A friend (hi, Robin!) asked my opinion on a keynote speech delivered at the Brisbane Writers Festival. Lionel Shriver spent her podium time excoriating identity politics and the chilling effect she perceives as its aim and effect for writers of fiction. In an exercise that would surely encourage her to pull out her hair, I’ll […]
Heart of the Lilikoʻi’s Cover
When I thought of an image to represent Heart of the Lilikoʻi, I imagined the west side of the Island of Hawaiʻi. Unlike the lush jungle of the Hilo side, the Kona side is dry down by the water. It’s a black rubble desert, except for the small plants, so green it hurts the eye, […]
Lysistrata Cove: First Draft Finished
I just finished a first draft in 11 days. And I’m not even exhausted! The complete first draft of Lysistrata Cove represents a change in my understanding of novel-writing. After two books that took me years to write and edit, I know now that I’m, first and foremost, telling a story, and that I work […]
Sailing Life
It’s no coincidence that my first book was about a woman who wants to sail away. I bought my first boat at 23 years old and left Seattle the next year. Starting in 1999 my life became one of traveling until I couldn’t anymore and then working until I could travel again. A few years […]
I Love Genre
I am a genre writer, when it comes right down to it. I like beats. I like pulses and plans and fulfilling the expectations I create. Whether it’s romance or SF, I like having an agreement with the reader and working within that to surprise and delight them. Fortunately, I know that doesn’t mean being […]
49 Copies of Blue Water Dreams in US and UK Libraries
I started reading young and never stopped. My dad fed me science fiction at what he considered an age-appropriate pace; I pulled random books from his shelves and got an accelerated education. My school librarians learned to introduce me to series because I read so much and so quickly that I would be a pest […]
Review: $how Trans by Elliott Deline
Show Trans: A Nonfiction Novel by Elliott DeLine My rating: 3 of 5 stars Elliott Deline’s new book, $how Trans, reads like a journal that has been edited to read like narrative. It’s a rollercoaster of a read. Deline interprets his own and others’ behaviors inconsistently – one minute flagellating himself for his desires and […]
Winning Means
Receiving possession of the female reproductive organs? Am I the only one who sees this?