>VCCA Day 1

>It’s as wonderful as I remembered–better, even, because there’s little of the new place anxiety. I got settled into my room–a great one, with a private bathroom (most of the fellows have to share with one other room), and also a great studio–one with a Southwest view, toward the woods and the mountains. I got some work done on a new story, tentatively called “Hole in the Wall” but I think I’ll be changing it, and also plotted out the story I’ll be working on tomorrow, right now called “Chips and Sascha”. I needed to run an errand in town (I forgot something, so needed to find a grocery store), but walked through the woods on the way back to the residence. We’re not far from the 2000 acre fire in the George Washington National Forest and in places I could smell it. I’m told it was deliberately set, which is sad.

After dinner–the usual talkative event, especially when there are new people to meet all the time–I went out to my studio for an hour and got a lot done on the second project, which deals with the novel I’m working on. And now I’m beat.

I mentioned earlier that I wondered if there would be anyone here I know, and it turns out there are: Jodi and Katherine, both of whom I met during my stay last fall.

About the author

I am the author of three novels--THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE, OLIVER'S TRAVELS, and THE SHAMAN OF TURTLE VALLEY--and three story collections--IN AN UNCHARTED COUNTRY, HOUSE OF THE ANCIENTS AND OTHER STORIES, and WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW, winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction. I am also the co-founder and former editor of Prime Number Magazine and the editor of the award-winning anthology series EVERYWHERE STORIES: SHORT FICTION FROM A SMALL PLANET.

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