Taking a break from The Storms of Denali book tour, Chris Olsen and I hiked to the top of Mt. Washington, encountering high winds and gray clouds. It was very satisfying to reach the top. Later, I gave a slide …
Climbing Mt. Washington during The Storms of Denali Book Tour Read More »
McCall Public Library was a great venue for my first reading in Idaho. The weather was sunny and warm outside, with jet skis zipping over Lake McCall, a sparkling sapphire of a lake in northern Idaho. With all the the …
The Storms of Denali Book Tour: The Ethics of Climbing and Parenthood Read More »
Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane is the central hub of the city’s reading and writing community. A thriving independent book store, Auntie’s invited me to read on Aug. 9. My fabulous publicist Andrea Dunlop helped me get coverage in two of …
I’m always nervous before an interview. I like to arrive at least a half hour early, just to make sure I wouldn’t be late. As I entered the Spokane Public Radio KPBX studio, host Verne Windham shook hands with me, …
“For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.”
Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before; like the larks in this country, that have been singing the same five notes for thousands of years.
First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!
Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It’s the one and only thing you have to offer.
Barbara Kingsolver
Writing a novel is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay. I'm always irritated by people who imply that writing fiction is an escape from reality. It is a plunge into reality and it's very shocking to the system.
