Tales from the Raven

We’re home, but still deciding how we feel about that.  For the most part I’m thrilled.  It was a fantastic adventure and wonderful visit to see family, but if it had gone on much longer I would have melted into a puddle of sludge.
Bloody sludge.
I swear we signed up for the non-violent vacation, but before [...]

We love to hate our dentists, but I for one am really glad they’re there and can make tooth problems go away.  Of course, asking that the problem go away may be a tad too open-ended…today at the pioneer heritage village (circa 1860’s) on the wall in the blacksmith shop was a sign offering tooth [...]

Tomorrow, bright and early, we roll out the door and begin the first marathon day of our cross-country trip.  I’ve said no to the over-ripe bannanas which thought they should be made into muffins before we leave.  I told the turkeys and chickens no when they begged to have free range of the pasture while we’re gone.  [...]

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 [...]

With the umpteenth re-write of 13 Demon Days coming along, I’m once again updating my agent list.  And I’ve found the perfect way to keep myself energized while I search.
 
Listen to lots of Buffy music!
Now, I could go into the subconscious reasons as to why music to slay by is also great for agent hunting…but [...]

This is what happens when you make bread without paying close attention:
 
It may look like some kind of delicious bundt cake with a scrumptious icing (maybe if your prescription glasses need updating?) but it’s actually a loaf of bread that has at least one, perhaps two extra cups of flour.  When I was halfway through the [...]

I know everyone else is posting pics of the snow, but I’ve been too busy dealing with the after effects of our basement flood from almost a week ago.
Here’s the laundry, or most of it:
 
And here are the books that now reside on our kitchen table.  They wave their pages gently in the breeze, and [...]

Otherwise known as ‘the clippings on the cutting room floor after The Popcorn Potion has been through yet another round of edits.’
Today’s outtake comes from the first couple of pages, and represents a fairly dramatic redirection of my opener.  Some of you may recognize a reference or two, and make the logical leap as to [...]

Tonight I was at our locel grocery store, picking up the all important cranberry juice*, when I heard a child’s voice pipe up from nearby.
“Mom, where are you?”
My own kids were safe at home, but once a mom, always a mom.  My nurturing instincts kicked in and I looked around, expecting to find a tear-streaked or [...]

A: My blog sat on your blog.
Or, so I suspect it will say.  And how do I know Wednesday and Saturday will be in this unique conversation?  Simple.  I’ve decided that it’s time to put the blog on a diet schedule so that it can stop this feast or famine cycle going on.  Perhaps my dear, [...]