Bad Directions

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Newsletter Archives

May 31, 2026. Issue # 24: Cajun Werewolves

New Orleans, werewolf art, my first robo-car

February 8, 2026. Issue # 23: A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Probably Do Again

Making peace with a flashy resort, photos from Mérida, whales.

December 28, 2025. Issue # 22: What Advice Would Your Younger Self Give You?

A reunion reminds me why I write.

November 30, 2025. Issue # 21: Back to Siberia

The mother of all dive bars, the best bagel, New York City

October 27, 2025. Issue # 20: Let’s Talk About the Weather (in Fiction)

Scary stories, nuclear frights, weather as setting

April 27, 2025. Issue # 19: Salvador, Brazil

Salvador pics, Smurf news, a juicy Spanish show

March 30, 2025. Issue # 18: Escaping To, Escaping From

Escape from paradise, Brazil, a spy podcast, a husband’s guide.

February 1, 2025. Issue # 17: Work in Progress

A new manuscript, a trip to the pool, must-reads.

January 1, 2025. Issue # 16: Where will you go, what will you write this year?

Travel Plans, Writing Goals, Reading Recommendations

July 14, 2024. Issue # 15: See You IRL?

Book Tour, Baja Photos Galore, Building a Novel

June 2, 2024. Issue # 14: First Tour Date and Review

A Lummi Island retreat, first OUTLIER review, recommendations.

April 28, 2024. Issue # 13: All About Audiobooks

How audiobooks get made; weekend in New York; what to read and watch.

March 31, 2024. Issue # 12: Designing a Book Cover

Cover reveal for The Outlier; an interview with a book designer; best TV shows about statecraft.

February 25, 2024. Issue # 11: A New Highway to the Beach

Breaking travel news from Oaxaca; a hot and heavenly beach town; writing wisdom from AWP; favorite travel websites.

January 28, 2024. Issue # 10: What is Lab Lit? My First Speaking Gig of the Year

What will replace the guidebook; Five ways to end a nonfiction story.

December 31, 2023. Issue # 9: The Ultimate Packing List

My OCD packing list; 2023 literary scandals; the best news of the year.

November 26, 2023. Issue # 8: Get Warm in Winter

Puerto Rico, USA; restaurants in Toronto, Canada; news about my novel; apps that have changed how I travel.

October 26, 2023. Issue # 7: Haunted Hospital

Ellis Island, New York, USA; Super-Basic Social Media; links to excellent short stories.

September 24, 2023. Issue # 6: Magic in a Mountain

The Palouse-to-Cascades Trail in Washington State, USA; the Blurbocalypse; favorite newsletters for writers.

August 27, 2023. Issue # 5: The Perfect Quote

Epigraphs; the Mother of the Atomic Bomb; New Hampshire Lakes, USA.

July 24, 2023. Issue # 4: The City of Magnificent Intentions

Favorite restaurants in Washington, DC, USA; novels with a sense of place.

June 25, 2023. Issue # 3: Fact into Fiction in Baja; Spies on TV

La Ventana, Mexico; fiction research; favorite espionage television series.

May 15, 2023. Issue # 2: Travel Bugs of the Microbial Kind; Hot fiction About Messy Love

Paris, France; Budapest, Hungary; favorite literary novels about relationships.

April 15, 2023. Issue # 1: Return Trips, How to Start a Novel, Favorite Writing Podcasts

Oaxaca, Mexico; writing craft; writing podcasts.