Deadman's Cove, Pandas, and Disappointment: Summer Recap

When Zozobra burns and the mouthwatering smell of green chile roasting fills the air, summer is officially wrapping up in NM.

Looking back at my summer, I didn't do much hiking, a rarity for me, but I was fortunate to travel a little. First, I spent a couple of days in San Diego with Camila. Under perfect weather, we visited the Gaslamp District, Seaport Village, the expansive and beautiful Balboa Park, and the SD Zoo to see the pandas.

Later, we took a family trip to new sightseeing turf, the Pacific NW. I've never visited that part of the country. The rain forest greenery and weather was amazing, but I was surprised to find that half the territory looked like New Mexico. A few highlights: the immaculate Japanese Garden in Portland (totally peaceful and safe, by the way), hiking past Deadman's Cove on the way up to the Cape Disappointment lighthouse, and the surprisingly desert-hot Pendleton where we took an underground tour of the town and also visited the fantastic Tamastslikt Cultural Institute.

Deadman's Cove!

Underground tour in Pendleton.

Chillin' with the pandas at the San Diego Zoo.

The must-see Japanese Garden in Portland.

Favorite TV and Film

• Alien: Earth: Noah Hawley has written great novels, but he's also written and directed a few of my favorite shows, such as Fargo and The Unusuals, and he even worked on Bones. However, Alien: Earth is a whole different beast. If you liked the original Alien film, be sure to check this one out.

• Son of a Critch: Think: The Wonder Years set in quirky Newfoundland.

• Thursday Murder Club: Wonderful cozy mystery with a star-studded cast.

• Superman: James Gunn brought his own weirdness to the Superman universe, and I thought it was refreshing. While the Synder-verse version of Supes allowed people to die (exploding wheelchair, anyone?), the new DCU version made a point to avoid mass destruction and save all lives. Plus, Gunn gave us Mr. Terrific, Guy Gardner, Krypto, and a kick-ass Lois Lane.

Favorite Reads

I'm on track to meet this year's reading goal. Here are my Top 3 favorites so far:

• Terminal List - Jack Carr

  • I tore through this thriller in about a week, an unusually high speed for me. It's a great revenge story starring a Navy SEAL.

• Tread of Angels - Rebecca Roanhorse

  • Weird western/murder mystery, featuring the descendants of angels and demons, by one of my favorite NM authors.

• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab

  • I've mentioned Schwab's talent before, and this book did not disappoint. It covers the immortal life of Addie who bears a terrible curse: to be forgotten.

Mr. Terrific offers me some writing advice.

Accountability Time

✅ = goal achieved

🎯= on target

😞= behind schedule

• New Fantasy Novel Queries 🎯

  • Active: 5

  • Declined: 9

• Midnight Agency, Season 3 😞

  • Goal: complete draft by June. Sadly, no.

    • Word count: 53K

    • 75% toward goal

    • Realized I was writing book 4 instead of book 3 and had to rework it. Ultimately, this is a good thing, but it cost me time.

• New novel series😞

  • Goal: start draft of a mystery, crime, or thriller in July.

    • Not started yet, but thinking about it. I need to finish MA3 first.

• Short stories 🎯

  • Active: 4

  • Rejected: 8

  • Pending Acceptance: 1

• New Story Written ✅

  • A new pirate story loosely tied to my other pirate story, "The Wreckers," which is loosely tied to my fantasy novel that I'm trying to sell. Fingers crossed that this story finds a home. I love this one.

• Craft - actively improve writing skills.✅

  • Books:

    • How to Write a Howling Good Story - Wulf Moon

    • The Making of a Story - Alice LaPlante

    • Save the Cat! Writes a Novel - Jessica Brody

  • Classes:

    • "Revise with Hannah Tinti" - One Story self-paced course

    • "Big Punch in a Little Package: Creating Short Stories that Sizzle and Sell" - webinar with K.C. Grifant

    • "Live Editing Flash Fiction with Rebecca E. Treasure" - Apex Workshop

    • "Write a Short Story with Hannah Tinti" - One Story 7-day class.

• Books - read at least 30 books in 2025 🎯

  • Completed: 24

A fine message from the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute.