A Birth Announcement

I am thrilled to announce the arrival/completion of my book, Dispatches From An Only Planet. After ten months of writing, critiquing, rewriting and editing, the first completed draft was finished at 11:58 pm, July 13, 2011. It came in at 46,044 words and weighing a hefty 172 pages.

Dispatches From an Only Planet is a collection of seven short stories and six essays, all revolving around the theme of travel. The stories feature:

A couple of uber travelers who pare down their baggage to the point that they find they can no longer carry a relationship.

A young girl who runs away from a life of diminished expectations only to discover her home during one terrifying moment on a carnival midway.

A grieving mother who magically finds she can speak every language in the world, only to realize she has to have the one conversation she's put off for a year.

The essays probe and explore questions like:

what happens when a psychic plans your route?

what is pigeon soccer, and

where do you go when you've fallen out of love in the City of Love?

Within the pages of Dispatches From an Only Planet you'll find a place where love, murder, hubris, passion and a bit of magic collide, because travel can do that to people.

So what next? I hand off the manuscript to a trusted friend or two for a complete edit. Then I pitch to agents at the Willamette Writer's conference in August, and with any luck this puppy will eventually be picked up by agents and a publishing house. If not, I may explore self-publishing options. Whatever the result, it will find it's way out into the world. In the meantime I'm going to take a well-deserved break (have been pushing this out since June 24th, working 10 hour days) and get back to work on my other project; a screenplay that will also be pitched to agents in August.

ps, unless you are an agent, I won't be sending any copies out until it is published. At that point I'll be pimping them out for everyone to buy a copy!

Paint by Numbers

48 hours: since I’d taken my last shower. In that time I had run through high grasses chasing a run away ATV, sat at a dusty rodeo and pow wow in Arlee Montana, jumped in a raging river, strummed my ukulele by a campfire, slept in a tent and drove 9 hours to Portland. I don’t think I’ve ever been dirtier.

5 chickens released at the rodeo. 60 kids chasing the chickens. If you caught one, it was yours. Bet mom loved that one.

22 years since I’d last been to a pow wow, and eaten an Indian taco. A zillion calories, but worth it!

32 years ago I dressed in cowboy duds and barrel raced. I remember like it was yesterday the time the horse I was riding decided to take a roll while I was still sitting on him. My mom ran from the stands, cleared a 10 foot fence and sprinted toward me, yelling “My saddle, my saddle!” To her credit, she spent a thousand or so hours digging worms to pay for the saddle.

20 years since I’d last lived in Missoula.

100’s of memories prompted by seeing the old dorm, climbing the M and eating where I used to work.

11 months since our dear friends moved from Portland to Missoula. Happy to report that they are thriving and doing great. Still sad they’re no longer three blocks away.

6 days till Dylan returns from a visit with her grandparents. They have a roster of activities planned including sewing lessons and road trips. I have that much time to finish the first full draft of my book. Earlier drafts have been completed but I now have a push date to get this whole puppy squeezed out.