My website partner Eilis was remarking on the weather lately. Down here in the Portland, OR area, it's still summerish during the day, but it's getting darker earlier. The neighborhood's beautiful flowers are looking a little tired, but still bright, and the lawns are coming back a little. The big difference I notice is that the wind is back. I haven't lived here long enough to know long term patterns, but I noticed it always felt cold here despite the hot sun, because there were always such strong currents. They were gone for six weeks or so until this week. Maybe my two sets of house guests blew it back in.

My novel-in-progress, The Grange, is set in this area. I'll have to remember to include the wind. I wonder what sensual little details we writers who try to write about faraway places miss? Those details might be what brings a resident or a former resident completely into our stories. I love to read books set in the locales where I'm traveling. Wouldn't it be great if writers could always visit our settings? 

I just read the first chapter of my friend Delle Jacobs new work-in-progress. It's fantastic! Check her out at www.dellejacobs.com