Is it August already?
I’m leaving tomorrow for a few weeks across the Badlands and Northern Rockies (Montana for the most part). I’ll be visiting places such as Glacier National Park, The Gallatin National Forest, the Flathead National Forest, and the Bitterroot National Forest. It is these wild public lands which are the inspiration for many of my stories. My novel INVASIVE also takes place in Montana. Speaking of INVASIVE, revisions are going well and I couldn’t be happier with my agent (Laura Wood). It’s rewarding to have thoughtful and productive conversations about your work with a professional. Laura really knows her stuff.
The “other” novel is with my first reader and so far, so good. It also takes place in a remote area, although this time the location is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in a windswept orchard surrounded by millions of acres of boreal forest. I don’t want to give too much away because the concept is pretty damn cool. Once it’s polished I’ll spill a bit on it. The next draft is the fifth and I hope to have a sixth and final draft soon. There’s a bit of chopping to do, but much like the ravaged U.P. forests, it was always inevitable.
Novel # 3 is simmering in the back of my mind, but I won’t start it until these other projects clear. Too much crossover or contamination in thoughts and energy.
I’ll see if I can post a photo or two from the trip, but these are remote areas with poor internet access. And in a way, that’s a very good thing for writers. It’s about the story, and Twitter/Facebook/Forums won’t get it done.
The road is calling me back to wilder things–things that don’t require you to “sign in”. I’ll embrace it. I don’t plan to stay in a hotel for a single day. My lodging will be Forest Service and National Park campgrounds. I’m expecting around thirty days of camping. In the mix is writing, photography, and fly fishing. For many people, church is a comfortable structure with creaking pews and loafers shuffling on wooden floors. For me, it’s the last wildlands in the lower 48.
