And the gold goes to...

Hey everyone, happy to announce that my wee little children's book won a gold medal in this year's Florida Authors and Publishers Association Book Awards. Whoa, I've never won a gold medal in anything before! But better late than never, right? Meanwhile, check me out over at the Ambivalent Part-Time Expat (also an award winner!) where I do all my blogging these days. 

Essay publication: "To the guy who saved us from sleeping in our car"

Oh, it was so sweet to finally write this essay about the time I was with my ex-husband and our car got stuck in the snow in Winthrop, Washington and Leonard saved our sorry asses.

 (Leonard, whose last name I never learned, I hope you read this although I know you won't!)

And yes, he is my ex, despite the "happy" ending of the essay.

Anyway, it was a pleasure writing for Off Assignment, because their editor really helped me to streamline this essay and punch it up. I'm proud to see it online in such a high-quality publication.

Essay publication! "My Mother-In-Law Was Like a Second Mom, and Then I Got Divorced."

Image by  Sammiches  & PsychMeds

Thanks to Sammiches & PsychMeds for publishing my essay My Mother-In-Law Was Like a Second Mom, and Then I Got Divorced.

I wrote that essay about a year ago, when the wounds of my divorce were even fresher. I tried to get it published a few places, but when I didn't, I posted it here on my blog for Mother's Day last year.

When 2019 rolled around and I realized I hadn't PUBLISHED A SINGLE THING in 2018, I told myself I needed to try a little harder . I spend a lot of time writing and most of my stuff never sees the light of day (at least now that I'm not a prolific blogger like I used to be back in the good old Breakup Babe days).

So I tried again to publish this essay, using the likes of Duotrope to help me find markets (a tool I hadn't used before, but which I now highly recommend). At first Sammiches & PsychMeds rejected me, but they did say they liked the idea and if I expanded the essay, they might consider publishing it. 

This made me despair. I mean, it was a compliment, of course. They liked the idea! But it is so hard to go back and edit stuff  that you have already slaved over and "finished" to your own satisfaction. 

But it being a brand new year, I had a little extra energy and drive, and even though the revision process was not pleasant, I went and I did it. And you know what? I think they were right, the essay is better for the stuff I added to it. 

Their editors made me think harder about how losing my mother-in-law has affected my life. There was a lot of crying during this rewrite, which surprised me, because I thought my wounds were healing up. But they are still plenty raw. 

Which makes for the best writing, right? As various famous writers have said, the best writing happens when you bleed onto the page. 

So thanks again to Sammiches and PsychMeds for encouraging me to bleed a little bit more. 

A fresh ground story, coming right up

In June of this year, I achieved a big goal of mine, which was to speak at a live storytelling event. The event I spoke at was Fresh Ground Stories, a once-monthly get-together that happens at a coffeehouse in Seattle. It's very popular! The place was packed, and the audience very supportive.  The theme for this evening was "Under the illusion." I was thrilled that I got a chance to get up there and tell my story. You all know I love me some spotlight. You can listen to it here.

Am I too old for him?

I recently published an essay in The Globe and Mail - whoohoo! It' s about dating someone much younger than me, and the insecurities (and occasional mean looks) that go along with it.

How Breakup Babe become Married Babe became Breakup Babe (again)

Photo by Sara Tro

Hear ye, hear ye, I have achieved my life’s dream of being middle-aged and divorced!

But what does this mean, exactly? Especially for someone who was once Breakup Babe, wearer of slinky clothes, owner of a karaoke machine, writer of a salacious blog-turned-novel, failed but enthusiastic pursuer of innumerable commitment-shy men?

• Does she go back to being Breakup Babe (only a slightly more wrinkly, beaten-down version), chasing men across continents?
• Does finally publish another book, the sequel to BreakupBabe: A Novel that all three of you have been waiting for?
• Or does she curl up and die from loneliness and boredom just like Breakup Babe was always threatening to do?

How Breakup Babe  became Married Babe

For BB, being alone equaled loneliness, and loneliness led to lots of other unpleasant emotions that she tried to blot out with compulsive dating and blogging about dating. What she learned that was you don’t make good choices in relationships when you’re terrified of being alone.

Photo by Sara Tro

(She also learned that when you’re in the throes of loneliness, you do write entertaining prose).

