Unexpectedly cold morning

Ok, so falling asleep last night to 40 degrees and waking up to 14 degrees was a bit of a shock. Wyoming weather can be so unpredictable.We got a little dusting of snow overnight, and the wind’s been blowing strongly since early yesterday.

I love the wind. In ‘Black Hare’ I had Rook mention that the wind sounded like the ocean rushing down the street, a direct quote from me. Lying in bed at night the wind roars above me and I close my eyes and imagine myself stepping off the roof of my house and into the wind. It carries me above the dark world, and I can see the planet revolve beneath me.

On the way to work this morning the wind blew skeins of snow across the roads. It looked like white smoke and moved like something alive. It was one of those moments that I wish would last forever.

Book Review of ‘The Rending and The Nest’ by Kaethe Schwehn

I have a life-long love of apocalyptic fiction, and so the description of the book is what drew me in. I didn’t get anything I was expecting – but I got a fantastic story none-the-less. We’re never told what caused The Rending, and that’s ok, because the tale is intriguing and breathtaking. Kaethe Schwehn has crafted a look at the things we carry with us, and how we deal with loss and the traumas of our past. Deep, mystical, and lingering, ‘The Rending and the Nest’ is just flat-out good reading.

 

*free copy from NetGalley*

Book review of ‘Baby Teeth’, by Zoje Stage

Excellent look at some messed-up family dynamics. You want to dislike Hannah because of her obvious problems, but when the author writes in Hanna’s voice you, disturbingly, began to feel for her, and what drives her. Hanna’s mother, Suzette, has brought her own baggage – years of benign neglect from her own mother – and how that affects the way she deals with Hannah makes for a very interesting and well-told tale. Recommended for anyone who likes a slow-burning story and creepy horror.

*free copy from NetGalley*

Sharing a little news…

I’m working on my last run-through of White Hound, and prepping (in my mind, at least) the third book in The Aspects trilogy. In addition, I’ve got an idea for a horror novel I’m teasing out, and a couple of short stories are showing themselves to me.
 
To top off the excitement, I’m planning something exciting with my ‘Wolf in the Land of the Dead’ trilogy…so stay tuned!

Home

I love the state of Wyoming. I have never felt more at home anywhere else. I love the low population, the desolate landscape, the wide-open prairie, the wildlife.

I hate the politics, the red-state mentality, the drive to keep ripping oil and gas and minerals from the earth, the reliance on fading fossil fuels, the inability of the state government to move into the 21st century.

*pictured – Sugarloaf Mountain, Snowy Range, Wyoming*

I’m still here!

Wow…it’s been awhile since I posted anything here, huh? No one to blame but myself. I’ve had a hard time getting back into writing, and I can’t pin any one reason down. I like to write, I really do…but there’s sometimes fear when I think about writing. Fear that the ideas will die, and I won’t know where to take the story next.

There’s also a self-confidence issue. Is my writing good? I like to think so. I know I can always use more practice honing my craft, getting better at creating interesting tales, but I think – no, I know – that I’m a good writer. When I read other stuff out there, some of it is so cliched and poorly crafted and illogical and just plain bad…but it gets published. It gets read. It gets reviews. And I don’t.

So does that mean I’m not a good writer? Am I arrogant? But isn’t a little arrogance necessary to put yourself out there and say, Hey! Look at me! Look at what I did!

And if no one reads your stuff, then why write? I carry a lot of stories in my head. Why put them down on paper if no one else will ever see them? I detest hypocrisy, so I’ll be honest here – I want to hear that someone read my books and liked them. That they did for someone else what my favorite authors do for me – give me something to thrill over and linger over and love. I want to hear that from someone so badly…

I blame no one else but me for not doing much writing lately. I have always been my harshest critic, my biggest obstacle, my strongest failure.

But I’m working on changing that. I really am.

So, if you’re out there, stick with me.