Yes! Kudos to my friend and local author Margaret Pinard for taking it upon herself to create a fabulous new Portland book opportunity: Jolabokaflod. After all, what could be more exciting than entering 2019 with new reading titles for dark, cold nights? Even better, what greater way to support and discover local authors than to … Continue reading Did you say Jolabokaflod?
Writing
Using what we know to imagine what might have been
This post was first published by Women Writers, Women Books at http://booksbywomen.org Weaving technical expertise into creative writing Had you asked me five years ago if I would ever write a memoir, I might have answered “maybe.” If the query had been about writing a novel? Never! My brain, schooled and journeyed through decades of … Continue reading Using what we know to imagine what might have been
Apology 2: to the Grande Ronde River
It has been almost a year since My Music Man was released by Bedazzled Ink Publishing. Being a history lover but not professing to be a historian (like Dad) made me obsessive in re-checking historical facts captured within my pages. I was pleased to reference these details - that made me feel better - and … Continue reading Apology 2: to the Grande Ronde River
The best way to thank an author
Some say the best way to thank an author is to write a review. Yep...I'm learning that to be near the top of the list. I'd be lying, though, if I didn't admit the best to be the heartfelt private email. Some notes and emails I have received from readers shared how my stories renewed memories … Continue reading The best way to thank an author
Celebrate the moments
Yesterday I finished my final final. Some may understand what I mean by this. It's not what I thought was final when I submitted my manuscript to my publisher last December, and of which I signed a contract barely a week later. Nor is it the version I completed one month later, taking those few … Continue reading Celebrate the moments
Writing about the bad
When I began writing about Dad in My Music Man, I didn’t intend to write about his alcoholism. While it was a big thing, it wasn’t the big thing when he died. Rather, I missed him, his stories, and his connections to our past. It was in my first draft of writing about him when I … Continue reading Writing about the bad
Lucky breaks
I find it difficult to believe my grandfather’s decades old, now, quote that he profited enough upon publishing The White Headed Eagle, to “buy up” house-wise from 3306 to 3846 N.W. Thurman Street in 1935 Portland. Now, this book about John McLoughlin was a good read and I do understand the difference in yesterday’s housing … Continue reading Lucky breaks
How we process loss: mourning, writing, interconnecting
Writing about the people we miss hurts. And yet, it is what we do. Whether we scratch through pages only to bury those papers deep in drawers and up high on closet shelves, or burn them to ash years later. Or tirelessly hone and recraft sentences, over and over, in efforts to publish. And, if … Continue reading How we process loss: mourning, writing, interconnecting
An apology: To geologists everywhere
Before I get on to Thanksgiving, there's something I need to say. But first, a story. It was during my first job out of graduate school when I encountered my worst boss ever. One specific incident triggered something new: a compulsive fear of printing (posting, in today's world) anything with an error. Back then, I … Continue reading An apology: To geologists everywhere
Inscriptions: Then and now
I'm learning. First lesson this week: Duo author book readings are awesome. Thanks to Joseph Haeger for partnering with me at Auntie's Bookstore in Spokane - how did they know our work would interrelate so beautifully? After Joseph read his new essay, it was as if the stars had lined up. The essay was a … Continue reading Inscriptions: Then and now
Dede's Books and blog 