One day, however, BB finally met someone who was not commitment-shy. They fell in love, got married, adopted some pugs, had lots of adventures, and applied to adopt a kid.

Things were looking up for Married Babe (formerly BreakupBabe), who not only had a husband now, and a possible future kid, but a whole new set of relatives to love.

Why, she might never have to be lonely again!

True happiness comes from inside (duh)

MB knew (at least, in theory) that no one else can make you happy. That true happiness comes from INSIDE. From doing things that make you feel good and help others.

For her, this meant writing fiction, climbing mountains, traveling to exotic locales, and reading stories to kindergarteners. Plus lots of other stuff. All of which she did in abundance.

So she wondered, after a couple years of marriage, why she didn’t feel happier. Because, not only did she have a life partner now, she was doing all these things she loved.

So what was missing?

Two can be as lonely as one

Eventually she realized it was because she was lonely in her marriage.  First a little, then a lot.

(NOTE: THAT SENTENCE IS A HIGHLY ABRIDGED AND SANITZED VERSION OF A VERY COMPLEX SITUATION THAT I'M ONLY JUST FIGURING OUT HOW TO WRITE ABOUT. APOLOGIES FOR LEAVING OUT ALL THE JUICIEST DETAILS.)

Early on, the loneliness would come and go. Because, even with the lonely times, there were still so many good times. There were the pugs and the garden. Playing guitars in the living room and cuddling in front of Netflix. Sunday night dinners with the mother-in-law who was like a second mom.

And last but not least, the application to adopt and the dream of being parents that was in process.

But then the lonely times got longer and the good times got shorter. The fights got worse. Attempts at counseling fell apart.

Yet they kept on keeping on, like you do when you can't envision another future.

Until finally the application to adopt got rejected.

The Great Mexican Escape

Another turning point quickly followed. In April, 2016, MB went away for a few months to study Spanish in Mexico.

She thought she might feel even lonelier there. And she did, at first, but then slowly she felt better and better.

There was a strange feeling growing inside her and at first she wasn’t sure what it was. Finally she realized: it was happiness.

She was happier being away from her husband than being with him.  It took three months of feeling light and unburdened in Mexico to make her really face this fact. To make her realize just how weighed down she'd been by the struggle to keep her marriage alive.

Because she loved her husband, there was no doubt about it. Loneliness, doubts, and all.

But after all the space and sunlight (and fighting with her husband from afar), she realized just couldn't struggle for her marriage anymore.

The end and the beginning

So she stopped struggling. Went back to Seattle and asked for a divorce.

Then she quickly turned around and went right back to Mexico, which welcomed her with open arms. And there she lived through the most bittersweet six months of her life until the divorce became final on May 22, 2017.

As for what's next, your guess is as good as mine. But as the sign at left says, "When nothing is certain, everything is possible."

Which about sums it up for now.

BreakupBabe: The Divorce Years

Well darlings, it has been an eventful year. And that doesn't even begin to describe it.

For one thing, I'm getting divorced. Which means we've fast-forwarded to...that's right, BreakupBabe: The Divorce Years! Soon to be followed by BreakupBabe: The Nursing Home Years! Oh wait, I take that back. No one in my family lives long enough to put in a nursing home. But ANYWAY.




You know what this means, right? It means that another juicy, tell-all memoirish book will be forthcoming in the near future. I have so much to tell you all!

Meanwhile, after centuries of writing and revising, I'm actually about to start flogging my middle-grade book about nerdy Sam and his embarrassingly exuberant pal Cedric, aka Little Lord Fauntleroy

So wish the two of them luck because they really need it. Although IMHO, Cedric is just as charming as he was way back when he was the Harry Potter of his day, even if he does talk a little funny.

But back to me. I can also tell you that in the wake of my divorce I've fled it to Mexico like so many brokenhearted, confused, and criminally accused before me. Though I might never get back, because of the effing WALL, I'm pleased to report that the sunny climate and tranquilo lifestyle of Puebla is agreeing with me even though I miss my dogs (a lot), my friends (a lot), and the rain (a little).

At least there's my new Mexican boyfriend Coco to comfort me. He's only five months old but the age difference means nothing to us.

Coco

Also, I've started writing regularly again, which is something that didn't happen much in the turmoil of the last six months. I've come out, at least, temporarily, on the other side of that turmoil.

