Books Up the Mountain

These monthly recap posts I occasionally write are a good way for me to reflect. I start them at the beginning of a month and add to them as the days pass. There’s a lot in this one that shows the ups and downs of the writing life. Thanks for listening in.

…continued working on this diamond art project (think paint by numbers but with little crystals) that my niece gave me when my husband and I were in Michigan in July. Sometimes I’d sit down to do a bit in the afternoon, but mostly I worked on it once dinner was in the oven.

…launched a book! It was such a celebration! Some of my book club, the Dead Authors Society / Antediluvian Readers, came to the first event (the book is dedicated to these dear Book Women of mine)…

…and some came to the second event. Two members came to both! Look closely at this picture and the following two, and see if you can figure out why we’re laughing.

…(virtually) graduated from Chautauqua Institution‘s CLSC (Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, an education program that’s been around since 1878). The 2026 graduating class is called Keepers of the Flame with the motto Voices for Democracy. To qualify, I had to read at least twelve books from the thousands of titles on the book list kept since 1878. So far I’ve read fourteen and have already planned which books I’ll read next to earn my first badge. (Like Girl Scouts. It’s perfect.) I love these last lines from an article in the Chautauquan Daily about the event:

“…to celebrate reading and encourage reading, who does that?” Hollier said.  

 Chautauqua does.

…hosted various backyard visitors. Yes, that’s Clover in the middle. She’s tried for a second and third time to nest in my garden, but I’ve got her completely blocked from entering. (Thankfully, we haven’t had bears — at least not any we’ve known of!)

…worked on notes for a picture book I wrote in May (from an editor I’ve done two picture books with previously). No promises have been made, but my fingers are firmly crossed!

…signed up for a second continuing ed. philosophy class (since I really enjoyed the one I took in the spring). This one is “Love and Beauty in Plato: A Study of the Dialogue Symposium”.

…got a rejection for another picture book I wrote earlier this year. (Onward, as my agent says.)

… FaceTimed with my little friends who moved to Idaho so I could read them Books Up the Mountain.

…slowly picked the apples in my backyard.

…slowly added words to a middle-grade manuscript.

…sadly learned my picture book, My Brother is Away, is going out of print.

…continued sticking tiny pieces of glass on this canvas.

…celebrated my mom’s eighty-fifth birthday. (Hi, Mom!)

…thought about my book in Washington DC representing New Mexico at the National Book Festival.

…prepped for this end-of-the-month event by packing a cooler full of books to transport to Silver City.

…discovered My Brother is Away is the current StoryWalk title for the North Liberty Library in North Liberty, Iowa.

…finished my art project. It was really fun.

…marveled at these precious twin fawns who came for a visit with their mother. I’m not sure if she’s the mother of the yearlings or another regular backyard visitor. As I often say to Dan, I wish the neighborhood deer wore name tags and GPS trackers. I’d love to more clearly tell them apart and know where and how far they roam when they’re not hanging out here.

…spotted this guy while walking at the neighborhood park.

…had an absolutely spectacular event in Silver City. While I got lost at Western New Mexico University and had to ask three different people how to get to the library, I still made it with time to spare. It was great to speak with Philip Connors, an author whose work I’ve long admired (whose Fire Season had a huge influence on The Burning Season) and am now honored to call a friend. Fifty to sixty people attended the talk. The discussion and readings and questions were invigorating. I love this job of mine. You can read about the event here in the Silver City Daily Press. Because I neglected to take any pictures at the event, this humorous license plate I snapped while window shopping the afternoon before will have to do!

…came home to discover I’d spoken too soon about bears in the neighborhood. A mama and baby were spotted in our culdesac. That dark blob on the left is the baby peeking at my driveway and across the street the next morning. A mega drought (going strong since 2000) has deeply impacted New Mexico wildlife. Last year’s dismal snowpack and a weak summer monsoon season have driven many bears into cities and towns across the state in search of food. My hope is the predicted Super El Nino comes to pass and really dumps on New Mexico this winter!

… got two more rejections on the picture book I wrote earlier this year, one a “regretful pass.” My agent “remains hopeful,” so I will too.

…enjoyed this harvest (of one) from the little fig tree I planted in May.