projects

Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.  ~John Steinbeck


 

I fondly refer to my story ideas as plot bunnies, 

so I guess you could say this is the bunny hutch.

 

Trolls
I have always played pretend with my children. There are bridges on every road leading away from our house, some large and some small and rickety. Trolls seemed to live under them all. I would roll down the windows and drive slowly so the kids could yell out, "clickety clack" as we went and the troll would call back, "who's that crossing over my bridge?"

Only recently did I realize that I was creating imaginary friends for my children.

The first picture book is coming soon with illustrations by Davey Atkinson, a fabulous up and coming artist from England. 
You can check out his work here.


Demons
A museum encounter with a demonically carved piece of furniture led me first to question my sanity and then to question the sanity of the artist. What would inspire a carpenter to decorate  their work with something so vile? What would inspire a writer to take that plot bunny home and feed it? My friends give me strange looks about this one. My daughter thinks it would be a good young adult novel. We'll have to see.


Vikings 
My fascination with the Norse started long before the History Channel introduced us to Ragnar and his friends. It even predates The 13th Warrior, though I have to say that Michael Crichton's Eaters of the Dead did inspire me to go back and read Beowulf. Viking travel, believe it or not, is part of Oklahoma's history; whether that tie-in is recent as part of a hoax or is based in historical truth remains to be proven. Either way, a number of stones inscribed with runes have been found in Oklahoma, the most interesting by far being a 12 foot tall rock with runic graffiti located in the southeastern part of the state.  

I have been to visit the Heavener Runestone in Glome's Valley more than once and find it interesting enough to spur a few ideas about what the Norse would have encountered as they traveled through the homelands of what would have been a still thriving Native American population. You hear authors talk about writing the "Great American Novel"? Well, this one is mine.









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Who is

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I watched Happy Days as a kid and Mrs. "C" was a tremendous role model. Then I grew up and became a Zwermann. Mrs Z is so much easier to say. Anyway, since you're here, you probably should know that I write. I write about real things and I make up pretend things to write about, too. It's really kind of awesome you're here reading some of my work. Thank you!!