Geneva Durand's Blog

In the Annals of Ulster you may read the tale of Cath Chluain Tarbh, when Máel Sechnaill and Brian Boru rode together to the conquest of Dublintown and fought on those royal banks Sigtrygg Silkbeard, King of Dublin, Sigurd the Stout, Earl of Orkney, and the fleet their ally Brodir brought from the Isle of Mann.

From the walls of Dublin Lady Sláine ingen Briain watched the battle. Her sympathies had worn too thin over the years of conflict to be strong on either side and it was little she ...

This post needs to begin with an apology. Not that I think there are too many people who regularly read my blog, and the one who does (thanks Sarah) long ago received a much more personal notification, but it is just embarrassing that it’s taken me well over a year to announce my first published book anywhere on my website.

So without further ado, here’s what I spent summer of 2021-22 writing. (Before you wonder how long I think summer is, I was in the southern hemisphere.)

Richard Cleave and Maury Stafford each suspect Judith Cary of a preference for the other—but while that makes Richard resolve to do his best to keep Maury alive as they both fight for their native Virginia, Maury decides to do his best to ruin Richard’s army career. Who will come out alive and more importantly, who does Judith want to come out alive?

The Long Roll is, well, long. I suppose it’s about as long as Dickens’ Bleak House or Martin Chuzzlewit and that, my friends, is long.

It’s p...

Saturday, August 10. 10:00 AM. I’m sitting in an expo hall, behind a table draped in black cloth and decorated with some of my recent LEGO creations. But they’re not what’s capturing my attention. Instead, I’m staring at a box awkwardly wrapped in fading purple construction paper and wondering what it conceals–and knowing that whatever it conceals will haunt my days and dreams for the next two weeks.

I was invited to participate in Iron Builder–the toughest LEGO competition out there,...

So far every trail had led to a dead end.

Take the newspaper he had saved for eighty years, covered in faded ink and antiquated headlines.  Which was the critical clue—Browder Opens 8th Communist Party Convention, Detroit Auto Men Furious at Betrayal, Workers Urged to Pack Bronx Court This Noon?  Or, just as likely, none of the above?  Tiana felt ready to go for a hike, take a shower, and leave the problem for a future generation.

But wait, it got better.  For instance, there were the ...

In the bustling marketplace of Barqa, where poor artisans and farmers from miles around gather to trade wares and stories, John and his son Martin work long hours in their modest outdoor space. It’s a small start, but that doesn’t keep these craftsmen from dreaming big and working hard.

(This scene is the first part in a collaborative story I worked on with three other builders–you can see their parts here!)

My first focus when building an all-LEGO scene like this is composition. ...

—by popular demand, it’s the Ada-filled finale to Cutting Grass and Class and Cut Glass and Cats —

“Hey girl!  How’s my favorite sister today?”  Julian’s voice breezed through the entryway as he stepped, uninvited and unannounced, into his sister’s home.

“Uncle Julian!” squealed a voice, and six girls descended upon him and began systematically rifling his pockets.

Julian kept his head above their level with difficulty.  “Em, you vagabond, there’s nothing in my hat.  Macy, stop u...

—the thrillifying sequel to Cutting Grass and Class—

Kat paused on the darkened stairway, holding the cracked glass out in front of her with her right hand. The light from far behind glinted eerily off its angles and barely illuminated the crimson liquid inside. Without turning around, she could still sense impatience coming from the top of the stairs.

“Keep going. Keep going.”

“Get out of my head!” she screamed, her arm shaking and spilling half the blood. She wrapped her left ...

Julian Saunders was bored. He was even bored of waving his fingers through his hair and looking bored—though he was only bored of that because there was no one to see him.

He sat down in his gaming chair and rolled across the room, stopping to look down from his full-length window. The sunlight sparkled attractively on the family pool and cast the shadows of the trees behind it across the manicured lawn. A momentary smile flitted across Julian’s face when he remembered how he’d shoc...

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. —Revelation 2:4–5

Jason Sloboda, DDiv, pushed the squeaking old church door back on its hinges.  He stumbled backwards as the rank, musty air hit him.  It was worse even than he had expected.

He stepped inside, disturbing the dust of de...