Words are magic.
The year 2020 was a rough one for nearly everyone (Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk excluded, perhaps). In my own life, I lost a relative (my mom’s cousin) to COVID and my Minneapolis neighborhood became defined by police clashes and […]
Today, I’m kicking off a very special week. Since Friday marks the anniversary of my pup coming to America (we met while I was working in Panama), I’m celebrating the week with fun facts, photos, and even a couple of […]
Ten years ago, on October 23rd, a scrawny, black and tan dog boarded a plane in San José, Costa Rica and landed in Dallas, Texas. That’s the simple version of a much longer story involving my (now senior) dog, Dobby. […]
You open a blank document and stare at the cursor in the upper left-hand corner. Blinking. Blinking. Asking what you want to write. Daring you to plunk out a few words on your keyboard. This blankness—the beginning of your story, […]
In this time of coronavirus-driven isolation and fear, many of us are lucky if we change out of the sweatpants we fell asleep in. We cope as best we can, pretending like everything is normal as we huddle inside, grocery […]
When I began writing my middle grade novel, You Can Survive, I had no idea how relevant the main message would be. In the book, 13-year-old Carmen is acutely aware of all the injustices and “tiny apocalypses” (her phrase, not […]
2019 started with the best laid plans. I was going to concentrate on book coaching, blog about survival tips, do a little ghost writing, and finish (and polish) my middle grade manuscript before sending out query letters to agents. 2019 […]
DISCLAIMER: I do not intend this post to be any sort of medical advice. Do NOT pick and use wild plants unless you have verified their safety with a reliable source. Recently, a friend expressed his skepticism about herbal […]
Many people helped bring this month’s post to life. A special thank you to Kelley Haldeman, foraging guide extraordinaire, and to Nissa Peterson, who connected us. Thank you to Eric, for accompanying me in the woods, taking pictures, and keeping […]
This month, I learned how to make a few different types of fire catchers. If you’ve been following my blog recently, you know I’m attempting to learn a different survival skill each month (for research purposes and because it’s just […]