Author Archives: Jill Zeller

About Jill Zeller

The author of numerous short stories and novels, Jill Zeller lives near Seattle, Washington, with her patient and adoring husband, two English mastiffs, and one self-centered tuxedo cat. Her works explore the boundaries of reality. Some may call it fantasy, but there are rarely swords and never elves. More to the point, she prefers to write as if myth, imagination and hallucination were as real as the chair she is sitting on as she writes this. Maybe it is because she was raised as a Christian Scientist. Jill Zeller also writes under the pseudonym Hunter Morrison

The Reluctant Traveler Returns from Westeros Part 3

Posted on August 20, 2017 by

The Eyrie, Riverrun, Harrenhal and Dragonstone We visited so many marvelous places in Westeros, but the Eyrie stands out in my mind as the most awe-inspiring of all the locations. Formidable House Arryn built the complex of castles over centuries—it … Continue reading →

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The Reluctant Traveler Returns from Westeros Part 2 (Spoiler alert!)

Posted on August 13, 2017 by

  The Twins of House Frey are impressive. They rise up from the river flats, two hulking sentinels occupying either shore of the swift Green River. Joined by a bridge and the center Water Tower, if is a challenging fortress … Continue reading →

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Posted in fantasy, Travel, Westeros | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

The Reluctant Traveler Returns from Westeros (Spoiler alert!)

Posted on August 6, 2017 by

                      This was a fantastic tour, although there were some bumps along the way. My husband and I felt welcomed by the tour-guide and everything—mostly—went through as planned. Most of … Continue reading →

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The Reluctant Traveler: Dry Falls and Other Natural Catastrophes

Posted on July 23, 2017 by

I was going to write about the Eastern Washington channeled scablands, but this article from National Geographic says it all; how they were formed and the scientific squabble over how they were formed. Also the photos accompanying the article are … Continue reading →

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Posted in Eastern Oregon, Science, Travel | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Reluctant Traveler: du Maurier vs Bronte

Posted on July 16, 2017 by

We’re talking about Rebecca and Jane Eyre. Two naïve young women come to live in lavish English houses owned by older men with secrets. One, a dead wife, and one a living wife who is insane. It’s the same story. … Continue reading →

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Posted in Books and Reading, movies, romance, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The Reluctant Traveler (and Writer)- The Fun of Research

Posted on July 9, 2017 by

Reader, do you like to do research for your novels? Where do you start, and what tools do you use? I’ll answer first. I love research. Most of my writing career I’ve produced fantasy, some science fiction, and a lot … Continue reading →

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Posted in historical novels, Research, Writers on Writing | 6 Comments

The Reluctant Traveler Thinks about Books

Posted on July 2, 2017 by

I’ve just re-read Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451”. I’ve probably read it ten or more times over the years. Probably seen the movie five times or so. Who wouldn’t as a teenager be obsessed with Julie Christie and Oskar Werner? My … Continue reading →

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Posted in horror, Influential books, science fiction, writing, YA | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The Reluctant Traveler is Still Home

Posted on June 25, 2017 by

(Warning! Scary pictures not appropriate for entomophobics) My husband and I think of ourselves as fairly knowledgeable organic gardeners. When considering a topic for this blog, I thought I would write about bugs. However when I browsed through our small … Continue reading →

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The Reluctant Traveler at home — Cats and Writers

Posted on June 18, 2017 by

About cats And writers. We have cats. I think most of us do, anyway. Every writer I know personally has one or more cats—oh there are a few of us who dare to own dogs AND cats. Or dogs only. … Continue reading →

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The Not-so-reluctant Traveler: Closer to Home

Posted on June 11, 2017 by

I have confessed that I love all things West. So I may as well write about this some more, and today I go back to a July, 2007 trip to Eastern Oregon. My husband was born in Pendleton, Oregon, and … Continue reading →

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Posted in Eastern Oregon, Hell's Canyon, Nez Perce horses, Travel | Tagged , , | 3 Comments