If you’ve been to a writing conference – ANY writing conference, you will have heard the sage wisdom that the first step of getting that novel plunked out on your keyboard is BIC – But In Chair.  I would agree that is true, but it should come with a warning about “The Perilous Broadening of Butt In Chair.”  Additional warnings ought to include, the “Hazards of Mindless Snacking While Plotting Scenes” or the “Crazy Calorie Consumption over Character Development.” 

Hey, Everyone! I'm on tour right now. (Well - sort of.)

I think that a fellow blogger has snuck into my house and tucked a note in my Stephen King paperback. No, I haven’t lost my mind. I swear. 

That is either true, or I am experiencing a very odd coincidence.

Okay, here’s the story.

Officially a gorgeous day in Wisconsin!

I don’t know if the harsh winter we experienced here in Wisconsin has me appreciating the nice weather more than ever, but it sure has made it difficult to want to sit at a computer.  This morning I’m doing my best to let the outdoors in as much as possible with the windows wide open and the breeze a blowin’. Here's the view from our patio. As you can see, we definitely live in farm country.

I’ve been invited on a blog hop! It’s like a game of tag, and I'm currently "it."       

 I was tagged by Kimberli Bindschatel, author of the young adult novel The Path to the Sun.  I’m intrigued by her novel and have it waiting in my soon-to-read pile. Here’s a little teaser . . .

The only thing that I like more than writing stories and reading books is traveling.

The Writers’ Institute conference was a blast this past weekend. It always takes a couple of days to recover from having my brain filled with so much great information.  The conference was also awesome for catching up with other writers and forging new friendships and professional connections.

This morning as I write my first blog post, I am feeling like Veronica Roth’s character Tris in the Divergent book series (and now movie) as she survives a multi-story leap into a giant net.