Midge Raymond's Blog, page 10

Ann Pancake’s Eye-Opening and Poetic Environmental Novel

I am thrilled to see this review of Ann Pancake’s wonderful novel Strange As This Weather Has Been on Off the Shelf today. As a writer who is passionate about the environment (and often impatient about the lack of progress when it comes to tackling climate change), I know all too well how challenging it  … Read more

Climate change warnings grow more alarming

It’s more mind-boggling than ever that climate change isn’t being taken more seriously, or discussed more often, especially with scientists’ warnings becoming ever more alarming. In the latest study released this week, research suggests that should the West Antarctic ice sheet melt as currently projected (and with ice melting in other parts of the world  … Read more

Can birds love?

I loved this article about pigeons, in which author Brandon Keim writes about an avian romance blooming in his Brooklyn neighborhood. This excellent essay reminded me of a pair of pigeons that attempted to roost and raise babies in the eaves of my own back porch a few years ago (which inspired a short story,  … Read more

Cat Editors: Mollie Hunt and Tinkerbelle, Little, and Big Red

Mollie Hunt has three cat editors, all of whom have very distinctive roles in her writing life. Here are their stories, with their photos below: Tinkerbelle, the 14-year-old lady, who up until recently worked as a therapy cat, is my prime editor. From her bed behind my monitor, she guides me with her vast kitty  … Read more

Last day to win an advance copy of MY LAST CONTINENT!

Today — March 5, 2016 — is the last day to enter to win an advance copy of MY LAST CONTINENT from Goodreads! Click here for details…the giveaway ends at midnight. Tweet

Cat Editors: Diane Lefer and Desi, Junie & Mildred

Diane Lefer has had many cat editors to collaborate with. Desi, pictured above, was Diane’s muse from a very early age: Desi was abandoned way too young, only 3 weeks old, and she thought I was her mother. Or maybe the other way around: Like a mother, she was constantly reminding me to get serious  … Read more

Chasing Penguins

As soon as I met my first penguins (chinstraps, Adélies, and gentoos) in Antarctica more than twelve years ago, I fell in love with these incredible animals. Two years later, when I had the opportunity to help the University of Washington’s Dee Boersma with a Magellanic penguin census in Patagonia two years later, I (along  … Read more

Cat Editors: Jean Ryan and Tango

Author Jean Ryan writes with Tango, who obviously does a great job of keeping her author in the chair. Of working with Tango, Jean says: Tango does not want me to get too comfortable with my writing. She urges me to stay on the edge, to persevere through difficulty, to remember that the deepest truths  … Read more

Cat Editors: Suzanne Kamata and Sumi

Suzanne Kamata writes with her cat Sumi (which means “ink” in Japanese). Sumi is pictured above with the first draft of Suzanne’s novel-in-progress, a sequel to Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible. Sumi usually sleeps in a chair next to mine as I work at the computer. Here he is, I think, expressing that  … Read more

Penguin Awareness Day

January 20 is Penguin Awareness Day. Why celebrate a day of penguin awareness, you may be wondering — and how? There are 17 species of penguins throughout the world, and penguin awareness is important because these incredible birds face increasing threats every day, worldwide, from pollution to overfishing to climate change. Click here to learn  … Read more