Scribbles & Munch

     There have been many events in my life that have been fabulously cool.*  Getting published.  Winning over the heart of a severely abused cat.  Seeing a wild reindeer stop for a drink by an Iceland glacier.  Attending a reading by Maya Angelou.  Falling in love with a mind-bendingly wonderful person who was likewise in love with me, & wedding in the middle of a pandemic.  And now, not only attending, but also being a panelist at World Con 2025!

    My nerdy joy has been a summer sky experiencing a non-stop fireworks display ever since I found out back in April.  And yet...

    ...somehow I completely spaced on the fact that I listed this blog as my website on my profile.  And I haven't updated it. At all. In months. 

That looks like a nice rock.  I think I'll live under that one next.

    I realized this because I have been reading through the profiles of all the panelists & presenters for the last couple days, checking out their websites, some of their books, podcasts, etc.**  And then I was like, wait.  What did I list as my social media thing?  Surely, I thought, surely it was my Bluesky account, which I have been taking pains to try & use on a somewhat regular basis.  Then I checked.  And here we are.

    Well, I didn't get accepted onto five panels because of my spectacular online presence.  I got accepted because I asked.  And because I have experience at cons, & a wide variety of interests, & I tell a damn fine story. So I hope you'll come by & say hello, or ask a thought-provoking question at one my panels.  My schedule is as follows:

Wednesday: Table Talk from 4:30-5:30pm

Thursday: "How Haunting: Local Ghost Stories & Places" 6-7pm

Friday: "The History of Hanford" 6-7pm

Saturday: "Do Your Damn Job" 4:30-5:30pm

                "The Tea on Afternoon Tea" 6-7pm

Sunday: "What is a Mind, & How do you Control It?" 1:30-2:30pm

See you at the Con, my fellow bibliophiles!

*To me, at least. And given that I'm the one living my life, my opinion is really the only one that matters!

**Yes, all of them.  And I haven't read a single one where I didn't immediately think: "Oo! I hope I get to talk to that person!"

    The first in a shared world book series, "Blue Plate Special" is a dark retro fantasy written by multi-genre authors Marie Bilodeau, Mercedes M Yardley, Christine Taylor-Butler, Donna J.W.Munro, Sandra Rosner, & yours truly.  Does the cover look familiar? That's because the Dark Reflections series was inspired by the art of Jeff Lee Johnson.*

Take a meander from places labeled normal to a world that clatters, slinks, and drips. Looks aren't everything and nothing is as it seems. Along the Elizabeth River in Norfolk stands an unassuming diner where love and misery are on the menu. Come for breakfast, stay for the pie. You might never want to leave. 

    Working with these writers was truly a joy: their creativity & energy lit up the room when we got together. Inspiration flowed, inside jokes were hatched, & a great book was written. "Blue Plate Special" will be available on November 1, 2025 from Rook Creek Press. Now available for pre-order.

 How. The heck. Had I *NOT* heard of this book before!?

    This book is excellent. Excellent. So good that it gets a full post, rather than a blurb on my "What Am I Reading" page. Usually when someone hands me a fantasy or sci-fi novel & tells me it's a classic, I take that to mean it's a well-written piece of fiction that was either a first in popularizing, or considered a gold standard in terms of portraying, a beloved concept (e.g. "Ender's Game" in terms of war as a game). But this book is nothing short of literature. And that's where I've categorized it in my home library, on the shelf next to other pieces of literature.

And in case you're wondering, yes, I do re-arrange my books every time a new keeper is added to the shelves.  Because "Canticle For Leibowitz" BELONGS between "Handmaid's Tale" & "Paradise Lost."  Trust me.

    I wish I could have read this as part of a college course so I could discuss it in depth. Marvelously written. Rich symbolism. Deep reflection of the human experience, with no holds barred. And this writer obviously knew Catholicism, so it goes far, far beyond the usual tropes. In the nature of true literature, it is not tied to the era in which it was written (1960's), & does not come across as dated...

    ...except for one small detail: the lack of female characters. As a cis-gender woman I crave that perspective & when it's not there, I feel the lack of it.  It's like seeing a rainbow in the sky that's missing a color. Or a recipe that doesn't include salt. The two or three females who show up in this novel are accents only, not real characters. However, "Canticle" primarily takes place in a Catholic monastery: by definition a male space. For that reason the lack of women didn't detract from the brilliance of the novel. (Although in my perfect world, N.K. Jemisin would do some fan-fiction & grace this metaphorical crown with some diamonds.) 

    To summarize, if you are a sci-fi person & haven't read this book before, you should.  If you are a sci-fi writer & you haven't read this book before, you should!*  And I will be recommending this book to people who appreciate good literature, even if they're not sci-fi fans.

*Also if you're writing sci-fi and NOT reading the genre, knock it off, you hack!

     If you've been kind to enough to try following me on social media, you may have noticed that I'm...not.  Very social.  On social media.  I kind of suck at it, to be honest.  There's just so many things I'd rather be doing with my time (like writing, reading, cooking, & eating--which just happen to be the main topics of this blog!).  But I'm also aware that I'm missing out on opportunities to stay abreast of topics that fascinate me, people who inspire me, & cool networking.  So it's been my intention to up my game.  Or at least get more consistent on something as basic as Facebook.

    Then, Zuckerberg did his stupid.

