I’m trying to convince my tiny tree, a Gingko biloba, that winter has come, and I’m not having much success. I grew this sapling from a seed I gathered in the fall of 2019 from a tree in the park next to my home. I kept the seed refrigerated over the winter and planted it … Continue reading It’s winter, dammit!

The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase by Mark Forsyth My rating: 5 of 5 stars Although I’ve been writing professionally for 48 years, there’s always more to learn about writing. That’s why I read this book: to learn the “secrets of the perfect turn of phrase.”Author Mark Forsyth opens the … Continue reading Goodreads review: “Elements of Eloquence”

Pinkstink dung moss On the imaginary planet of Pax, there’s a plant that disguises itself as poop. On Earth, plants do that too, as I mentioned in an earlier blog post. Earth also has poop moss. It looks like moss. It gets its name because it grows on poop. Specifically, it grows on dung in … Continue reading Poop moss. Yes, that’s a thing

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine My rating: 4 of 5 stars This novel won the Hugo, and it involved space opera and poetry, so I thought I’d like it. I did.The novels starts a little slow – though not boring – and builds up to a fine climax. The main character arrives as … Continue reading What you don’t remember can kill you

I'll be chatting with members of the Madrid Writer's Club. I was a member when I lived in Spain. You're welcome to join us!

The time had come. Photo by Sue Burke For some plants, the angle of the sun tells them what season it is. Others rely on the temperature. In any case, in autumn, deciduous trees drop their leaves to prepare for winter. When the time comes, trees cut off the flow of nutrients to their leaves, … Continue reading Leaves fall down

Some animals — in particular certain butterflies, moths, and caterpillars — have big fake eye spots. Their purpose is to scare off predators. Do they work? I can speak from personal experience. I was about four years old, playing in a neighbor’s yard, when a caterpillar fell out of a tree and onto my hand. … Continue reading “It had mean eyes!”

“A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God.” ― Sidney Sheldon

Interference: The sequel to Semiosis is now available as a trade paperback, available through all major outlets and local bookstores. Links here. It’s still available as an audiobook, ebook, and hardcover. Semiosis: The French translation is now available as an audiobook. Immunity Index: My next novel will be released on May 4, 2021. You can … Continue reading Novel news!

Photo by Sue Burke A “poop plant” is mentioned a couple of times in Semiosis: The poop plant has proven possibilities for mischief. It looks like a pile of brown plump stems. –  Chapter 3. The carved lid to a child’s chamber pot made me laugh out loud, but no one was in a mood … Continue reading Is the poop plant real? Yes