Although if I know anything about grief, I know that it's a long process losing someone and this will be haunting me for a long time.

That is, of course, until I excise it by writing the juicy tell-all memoirish book, which I've already started on with the help of cervezas and sunshine, and the luxury of distance.

Seeing dead people and killing your darlings

Revising my first kidlit novel (WHICH HAS TAKEN ME 1/8TH OF MY LIFE TO WRITE) is really hurting my brain. I'm trying to slash the manuscript from 70,000 words to 40,000 (to meet the recommended wordcount for middle grade fiction) and oh, is it painful. I'm having to kill many of my "darlings" as they saying goes.

So inspiration is most welcome these days and here's where I'm finding it.

courtesy of Whitely Center

The Whitely Center. I'd heard other Seattle writers talk about this retreat on San Juan Island for years before I finally applied (and realized how easy it was to apply). Now I've been twice in two months and I get loads of work done there. The value you get for the relatively low price is amazing. Your own beautiful college in a little grove of trees overlooking the water. Your own study in a soaring, glass-walled study center even closer to the water. It's a place of solitude and beauty, and I highly recommend it.
 



courtesy of San Juan Islands Sculpture Park

San Juan Islands Sculpture Park. I don't get out much when I'm at the Whitely Center even though it's in the scenic San Juan Islands. (Writer Lyanda Haupt calls Whitely her "beautiful writer's prison".) Partly because I haven't been there in the summer yet but mostly because I'm working my a*ss off when I'm there. But I do try to get some fresh air and this last weekend when I was there I visited an old favorite place: the San Juan Islands Sculpture Garden. It was just as awesome as I remembered, with great poetry by David Jenkins to go along with the beautiful and varied sculpture.

Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell. This book was recommended to me just this morning by my great kidlit writing teacher Anastasia Suen. I told her the midpoint of my novel was sucking and voila, she told about this book and I've already devoured it. (It's short). It gave me a new way to envision the midpoint, an "internal moment" where the hero looks in the figurative mirror and reflects on where they're going and what they need to do. Expect a brilliant midpoint to be forthcoming from yours truly soon.

Save the Cat and The Third Act: Writing a Great Ending to Your Screenplay are two other books about story structure Anastasia introduced me to that have been super helpful to me. Even though they're both about screenplays, they apply equally well to novels.

Lastly but not leastly I'm re-watching some of my favorite movies to analyze how come they're so great and these include The Sixth Sense and Slingblade. (Because when you're a writer you can get away with calling watching movies and calling it "work.") These are absolutely amazing stories that blow me away each time I watch them. The writing is so perfect! With the Blake Snyder "beat sheet" in hand (see above for Save the Cat), I'm trying to look at the backend and see how these stories are structured that make them resonate so strongly.

 Finally, this January at Hugo House I'll be teaching my popular class about how to write a rough draft of your novel in only six weeks, except this year - for the very first time - we'll have eight weeks. Hoorah!

First ever fan-fiction writer for Little Lord Fauntleroy! That's me.

Greetings!

It's that time of year when I gear up to teach my favorite class at Richard Hugo House and dream of warm locales.
 

Ahh Oahu, I dream of you

 Starting February 24, I'll be teaching Roughing It: Write a Draft of Your Book in Just Six Weeks. You can read a bit about it here on the Hugo House website; meanwhile registration for their winter classes starts on Dec 9 so GET READY! This class fills fast.

Bye bye tiny condo
So much other stuff has been happening too, whoa. I MOVED for, one thing. Dave and I packed up our little 650-square-foot condo in Queen Anne (which took way more boxes and much longer than I ever imagined possible) and moved northward. To Greenwood. To a home with three whole bedrooms and 2.5 baths.

I never dreamed I'd live in a place where one could run the dishwasher AND go to sleep at the same time but it's finally happened!

Not only that, our little condo sold in a matter of hours. So thanks to my fab friend and real estate agent Terry Kildal, who helped me buy that condo ten years ago, and who helped us find our new home.

Novel-in-progress nears climax
Also, I'm finally reaching the end of the middle-grade novel that I'm writing. This has been a LONG process. Way too long! But I haven't given up even though I've felt like it many times and there are many reasons to (millions of better writers out there, small chance of every getting published, or ever making money, blah blah). 

