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Temples & Stained Glass
On this, the first day of Advent, I keep thinking about this season as one of preparation while also for some reason returning to the phrase, ‘our bodies are a temple.’ When I think of temples, I think of stained glass, of ritual prayer. I think of protective walls and pews in which to rest.…
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Here One Moment
A pair of newlyweds still in their wedding clothes, a father enslaved to his “utilization rate” at work, a stay-at-home mother in the throws of small babies, a retired couple enjoying an adventure through the country, a young man with his arm in a sling returning from a friend’s funeral, a vibrant flight attendant, and…
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Unmask Alice
One of my favorite things about non-fiction is the fatalistic way things seem to fall into place, like threads stitching in real time to create the outcome we expect… In Unmask Alice, Emerson does a great job providing the historical context for the maelstrom of unfortunate events that developed Go Ask Alice.
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How to Receive a Miracle
Step 1: Find yourself in an impossibly desperate situation, like a wedding quickly running out of wine (or, in our case, a NICU waiting room). Step 2: Have an existential crisis. Step 3: Rely on hope, faith, friends, family, and community–accept any prayers or well wishes you’re offered, as beggars cannot (and should not) be…
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The End of Innisfail
It’s been awhile since I’ve done a book review, mostly because my life is busy as ever and I don’t have as much time to get lost in a book as I would like. But, when given the chance to finally finish a series I’d been deeply invested in for years–and as an advanced reader–I…
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Book Preview – Two Shades of Blue
For Detective Lieutenant Emma Tiernan, murder’s been her business for too long. Just as she’s looking forward to early retirement, she is assigned a disturbing new homicide – and an unwelcome new partner, stretching her boundaries to their limit. Beautiful rookie detective Sasha Garnier is as infuriating as she is impressive, and the combination wreaks…
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Deconstructing Design: Joy in a World Where ‘Wild Things Will Roam’
I ran a poll several months ago to ask what scene(s), if any, readers might want to see deconstructed. One of the suggestions that caught my attention was a snippet that actually happens off screen and spans only two paragraphs, but serves as the height from which the story is dropped in the last quarter.…
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Write What You (Don’t) Know
I distinctly remember the word problems in my High School physics class asking me, “If Trent wants to push a box…” so that I might determine how much force he’d need to get the damn thing moving. Lo, and behold! It’s that same static energy that holds us down, holds us back, holds us in…
Illegibly K.M. West 