4/7/08 -- I'm back from the writer's gathering. You know you're with a group of committed wordsmiths when you can have a three hour discussion about the use of flashbacks in a story and everyone thinks it's intensely interesting. Most people would...

3/18/08 -- Today is Debbie and my Month-a-versary, celebrating 33 years and 10 months of marriage. Boy, did I luck out with her for a partner. She's a keeper!On the writing front, I'm working on the 18th draft of STORM MOUNTAIN. So far, so good. H...

3/14/08 -- Finished the latest draft of STORM MOUNTAIN yesterday. I'm going to take today off from writing and paint my new office. With both of our girls out on their own now, I'm moving out of the tiny room in the back of our house that I've bee...

3/5/08 -- Feeling much better now. As has often been said: Nothing like getting sick to make you appreciate good health. Ah! I'm brimming with appreciation. Received a photo from my recent trip to Sinton, Texas. The three students from Smith Junio...

3/1/08 -- Five days of the flu, fever, cough, foggy brain. Yuck! Enough said. Back to bed.

2/25/08 -- Last week I was in Sinton, Texas (a small town in the southeast part of the state) where one of the librarians, Sally Hart, showed me a version of a writer's notebook she'd come up with. It's like the one I carry around in my pocket, ex...

2/12/08 -- Wow! From the emails I've been receiving it's clear there is a lot of strong feeling out there about standardized testing and its impact on kids and teachers. Next to none of it is positive. Many teachers feel put-upon and pressured. Ki...

2/6/08 -- I'm back from a fun week of speaking in schools. Got to meet hundreds of great kids, and staff after staff filled with dedicated and hardworking educators.I couldn't help but notice, however, the high stress levels among kids and teacher...

1/23/08 -- Got another dose of real-life research for STORM MOUNTAIN on Saturday. Granular snow was blowing so hard in the high country it stung like needles. Had to really batten down the parka hatches to keep my face from going numb. Nature in a...

1/16/08 -- I'm now done with the crevasse scenes of STORM MOUNTAIN. Wrapping that part of the book up this afternoon, I realized that I've vicariously spent a lot of time inside the glacier with my characters, and have actually grown very fond of ...

1/9/08 -- Here in Oregon the snow is piling high in the Cascades, and the powder skiing is fantastic. But I'm resisting temptation (in the form of numerous invites) to play hooky. Gotta keep my nose to the writing grindstone. It's paying off. Good...

1/3/08 -- Lots of people roll their eyes at New Year's resolutions, but I'm not one of them. I find the process of reviewing last year and making commitments to the coming year very helpful. For me it's not just a matter of giving up some bad habi...

12/18/07 -- Busy time here at my house, and it will be getting busier. Still, I'm getting in my writing time, and will continue to do so, even after the girls arrive on 12/21. Sure, I'll take family time off. We'll go skiing on 12/24, a tradition ...

12/8/07 -- I've just returned from an unexpected trip to South Carolina to visit my 86-year-old mother in the hospital. It was a difficult week in many ways, dealing with the realities of the hospital environment, then transferring her to a rehab ...

11/28/07 -- Good writing today. I'm still standing at the keyboard to work. Looks like this may become permanent. On second thought, "permanent" is probably not the right word. Makes it sounds as if I'll be standing there in front of my desk forev...

11/25/07 -- Done with school visits for 2007, I've turned my full attention back to STORM MOUNTAIN. This past Monday, after a particularly long day of writing, I got up from my desk feeling very sore, especially in my hips, which have been botheri...

11/10/07 -- It's Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma, and I'm halfway through a two-week stint of school visits here. Wonderful experience so far -- fun kids, dedicated teachers and librarians. To top it off, I've been getting lots of ideas to jot down i...

10/31/07 -- I'm involved in a research project this evening, on which type of goodie is the most popular among Halloween trick-or-treaters. So far anything chocolate is the clear leader. I, of course, have sampled all that I'm offering, twice. No,...

10/29/07 -- More great school visits last week -- this time in La Grande, Oregon. Fantastic kids and educators all around. Anyone who says there are no good things happening in schools today has their head in the sand. I drove instead of my usual ...

10/18/07 -- I'm home from the wonderful Florida Association of Media Educators (FAME) conference in Orlando. (Thanks for the great hosting, Cecelia!) Being on the road so much recently (Bangladesh, Kentucky, Portland, Florida), my writing times ha...