NAVY BOOT CAMP – NOT AT HOME ON THE RANGE
NOT AT HOME ON THE RANGE or WHY I (HAPPILY) DIDN'T QUALIFY FOR A MARKSMANSHIP RIBBON Amidst the daily drudge of PT (Physical Training), marching on “the Grinder,” learning to tie knots, and basically scrubbing and polishing anything that held still long enough, there were few...
Book Maze Author Appearance
SCIENCE FICTION DAY @ BOOK MAZE I just participated in another author appearance/book signing event. This one took place in Mesa, AZ, at an awesome book and gaming store called Book Maze. Thank you, Book Maze! Book Maze is more than a book store! Book Maze not only...
Navy Mess: Chicken Salad Sunday
There is a particular day in boot camp that stands out for me, and not in a good way: Chicken Salad Sunday.* I arrived at US Naval Training Center Orlando for Boot Camp in June of 1977. Florida was hot and muggy, very buggy, and a...
AZ State Library Writer in Residence 2023
Writer in Residence 2023 - A Grand Start I am a few weeks into my stint as a 2023 Arizona State Library Writer in Residence at the Chandler, AZ Library. Things are going great. I have taught a couple of writing workshops and consulted with about...
Whirlwind of Book Events
Book Events and Author Appearances are standard for me. This year has already been a whirlwind of book events. From the Kyrene Young Writers Conference, to Read Across America Day, Tucson Festival of Books, Renaissance Festival, Mesa Book Crawl, and the LA Times Festival of Books,...
Abandon Ship Drill or…
Around and Around and Around She Goes… In 1980, I was assigned to serve aboard the USS Jason. This was the first time in US Naval history that women would officially be part of a ship’s crew. Women were not allowed to serve on combatant vessels....
Taking a Mini-Writing Retreat
Why a Mini-Writing Retreat? Sometimes you just need a break. The word retreat is defined by Merriam-Webster as the “act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable.” And one way Dictionary.com defines retreat as "the act of withdrawing, as into safety or...