Such calm! Such peace! Such lighting! That’s the kind of image I think of when someone brings up balance. And. I mean. It is balance, of a sort. But this portrayal is problematic. For one, it’s static. It looks effortless because we didn’t see this person get up on the tree stump, we didn’t watch them lift their leg – once, twice – as they tried and failed and…

Scene: Dusk. Tucson. 2011. I’m walking along the Rillito River path with my not-yet-wife, crossing under the Campbell bridge just as the bats begin to flicker around us, high-pitched clicks barely audible over the hum of passing cars. The heat hasn’t yet begun to dissipate and we’re still months away from rain, so the guano has accumulated in thick lines across the asphalt and its smell is a punch that…

Step One (1): Write a book. A book of your heart. A book where you asked yourself “what are all the things I love to read about?” and dump them into one story. A book you tie up neatly, so that it can’t possibly have a sequel. A book that stands perfectly on its own. Step Two (2): Revise, query, acquire an agent for that book. Step Three (3): Have…

Welcome, welcome, one and all, to this grand dance of 2019, where you’ll get to live vicariously through five baby authors as they ride this rollercoaster called The Debut Year. We can promise much fun! and thrills! and anxiety! I am honored and pleased to start this year’s ball, so: Hi! I’m Kai—and yes, that rhymes. I’m a writer—no, an author—I can say that now, right? No one will come…