This means I'm now writing the climax, which is both exciting and scary - just like the climax itself should be. It's the moment when everything has to come together, and be action-packed, and explosive, yet believable. 

Whether or not this thing ever gets published, I can honestly say it's been a joy to write. (Not every single minute, of course, but overall). When I sit down to write it, I escape to an alternate world where the mundane crap in life doesn't bother me. That hour in the morning when I write is usually the best time of my day.

Two tips for writers
After wandering in the wilderness for so long, the mere fact that I've got this momentum feels so good. And so I just want to reiterate to you writers out there, two things:

1)DO NOT GIVE UP. NO MATTER WHAT. It's been 8 years since I published BreakupBabe, and since then I've struggled and struggled to get traction on something. Then it finally happened. Only because I didn't give up. And if I can't sell this book, I will probably wallow  for a while. But then but I will pick myself up and start over again, because I can't not write.

2)FIND A COMMUNITY OF OTHER WRITERS. A writing group, a coach, a class. Whatever. It's too hard and lonely to do by yourself. You need feedback and encouragement. And most writers need some kind of structure too. That community, however small, can provide it for you. 

Parting note 
I've  realized I am probably the only writer (at least in this century) who has written what is essentially fan fiction about Little Lord Fauntleroy. And that's all I'll say about the plot of my current novel for now.

Happy holiday! 

Aspiring writer tells boss to eff off, lives happily ever after (sort of)

I've been working on the same novel for about four years now. The first three years were touch and go. I wrote two very crappy drafts. A writing instructor told me that I needed to change protagonists. Ugh. This same writing teacher also told me not to give up.

So I didn't.

And finally, in the last year, I gained traction. I started to make progress. And then, halleleujah, I was actually writing fiction again. Every day. Actually getting somewhere.

Wandering in the desert of half-baked ideas
It was such a relief after the last seven years spent wandering in the desert of half-baked ideas. I never stopped writing fiction during that time but I also started and lost faith in a multitude of projects. Despaired of ever finishing anything ever again. Wrote thousands (millions?) of words that will never see the light of day.

Now at least I know I'm going somewhere. I don't actually know where but I'm in a groove that I haven't had since the good old writing BreakupBabe: A Novel days.

Boredom and burnout sets in 
Only it's just a long f*cking haul writing a novel. I'm getting a little bored and burned out at the moment. I'm tired of not writing OTHER things.

I love writing essays, for example. And I really want to write some essays while still writing my novel, even though it's challenging to juggle multiple projects while holding down a full time job.

In particular I want to enter this Real Simple essay contest. A $3000 prize and no entry fee. What's not to love? The theme is "Eureka moments."

The Eureka moment when I told my boss to f*ck off
So I've been thinking about Eureka moments. And I remembered one that I'd tried to write about before, in my unpublished memoir Temporary Insanity.

This moment occurred in about 1999, when a corporate boss of mine (who'd just taken over for a previous boss) asked me - in a "getting to know you" chat --  if I was the "kind of person who gave 150%" to their job, or "the kind of person who just did what needed to be done and then went home at night."

Now we all know what answer we're supposed to give here, right? At least if we want the kind of boss who would ask this question to like us.

But that moment dovetailed with the a moment in my life when I was realizing that I needed to be writing my own stuff outside work to be fulfilled. To be writing something big - like a novel or memoir. I was ready to the Writer that I'd dreamed of and worked toward since age 10. Ready to organize my life around that, and to make it the highest priority.

I didn't give a crap about my corporate job, even if it was sort of creative and involved writing. It paid the bills, that was it. The exciting stuff for me was what I wrote OUTSIDE work. And I realized, then, in that moment that I would NEVER be the kind of person to give "150%" to a day job like that.
The question was, was I gonna lie about it or not?

Well I didn't. I told the truth. And my boss hated me after that and work was pretty hellish and I eventually left. (Everyone got laid off not long after, including many, I'm sure, who'd claimed to give 150%!)

But it meant something for me to say that. It liberated me. And ever since, I can honestly say I've been living the life of a Writer, with all its disappointments and satisfactions.

And that includes needing a corporate job to survive!

Blogging class prompts blog teacher to actually blog (and post random hiking pictures)

Yellow Aster Butte
 

I had the distinct feeling that since I'm teaching a blog class TODAY for Seattle Public Library, I should probably update my own blog. Ahem.

