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May Bee Update
After a rather slow start this spring, activity has picked up at Jerry Smith Park. Less than a month ago, not only were bees in short supply, but insects of all kinds were scarce. Now the prairie is buzzing, hopping, flying – even being chewed apart! The explosion of life in such a short space…
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Daughter of Aithne wins the OZMA Award
I’m very excited to report that Daughter of Aithne, Book Three of The Silver Web, has received the 2017 OZMA Award for fantasy fiction! A division of Chanticleer’s International Book Awards, the OZMA Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works of fantasy. Winners were announced last weekend at Chanticleer’s annual authors conference in Bellingham, Washington. It was a…
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Midlife Reboot
Sunday I came across this article in the Washington Post that talks about what we traditionally call the “midlife crisis.” Turns out it’s not a crisis at all. It’s a “psychological and emotional reboot” where “our values, our priorities, even our brains…shift away from competition and social striving and toward connecting and giving to others,”…
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Signs of Spring
Friends in the northeast are getting pummeled by one deep freeze after another, but here in the Midwest, spring has made its presence felt. The sun shines bright over warm and breezy days. Daffodils are pushing up through the dirt. Birds defend their territories and build nests, and the grass looks greener every time I…
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Not One More
I’ve been inspired these past days by the eloquence and leadership of the survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland, Florida – and saddened to the depths of my spirit by the horror they were forced to confront. So much innocent blood has been shed over so many years. With each…
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Valentine’s Day Reflection
We’ve been through some tough times for love. On a personal level, I’ve navigated fallout from a divorce, but more than that, as a community we’ve been bombarded by relentless forces of anger, division, and hate. Compassion, hope, and affection have had difficulty finding their voices in these confusing times, and all of us have…
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Farewell, 2017
Once in a great while, a calendar year comes with a singular message; a lesson that seems to start on or near January 1st and come full circle by the end of December. If I were to articulate the big lesson of the last 365 days, it would be this: We must work hard to…
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Publishers Weekly reviews Daughter of Aithne
I’m very excited to report that this week’s edition of Publishers Weekly includes a review of Daughter of Aithne! The review caught me a little by surprise. I’d submitted the novel at the beginning of 2017 using BookLife, the independent author platform managed by Publishers Weekly. My hope was to score a PW review in…
K.R. Gastreich, Author
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K. R. Gastreich, Author 