Yáahl, an old Storyteller, Age and Tribe Unknown. Claiming to be from Naadaayi Héen a Tayee, the Village on the River Under the River, an area not locatable by GPS Tape 3: Frogs in a
Climate Change Facts: Message from the Future. Read More »