Of stories and themes and sandhill cranes

First, look at these beauties stopping by on their migration:

Sandhill cranes in the park
Sandhill cranes in the park

All of us in the park that morning did our best not to disturb their walk through the space. I swear, you could see everyone hold their breath as they passed by.

Another question Anno asked was this:

Are there stories and themes you prefer to work from?

The answer to this is yes and no. I don’t usually sit down with a theme in mind, and sometimes, I don’t even have a story. What I often have is a character in a situation or with a problem she must solve. (I suppose you could call this the inciting incident.)

So, I work from there. How does she solve this problem? Can she solve this problem? Does she create more problems by solving the first, and so on.

I really enjoy writing adventure stories, although my idea of an adventure is often very silly (catching ghosts with coffee, protecting the world with umbrellas), and these have emerged alongside my indie career.

I trace these stories back to having to entertain myself in the backseat of the car on our cross-country trips to Oregon. When reading in the car makes you sick, you don’t have many options for entertainment, at least not back in the 1970s.

I also love secrets—in stories if not real life. I’m not certain I’ve written a story where someone doesn’t have a secret. I also really love intergenerational secrets, generally the older generations keeping things from the younger ones (often for very good reasons, but still, secrets).

Found family. A lot of my stories involve the main character(s) finding someone or several someones to call home over the course of a story (or series). Some of this is simple logistics. Introducing a large cast of characters all at once is difficult for both the writer and the reader. But I have enough found families in my stories that this is clearly a theme I work from, even if it’s not a conscious choice.

In practical writing news, it’s crunch time for the Deep Valley Book Festival. I go back and forth between thinking I have too many books and then not enough. (I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?) I plan to have the car packed on Friday, so all I need to do is grab my electronics and go on Saturday morning. (Okay, coffee and a shower first.)

It’s going to be a busy week, but I’m looking forward to it.

Booking Through Thursday: Constant Companion

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:

This doesn’t have to be your favorite book or a comfort read. But is there a single book (or perhaps series) you’ve read more than any other? Maybe a cookbook, a religious text, or a favorite childhood story.

Let us know!

What’s one book you’ve read more than any other?

What's one book you've read more than any other?

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!

Keeping the (writing) faith

Anno asked me some questions a few weeks back that I’ve been ruminating on ever since. The one that’s been dominating my thoughts is this one:

Given the challenges of modern publishing, what helps you keep faith with your work?

Well, that’s the question, isn’t it? Things are fraught* right now in publishing, whether you’re pursuing traditional or indie publishing.

The thing that helps me the most is this:

Despite everything, I still get to tell the stories I want to tell. No one can take that away from me.

A four-book series about catching ghosts with coffee? Why not?

Sentient umbrellas? Absolutely!

Indie publishing is simply how I get my stories into the world. Because, let’s be real, traditional publishing isn’t knocking on the door and making offers for either of those series**.

It’s hard, I’m not going to lie, to keep training your focus on those things you control. I struggle with it all the time. More is more has seeped into every aspect of our culture, especially work and creative endeavors.

But it’s simply not the case. It’s a lie big tech is telling us to keep us online and distracted.

So, I put my focus on those things I control:

  • My stories
  • My blog
  • My mail list

And, this year, I’m adding:

  • In-person events
  • Local independent bookstores
  • A direct-sales store

Yesterday is a perfect example of why I love being indie. It was a rainy, bleak Saturday. I had the sniffles, and while I had a shed-ton of chores to do, I didn’t feel up for any of them***.

So I said to myself: Let’s build an online direct-sales store.

And I did.

It’s not complete, not yet. Once it is, I’ll reveal it here. I want to have it done in time for the Deep Valley Book Festival.

Then, when I was wrapping up for the day, my new table display bookstand arrived:

Bookstand with several of my books on display

So, all things considered, I’m feeling fairly hopeful today.

*I used fraught in a text conversation the other day and got the laughing/crying emoji as a response.

