Tales from the Raven

I made it–I’m in!  Many thanks to the awesome coaches who’ve put this contest together for us!  I can’t wait to work with these fabulous ladies over the next couple weeks!  Brenda, Cupid, Krista, Monica–you’re the best! For my friends who haven’t been waiting with their fingers in their mouth to see if I got [...]

I get asked every once in awhile why I write funny stuff.  Do I really have a brain that still chortles over chicken jokes?  Am I trying to say poop jokes are sophisticated humor?  Well, yeah, actually.  I am and they are!  But there are myriad ways I could channel my juvenile side and I’ve [...]

I’ve got questions, and I’m hoping you’ll help me out with the answers!  My ‘official’ pitch is due for the Luck ‘o the Irish pitchfest over at Writeoncon by the end of the week, so let’s do this! First the questions: Does ‘NinChicks’ sound like it will be a book about girls, or female chickens? Do [...]

This afternoon I signed the contract with Practical Homeschooling for my upcoming article ”Going Beyond the Egg: What Keeping Chickens Can Do for Your Family.”  I’m pleased because this was several firsts for me.  First time negotiating a conract’s terms rather than just signing it.  First time writing on a nonfiction subject (rather than a personal essay-style article), [...]

Most of our chickens love watermelon rinds–it’s truly their most favorite treat ever!  Super Splash, our pet silkie, somehow missed the memo.  We were sad to see him missing out, so one day we offered him a piece.  Coaxed him toward it.  And finally tried to stick his beak in it. He was gonna love [...]

It really is lovely, don’t you think?  My writing buddy and dear friend Laura gave one to each of us Cabinet members, and I for one am still laughing! It’s got a nicely aged look to it–appropriate for something that’s been plaguing writers since the dawn of time!  It’s also inscribed with different words on [...]

Guess what I found in the incubator this morning?  Mind you, this was NOT the hatching bator.  This was in an incubator that is dedicated to incubating eggs for all but the last three days before they hatch.  For those days, the sweet little egg’uns are moved out of the crowded topsy-tipsy bator and into a [...]

The roses are blooming, the bees are buzzing, and we topped out at 90 degrees today.  Sounds like a good time to curl up for a nap, right? Well, you might want to hold on to your tail!  I think we’re officialy flown past spring and are hurtling toward summer at about, oh, 90 miles an hour!  And that seems [...]

Last week I was tagged by my writing friend, Pat Esden in the latest of the blog chasers going around.  If you get the chance, check out the snippet she posted from her gothic novel, Moonhill.  I’ve read snatches of it, and it’s a lovely blend of complex family tensions and lush setting. Here’s the 7-7-7 Challenge: Flip to page [...]

Friday the thirteenth is always one of my favorite days.  It just feels like anything should be possible, you know?  Kind of like a blue moon actually taking place.  But in order for such a wondrous day to occur, there has to be a bit of quirky in the week building up to it. I [...]