Just finished rebuilding my personal website, with more information about my books (and easier to find it, too, thanks to the scrolling book bar) and a new section on public appearances. I’ve added all my new web designs - personal and for clients - to the mix as well. Stop by and take a look!

My new author website

Wow, is this one a whopper! The sinkhole in Daisetta, Texas that started opening up yesterday has grown to 900 feet across and 260 feet deep as of today. That’s downright impressive. By comparison, the famous Winter Park, Florida sinkhole was only 350 feet wide and 75 feet deep. Right now, the big concern in Daisetta is that the sinkhole will keep widening and start swallowing up homes. Oil drilling in a salt dome is thought to have contributed to the collapse. 

See the whopping size of this sinkhole in a news story on FoxNews.com.
Learn more about sinkholes in my book, Sinkholes!

180,000 words and counting. Due March 31. In case you wondered why I’m not blogging or keeping websites updated, I’m nose to the grindstone (or the computer screen, as these modern days permit) with getting my collected updates into the manuscript.

No rest for the weary until after Apr 1….I’ve been pulling late nights every night, and expect a marathon weekend, too.

Such is the life of a writer, in case you think it’s glamorous. It’s a grind. A very interesting grind, but when it comes down to actually getting done with research and then writing the book, it’s hard work.

I’m working on this one right now, with a due date of end of March. Lots of reorganization of content this time, including bringing the Tampa Bay area into its rightful place at the end of the I-4 corridor! Great news recently that Weeki Wachee will become a Florida State Park and the mermaid show will continue as a historic artifact. I’m looking forward to the potential of hiking trails linking the spring with the Weeki Wachee Preserve in Hernando Beach: now here’s enough land for some serious backpacking loops!

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Spent a weekend in Daytona Beach doing research for my Explorer’s Guide series. The best part about staying in an oceanfront room is the natural soundscape generated by the waves and the sounds of gulls wheeling in the background. Followed by the sea breeze… and, if you’re lucky (or willing) enough to wake up in time, watching the sun rise over the Atlantic. We stayed in the century-old Plaza Hotel, which has undergone an extreme makeover to make these oceanfront rooms some of the best on the beach, and this will be a new (and very welcome) addition to the book. Result? A restful and relaxing stay, despite the time stresses of a research trip.