Writing Wrongs

Like a house finch

I sometimes feel exactly how this fledgling house finch looks.

Fledgling male house finch at the hummingbird feeder

What am I doing?
Is this edible?
Where’s Mom?

Maybe it’s the thunderstorms and fireworks we’ve had all weekend long. I should go out and weed the garden, but the grass is up past my ankles, and it’s far too soggy for that. For today, I’m letting the jungle continue.

Even so, I’ve made a fair amount of progress on the revision this week, and I’m pleased.

The next challenge, of course, is weaving the new scenes back into the narrative. I have a dual-timeline narrative (because I can’t make things easy on myself; I suspect when I stare at the manuscript, I look like the house finch above), and I pulled the two narratives apart to work on each separately.

Always a thrill ride, this writing thing.

Speaking of this writing thing: writers, heads up!

If you don’t already follow the Writer Beware blog, head on over there. This week, Victoria Strauss breaks down clues to spotting an email scam. If you publish your work, eventually you will end up with one (or many) of these in your inbox. Forewarned is forearmed, and all that.

That’s it for this week. Today I plan to read while expressly ignoring the jungle.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

My BTT response: the cover I couldn’t resist

Since today’s Booking Through Thursday’s prompt is highly visual and I can’t drop an image in the comments, here’s mine, the book I bought based solely on the cover:

Propaganda Girls: The Secret War of the Women in the OSS by Lisa Rogak was sitting there face-out in Barnes & Noble. I was there to buy another hardcover book: Women of War: The Italian Assassins, Spies, and Couriers Who Fought the Nazis by Suzanne Cope (you’re sensing a trend, aren’t you?), when Propaganda Girls caught my eye.

Y’all, I barely flipped through the pages. Luckily, I had a gift card and a coupon.

I did enjoy the book. If anything, I wanted more detail, not less. Still, it was easy and enjoyable to read, and I don’t regret buying it.

Because just look at that cover.

Booking Through Thursday: Go ahead, judge that book

Welcome to Booking Through Thursday, a weekly bookish meme about books and reading for everyone who loves both. Booking Through Thursday was first hosted by Deb. With permission, I’ve restarted it in 2026.

This week’s prompt:

Have you ever been tempted by a beautiful book cover? Did you go ahead and buy (or check out) the book as a result? How did that turn out?

Have you ever bought (or checked out) a book solely based on the cover?

How to play:

On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!

July’s Booking Through Thursday prompts

For those who like to plan ahead, here are the July 2026 Booking Through Thursday prompts:

July 2: Have you ever bought (or checked out) a book based solely on the cover?
July 9: Do you enjoy reading outside?
July 16: What book (or type of book) would you take on a long road trip?
July 23: Any of this year’s summer blockbuster books catch your eye?
July 30: Do you read multiple books at once?

Want to suggest a prompt? Leave a comment or use the contact form to send it my way.

These fine feathered friends

I’m not sure why, but these mamas and their broods have been visiting the back forty nearly every day. There must be something delicious going on.

This way to the cat tour

My sister was visiting this week, and we decided—as one does—to attend the Wedge Live Cat Tour in Uptown Minneapolis.

Yes, a cat tour, with cats and kittens, some in houses, some in strollers, some on shoulders.

It was amazing. The crowd was diverse and chill, and, of course, we were all there for the cats. As I overheard one person say:

I’ve never said ‘so cute’ so many times in my entire life.

So cute was the phrase of the evening.

Some pictures:

Yes! People did stand in line to pet/see the cats. Also, that gazebo? #goals

In actual check-in/writing news, the new opening seems to be coming along. Maybe the third time’s a charm? We’ll see.

Booking Through Thursday: favorite time of day (to read, of course)

This week’s prompt:

All things being equal, of course, but tell us, do you have a favorite time of day to read? If you had an entire day (or week) to choose when to read, when would you do so?

Do you have a favorite time of day to read?

How to play:

On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!

Mini-garden project

I’ve had my eye on a spot in the front yard that gets a fair amount of sun, enough that I was tempted to try planting some sun-loving perennials. Most of our yard is far too shady for those (although we try; we still try).

Also, I thought the clump of hostas looked lonely.

And one week later:

Garden bed with blooming purple and pink flowers

Once upon a time, those lonely hostas weren’t so lonely. The hosta beds lined the entire driveway on the left-hand side. Over the years, the soil compacted and wear and tear took their toll.

For my next project, I’m thinking of using the sheet-mulch method to line the area between this clump of hostas and the ones in the front of the house. The local garden center has some lovely spotted dead-nettle that might work nicely in that in-between space. It’s shady enough under the trees for it to be happy and sunny enough in the yard that it shouldn’t take over the entire space.

We’ll see how much energy I have for that.

In writing news, I completed what I wanted to on Rose’s portion for The Rose Rebellion, and now I’m moving on to The Marigold Miracle. I had one of those shower epiphanies this week on how to revise the opening, and I’m excited to dive in.

Booking Through Thursday: Retellings

This week’s prompt:

What’s your take on retellings? Be they Shakespeare, Jane Austen, or Sherlock Holmes, or any number of new titles coming into the public domain. Do you enjoy them? Does it depend on how you feel about the original or the interpretation? If you have one to recommend, let us know!

How do you feel about retellings? Do you enjoy them?

How to play:

On your blog: Copy the question/image for your blog, answer it there, and post a quick comment here with a link or trackback to your post so we can read it.
On social media: Copy the image, answer the prompt, and post a quick comment here with a link.
Right here: Answer in the comments and start the discussion here. No need to have a blog to play.

Note: If it’s your first time here, your comment may end up in moderation. (My spam filter is aggressive.) I’ll be in after my writing sprints to set it free.

P.S. The prompt is always open, and you don’t have to play on Thursday. Comment whenever you like!

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