(By the way, the photos here are  just some totally random hiking photos to make this post look pretty).

What to report? I'm finally making good progress on the children's novel I started three (or was it four?) year ago. It feels so good to be living in the fictional world again! The last time I was really in the groove with a novel was then I was writing BreakupBabe, and well all know how long ago THAT was.

Granite Mountain

Not that I haven't tried. I've written sh*tty first drafts of at least three novels since then, followed by sh*tty second drafts that I eventually gave up on because I could get no traction.

Then in 2010 I had a teacher named Joni Sensel.  She told me NOT TO GIVE UP on the book I was writing. Not because she thought it was so great or anything. But because I was suffering a syndrome common to many writers where I would abandon an old idea in favor of a shiny new one once I started to struggle with the old idea to much.

Chinook Pass

Because there is always struggle. It's just that sometimes you don' struggle quite as much, and you get lucky - as I did with BreakupBabe, which mostly wrote itself thanks to that miracle known as a book contract (and because, even though it was a novel, it was mostly about ME).

I knew that Joni was right, and that if I didn't just buckle down and finish something I might forever be drifting between ideas. So, three years later, having not given up, here I am FINALLY making progress on this thing and feeling good about it.

It might never get published, of course. But, while that is an important thing for a writer, it's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that I'm writing. I'm making progress. And I'm enjoying it. So I feel like I have a purpose in life again .

Meanwhile I also wrote a fun articles on tree climbing (scary!) and backpacking (not so scary unless you encounter a bear or get lost!) both of which feature lots of my pictures including vintage 70s photos of my family wearing external frame packs and clothes that would never be allowed on a mountain today, such as jeans and cotton.

Thank you Lopez Island

Oh Lopez Island, thank you for providing me with the first writing retreat I've taken in years. You are so lovely and quiet. Perhaps a little too quiet at times, but never mind that.

Watmaugh Bay

I love your secluded trails, sweeping ocean views, quiet coves, your delightful farmer's market and your hippie vibe. I love not having to lock my door, or my bike,and not having to put my dog on a leash.

That's why I'm setting my latest novel on you! I hope to take more (tax-deductible!) trips to you in the future. If only you had been a tad more sunny but then you provided one day of glorious sunshine. What more could I ask in June-u-ary?

xo Rebecca

Alone on
Shark's Reef Point

Iceberg Point

Planet of the Ex-Boyfriends Begins!

Oliver Tuthill and Matt Harrison

At last I have my own actual filmmaking photos to share and not just cheesy graphics swiped from the Internet!

The photos sprinkled throughout this entry are by my talented friend, Sergey Vasilevskiy, who was the photographer during our promo shoot form Planet of the Ex-Boyfriends in late January.

It was my first time producing ANYTHING and thanks to the fantastic cast and crew, it went swimmingly well. It was also my first time as a writer getting to hear my words acted out and brought to life. That was a thrill too.

Oliver Tuthill and Tara Walker

Originally my plan was to use the promo immediately in a crowdfunding campaign. Then I realized I could apply for a 4Culture award and get an answer on that as early as June (they seem like a fantastically organized org) so I poured my energy into applying for that and will now wait and see if they give me any money. If they DO, I get to save the crowdfunding for the post-production phase.



All cast and crew

If they don't, well, I'll use the promo we're creating to anchor a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign near YOU!

News tidbits
In other writing news, I'm teaching my fave class starting March 20th at Hugo House - Roughing It: Write a Rough Draft of Your Book in Just Six Weeks. There was still room last time I checked but it fills up fast.

Also, this past winter a short article of mine was published about Scottish Lakes High Camp, one of my favorite places to ski and relax. A big part of its rustic charm was that the hosts, Chris and Don Hansen, were so warm and friendly.



Don Hansen

Sadly, just this past weekend, Don died in an accident at High Camp. If you just look at his picture on the front page of their website (which I've also posted here) you will see what a vibrant and positive person he was. That smile says it all, because he was always wearing it. I will miss you very much Don, thank you for all the fantastic memories (and for always encouraging me to ski down stuff I might not have otherwise had the guts to do).

