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Showing posts from November, 2016

Time & Silence, Color & Light: On Being a Writer Now

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I often walk the small public shoreline near my home. This particular beach is cold but lovely, washed with multicolored stones, swells of coarse grey sand, and rags of jewel-toned seaweed lacing the land to the sea. Seabirds and shellfish are common sights, salmon and eagles a bit less so, and rarely, harbor seal pups sleep on the sand while their mothers hunt. Each time I walk, I try to remind myself to be present and content with the beauty around me, but I often find myself naturally searching for something. I scan the sand for seashells, shards of colorful sea glass, a surprising stone, or even an image to collect and share with friends and family online. My search is both causal and methodical. Every few steps, I check the ground, I look up at the sky, I look out over the water, I look down again. When the weather is wet or windy, as it is in the fall, I’m often alone. A few times -very few times- on this journey, I’ve found something of interest or extraordinary beau

Sirens : Lovers

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Hello sweet friends, Thanks for stopping by! I'm newly returned from my fourth time attending Sirens Conference , a wonderful experience designed especially for readers and writers of women in fantasy. I've said a lot about this conference in the past and you can find those entries here:  2013 , 2014 , 2015 . This time, I'll hit the highlights and just say that Sirens continues to be an affirming and centering weekend. I'm so grateful to all the staff, volunteers, guests of honor, presenters, and attendees who make each year incredibly special and important. Darian, Lola, and I started our weekend on Wednesday at my mother's home in the foothills. We visited, sang, ate, sipped tea, and hiked a while in the red rocks nearby. (My mom and stepdad live in the foothills near Castlerock.) My sweet mama at the piano: Darian on a cliff: Lola among the rocks: On Thursday, refreshed and rested, we made our way to the Inverness Hotel in Denver where we re