Falling Leaves Retreat

The hotel reminded me of the Athenaeum at Chautauqua, with all the rockers on the porch.

It's been a while since I posted here. I've been busy meeting deadlines, planning a vacation, and fighting for a refund (succesfully!).

on Sunrise Mountain

Last November, I was lucky to get the opportunity to attend the Falling Leaves Retreat. After I returned, I noticed it was among School Library Journal's list of  best children's literature writing retreats. It was a well run event held at Silver Bay on the shore of Lake George in New York. I arrived early enough to hike up the red trail to Sunrise Mountain, which was described on the map as "Silver Bay's most challenging hike." In the light rain, it was a bit treacherous coming down the sleep slope on leaves that were slipping underfoot.

As I was about to join everyone in the meeting place, I saw this little guy.

What I did not expect was to meet someone that had suffered through the exact same tragedy that I went through earlier this year. When she told me what happened to her son, I blinked back tears, stunned. I was going to keep my secret all bottled up, but that's not the way it turned out.

the grounds at Silver Bay

All five editors gave excellent presentations. We did round table on-the-spot reading and critiquing, which was not what I was used to, but I quickly adapted to the format. One evening, we had the opportunity to read our work, if we were brave enough. I signed up, fearless. I read, flawless. REDEMPTION!