A year ago, I was preparing to leave on an adventure - two months working in central Europe. I've been thinking about that a lot, because this month I'm preparing for another adventure - only this time I'll be traveling to a new version of myself, as a teacher and writer. Guess which journey is scarier? … Continue reading Panic attack
writing
Here’s a good poet. Seriously.
I am not big on contemporary poetry - here's an exception. It mentions animal sweatshirts, but it is not, like many contemporary poems, an ode to the adorable-ness of a cat, nor does it invite us to know waaay too much about the poet's inner angst, like many other contemporary poems. Instead, it's funny. It … Continue reading Here’s a good poet. Seriously.
While I was indoors…
While I was inside a hotel conference center for four days trying to find a home for the novel, some other important stuff was going on in the world. Those days saw some of the most beautiful summer weather the Seattle area has seen since, well, it feels like since the last century. Early August … Continue reading While I was indoors…
First Novel, Seeking Good Home
Ninety-one thousand words. Three years, six months, fourteen days in the writing (so far). A story that spans thirty years, two continents, three generations, and at least four planets. Two friends who learn what can happen when you decide to trust one another, and of course, follow your dog. It's time for this novel to … Continue reading First Novel, Seeking Good Home
Would you read this?
"Would you want to read this book?" On August 6 that's the question I'll be asking as I meet literary agents and publishers at the Pacific Northwest Writers' Association conference. It doesn't matter to me if they are only being polite when they say "send it to me," as long as they say it. Time … Continue reading Would you read this?
The Book, Chapter Two: Disclosure
Believe it or not, The Book is nearly done...I'm about to send the manuscript to a professional editor to help make sure it's really truly ready. (Of course when I get my 'editorial letter' back in about a month, I could find out that it's not nearly done...but let's not think about that now, shall … Continue reading The Book, Chapter Two: Disclosure
Love your library
On April 9, 1883, the first publicly-funded library in the U.S. opened in Peterborough, New Hampshire. There may be no single institution more necessary to the free exchange of ideas than the public library - the place where those ideas are housed and made available to anyone with a library card. In the last ten … Continue reading Love your library
Recalibrating
Just finished a "short" story I started writing last fall. It's a lot different than my usual writing voice, a bit on the dark side, and one of the longer stories I've written. Here's a short excerpt that seems to resonate with current world events. My editor friend suggests, quite gently, that there is no point … Continue reading Recalibrating
On the Mountaintop
The second of two stories I submitted to the Richard Hugo House winter new works contest is posted here. She lay there on the mountaintop, staring at the stars. Okay, it wasn’t exactly a mountaintop. It was a pretty big hill, though; one covered in scrub and stones, and she had climbed to the top … Continue reading On the Mountaintop
The Archive Project
There's a new excerpt from the novel - click on The Book page to read the whole thing. This is how the excerpt starts; it is the beginning of the novel; or so it seems... Chapter One: The Archive Project The night everything changed for Louise Armstrong Holliday, her mind was filled with one thought: This … Continue reading The Archive Project
Elizabeth Fountain, Author 