10/2/09 -- Today marks the end of a week at home, which has been extremely busy, but productive. I made some good progress on REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR. And am filling my calendar with school visits. Some sad news came my way, too, though: M...

9/28/09 -- Nothing like a well-rounded weekend: Ran a 5K race with Kelsey, rock climbed with Amy and her boyfriend Alex, got to spend lots of great catch-up time with Debbie, AND was able to do some more work on REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR.

9/26/09 -- Went to t he orthopedist and found out I'm going to have to have surgery on my right shoulder (rotator cuff). I'll go under the knife October 26, the week after I return from author visits in Missouri. Best case scenario: 6 weeks of rec...

9/24/09 --Back in Oregon, I've got nine days to reconnect with family and friends, then it's off to Missouri for two more weeks of author visits. In the meantime, I'm trying to get as much writing done as possible, even over the upcoming weekend. ...

9/20/09 -- I'm still in Grand Island, Nebraska, with the weekend off before two more days of school visits. Early this morning I went for an 8-mile run on a nearby bike path. Very few people were out and about. The rhythm of my feet on the pavemen...

9/14/19 -- Lots of video footage shot on Mt. Hood this past weekend. Now I'm attempting to edit it into a coherent book trailer for STORM MOUNTAIN. As with much of life, it's more complicated than I'd imagined. And I'm already wishing I had more s...

9/13/09 -- I'm off to Grand Island, Nebraska for seven days of author visits -- my first of the 2009-2010 school year -- and looking forward to meeting lots of young writers from the cornhusker state. REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR is going along...

9/8/09 -- Just back from a wonderful Labor Day weekend of rock climbing with family at Smith Rock State Park in the central Oregon desert.Climbing is one of my favorite sports. I love the physical nature of it, and the intimate connection with the...

9/4/09 -- I just heard from a former student who was in my 4-5th grade class in Lincoln City, Oregon way back in the early 1980s. Seems she was recently at her 20th high school reunion and ran into other students from that same class. Later, she w...

9/1/09 -- Ah, the first of September. For those of you not already back at school, it won't be long! Here in Corvallis, Oregon classes begin on the Wednesday after Labor Day, September 9th. Back east in South Carolina, my brother-in-law, Robert, h...

8/28/09 -- You know that fine feeling at the end of the week when you've accomplished a lot and can revel in satisfaction at your productivity? Yeah, me neither. Just kidding. Although it did take me several false starts to get going most days, I ...

8/26/09 -- Normally I write standing up. (Keeps me awake, in addition to -- oddly -- being less tiresome.) Today, however, I had the urge to sit down all afternoon, and so did just that. (One of the nice things about being self employed; I can sit...

8/24/09 -- Home again, home again, jiggity jig. Feels good to be back at my desk. (Well, once I found it under the piles of mail, and notes, and lists of things to do.) But now all is cleared and I'm ready to roll full tilt on REVENGE OF THE MUTAN...

8/17/09 -- After a fun drive across Eastern Oregon, we spent three days in Yellowstone National Park, which included a close encounter with bison, a hike along the rim of the spectacular Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and of course Old Faithful....

8/5/09 -- Back home in Oregon, enjoying the familiarity of my office and desk. At least for a little while. We leave again on Saturday, August 8, this time for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. (More on that later.) In the mean...

7/30/09 -- Lounging on the front porch with family and friends in KY. Many great stories told, and with that special Southern flair. I had my notebook out many times, and even got a bit of video with priceless antics. Which will no doubt show up i...

7/27/09 -- Our family reunion at Folly Beach, South Carolina is over. A good time was had by all, despite a few jelly fish stings and a virus that crept up on 3 of the 16 in attendance. Writing time was difficult to carve out on some days. At best...

7/22/09 -- After a wonderful week teaching at the Oregon Coast Children's Book Writer's Workshop (see link in 7/10 entry below), I'm now on the opposite coast in Folly Beach, South Carolina at a Birdseye reunion. Lots of great time with family, in...

7/10/09 -- I'm headed off tomorrow to teach at a weeklong shindig in Oceanside, OR called the Oregon Coast Children's Book Writer's Workshop. It's organized by author David Greenberg, who in addition to being a great guy and a great writer, is als...

7/3/09 -- Working hard today to get as much done as possible on REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR. This in preparation for taking the weekend off for July 4 festivities, which include a canoe trip on the Willamette River with family and friends, fol...