FirstBlog

Writers—both professional and devoted hobbyists—have a knack for finding inspiration everywhere. Writers block is a myth, but this does not mean that there are not those times when we need to find a little something for inspiration.   My dad is a professional musician. Growing up, I spent many summers away from home—on the road, exploring different parts of the country and eccentric small towns. I was always enamored with small town life, especially in the deserts. I grew up (and still live) in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, so, desert dwellers and desert towns always held a special fascination for me.   Elizabeth Bishop captured this curiosity with her spectacular poem, “ Filling Station .”   This poem, which describes a small town gas station with serves also as the home for a family. This poem inspired my own poem, “ Getting Gas in Barstow, California ” which was later published in my debut poetry collection. I decide, “What would happen ...

Ducks win, Seahawks win and I get multiple acceptance notices. It's been quite a week! This month. After a series of months with nothing but rejections, I have recently received a plethora of acceptance letters, including THREE new markets, one previously unpublished story and TWO previously unpublished poems. While none of these are paying markets, they are widely read, up and coming markets and I hope to build off some of the momentum I've gained recently, due in no small part to awesome reviews of my books by Kim Kruise Thompson and Stessily . Having my by-line in a bunch of new places can only help. Here's more specifics (sorry for all the links): Flailing Empty Capillaries will be published in the October issue of eFiction Magazine , which will be released October 1st for NOOK , Kindle  and through the eFiction store . The poem has been published in my book and on my hubpages account. eFiction has previously published...