Harvest and conferences and festivals, Oh my!
I have a friend who laughs every time I say, “What happened to summer?” But that’s exactly how I feel now as I wind up September. Between freezing corn, canning peaches, making chokecherry jelly, and getting ready for the annual Idaho Writer’s League conference where I’m going to talk about marketing platforms, I’m wondering how I will have time to show up at the 15th annual thousand springs festival in Hagerman this weekend. But you’ll see me there, along with the writers of The Other Bunch. If you are in the area, stop by and say hello. I can’t think of a nicer way to say goodbye to summer.
Mamma Mia!
I took in Mamma Mia, the movie with a friend over the weekend. Too funny, we laughed until we cried. Meryl Streep deserves an Oscar, what an outstanding cast. If you liked Abba’s SOS, you’ll like this movie.
Labyrinth
My bookclub is currently reading Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. To be honest, I almost gave up on this book. There are spelling errors and rattling body parts, but the concept of the book kept me reading. I enjoyed the historic elements and learned a lot about the Cathars and the Inquisition. When I went on-line to find a picture of Montsegur, I could see what inspired Kate to write this book. Aspiring writers will find her website/blog enlightening.
Now if I could only put my hands on a copy of Greg Mosse’s companion book, The Secrets of the Labyrinth, I will have had my dose of history for July.
Montsegur June 22, 1988 Photo by Peter Vronsky.
Remembering Bill Studebaker
I took several advanced English classes from Bill Studebaker, and even attended a class with his wife Judy. This is a sad week for his family, friends, and fellow writers. Missing since July 4, it is believed that Bill drowned kayaking near Yellow Pine.
Vardis Fisher was here
Fisher’s Lake near Hagerman, Idaho
Mention Idaho writers and Ezra Pound and Ernest Hemingway come to mind. Many people don’t know that Vardis Fisher lived and died in Southern Idaho, only miles from where I live. While my son was visiting from Oregon, I showed him what is left of Fisher’s house. Then we dangled our feet in Fisher’s Lake and reminisced about the writer and his work.
Refilling the well
In June I made a quick trip to Great Falls, Montana, to visit my aunt. On the way home, I took a detour and drove over MacDonald Pass and into Elliston, Montana, the town where my fictional character, Kate O’Brien grew up. It was fun, not to mention surreal to envision Kate in her hometown. The drive made me want to get back to revisions on that book, The Bones of Pele. Which just goes to show, every now and then you have to get away from the computer and out into the real world to breathe life into your stories.
Elliston, Montana
The Girl With No Shadow
The more I write, the pickier I become about the books I read; they have to have substance; they have to be well written. I tend to read more non-fiction, but I recently finished The Girl with No Shadow by Joanne Harris, and fell in love with the book. Not only does Harris weave an engaging story, she does it with three first-person narrators. If you liked Chocolat, you will enjoy the sequel, The Girl with No Shadow.
Making Our Dreams Come True
Me and Alice Hoffman. Woot!
Years ago when my son was born, I’d walk around the house singing Sweet Life by Paul Davis, and that song became my husband’s and my theme song. This April I had another chance to make a dream come true. My favorite author, Alice Hoffman, was on a book tour and did a reading at Powells, in Beaverton, Oregon. Since that sweet little boy I used to sing Sweet Life to lives only minutes from Beaverton, he was kind enough to take me to the reading. Thanks, Trevor, for making another of my dreams come true.
He’s My Brother
It’s final, the new American Idol is DAVID COOK. He’s been my favorite all season. As in typical David fashion, he credits his brother Andrew for dragging him to tryouts. What a Cinderella story, way to go David Cook, you rock.
April 2008
It’s spring here in Magic Valley. The snow has finally melted, and farmers are working the fields. When the wind isn’t blowing, I slip into a jacket and wander outdoors, seeking a crocus, a daffodil, or asparagus. It’s nice to be outside again, after a cold and blustery winter.
Occasionally you see a movie that gets it right, and that’s how I feel about the sleeper Neverwas. Written and directed by Joshua Michael Stern, the first time I saw this movie I thought it was unfinished, that it had missed its mark. But the second time I watched the movie, alone with the volume up so I couldn’t miss a word of dialogue, I was impressed and glad I made time to watch it twice. It’s a story about a man coming to terms with his past, very well done and subtle. If you watch it, do so with no distractions. Ian McKellen was brilliant in his role as Gabriel Finch, the king of Neverwas. It made me wish I could go out and buy a copy of “Neverwas” by T. L. Pierson, but alas, if such book exists, it’s solely in Stern’s imagination.
