I’ve returned to Maine! Half the year I live in the Midwest with my husband, John Briggs (he’s Director of the Konza Prairie Preserve, a Nature Conservancy site). From April-November I’m in Maine and we travel back and forth.
I’m drinking up Maine. How I missed the slosh of waves on rocks and air perfumed with the odor of salt and seaweed! And – of course – sea kayaking. First warmish day, I’ll roll my 17 foot kayak down the driveway and launch it in the saltmarsh across the street. Huge grin on my face, I’ll paddle into the wind, play on the waves, and absolutely love it. I do have to be careful to get back before low tide, though, or I’ll be stuck in the mud!
Now that I’m back, I’ll visit bookstores to set up readings plus chats about climate-fiction (“cli-fi”) and environmental impacts of warming on Maine’s coast. I’d love to do some with environmental organizations. Those will take place over the summer and I’ll post information on this website. I do have readings already schedule with several book groups, but those are private events.
Several friends have asked about cli-fi since they’ve never heard the term. My friend and colleague, Dan Bloom, coined the term a while back. In a nutshell, this is fiction in which climate change is a major theme (or the theme). Most cli-fi takes place in the future and is dystopian, scary, and depressing. Of course, that approach serves a purpose.
My books are very different. They are contemporary stories in which readers get an idea what climate scientists actually do and the harassment they have to deal with. But it’s not gloomy by any means. It’s funny (like when Mara….oh, can’t let the cat out of the bag), fast paced, and immerses readers in the mysterious above and underwater ocean domain. And, of course, they are mystery so readers can try to figure out “who done it” along with Mara