I know, I know. I have neglected this poor blog. (I update more often on my personal hiking blog.) but this is a big one! I just signed a contract with the Oregon State University Press to publish my new memoir. The Last Layer of the Ocean. It is a memoir of kayaking and marriage along Alaska’s wild coast, and navigating both. I am so excited that I will be working with a university press again, and that they are willing to take a chance on the book. Look for more updates when it will be out. I am expecting this to be spring 2021, though this is only tentative.
I have been revising the ms to send to them next week. I have also been querying the novel, and have gotten great feedback from agents. It requires a pretty big overhaul, and I don’t have much extra time. I am still working and don’t have extra time like some people do (though I am glad I have a job). The biggest takeaway? Agents want action to start immediately. They don’t want pages of description or backstory. I sort of knew this already, but personally I like writing this way, so I need to do some adjusting.
I hope you are finding some peace in these troubled times. I am doing different things: I can’t go to yoga so I started doing videos online, just 20 minutes at a time. I got some free weights and am doing gym workouts, though in a very small house it is challenging! I’m sort of glad we can’t go out to eat since that was getting expensive, so trying to cook more: baking bread, getting creative with meals. I’ve supported small businesses though, by buying a few items online. I’ve also been reading a lot, and watching hiking and outdoor documentaries.
Stay well, friends.
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