Mary Flodin's Blog

My publisher has started assigning me tasks, as they prepare my new novel for launch. Today’s task is to ask people if they would like to receive an advance copy of my manuscript to read and REVIEW. (If writing a book review sounds daunting, don’t worry ~ reader reviews can be as short as one […]

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With such a lot going on in the last half year: a shift in US political structure marked by Trump’s inauguration to a second term, culture wars and global wars, an uncertain economy, plane crashes, escalating climate change, LA burning, and well . . just the holidays, I haven’t felt much like putting myself out […]

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The goal of fiction is to entertain. Commercial fiction readers want an exciting, absorbing story. And for some readers, it’s is all the better if the story is subtly infused with an important and timely social issue. As an author drawn to writing stories about social justice and the consequences of climate change, I constantly …

Science, Truth, Social & Environmental Justice, Fiction, and Entertainment Read More »

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My new novella, The Byrd River Flood, was just released by Paper Angel Press. Inspired by the true story of the 1995 Pajaro River flood in Watsonville, California, The Byrd River Flood is an adaptation excerpted from my eco-thriller, Fruit of the Devil. It portrays the social, emotional, environmental, personal, and political causes and costs …

New Book Release Read More »

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Here in California, in March, 2023 we’re experiencing another “Hundred Year Flood.” President Biden is flying in to inspect the damage and consult with Governor Newsom. We’ve heard that people in the  mountains have been stranded in heavy snow and have lost their lives. There have been floods and landslides, collapsed roads and bridges. People …

Hundred Year Flood Read More »

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MAPLE PERSIMMON UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE adapted from food52.com Mary’s NOTES This cake, adapted from a Food52 recipe, is amazing. Fresh persimmons resting in maple syrup and melted butter on the bottom of the traditional cast iron pan give the cake on top an incredible caramelized crunch around the edges. The maple cream cheese frosting is wonderful, […]

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On September 18th, I finished the first draft of Chapter 4 of my new novel. Enjoying the Research – what rocks are used for various colors in cave painting? “A sudden light revealed Delfina’s surroundings. Delfina’s mother stood before her, holding a candle. Behind Ramona was an alcove in the rock wall of the cave. […]

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August again, already. 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic just won’t quit. We got vaccinated. Took a trip to Kauai. Thought we were about to get back to normal. But then . . . the whole country slid backwards. Wearing masks again, even though vaccinated. The new Delta variant … Weed it and Reap. And yet our […]

The post Sharing the Harvest. Learning the Art of Canning. appeared first on Fruit of the Devil.

Introduction Yes. We’re all eager for our schools to reopen. The Covid-19 pandemic has now ravaged our country for over a year, killing more than half a million people, causing great economic hardship to all but the wealthiest, and exacting a savage psychological and emotional toll on our entire population. Everyone agrees. Social isolation and […]

The post REOPENING OUR SCHOOLS – A Teacher’s Perspective appeared first on Fruit of the Devil.

I just finished reading KINDRED by Octavia Butler. I couldn't put it down from first page to last. Brilliant! Illuminating. Amazing. I feel terrible that I was born in the same year in the same city as her, walked the same small town streets and went to school with the same people she did, and yet I failed to know her while she lived; I was too walled in by the small white desert of my upbringing to see a kindred spirit ablaze with light nearby. If you haven't discovered Octavia Butler's books yet, start now! https://www.nypl.org/.../06/22/where-...