Ashley Ream

The most common axiom about writing is to “write what you know.”

Author and her trusty research assistant at Deception Pass on Whidbey Island.

Have you ever driven behind a school bus full of fifth grade boys? Have you ever seen them press their faces to the back window so their noses looks like snouts and their breath fogs up the glass and their tongue lolls out of their mouths? That’s how I feel about that axiom. Although I would add some rude sound effects just to really round things out. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by Lee Edwin Coursey. Used under Creative Commons License.

I’m off to the Pacific Northwest to research my next book, and packing is a challenge. My LA-based wardrobe isn’t suitable for weather of any kind, neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor wind. Probably not even a light breeze. For one thing, I own no galoshes and nothing with a hood. I’m pretty sure I have an umbrella from that one time I went to Scotland in the fall. (That sounds like a joke, but it’s absolutely true. FYI, the price of umbrellas in Edinburgh doubles during a downpour.)

It’s going to be very cold and very wet. And it’s supposed to be. I can’t complain. It matches the weather in the book, so bring it on. Soak me. Freeze me. This is, after all, not a vacation. I’m going to drive around residential neighborhoods, studying the layout of the streets and houses. I’ll be hanging out on boating docks and taking pictures of the bathroom facilities on ferries. I’ll be wandering around the woods and wading into the freezing Pacific up to my knees. I’ll study historic weather data and tide charts. I’ll spend a lot of time taking notes and plundering university libraries. Read the rest of this entry »

I like resolutions. I do. There. I said it. Although, you can call them plans if that makes you more comfortable. Here’s what I’m planning in 2013.

Write Fun

Photo by Eunice. Used via Creative Commons License.

I’m writing a new book right now, and OMG, I plan/resolve to make it the most fun book I’ve ever written. There’s so much potential in these characters, you guys. I love them. I hope you love them. (And I wish I could tell you more.)

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