I know it’s good to be crazy busy in this economy, particularly when a bit of all the crazy business is for actual cash money. I’m working on writing a proposal for a non fiction book, and in another bit of indie contracting, working on pitching a fantastic debut novel from a young writer out of the Whidbey Writers conference. The other stuff: the research, the grammar checking, the newsletters and flyers, — oy. But I’m not complaining. Or trying not to.

Yesterday afternoon I made it to Sac State’s Collective Reading Series to hear two fabulous short fiction writers: Bridget Crenshaw-Mabunga and Jason Conde. Jason manages to get emotion from descriptions of the most mundane. I really admire his style, and will be keeping my eye out for him, as he is just graduating with his BA this spring and has only up to go.

Bridget and I have worked together in workshops as well as during the summer with our Writers In Progress writing group. She now has two novels in progress. The one from which she read has transformed since last summer. Then, it was a collection of brief vignettes relying on humor to entice the reader. Now, it is the start of a novel, with character development and sadness built in, with images and motion and conflict. She has worked hard these last six months; part of that time with my mentor/coach, Peter Grandbois.

Congratulations to Bridget and Jason for a great reading.