I went away for a writing retreat with friends this weekend. For years we’ve gathered at the coast, but this time we found ourselves on the backroads of Northern California. Instead of looking out over beaches, we had buttes. And a most changing landscape–for a landscape that at first seemed unchanging. We were astonished by [...]

So I have a new home page. Maybe you’ve seen it? You can check it out here, or by clicking about me in the menu above my header. The home page is at patriciazaballos.com, where the blog used to live. The blog now gets moved next door to patriciazaballos.com/blog. I’ve been assured that the change [...]

So, it’s November, and you’re certainly Halloweened out. You’ve probably moved on to pureeing pumpkins and writing novels. Still, in the name of DIY projects and for the love of duct tape, I wanted to share Mr. T’s Halloween costume. (If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably seen this costume more times than you [...]

Oh, what  a crazy time it is. Mr. T turns ten today, and Lulu turns sixteen on Halloween. Multiple cakes and celebrations are involved. Also, I’m trying to fabricate a Thor costume primarily from duct tape. But that’s the sticky stuff of another post. I haven’t managed a post here in a few weeks. But [...]

What would a teacher say about that writing posture? That pencil grip? The other day I read these words in a comment from Amy: “…So many of your suggestions for working with little (pre) writers and readers have wisely echoed in my brain right as I am about to pull the panic trigger and rap [...]

Hiya! Welcome to my remodeled digs! Grab yourself a cup of tea and come snoop around! This here Wonder Farm has been begging for redecorating for a while now. Things have looked pretty much the same since I first hung my header at the top of my home page, more than three years ago. Everything [...]