In addition to a gourmet dinner, there will be silent and live auctions, including a fabulous dessert auction. Don’t miss it!

Tickets are $60 and can be purchased individually or by tables. And please, stop by and say hi at our table. You’ll figure out who we are…

Get your tickets here!

Here are a couple of pages from the publisher’s catalog…

Thanks for all you’re doing, Jesse.

I’ve had dreams about tunnels, caves that never end, being lost as I crawl through smaller and smaller crevices in the dark, so it took courage to wind my way through the tunnels of Quinta de Regaleira.

With cave walls closing in, I followed closely behind two women with a cell phone as a flashlight. After a couple curves, we found ourselves in the side of a well, with stairs winding both up and down around the inner walls. We climbed to the top, sure there would be an escape, but we stepped out onto a tall bank. Dreading the return through the wet tunnels, I pushed against heavy concrete rectangles that looked like they could be doors. The third one moved easily as I pushed against it–a hidden doorway! I got to be hero for a moment as we embraced the sunshine. What a setting. Now we just need a character. Leda will do…

Leda sits at the entrance to her cave, goose biting at her thigh, bird in her hands, and the question that’s been visiting me often this week appears again. What’s her story?

It’s a good question. Give it a try.

And when Ruby Tanaka’s book is snatched up, you’ll see Princess Agatha here as I did.

Real estate with a view…

Glass slippers wouldn’t do well around all this stone…

I’d love to hear this guy’s story.

We had our own palace of sorts in Sintra. It even got a new paint job shortly after this picture was taken. Quinta das Murtas. That’s our room behind the curlicue bars…

And what’s coming next? Caves, tunnels, secret doors, surprises tucked in every corner. Another day, another palace. Bring your walking shoes.

Stories hide in the stones there and I could have spent all three of my Sintra days perched on the steps and rocks of the castle wall trails and walkways. It filled me up. And when this place appears in the life of one of my characters someday, I’ll know how they feel.

Photos can never replace an experience, but climb into these if you can…

I love portals. Doorways, arches, overhanging trees, hollowed-out trees, cave entrances… Stepping into the stone archways of the Moorish Castle is magical.

Across the valley is where I’ve left the mobs, and where I’ll be later, but that’s a story for another day…

And if you’re looking for writing inspiration, I’ll be collaborating with the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts, The Commons, and the Langley Library to offer a series of mix and match classes. Here’s a draft of what they may look like. I’ll give you more information later…

Spring into Writing with Deb Lund

One-Day Workshop

April 17: “Fiction Fire for Teens and Adults” co-sponsored by NILA/WIWA and The Commons.

Whether you write (or want to write) adult, middle grade, or young adult fiction (or most genres for that matter), these playful activities will provide the kindling you need to ignite new stories. Create characters with unique voices, sizzling settings, and plots that keep readers blazing through your pages. 10 am-4pm, Island Coffeehouse and Books, Langley

Free Library Presentation

April 19: “Gag Your Inner Critic!” Sponsored by Friends of the Langley Library, WIWA/NILA, and The Commons

You say you want to write, but you don’t have time. Or you don’t have the right pen, paper, space, spouse, or parents. Or you think your writing is boring, stupid, and plain. Besides all that, writing is so much easier for everyone else than it is for you. Where’d those voices come from? After her first rejection, Deb Lund waited 15 years to submit her work again. She’ll help you put your inner critic to work! 3:00 pm–4:30 pm, Island Coffeehouse and Books, Langley

Monday Classes

“Writing with Teens and Adults” Sponsored by NILA/WIWA and The Commons.

Ready to Write? Teacher and published author Deb Lund facilitates this mixed-generation hands-on writing group. Come wrangle with words and the elements of story as we support each other and celebrate our successes. We’ll roll up our sleeves and write, read, and rewrite! Mondays, 3:00-4:30, April 26 to May 17, Saturday Reading & Celebration, 7:00, May 22. Island Coffeehouse and Books, Langley.

($70 teens, $80 adults)

This report shows how the recent earthquake has affected Ruuska Village.

Thank you for your support for Haiti, and for tolerating my occasional straying from writing to share our Haiti connections.

Writing is a jigsaw puzzle, and for me, novels are the ones with thousands of small pieces, each one holding a meaning, each piece striving to bring light to the whole.

So what have I been doing on this first run through? Well, I’ve mostly been cutting. While I see visions of scenes not yet in there, I’m first deleting all those details the reader doesn’t care about. The places where I humored myself and followed whims that were distractions in disguise. The wanderings that pulled me out of the story. To appease the part of me crying “But this is valuable information!” I saved those sections in a “cut” file. When I’m done, I’m hoping each piece of that puzzle will take its place, fitting together like a mosaic. Like this one of Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

Here’s a wish that all your puzzle pieces fall into place…