It’s like they are not here. Like they never were here.

But they have to be. First, because they were here just yesterday. And second, because I still don’t know what to do with Michael and dinner at the house is an hour away.

I pry my wet pants from my leg. It’s no easy feat: they are nearly suctioned to me. The water line is lower than yesterday, but the creek itself is thick and murky. It wouldn’t surprise me if there are leaches under my jeans. But I can’t think about that right now. I need to find Bea, or Jake, and they have simply vanished. Along with the shack and all the junk that litters the property.

“Bea? Jake?” I whisper, as loud as a whispering voice can project. I want to show my respect for their hiding out, but I also want to talk to them. Need to talk to them. Now. Read the rest of this entry

Want to see some of my other books?  I show off my publishing history here (has she no shame?!), then go on to talk about where we are with Good and Bad as themes in Chapter 10 and 11–will we have to go backwards and rewrite?

Helene & Team

 I check my watch. If we are going to get back in time, we need to leave now, if not three minutes ago. I know Anna said she’d shapeshift time, but what does that mean? I don’t want to be kept from seeing her.

“Jake is my great-grandson,” Anna says. “I’m afraid I married bad, and my daughter, Helene, is like her father. Bad, through and through. You hate to say that about a child, and you love her no matter what. But it does you no good to pretend things are other than what they are.”

I nod, though I don’t really get it. How do still you love a child that does something like what Helene has done to Anna? Read the rest of this entry

Robin offers her take on what needs to go into the first draft of a chapter and what can wait. This is part of her “So You Want To Write A Book?” video series.

Trevor Lloyd of West Seattle High suggests that most teen fiction isn’t enough of a challenge to smart readers. He makes very good points (and in a solid writing style), but he only encourages me to up my game in creating high quality fiction that teens will love. Here are a few thoughts from his article News From the Chinook: Tired of young adult reading?:

These days, the teen fiction market enjoys an enormous audience. It seems some girls around school are never seen without a copy of “Twilight” clasped underneath their arm. And while teen fiction rakes in its share of revenue for the publishing houses, when compared to good adult fiction, the majority of teen fiction is often clichéd.

“If a student is capable of reading and comprehending adult fiction… (Read More at the West Seattle Herald).

My heart feels permanently stuck in my gut. Anna looked even worse when I arrived to take her out after lunch and all she’s said since is “My bag, my bag, my bag, my bag” about a hundred thousand times. I’ve got it right here, but I can’t give it to her until we are out of sight.  I’m pushing this wheelchair as fast as is remotely safe and inconspicuous.

Finally, we are at a safe enough distance. I gladly offer it to her. She clutches it to her chest with both hands, like it is life itself.

“My bag, my bag, my bag, my bag…” she continues to repeat, only this time it comes out like a whispered chanting prayer of some kind. Read the rest of this entry

Hi All!  This weeks teen’s name really is AMBER! Doing my research two teens at at time got me in trouble last post, so I double checked. By the way, this leads to an important “life as a story’ hint… don’t be afraid to make mistakes.  Just own up and move on! If you don’t make mistakes, you can’t write stories. 

Okay, so Amber is a very savvy writer, and I really like her latest post on education (see her blog link below).  For now, I’ll let her “about me” link tell you more… Read the rest of this entry