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The very first blog post I ever wrote was in 1998. I don't think the word 'blog' was being bandied about quite yet, though I could be wrong. And mine was hardly more than a static site I updated regularly with new entries. I've
Chatty domicile
Here I sit at the dining table at midnight, tapping away on my little iPad keyboard. I should be working on my novel, except every few seconds I'm distracted: Something, somewhere in the house, keeps creaking and popping. I keep venturing into the dark living room, into the
The worst kind of time-traveler
All week long I've thought it is a day later than it actually is. Sunday felt like a Monday, Monday like a Tuesday, and so on. You sort of expect this kind of thing to wear off pretty quickly, but no, here it is a Wednesday and I
New year, new books
For a number of years now, I've tracked my reading on this site. Sometimes I have a grand goal; sometimes I just read whatever grabs my attention. My goal for 2022, for example, was to read mostly books by women or non-binary authors. (See how I did.) Reading
Favorite reads, 2022 edition
Every year, I track my reading habits on this web site. And every year, right about now, I take stock and consider which books meant the most to me. In 2022, I read 98 books. That's fewer than 2021, but still a nice, solid number. I've
The Edge of Sleep
Happy to share a little book announcement here! The Edge of Sleep, coming June 2023The Edge of Sleep is an adaptation of the hit horror podcast [https://qcodemedia.com/theedgeofsleep]. Jake Emanuel and Willie Block—creators of the podcast and its upcoming TV adaptation—invited me to join them in
For every novel, a font of its own
I've been a designer for nearly as long as I've been a writer, and there's little I love more than a great font. Which is why it can be painful to encounter manuscript submission guidelines that require something like 12pt double-spaced Courier or Times
Finding pleasure in the work
I wrote my very first novel just after high school. As with most first novels—particularly first novels written by someone hardly more than a teenager—it struggles mightily to be good. Oh, young me wanted so badly to be a writer. That eagerness regularly collided with my inexperience, not
The pleasure of her company
I wake Squish while it's still dark. She gets ready as the first light breaks over the horizon. By the time she's bundled up for the morning chill and ready to go, it's just light enough to see our way to the Jeep. At
A little bit out of your depth
Felicia shared this video with me recently, and I've probably rewatched now a half dozen times. I really can't get enough of listening to artists talk frankly about their work, their process, their self-doubt. Bowie's first note here is about not "playing to