    I've always had hesitancies around social media for personal values reasons, but I've been persuaded to overlook them in the past.  Now, however, with fact checking (what there was of it) being officially removed from Facebook, I'm done.  I'm off.  I will be keeping my page because I don't want anybody else to take my name & impersonate me, but I will neither be looking at it nor contributing to it.

    I am going onto Bluesky.  Which means now I have to stumble my ignoramus self through learning THAT platform, so don't expect a whole lot for awhile.  Really, look at this blog, & if you want to know what I'm reading check me out on Good Reads.  Some day, I will even get my website up.

    And now, because I feel like it, here is a picture of the dessert I made for Christmas:

    This was sort-of-a-personal-sized trifle. I used chocolate cake chunks leftover from when we made 150 Hour Chocolate Cake for my Mom's birthday back in the fall (we froze them for this very reason), & layered it with mascarpone cream, homemade raspberry jam, & frozen raspberries.  It was goooood.  I feel my mouth getting drooly just remembering.

     I recently returned from a trip to Iceland, & it turned out to be a fabulous, fabulous place to write.  Here are my tips for soaking up all the literary inspiration Iceland has to offer: 

1) Stay someplace comfortable, preferably in the middle of nowhere. There's a lot of that in Iceland. And plenty of scenery to go around.

This is the Hotel Jökulsarlón, about 15 minutes from a glacier lagoon.  Tell me that's not going to get your writing-wheels turning.

2) Do the thing. Break up your writing with experiences, especially things that bring your closer to what your characters encounter. 

Does your character run from lava? Feel what it's like to be in a room with just a rivulet of fresh lava!

Everyone who writes a character in the saddle needs to be in one themself.  Icelandic horses are a very good first-time riding experience.  And they are NOT ponies.

3) Educate yourself. History is full of inspiration, whether it's on a geologic or a human scale. Seeing a picture is not the same as smelling the air, or hearing how your footsteps echo in a space.

The Skógar Museum has recreated cottages & other historic structures you can enter.

The Perlan Museum has an ice cave you can traverse safely year round--so bring a good coat & a warm hat!

4) Nourish yourself. I did not expect to find so much good food in Iceland, but there was LOTS.  Everywhere had good coffee. Some of the fusion restaurants were mind-blowing!  And most astonishing, everywhere--& I mean EVERYWHERE--had perfect french fries.  

    Perfect. 

    French fries.  

Of which I have no pictures, because I was too busy eating them.

    All that to say, Iceland is an ideal writing retreat.  It's a place where elves live in the rocks, reindeer refuse to be tamed, & you can spend the whole day in your slippers drinking Swiss mochas over your laptop & nobody bats an eye.  Give yourself remarkable things to do, & your Muse will be hard-pressed to stay silent.  

     I always said that I would come back to this blog--& to the wide world of social media in general--when I reached a certain point in my writing endeavors.  Time is a precious commodity & I felt mine should be directed at improving my craft.  The Muse can be a fickle friend, so when stories gestated in mind I wanted to give them my full attention, bringing them into the world & then doing my characters justice.  That resulted in significant gaps in this blog, & my virtual absence in other social media platforms.  

    I believe I made the correct choices.  

    That was my highlight from last year. Highlights from this year are even more exciting...but I'm holding back until I have permission to say more.  Stay tuned.

    Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to a start-of-autumn jaunt eastward to LaCrosse, Wisconsin.  The plan is to hit the tail end of Oktoberfest, & then linger for some exciting activities at this writer's retreat through Creative Pathways.  And go on the ghost tour.  Definitely go on the ghost tour.

     Independent Bookstore Day marches on here in the Seattle area!  I've been spreading out the joy across my week.  On Monday evening, I went with a friend & fellow bibliophile to visit a couple eastside gems.  First, we hit up the BookTree in Kirkland--a lovely, cozy, jumbled shop run by a retired couple & their charming canine companion.  I asked for some ghost stories as comps for my own project, & Christopher (one of the owners) enthusiastically let me to the horror section to perused with me, offering a great scope of knowledge.  He also read us one of his own poems, a fabulous treat!  In the end, I took home two of his suggestions.

Usually I save my spooky stories for October, but this year I'll be starting early!

    Next we moseyed over to Brick & Mortar bookstore in Redmond.  This has been one of my staples throughout the pandemic, as they've been more than happy to order anything they didn't carry in the store.  The staff are knowledgable, nerdy, & the shop has the feel of a sprightly library (if you can imagine such a thing).  At that point, I needed to get a little somethin'-somethin' for my spouse, so I picked up a book from his list & brought it home as a surprise.

If he likes it, I'll add it to my own list...which is about 70 titles long at this point.

    That brought me halfway to my goal.  On Wednesday, I persuaded my fabulous critique group to meet up in person (we're all vaccinated!!!) at Island Books in Mercer Island.  For people who live on Mercer Island, this bookstore is a beloved institution.  It's light on the sci-fi & fantasy, but extensive in the children's section & in their graphic novels.  Hence why I picked up this great piece:

Yes, THAT George Takei!

    For some reason, I really like getting my biographies & social equity literature in graphic novel format.  I think the art pulls my brain in deeper when usually, the painful topics would make me want to retreat, so I focus & empathize on a deeper level.  Anyway, once read this will sit next to "Good Talk" by Mira Jacob, "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi, & the "March" trilogy by the late Senator John Lewis, author Andrew Aydin & the artist Nate Powell.  I love that this section of my personal library is growing.