Home roads

I've been on the road this week - back in the motherland (Saskatchewan). Every time I drive these roads I am struck by the landscape. I've waxed eloquent about prairie roads before, so I won't go on and on about it. But I understand why so many of my stories take place in these sort of settings. The huge skies and miles of flatness have a John Ford-ian feel to them and they cry out to have characters placed into them. I know I am dancing close to some pretentious purple prose when I think like this. And I guess that those who grew up in the mountains or by the ocean have similar feelings; home gets inside you. That is the place I go to first when I think of where my characters live. When they look out there windows they see what I saw growing up.

But there are times where I want to break out of that setting and write some urban tales. I did that with my story, "Samurai Bluegrass". It takes place in Toronto, in and around Chinatown. I learned this week that it has been accepted into the magazine, "Carve", which takes its name from the brilliant writer, and literary hero of mine, Raymond Carver.

I believe the summer issue goes live today, so I'll post a link when it's up.

Cheers from the flatlands.