True to my promise to read a Jane Austen book this year, I began Emma and swore it was the last Austen book I would read until Mrs. Elton appeared to give Emma some competition. Then the book became interesting. The icing on the cake, however, was an English tea hosted by a member of my book club. While discussing our favorite characters — Miss Bates, Jane Fairfax, and Mr. Knightley — we enjoyed real clotted cream and lemon curds on scones, cucumber sandwiches, and English tarts along with our tea. A good time was had by all, to which we own Jane Austen a great big thanks.
For my birthday, I was lucky enough to be in Hillsboro, Oregon, hanging out with my son and grandsons. Having received Rock Band for their Xbox 360 for Christmas, the boys spend hours strumming, drumming, and belting out songs like Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” and “Buddy Holly“, “My Sharona” by The Knack, and “Move Along” by the All-American Rejects. Of course, the little kid in me had to try it too, and now I walk around the house singing, “Move alongggggg!” They even treated me to dinner at Romano’s Macaroni Grill. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate a birthday!
For culture, I coerced my husband and friends to go with me to see Menopause the Musical, a hilarious show about women and the change. We laughed so hard our stomachs hurt. My husband even bought me a T-shirt that says, “It’s all about me.” Isn’t he nice?
I am currently reading The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards, and enjoying it very much. Speaking of books, two of my favorite authors are releasing new books this month, Girlwood by Claire Dean, and The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman. You can bet I already have my book orders in. Alice is currently on tour promoting her book, and, if the book gods are with me, I may even get a chance to meet her in Oregon later this month. All in all, I’d say that’s a pretty great way to say hello to spring and goodbye to winter!
February 2008 Update
Outside my front window this morning.
It still looks a lot like Christmas here in southern Idaho. In fact, we have more snow now then we did in December. School kids are enjoying snow days while winter storms keep the snowplows busy. You would think all this cold weather would be conducive to a lot of good writing. Instead, I’ve been huddled around the fireplace reading like a maniac. Since January 1, I have read The Secret Live of Bees, Chocolat, His Favorite Wife, Shattered Dreams, The Year of Magical Thinking, and reread Bill Johnson’s A Story is a Promise. Right now I am reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Why all this reading, you may ask. I am a member of three different book clubs, one in Kimberly, and two in Jerome. Two of them are affiliated with the Let’s Talk About it Program and will run for a couple more months. Then it will be time to be outdoors in the garden. PBS is also running a series on Jane Austen, which I’ve been recording and watching on cold snowy evenings with plans to read at least one Jane Austen book this year.
Next week I’m hosting one of the book clubs, and we will be discussing the book Chocolat. You can bet my kitchen counter is covered with recipes as I search for some decadent dessert to serve, not to mention the stash of chocolate I’ve slowly been building every time I go to the store. It should be fun, and we probably won’t need another chocolate fix until, well, Easter?
To break up the monotony of winter, Pat and I took in Sweeny Todd. If you’re a Johnny Depp fan and not squeamish, go see it. The opening scenes will have you wondering just what kind of world you dropped in on.
NaNoWritMo and Other Things
October found me back in Oysterville, WA, with my husband on vacation. I took three rolls of film and am anxious to start creating a lot of new stories. Some places just speak to me, and this was one of them.
The Baptist Church in Oysterville, Wa. October, 2007.
I dedicated the entire month of November to the NaNoWritMo challenge with a goal of 10 new pages a day. I didn’t hit my daily goal, but I did meet the challenge, ending up with 267 new pages and a total of 63,695 new words. The great thing is that now I have a complete first draft of The Beach House, a story about a boy, his grandmother, memory and secrets. Here is the snippet for the back book cover. When a young father learns that his grandmother has died and left him her entire estate, he returns to Oregon and his boyhood haunts only to discover that everything he remembered about his grandmother is a lie. I’m setting the book aside for the holidays, but plan to work on it again in January.
Contemplating my next novel at Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center near Ilwaco, WA.
Best Wishes for December and the Holiday Season!
August Update
The 2007 Willamette Writers’ conference in Portland, Oregon, was worth the time and the money. Many questions I have about my current work-in-progress were answered. Now all I have to do is get busy and do some major revisions! I capped off the conference with a trip to Long Beach, WA, with my son and three grandsons. We walked on the beach, fed the seagulls, ate fresh crab, and applauded as Dante and Kennedy took turns riding a pony. On our way back to Vancouver, we drove through Oysterville, WA, a great historical town founded in 1854 once known as the hub of oyster farming. Quaint, it is absolutely charming. I know I will be back to visit. Think H. P. Lovecraft or Stephen King, and Oysterville gives you the perfect setting for a great little story.
In case you think I’ve been slacking since I’ve been home, check out this new site, The Other Bunch. If you have any questions or comments about writing or the writing life, stop by and say “Hi!”
Bill Johnson at the Willamette Writers’ Conference.