In better news
Dave and I are off to Oahu today. Crazy! This is the second time in ONE year we've gone to Hawaii but winter in Seattle can get hella long and dark. Especially when you're mourning the loss of your mom and best friend.

We'll be returning right after Daylight Savings begins so things will be literally a little brighter then. Strangely I usually don't look forward to that. Like a mole who's been hiding all winter I'm afraid of the sun. But not this year. Oahu here we come!

Movie dreams do come true

About a year and a half ago, I first started exploring the Seattle film world.

Doing informational interviews, joining organizations like Women in Film, taking fun classes like Let's Make a Movie! with local teacher Nils Osmar.

One of my goals at the time was to work as a production assistant on someone else's film. And then, maybe, one day as a producer. But I saw this producer goal as a very unrealistic one. I already had one unstable, low-paying, creative career as a writer that I had to fit in around my better-paying day job as a technical writer. How would I ever earn the experience to be a producer?

Besides, I discovered, many people in the Seattle film world are also working day jobs. In film. For corporate clients like my very own Geeksoft. Then doing their creative projects on the sides for little or no money, or at their own expense.

Still, I perservered in my attempts to get a low-paying or volunteer gig as a production assistant. I just wanted to be on a film set. I never dreamed that I would leap right over the job of PA into producer. For my own short film, Planet of the Ex Boyfriends (which I wrote in the "Let's Make a Movie! class).

From one low-paying dream career to another
The first shoot is in two days. We'll be making a promotional video to use on Kickstarter or Indiegogo.

And, whoa, what an education it's been just getting ready two make a TWO MINUTE movie. The paperwork. The phone calls. The emails. The decisions. The desperate help I've solicited from other local producers. How do I do this? What form do I use for that? What kind of insurance do I need? Wait, I need insurance?!

Earlier on in this process, a generous person who offered advice warned me, "It's just as much work to make a short movie as a long one."

And I can see how that's true. As I go along in this process, I'll share the things I'm learning in more detail. But here's the most important thing I've learned so far. (Or rather, learned again, because it's the kind of lesson you have to learn over and over in your life).

I dreamed of being a screenwriter and producer. Now I am a screenwriter and  producer. No matter what happens with this project, I made my own dream come true (with much help and encouragement from others).

And that feels good.

The good news and the bad news

Fun stuff
Greetings and happy 2013!

My new year started off with some good news when I found out that Seattle Theater Readers will be doing a dramatic reading of my short screenplay "Planet of the Ex-Boyfriends" later this year.

Equally exciting, I'm gearing up to produce the film in tandem with award-winning Seattle director Oliver Tuthill of Blue Wood Films and Portland actress Tara Walker, among other talented cast and crew.

At the end of the month we'll go into production for a short promo video to anchor our online fundraising campaign.  Which brings me to my next topic. Over the next several months I plan to blog about the process of bringing this film to life. I'll discuss things like:

• How terrifying/exciting it is to call yourself a "movie producer" for the first time
• How terrifying/exciting it is to contemplate asking everyone you know for money
• What works in online fundraising and what doesn't (as I teach myself)
• What it's like from a first-timer's perspective to be part of a film production
• What it's like to work as a  production assistant on other local films

 Soon I'll be launching a Facebook page for the movie (naturally) and be asking you all to like it (naturally) before I ask you all to donate to my fundraising campaign (naturally).

 Not so fun stuff

Mom had a dazzling smile (not fully shown in this picture)

As you may or may not know, my mom, Eve Agiewich, died on October 13, 2012 from lung cancer.

Anything I try to write about it right now just sounds saccharine. (One of her favorite words, by the way).

I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with her near the end and to be there when she died. Though traumatic to be present at her death, it was also one of the most profound experiences I've ever had.

Maybe I'll blog about that in the near future, maybe not. One day I'll be writing about her more for sure. A fictional version of her already featured prominently in BreakupBabe: A Novel, wherein she always gave our heroine Rachel good advice, which was always ignored.

Mom being her adventurous self in Alaska, Sept 2011

She was the best mom anyone could ever ask for and I miss her desperately.

Whose good advice will I ignore now?

Weddings, kitchen appliances, and ex-boyfriends

Breakup Babe ties the knot

Whoa! A lot has happened in the last few months.

