6/1/10 -- After a long weekend in the wide open, spectacular spaces of Malheur Wildlife Refuge . . .. . . my mind seems a little less scattered. Nothing like the wonders of the natural world to bring life into focus.Now if I can just apply that fo...

5/28/10 -- Finished an editing project yesterday, and today I'm clearing my desk and getting back into REVENGE OF THE MUTANT UNDERWEAR. Oh, and packing for a weekend trip to Eastern Oregon for some desert time. Hiking and mountain biking are on th...

5/24/10 -- Editing today, and repeating the mantra: Show, don't tell. Show, don't tell. Show, don't tell.

5/22/10 -- "I like to hear and smell the countryside, the land my characters inhabit. I don't want these characters to step off the page. I want them to step out of the landscape." -- Author Peter Matthieson, as quoted in today's The Writer's Alma...

5/20/10 -- Today I was at Iroquois Community School in Des Plaines, IL for their Young Author's Conference. It is a K-8 school, which is unusual these days. (Most I visit are K-5 for elementary, 6-8 for middle schools.) Great kids, and super suppo...

5/18/10 -- 30 years ago today (5/18/80) Mt. St. Helens erupted, and is still a hot number. 36 years ago today (5/18/74) Debbie and I got married. We're still a hot number, too!

5/17/10 -- Back in Oregon, until Wednesday morning when I head for Des Plaines, IL and my last author visit of the 2009-2010 school year. There is already much in the works for next year, though. The calendar is filling up fast! Let me know asap i...

5/14/10 -- I had a great day with the kids at Maloney Interdistrict Magnet school in Waterbury, Ct. Many thanks to Sue Wiehn for inviting me!

5/13/10 -- Up early and waiting at the Portland airport for a flight to Chicago, then on to Connecticut. School visit tomorrow in Waterbury. But first, writing work to do on the plane. Actually, first I've got to wake up . . .

5/11/10 -- Skyped with @ 100 first and second graders at Neff Elementary School in Lancaster, PA today. Host librarian Janet Anderson did a great job with the technology end of things. Kids were fantastic, and had well thought-out questions. Spent...

5/10/10 -- Three weekends in a row I've had the good fortune to be out in the mountains. This last time was a special treat -- Debbie got to go, too! We snowshoed into a cabin just below timberline on the northeast side of Mt Hood. Originally a ra...

5/5/10 -- Last weekend I completed a "Life List" goal. In the company of good friends I skied around the rim of Crater Lake.With a circumference of 33 miles, it took the better part of three days. Despite the calendar reading "May" there was still...

4/30/10 -- A few more editing details needed to be taken care of on STORM MOUNTAIN. Now it really is headed to the printer. Spent the rest of the day packing for a 3-day ski around the rim of Crater Lake. Weather forecast looks pretty good. Views ...

4/29/10 -- Back in Oregon after a fun visit with the kids at Cranbury Elementary in Norwalk, CT. Many thanks to my host, Enrichment Coordinator Laura Dufort. An added bonus to the trip was a great view of the New York City skyline as I flew out of...

4/27/10 -- A big weekend for me in the Oregon Cascades: Skiing powder Saturday on Mt. Hood. (That's me on the right, with my buddy Gary, a third grade teacher. Photo credit: Ethan Wilson, ER doc extraordinary.) We planned to climb that night, but ...

4/23/10 -- Just finished the final edits of the master proofs for STORM MOUNTAIN. To celebrate I'm going to go play on Mt Hood, Oregon's tallest peak. The original plan was to begin the climb at 2:00 AM tonight (typical alpine start time), but the...

4/21/10 -- Went climbing yesterday at the Oregon State University indoor gym. A friend of mine, who will remain nameless, ushered me over to a route I hadn't done before and assured me it was "easy, you'll love it!" Little did I know that he had t...

4/19/10 -- Back in Corvallis and at work on the master proofs of STORM MOUNTAIN. This is my last chance to make any changes before the book trundles off to press. So I'm going over it with a fine-toothed comb. I'll read it aloud, too, as this alwa...

4/16/10 -- Packing to head home to Oregon, my head is a whirlwind of New York images both minute and magnificent: plum blossoms petals on the sidewalk in Central Park, the Empire State Building looming over 5th Avenue, a Hasidic Jew's earlocks tuc...

4/15/10 -- Today was a Big Apple day, capped by lunch with publishing standouts John, Mary, Julie, Kathleen, and Olivia. Last look at the proofs for STORM MOUNTAIN, too. Julie Amper has done a great job of editing and offering much-needed perspect...