Tales from the Raven

In the spirit of all writers who are waiting to hear back from agents, I’ve been obsessing over 13 Demon Days.  Specifically, over the first few pages.  I’m confident that if I can just pull the reader in, they’ll like the story.  They’ll laugh, take a couple hits to the heart for the team, and walk [...]

Where would summer be without a sizzling grill, time splashing in a pool, and . . .
Rainbow Toe Decor!

We have here (because I know you’re just dying to know) Jolted Jade, Red Glamour, and Deep Blue Sea.  Oh, and a bit of honestly obtained dirt, just to keep it real.
Painting my daughter and my nails brought back fond memories [...]

We’ve had a spat of trouble with our computers lately.  Nothing we can’t deal with . . . eventually.  I know nothing is built to last forever, but it seems to me that computers are one of those devices which ought to come with a warning:
Your computer will self-destruct in five,
four,
three,
two,
dzzzzzz….
And it’s dead.  Maybe I’m just [...]

On Sunday evening I was driving to a friend’s house, listening to the thunder and feeling grateful the rain hadn’t hit yet.  Then lightning split the sky–just in front of me and off the road.  It was one of those straight up and down streaks and the tail disappeared in the trees.  I’m a pretty [...]

We’ve had a great spring for wildlife.  Here’s a pic of our recently flown Eastern Phoebe chicks while still in the nest.
 
Their nest is on a light in the barn–the same space we spent weeks modifying this spring.  These guys put up with hammering, measuring, and even an air compressor.  That’s loud!
I think this fledgling is [...]

I haven’t posted much of late, and it’s easy for that to be a self-perpetuating cycle.  It goes something like this:  “I need to post, but since I haven’t posted, a quick post won’t do.  I need to post something really funny/insightful/momentous/amazing, to make it up to my blog readers that I haven’t been posting.  [...]

As my friends, family and Facebook buddies already know, I’ve been in Utah for the last week for the funeral of my brother and his bride of almost three years.  This blog isn’t about exposing my most private and tearful moments, so I won’t go into details.  I will just touch on a few thoughts [...]

Today I swapped my daughter’s black Sunday shoes for white sandals and we checked on the status of everyone’s swimwear.  The garden is in, the trees are leafed out, and summer’s just around the corner.

I’m excited to dig in to the summer projects we have planned–but rushing to finish up the spring list.  Of highest [...]

You know what they say about out of the ashes, new life is formed?  Well, sometimes it’s after liberal use of the delete key.
Last week I sent the new and improved first chapter of 13 Demon Days to my readers, and waited for feedback.   I was a little nervous because I’ve never been as happy [...]

All day today I wanted to play an April Fool’s Day joke on someone, but never managed to.  First I was busy with writing, then I could only think of mean ones.  Sad, I know.
But at last my wish was granted.  As I drove back from picking up some research books at the Duke library, I [...]