I got married.
I went on a honeymoon.*
I became the proud owner of many shiny new stainless steel kitchen appliances and intimidatingly spotless pots and pans.**

*As an idealistic college intern at the Peninsula Times Tribune, I wrote wedding announcements and snobbily thought it was sooo unoriginal when people went on their honeymoons to Hawaii or Mexico because EVERYONE went on their honeymoons to Hawaii or Mexico. Flash forward two decades later and where do I go on my honeymoon? Kauai! (And it rocked!)

Snorkeling in my own private tidepool

**Kitchen appliances are fantastic presents of course, but read here about how one of my most creative friends made our truly original engagement gift by hand!

Planet of the Ex Boyfriends coming soon to a theater near you
In other news, I found an excellent director to work with me on my short film, Planet of the Ex Boyfriends (PTEXB). Now I'm gearing up to raise money so we can produce it. You'll be hearing more about this soon!

Finally, I'm also getting ready to teach one of my favorite classes at one of my favorite places. Roughing It: Write a Draft of Your Book in Just Six Weeks starts next week at Richard Hugo House. Shit*y rough drafts, here we come!

Aurevoir for now,
Rebecca

Winter and spring adventures around the northwest

Besides getting a new day job, taking (and teaching) writing classes, walking Snuffy the spirited senior pug, and planning a wedding that is happening in only 86 DAYS FROM NOW, I have been bopping about the northwest on a series of mini-adventures and writing about them. Here are a few highlights.

Badger Mt trail in Richland

Tri-Cities, Washington
I was a Tri Cities virgin until a couple weeks ago and now I know all about the glories of this desert area with a river running through it. Hiking, biking, kayaking - it's all there. Plus sun. Oh, the sun.

Scooting about Seattle (not)
Despite my brave smile, I was too scared to ride this sporty scooter out of the parking lot! However I did write an article about renting scooters from Scoot  About Scooters and how much fun that can be. Article to be out in the summer issue of Harbors Magazine .

On the Catherine Creek trail

Columbia River Gorge
Whoa! This area is beautiful. Like seriously beautiful. We did some amazing hiking and biking here. Plus we got one of the best photos of us ever taken (that's the Columbia River behind us). Article to be out in July in Outdoors NW Magazine.

iFLY 
 For the sake of journalism, I donned a red jumpsuit and goggles and flew in a wind tunnel at iFLY Seattle.  I didn't even take any Xanax! (thereby making up for my wimpiness on the scooter). The article will be out this summer in Harbors Magazine.


Tokeland
I had never heard of Tokeland before I got assigned this story. But I had a grand time staying in the (supposedly haunted) Tokeland Hotel and exploring the many peaceful beaches nearby. Even if I did have a nasty cold at the time.

Wenatchee and Chelan
We dubbed this trip to Wenatchee and then Chelan the Cholesterol Tour for all the globules of fat we consumed. But boy was it all delicious! Especially the apple butter milkshake at the Cashmere Cider Mill. Mmm. We also skied the lovely (and nearly empty) trails at the Echo Ridge Nordic area in Chelan and saw some beautiful parks along the Columbia.

Skiing near Paradise Meadows

Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier is one of my favorite places. The view at left speaks for itself. Staying at the comfy, quiet National Park Inn is a great way to explore "The Mountain."

Eugene, Oregon
On this fab trip we biked the newly designated Covered Bridges Scenic Bikeway for an article about Oregon's designated scenic bikeways. Luckily we got a perfect autumn day for our ride rather than a downpour.

Greetings, Earthlings.

Me and mom in the old days

This has been a wacky fall and winter. I've been a bit under the weather and keeping a lower profile than usual. My mom was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer a year ago and it seemed to hit me all at once this past October.

First with a cold that never went away. Then the tension headaches that ate Manhattan.  Oh and let's not forget the back injury I got working on my laptop IN BED (the most unglamorous injury ever) and also the knee injury earned backcountry skiing last April (a tad more respectable) that have kept me from hitting the snowy slopes and neon lights with as much fervor as I usually do.

Oh, poor me, right? Meanwhile my mom is going through chemo and losing her hair and having many awful symptoms, on top of worrying when this stupid cancer is going to kill her. She has always been so robust and active (like me) and now this monster has laid her low.

But not TOO low. Because since her diagnosis she quit her job, traveled to the Galapagos with my sister, and to Alaska with me (on the worst-weather-ever-but-at-least-the-boat-didn't-sink-cruise.) Soon she's headed to Hawaii and Russia.

