World War II cast a long shadow, and my generation was born in the aftermath. Then the shadow burgeoned into a decades-long frenzy of terror of communism. The Soviet Union was the incarnation of evil, of course, and war was … Continue reading
“Don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous…” –Rumi As the year draws to a close, I reflect that it’s been, as Mark Twain put it, “One damned thing … Continue reading
It’s been an eventful year since Freya (one-eyed tortoiseshell tabby) and (Red) Sonja came to live with us, a year of Ringworm Wars, kitten endorphins, and unfolding adventures in friendship. Freya has gone from: a wee bitty thing… … Continue reading
Water Vapor Was Just Found on Europa Scientists have found evidence of plate tectonics on Jupiter’s moon Europa. This conceptual illustration of the subduction process (where one plate is forced under another) shows how a cold, brittle, outer portion of … Continue reading
For a number of years, I had the privilege of editing the anthology series, Lace and Blade. The concept was a certain flavor of elegant, romantic sword and sorcery, witty and stylized, sensual yet with plenty of swashbuckling action (think The … Continue reading
Dear Auntie Deborah: Help! My characters have gone amok and won’t follow the plot of my book! What can I do to whip them into shape? — A Frustrated Author Dear Frustrated: The short (but brutal) answer is that your characters … Continue reading
I ran away to the mountains. That’s an odd thing to hear from someone who lives “in the mountains.” But my lovely, peaceful mountains are really just forested hills. The highest point in the entire range is only 3,000 feet. … Continue reading
God of Broken Things, by Cameron Johnston (Angry Robot) One of the challenges of writing a sequel is the balance between giving the new reader all the necessary background, developing the characters well enough, and yet not boring readers who are … Continue reading
Timepiece (Book 1 of the Keeping Time Trilogy) by Heather Albano (Stillpoint Digital Press Prometheus) The concept: Jane Austen-style characters travel through time to keep Frankenstein’s monsters from saving the Battle of Waterloo and transforming Victorian London into a nightmare of … Continue reading
It is a truth universally accepted that kittens make people smile. Well, maybe not all people. But me. And you. In March 2019 I posted about our adventures in integrating two kittens into our household, and the resulting Great Ringworm … Continue reading
