Education officials unveiled updated climate science curriculum standards on Friday, May 19th, after collecting more than 1,000 public comments. The new revisions to Idaho’s K-12 science standards downplay the impacts of human activity on climate change in order to appease Idaho’s Republican-controlled Legislature.
This cartoon appeared in the following news outlets:
So far, May has been full of good news. After hosting a successful workshop for the Palouse Writers’ Guild, the Guild received a favorable write-up in the Inland 360, which ran in both the Moscow-Pullman Daily News and the Lewiston Tribune. Then I received an Honorable Mention Award for a short-story I entered in the 2017 Idaho Writers’ Guild Writing Contest.
Wishing upon a Star is a work of short fiction that explores the far reaching effects of child abuse and examines how it can be a catalyst for events that occur well into adulthood. You can read the story here: Wishing upon a Star. Other award-winning short stories can be found under the Short Fiction tab.
My story, The Ravages of March: A Far-Flung Family Struck by Floods, appears in the May 2017 issue of Idaho Magazine. This story covers flooding that occurred near Potlatch, Idaho, as well as flooding that affected Bonner and Boundary Counties. Copies of the magazine are usually available from BookPeople of Moscow and if they sell out, you can always buy a copy directly from Idaho Magazine.
I’m often asked when my novel will be published or why it isn’t published yet. Many people don’t realize that the writing process is a lot more involved than simply sitting at a keyboard and writing.
Before deciding which publishing options to pursue or beginning to search for editors or agents, a writer must first have a high-quality product to offer. Many writers overlook the importance of the writing process in their eagerness to get published. Not adhering to the process actually kills a writer’s chances because, without it, they are unable to produce a salable manuscript.
The writing process involves four phases: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Following these steps will help, but experienced writers know that problems which arise during drafting, revising, or editing, can send them all the way back to step one, where they must develop and expand an idea. As my NaNoWriMo ML is quick to remind me, “You will enjoy the process, God damn it!”
Sasquatch is on the move in Latah and Whitman Counties . . . In the days following the SFCC Pullman Center’s move to the Washington State University campus, Bigfoot was sighted in nearby Latah County where a motorist swears she saw Bigfoot chasing deer along the highway just north of Potlatch. Perhaps Skitch invited a few friends over to check out his new digs and they tried grabbing some food on the way.
Skitch’s new stomping grounds will be the Math Annex located on the WSU campus. Approximately 200 students will start classes in the new building on April 3, 2017. Being on the WSU campus will expose SFCC students to university life and enhance their college experience. There isn’t enough classroom space in the Math Annex, so some students will have classes across campus in Krugal Hall. Continue reading
I was available to photograph the Palouse River as it crested this morning at just over 17 feet. The pictures are below.
Exciting news! A publisher has offered me a contract for the trilogy. I wanted to wait to share the news until after it was signed and I had a publication date, but the person I’m working with had a family emergency. His mother has been hospitalized, so he’s taking time off to care for her. Also, many of the authors I’ve contacted say it can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to work through negotiations. I don’t think I could keep quiet that long.
I’ll be sure to post an update as soon as the details are worked out and all responsible parties have signed. Here’s to hoping everything works out.
The Book of Polly, a novel by Kathy Hepinstall.
Set for release March 14, 2017; $26.00 US ($35.00 CAN)
After unwrapping the plain brown packaging, I looked with trepidation at the cover of the next book in my Blind Date with a Book series. A blurry image of a perfectly appointed southern woman holding a garden trowel and sporting a falcon on her shoulder stared up at me. I’d been burned on blind dates before and feared I was in for another scorching. Figuring I may as well get on with it, I opened the book to page one and began to read.
By page seven I was hooked, laughing so hard that tears came to my eyes, eager for more. As the book progressed I was introduced to hazards of Havens family, their personal shortcomings, and neighborhood feuds.
The Guardian: Blood in the Snow, a novel by MJ Kobernus.
$14.99 Paperback.
Blood in the Snow is the second book in the Guardian series and was a fast paced read that kept me engaged and eager for more.
Philip Entwhistle is desperately attempting to settle back into his comfortable and boring life as a university history professor. Unfortunately, all hopes for a quiet English life are shattered when his girlfriend leaves him and he is forced to flee the country to avoid being arrested for a crime he didn’t commit.
Arriving in Norway, Philip is determined to stay one step ahead of the detectives eager to arrest on suspicion of arson and murder, and win back his girlfriend’s affections. In the process he uncovers an ancient mystery hidden in a Viking Age burial located on his girlfriend’s family farm, which has left her father cursed. The only clues to saving him are scribbles in margins of a little studied saga.
Well, I’ve been published again. The Spokesman Review Huckleberries Online Blog ran the cartoon below on Thursday, January 26th. The editor of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News said it was confusing and he didn’t get it, so it did not appear in the local paper.
