The Writer’s Conference is On!

The Wordcrafters In Eugene writers conference will happen March 7-9, 2014.

A lot of people are putting massive amounts of organizational energy into it. Now the website is up and we’re beginning to recruit presenters and keynote speakers.

The week before the conference, Susan Wiggs and I will hold 4-day retreats, each limited to ten attendees.

There will be hands-on, one-on-one help with your writing, a lot of fun events, amazing speakers and teachers, and as it’s the 50th anniversary of the publication of Sometimes A Great Notion, we’ll be celebrating our local literary heritage.

If you want to be a presenter, or know of someone who would fill out our roster nicely, let us know. If you want to volunteer to help, let us know. But mostly, just plan to come to Eugene at the most beautiful time of the year (not really) and join in with a bunch of other introverts to have a good time celebrating literature.

Contest! – Book Giveaway!

For the month of April, everyone who responds to my Blog or Facebook page will be entered into a contest to receive an autographed book.

I’ll be giving away one copy each of Lizzie Borden, York’s Moon,  The Northwoods Chronicles, Black Leather, The Alchemy of Love, Suspicions, and When Darkness Loves Us. (Winner to be determined by random drawing)

Let me know which of my books was your favorite, and which book you’d like to win!

Contest ends April 30, 2013 at midnight. Winners’ names will be posted here and on the Facebook page. I’ll contact you privately for your mailing address.

How to Change the World

On Facebook every day I see little messages like “Be the change you want to see.” and “Save the Rainforests” and “Give Peace a Chance.” Well, yes. Of course.  But let’s get real. What can we actually do to change the world? It isn’t enough to write a check or post a clever saying or read a book or love the sea lion pups. We have to be pro-active, steady and consistent.

Imagine for a moment that there is actually a fabric of planetary consciousness that floats above our heads in the near atmosphere.  This fabric is invisible to our eyes, but perhaps not to the celestial helpers who oversee our planet. They can tell at a glance the sorry state of our planet.

This fabric holds and reflects the thoughts and attitudes and mind-action of every person on the planet. When you or I have a fearful, negative, angry or resentful thought, our thoughts stain this fabric, help to turn it dark. When we have a spiritual thought, a loving experience, commit a selfless act, we add a tiny portion of light to the fabric.

I believe in this fabric. And I believe that darkness begets darkness, and that the light banishes shadows.

What color do you suppose the fabric of planetary consciousness currently is?

If we want to change the world, we need to be in control of our thoughts. I believe our thoughts are far more powerful than we can imagine. And when we are cruisin’ in the zone of light, we’re spreading the benign virus of love, which is a powerful way to lighten the fabric of planetary consciousness.

Baggage Check

My new novel, Baggage Check, is now out from IFD Publishing and available for the Kindle, the Nook, and all other electronic formats.

This book is about many things, but most specifically sex, drugs, treachery, and–most dangerous of all–love.

Mourning iGoogle

So I see that iGoogle is going away in November, just when it I got it configured perfectly for me.

My home page used to be with Yahoo, but iGoogle was so superior, I had no problems switching over.  So, when I log on to my computer, I get local, national, world, entertainment and sports news headlines, local weather and forecast, the stock report, all the blogs I follow, quick-link bookmarks, a listing of what’s currently showing at local theaters, and dictionary.com and I can Google whatever I want, right from the home page.  I can browse all this at a glance and be ready for my day.

But that is going away in lieu of apps.

I get apps. I have a tablet, and I like it.  But I can’t figure out how to configure Google+ so that I can have the information that I want in the morning all in one place. If I want social stuff, I’ll go to Facebook, which is where all my friends are. In the morning, I want a snapshot of all the information that I want. Am I dense? Am I a dinosaur? I do know that I am a Taurus and resistant to change, but I try to keep up with most technological advances. This, however, doesn’t feel like an advance. It feels suspiciously like a way to eventually separate me from my money.

I can always go back to my Yahoo home page. It’s still there, idling patiently, but it is difficult to use, compared to iGoogle. Surely it won’t be around forever, either.

This is what I want: a home page configured for all the things I want to see first thing in the morning, without hunting for them here and there in obscurity. If you know a way that I can do that once iGoogle fades into the background come November, email me. I will be eternally grateful.

A New Writer’s Conference in Eugene, Oregon

The organizing committee of a prospective new writing conference in Eugene, Oregon, has formulated a survey so that the committee can design the conference to address the needs of the attendees. The short (3 minute) survey covers writers, presenters, attendees, and volunteers, so if you are or have been any of those, we would like to have your input.

Please take the survey (only once) and then pass the link on to any writing friends so we can have as broad a perspective as possible.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/eugenewriters

Thanks! And have a wonderful 2013.

2013: Year of Sustainability

I’ve been naming my years lately. 2009 was my Year of Hesed (lovingkindness). 2010 was my Year of the Tao. 2011, my Year of Living Simply. 2012, my Year of Forgiveness. I did a lot of forgiving this past year, both of myself for my gaffes, stupid comments/acts and poking my nose into other peoples’ business, and for others who did the same to me or in my presence. I have a long way to go toward being the type of loving, non-judgmental human being I aspire to be, but a healthy dose of forgiveness goes a long way toward achieving that goal.

In 2013, I want the focus to be on sustainability.  I want to think “Sustainability!” in every area of my life, with the hope that the things that I do and say prompt others to start thinking in channels of sustainability. I’ve already begun eating a plant-based diet, as our meat and dairy production facilities are unsustainable for the world.

Theologian Matthew Fox, in his amazing book A New Reformation wrote: “Sustainability is another word for justice, for what is just is sustainable, and what is unjust is not.”

This is as good a definition of justice as I have ever heard. As “Social Justice” is one of the new buzzwords these days, I’m not sure those who promote it can define it. This is a good definition, and I hope all will eventually adopt it.

This year I will be mindful about my consumption. I will work for sustainable causes, whether it be in education, in social reform, health care, politics, or self-expression. I believe that the planet teeters on the brink of a sustainability revolution, and if I can help to push awareness over the brink, I will.

Happy New Year, everyone!