1/23/25 – A little of this, a little of that…

Hey there happy reader!

I’m back from the west coast with my favorite two-year old in tow! With the fires in Los Angeles leaving poor air quality in their wake, my daughter-in-law and grandson have come to stay with us for a while. We’ve put away all the breakables and secured anything that might become a projectile for the immediate future…

I’m excited to have this little California boy see snow for the first time, need to wear his mittens and winter coat when we go outside, and watch him experience cold weather! Something tells me he’s not going to like it all that much.

And while he sleeps, I’ll continue to work on my new book! 

I’m doing a deep dive into ancient religions as I try to understand the culture of Stonehenge. While religion isn’t the focus of the book, I do think it’s important to capture the truth about the way of life all those years ago. I find that the more historical fact I can add to my fictional story, the better the narrative. And since one of my main protagonists is the leader of this tribe of people, I do believe that it would help to gather as much of the truth of the time as possible. It makes the story feel more authentic – I think you’ll agree!

My plan is to have a good portion of this book written by the time I leave for Joyce Maynard’s writer’s workshop at the end of March in Guatemala. It’s a lot to get done, but I’m hopeful that I can do it!

In the meantime, I’ve been invited to speak at a number of book clubs this winter and spring. 

While these are in-person appearances, I am available to Zoom into your book club as well. We always have fun talking about books, writing, and what it means to take a creative leap and do the one thing you haven’t allowed yourself to do before.

If you would like to get in touch, you can always reach me at hilari.mpp@gmail.com. I’d love to drop by and meet you!