Hey, there!

During the summer, I enjoy reading by the lake. In the winter, I cuddle with my mini-Dachshund while I adventure-read. Although working on my dissertation takes up most of my time, I like to read Restoration and Romantic period literature, poetry, fantastic mythopoetics, and horror novels in my free time. (see my inspiration for "thInklings.")  Some of my favorite authors include Stephen King, Ian McEwan, Louise Erdrich, and J. K. Rowling--along with Mary Shelley and William Blake, but they aren't producing anything new. I also recently purchased a volume of Emily Dickenson's complete works. (Why am I only now discovering her genius?) I'm also into some nonfiction works like Brene' Brown's writings on empathy, Adam Grant's work on leadership and resilience, Jennie Allen's work on finding the self through faith, and John MacArthur's always challenging but interesting writings on biblical events. The common thread here may not be genre, but each of these works is creatively dynamic, enriching, and full of adventure! 

​

​Summers by the lake mean waking up at dawn and drinking coffee on the creaky old wooden dock while the loons coo in the shadow of a sunrise. Or staying up late to sit on the porch listening to the cicadas sing to their mates while purples of dusk push the orange sun-glow out of the sky at twilight. My family holds fishing contests--biggest, smallest, longest, shortest, most, least, and even stinkiest! My dog doesn't like to fish much, but he will wait patiently while I reel in my daily limit. Other times, my beast curls up on my side in my writing chair while I type out drafts or read some more. 

​

Other summer recreation includes things like hiking, swimming, and walking my dog, Dash the Dachshund. Some of my great hikes include places like Cape Flattery in the northern tip of Washington's western seaboard, the Black Hills in South Dakota, and Yellowstone in Montana. I generally stick to easy to moderate hiking trails. Extreme climbing and descending aren't my jam, but a careful pace eases my distance endurance. 

​

I like to paint and sketch, play piano and drums, and bake, too. Oh yes! Brownies and pizza are my favorite foods. There is a particular dexterity in the practice of these kinds of activities. Kind of like writing, I am constantly trying to improve my work in these areas through practice, but most of my time now is spent reading and writing for my dissertation. 

​

I often have too many irons in the fire, and (according to my children--I have 2, a son and a daughter who are adults) too many books, but variety is the spice of life. I fail more than I succeed, but I couldn't succeed without learning from my failure. I encourage my kids to try new things, and I encourage you, too.

​

If you so want to comment or share your thInks, go ahead and drop me a line or two using the button at the bottom of the page.

 

Happy writing! 

​

Best, 

Michelle