…you start drooling over things like “30 of the Most Creative Bookshelves Designs.”

These bookshelf stairs are pretty cool, too. 

My whole life I’ve wanted to have a room with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, complete with rolling ladder.  I still love that classic look, but now these give me something else to think about!

(Okay, time to stop daydreaming about my fantasy library and get back to writing.)

What happens when a bunch of writers come together and hole up in a lodge in the winter?  No, it’s not The Shining.

Writers, like any other group of people, have a lot of things they don’t agree on.  There are different religious views, different political views…even different views on writing.  Some people want nothing more than to see their book on the shelves; others seem to think that the hunger for publication diminishes the act of writing.

But we don’t chase each other around with sharp objects and, despite questionable spiritual activity in the house (according to some), redrum never appeared on the walls. 

Instead, it was a weekend with a group of people that understands that every conversation - especially the controversial ones - are fodder for future stories.  You don’t even have to be involved in the conversation to reap the benefits!  A group of people that thinks it’s perfectly normal to disappear within your own mind or to sit in a crowded room and ignore everyone around you while you mentally map out the next page or dump your thoughts onto the keyboard.  The rest of the world may think we’re odd at times (or a lot of the time), but when we get together for a retreat, we’re among our kind and can focus on the work.  We can also whine about plot and characters and scenes to an audience that’s sympathetic even though they don’t get to actually see the book.  There’s also a lot of laughter and silliness.

After four days, I finally feel like my second book is buckled in the harness and ready to pull me along.

Thanks PW!