It's so hot during the day here in Arizona that going outside feels like walking into an oven.

I've gotten some feedback on my novel WIP from a few beta readers already, and it's been overwhelmingly positive.

I finished working through the latest revision notes from Tae, and I've sent off the novel to a small group of beta readers. 🎉

So, apparently, it's baby lizard season here in Tucson, Arizona.

I'm about halfway through the revision notes from Tae.

About two weeks ago, I finished the third draft of the novel WIP. I handed it over to Tae to go through it with her keen eyes.

It's a strange feeling to have finished the latest draft of the novel WIP.

Early Sunday morning, after staying up all night, I completed a full set of revisions (third draft) on the novel WIP, from start to finish.

Tae and I were walking a few nights ago and stumbled upon a little snake.

I'm a big fan of philosophical razors. Recently, Tae stumbled across a new one to add to my Big Bad Toolbox of Very Sharp Things™.

So, I left the house...

I've been in a book club for years, and I often like to ask how people would change the endings of books. It's fascinating to find out how a book's end can change one's opinion of the entire work.

Kids leave traces everywhere!

Tae and I are watching the old seasons of Dexter. Nearly everything on the show feels current, like it could be unfolding right now.

Obviously, these things are related. A quick update on nature and tools.

Those two things are unrelated, I think.

With everything going on in your life, it can sometimes be tough to remember to take a break. Luckily, Mother Nature is out there constantly setting up signposts for us.

Is it just me, or does it constantly seem like the world is falling apart? Wars, natural disasters, disease, famine, murder, poverty—the list goes on and on.

On novel drafting, I made it past revisions on a pivotal scene that had been stuck in my head for a while. It needed...something. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, and I had to let it sort of percolate within the broader story.

Apparently, brown widow spiders are everywhere in Tucson now. They set up webs and actively hunt down other spiders, including black widows.

The horrors of Daylight Saving Time, an eight-legged friend, and writing updates.

I took this photo of the winter moon over the Tucson desert with my phone and was surprised at how well it turned out.

I rescued a jumping spider on the wall a few days ago before Cap'n Hammy Pants found it. Her name is known far and wide as the scourge of the insect and arachnid worlds. Eight-legged parents tell their children stories of the massive paw-stomping furry monster to keep them from wandering too far into the wilds.

Over the last week, two pigeons have come and sat by the window every morning.

A British/Chilean artist living in the UK reached out to me a while back about my article El Peuchen of Mapuche Mythology.