This Grateful Writer

Plus writing gurus, and summer stuff

This icon may not have any significance to the average person, but to a writer in the Pacific Northwest, it means a lot. My third novel, The Restless Lake, was named one of the top three finalists for the Pacific Northwest Writers Association’s Nancy Pearl Published Fiction award in the Mainstream or Literary division.

My second novel, The Clovis Dig, was finalist in the same division in 2022.

Librarian Nancy Pearl sponsors the award. Nancy Pearl is a rock star in the library world. She won the Women’s National Book Association Award for her contribution to the world of books and she was named Librarian of the Year by Library Journal.

The finalists for the awards are judged by librarians from across the United States. The winner will be announced at the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference in Seattle on September 13, 2025. I’ll be there! As a former librarian and a novelist, I'm extra grateful for this recognition and excited!

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Writers Helping Writers

Thanks to Substack and other social media, there’s more dialogue and sharing for those of us writers living outside the large metropolitan publishing meccas, like New York City. Local writers groups, like Pacific Northwest Writers Association based in Seattle and Write on the River in Wenatchee, are hugely valuable.

And now, thanks to online information sharing, I learn from big names in the industry, like Chris Pavone, New York author of bestsellers like Expats. You can enjoy Chris’s entertaining and practical writing newsletter here on Substack. Here’s the link:

Making More Happen

I also subscribe to A Writer’s Block by Robb Grindstaff, my editor at Evolved Publishing. Robb has over thirty years in the newspaper editing business and is an award winning novelist. His most recent novel, Bones of Dead Man’s Bluff, was shortlisted for the Eric Hoffer Award. His emails are full of practical writing tips and useful information. Here’s his Substack link:

Since I’m an eternal student, I also take classes through MasterClass and BBC Maestro. I’ve learned from the best: Margaret Atwood through MasterClass and Lee Child through BBC Maestro. I love the intimate feel as these literary superstars relax in their studies (Atwood) or living rooms (Child) and look the camera (me) in the eye and share their expertise.

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Summer Fun

Hey, it’s summertime, and this newsletter is called Notes from the Lake, so here’s a couple of happenings from our summer at the lake so far.

Boating Bridal Party

This boatload of young, professional women includes our niece, Kendall, sitting to the left of the Bride-to-Be, Claire, in the bow of our boat as we take the bride-to-be and bridesmaids on a boat ride on Lake Chelan. Four out of five of these ladies are Speech Language Pathologists who earned their Masters degrees together at the University of Washington! They were a delightful group and we enjoyed their visit.

Living on the lake means company in the summer, which we love. More are on the way!

Then Things got Batty

This poor little fella tried to take a nap behind our outdoor shade. Don’t worry, the bat wasn’t hurt and we were able to shake him out the bottom of the blind. He happily flew away to find another place for a daytime snooze. We don’t mind bats since they eat a ton of insects, but we don’t need to get too chummy with them either. It was an experience to look this one in the eye.

Happy Summer to You!

There’s more summer left, so I wish you all a happy and enjoyable summer season while it lasts.

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