**Another use case for the laughing/crying emoji.

***But do I ever? Yet another case for the laughing/crying emoji.

Booking Through Thursday: Let’s not go there

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:

What fictional world aren’t you going to visit any time soon—or at all? Narnia on a bad day? Westeros? Anything by Stephen King? (I’m beginning to think this list could be endless?)

Let us know what world to avoid!

What fictional world would you avoid at all costs?

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!

Booking Through Thursday: Let’s visit!

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:

Of all the fictional worlds out there, is there one you’d really like to visit? Jane Austen’s Regency era? Maybe Narnia (on a good day)? Perhaps solving a mystery with Nancy Drew or Trixie Belden?

Let’s know where you’d love to go!

What fictional world would you like to visit?

What fictional world would you like to visit?

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!

Adventures in pet-sitting (and grocery shopping)

During this long weekend, I am pet-sitting for these two adorable siblings:

Daisy, a golden retriever mix.
Taco, a black cat with a white chin

That’s Daisy and Taco, my furry grandchildren.

I also managed a trip to Half-Price Books to fill up my Little Free Library. And I did some grocery shopping. I asked my daughter what I could pick up for her, and she gave me a list. Good enough. Except for when I came to this item:

Potatoes.

So, I asked via text.

Me: What kind of potatoes?

Her: Normal.

Me: …

Yeah, your guess is as good as mine.

Me: What is normal? Gold? Potatoes for baking?

A bit of an existential question, that: what is normal? Also, what is normal when it comes to potatoes?

Her: Ya just potatoes

Her: Like raw

Her: That I can cut up and put in soup

Ah. Gold it is, then.

I’ll leave you with that. Hopefully next week (this week?) we’ll return to regularly scheduled blogging.

Booking Through Thursday: Keeping Track

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:

How do you keep track of the books you’ve read?

Or, do you keep track of them at all? Do you use something like Goodreads or LibraryThing to record the books you’ve read? A physical journal? Or something else? Let us know!

How do you keep track of the books you’ve read?

How do you keep track of the books you've 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!

September’s Booking Through Thursday prompts

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

  • September 3: How do you keep track of the books you’ve read?
  • September 10: What fictional world would you like to visit?
  • September 17: What fictional world would you avoid at all costs?
  • September 24: What’s one book you’ve read more than any other?

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

Gearing up for the Deep Valley Book Festival

I’m no longer living in a construction zone! On a related topic, words you never want to hear in the same sentence: water and structural damage.

It’s been a long haul, but the water damage has been repaired! And I have new patio doors, which I’ve been gazing at and through. I even put up an extra hummingbird feeder, although that doesn’t seem to have stopped the territorial battles.

Hummingbirds = fierce

So, a month or two back, I was apparently feeling extra sassy, and I put myself on the exhibitor waitlist for the Deep Valley Book Festival. I didn’t think I’d get a table, and if I did, well, that was a problem for future Charity.

Yes, you’ve guessed it. I now have a four-foot table at the festival. Not only that, but they also invited me to be on the author panel (!).

I’ve been busy creating things for my table: business cards, a pricing sheet, an ebook postcard giveaway, and bookmarks for Booking Through Thursday.

Collage of author assets, including bookmarks and business cards

I’ve also been mentally gearing up for the author panel. The topic is:

Ever wonder where authors get their ideas, how they create memorable characters, or what really happens behind the scenes of writing and publishing a book? This lively, audience-driven panel puts you in charge of the conversation. Bring your questions and ask our participating authors anything about their books, their writing journeys, and the creative process!

I’m hoping for more than a deer-in-the-headlights response and “I have no idea. It just happens.” That wouldn’t be very lively.

If any of you would like to lob some practice questions my way, I’d appreciate it. I’ll also answer them here on the blog.

Happy Sunday. I’m off to refill my hummingbird feeders and referee some pitched battles.