Best news yet, her doctor told her this week she was in remission. Yes, remission! That was a word none of us expected to hear ever. Not that she's cured, her doctor sternly told her. This thing could rear its ugly head in another three months or another year. It will rear its ugly head again, says Dr. Oncologist.

But while the monster is in hibernation, she can take a break from chemo. Yay! She can get back the two weeks out of every month that she loses from being poisoned. Yay! Her eyelashes can grow back and food might taste normal again and she'll regain some of that vibrant energy that has made her such an unstoppable force for creativity and social justice and adventure all her life.

So that's what I've got for you.

Plus:

• I'm speaking at the AWP conference in February (along with some staggeringly famous authors). Who-hoo, freezing Chicago, here I come!
• I'm teaching an online blogging class for the Editorial Freelancer's Association starting Feb 15.
• I just finished my first screenplay, called "Planet of the Ex-Boyfriends."

Ok, maybe "screenplay" is a stretch. It's a  five-minute script. For my class at Experimental College called "Let's Make a Movie!"

Tonight we'll be voting on a script to make movie out of (anyone in the class can submit one) and I want mine to win! If it doesn't, it was hell of fun to write, which is more than I can say about a lot of things I've written recently.

Alaska, Eugene, and Other Fall Adventures

 Dave and Snuffy

Hello everyone and happy fall! This is my favorite season. There have been many beautiful autumn days here in October and November and while I haven't gotten up into the mountains to see the larch trees (grr) I have taken many nice bike rides.

Mom in Juneau, Alaska

One of those great bike rides was in Eugene, Oregon, where I was on assignment for a story about Oregon's designated scenic bikeways. Dave and I lived it up in the lap of luxury at the Campbell House Bed and Breakfast, then thoroughly enjoyed ourselves amidst fall splendor on a bike trail variously referred to as the Lake Dorena trail, the Covered Bridges trail, and the Row River Trail.

 It's the newest of Oregon's designated scenic bikeways - so new that it's not even on the website yet but it will be soon. And it's well worth riding!

You'll get to read all about it when I write the article for OutdoorNW's special cycling edition in the spring. Speaking of OutdoorsNW, I recently took a part-time job there as an assistant editor, and it's an absolute blast. Check out the blog post I wrote for them about my August backpacking trip to the Cascades.

As for other fall adventures, there was the  ill-fated Alaska cruise that I went on with my mom in September. The cruise (which started in Anchorage and went to Vancouver) got delayed for two days because of the weather, and the seas were so rough that we had to skip most of our ports of call. However, on the positive side we got to see some great fall colors there too when we weren't being tossed around on stormy seas and getting seasick. Above is a photo of my mom taking in the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, the one port that we did get to vist.

Late Summer Report

Hello all,

Snuffy prepares for a day at the office

It's finally summer here in Seattle and about time - it's late August! Even though the sun has been reluctant to shine, I've still been quite restless, running around hither thither, and dipping my toe into all sorts of things.

Besides working hard at a new part-time editing job Geeksoft (I KNOW! I CAN'T ESCAPE THEM!) I've been leading trips for the Seattle Mountaineers, taking part in a new writing group, taking classes at Richard Hugo House, kayaking on various northwest bodies of water such as the Duwamish River and Deception Pass, attending writing workshops at Field's End, getting all sorts of writing, speaking, and teaching events lined up for the next few months, and working on a novel for kids 8-12

I'll be teaching my popular "Roughing It" class in the fall and this time I plan to write a rough draft in six weeks right along with my students.

And this weekend I'll be cleaning up horse poop as a volunteer for Hope for Horses! If you happened to catch my reading at Salon of Shame in 2006 or Cheap Wine and Poetry in 2009 you heard an excerpt from a novel I wrote in sixth grade about "the love between a girl and a horse" during which many melodramatic things happen including my protagonist falling off her beloved horse into a pit of rattlesnakes.
I was in love with horses when I was a girl and I still am. Alas, I just haven't had the funds to buy or ride one, much less board one somewhere (although Dave suggested we might have room in our 10' by to 10' storage locker). So I'm looking forward to some horse time this weekend.

That's all the news that's fit to print for now. Aurevoir and see you in the fall.