Closeup of bark on birch tree in my neighborhood

Like most people, I love grand vistas–mountains, sea, sky, prairies, city skylines–and there are a lot of grand vistas in the Pacific Northwest where I live.

But often it’s the little details that delight me the most–the interplay of light in the forest, the shadows of water ripples on the rocks in a clear stream, butterflies and ladybugs, and seedpods on plants.

Bright orange mushroom

And yes, fungus. I confess to being a fungus junkie. I see so many odd and pretty forms on my hikes. Some of it is probably edible, but I’m not an expert, so I don’t try any of it.

I’m amazed at the way that giant mushrooms can suddenly burst out of the earth. As a writer of stories that often have creepy elements, I can’t help imagining what other things might be lurking just below the surface of the soil.

‘Shrooms growing on tree

Peering into these tiny worlds is like visiting an alternate universe. I can often be found along a hiking trail studying lichens with my magnifying glass.

Mystery fungus

A small flock of yellow fungus

The mystery and intricacy of the natural world is endlessly fascinating and inspiring to me.

Taking a walk and just being in the moment nearly always cures my writer’s block.

The heroines of my books  always share my sense of wonder, so I hope my readers do, too.