What I did on my summer vacation...

During the summer, I usually spend a week in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with my family. It's one of the most gorgeous places known to man - forests that go on forever, waterfalls, the Great Lakes - well, three of them, at least. It has a kind of wild beauty that I never get tired of. And as a bonus, I've met some of the nicest people on my trips, too.

This summer, I managed two weeks in the UP. And better yet, one of them was a writers' retreat. There were six of us staying on the nearly deserted shoreline of Lake Superior writing our little hearts out. It was beyond amazing. There's something so energizing about staying with a bunch of friends who have the same interest in creating stories that you do. It was like a little commune with a common goal of making as much progress as possible on our books. In addition to writing, we laughed almost constantly. My face and my stomach ached for a week after we got home just from all the laughter. It was an amazing time.

The location was especially great for me since my series is set in a small town on the shores of Lake Superior. It was like being immersed in my story world - well, you know, minus the vengeful supernatural beings.

These are a few images from the trip.