July 2007 Update
June and July have been busy months at our house. The Murder in the Grove conference was great, as was Margie Lawson’s workshop. She gave lots of tips on how to edit for visceral impact. June kept me busy outside and the garden is awesome. We’ve enjoyed fresh peas, lettuce, broccoli, new potatoes, strawberries, and yesterday I picked my first tomato. Yum. The corn is almost ready, and hopefully all those blossoms on the cucumbers mean I’ll have loads of cukes before long.
Grandsons Dmitri, Dante and Kennedy spent most of July here at our mini farm, and besides keeping me company, they accomplished a lot of firsts. Dante and Kennedy got to see/touch a real milk snake, not to be confused with the poisonous coral snake, at the Herrett Center on the College of Southern Idaho Campus, and all three boys learned to drive/ride on an ATV. Dmitri also learned how to drive the riding lawnmower clear to the mailbox and back. We had a good visit and it was sad to see them leave, but I will see them again this week when I fly to Portland to attend the 2007 Willamette Writers Conference. I’m looking forward to meeting Bill Johnson, author of A Story is a Promise, as well as a full lineup of great writers.
A month or so ago, my friend Pat Marcantonio and I went to see the movie, Evening based on the book by Susan Minot. It was so well done I kept thinking about it for weeks, and finally broke down and read the book. I liked the movie better than I liked the book, but there is a great quote at the beginning of the book that I can relate to since there never seems to be enough hours in the day.
“I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you might forget it now and then for a moment and not spend all your breath trying to conquer it.” William Faulkner.
In Memoriam
Loretta C. Schuchard 09-25-1930 – 05-06-1994
William C. Runty 09-17-1936 – 12-18-1997
Earl B. Dodge 09-10-1923 – 08-26-2004
W. B. Haffner 01-26-1928 – 12-15-2006
We love and miss you. R.I.P.
Margie Lawson at Murder in the Grove
I’ve signed up for Margie Lawson’s master class for writers called empowering characters’ emotions scheduled for Friday, June 8, 2007. The Class precedes the 2007 Murder in the Grove conference held in Boise, Idaho, for writers and readers of mystery fiction. I’m looking forward to hanging out with other writers as I hone my craft.
May 2007
I am not an American Idol fan, but while hanging out with the boys in Washington over spring break, I got hooked. Both my son and daughter-in-law are avid fans, so Tuesday and Wednesday nights found us in front of the television, cheering and booing. That’s all it took to get me hooked, and I’ve been watching Idol ever since. First and foremost, I think it’s an amazing platform for artists to hone their craft, and it made me wish we had something like this for aspiring writers. I watch in admiration as each week these performers grow. I was truly disappointed when Melinda Doolittle was voted off this Wednesday; it just goes to show how subjective everything is. Out of the top four contestants, (the others, LaKisha Jones, Blake Lewis, Jordan Sparks) I think Melinda had better control of her voice, and performed well consistently. Jordan is awesome, but now that Melinda is gone, my vote is for Blake. He totally won me over with his version of “When The Stars Go Blue”. Then there is Sanjaya Malakar. I mean, even this old grandma fell in love with him when he sang “Besame Mucho” on Latin night, those dark eyes, not to mention that hair! All of these kids are amazing. Something Melinda said after she was voted out shows what a truly generous person she is, “Be happy where you are on your way to where you’re going.” Her words resonate with me, and I am putting her advice beside my computer to remind me on bad writing days to love the process, not just the product.
I’ve been too busy to do much reading, but I did manage to squeeze in Anita Shreve’s Body Surfing. Not her best work, but those who remember the house in Fortune’s Rock, and The Pilot’s Wife, will be glad to know Shreve has found another family to inhabit the beachhouse. I am also trying to read–in between planting the garden and pulling weeds–Francine Prose’s, Reading Like a Writer, A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them. Thirty pages into the book, and I’m thinking this may be a book I want on my reference shelf, maybe my own mentor, my own version of American Idol.
Tonight and tomorrow I walk in Relay for Life. Please take a moment to remember those we have loved and lost to cancer, and say a prayer of thanks for the survivors. I know I will.
April 2007 Update
Besides cleaning out irrigation ditches and weeding perennial flowerbeds, this spring I managed a trip to the Twin Falls Public Library to hear Kelly Jones read from her new book, The Lost Madonna. Then a trip to Vancouver, Washington, to hang out with the grandsons during spring break presented an opportunity to read Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson . I also met with Linda Meyer and Laura Meehan at the Ink & Paper Group, LLC, in Portland, Oregon. We had a nice visit outside on their patio, enjoying a rare sunny day in Portland. A trip to Powell’s, a bookstore that is truly amazing not to mention mind-boggling, and real sushi downtown, capped off an exciting week. Much too soon it was back to Idaho, and more yard work . I picked up a copy of Karen Joy Fowler‘s Sarah Canary and look forward to some time to read after the spring yard work and daily writing is done.
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