Our hideaway in the woods.

Just got back from a short—but real sweet—trip to Idyllwild, a town over a mile high in Southern California’s imposing San Jacinto Mountains. Not that I ever need an excuse to go there, but in this case we made the trip to celebrate a significant birthday for my bride. Jacqueline loves the town just as much as I do. We stayed in an isolated cabin amid the pines and cedars, where the only noise was the chittering of bushy-tailed squirrels and the tap tap of countless woodpeckers.

Idyllwild is a magnet for creative folks, as evidenced by a number of art galleries along the main drag and outside of town. There are plenty of unique shops (the Funky Bazaar blew my mind), and you won’t go hungry while you’re checking them all out, what with the array of restaurants there. (The Red Kettle has been in Idyllwild since the dawn of time, and their breakfasts are to die for.)

Tahquitz Rock is an Idyllwild landmark.

And how about us writers? Well, if you can’t get inspired in Idyllwild, you may have difficulty finding your mojo just about anywhere else. I’m currently working on a book with one of my long-time writers that mostly takes place in the fictional town of Cedar Valley, a thinly disguised Idyllwild. And a long, long time ago I used the town as the model for Oak Glen in an unpublished sword & planet novel.

Anyway, I didn’t want to get into a travelogue here. If you’re anywhere in Southern California (or even if you’re not) and haven’t been to Idyllwild, find some time to take the short trip. It’s a two-hour (or less) drive from most places in this part of the state.

THE DEMONOLOGIST

Because most of the time I’m working on one of my own books, or with other writers on their manuscripts (though less of that these days), I find little time to read for fun and/or illumination. But during the Idyllwild getaway, upon threats of painful injury from Jacqueline, I brought no work with me. Instead, I read a fascinating—and frightening—non-fiction book by Gerald Brittle titled, The Demonologist: The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren. If you’ve seen the movie, The Conjuring, or its current prequel, Annabelle, or if you’re familiar with the story of the Amityville house, you probably know about the remarkable Warrens. I intend to write a great deal about them in the not-too-distant future. (And my next read for fun/illumination? Lee Fullbright, your opus is now on top of the stack.)

                               GUEST POST

Circle of Reign, an epic fantasy novel by Jacob Cooper, is the first book in The Dying Lands Chronicle. In next week’s guest post Jacob—one of my writers—will talk about the ups and downs along his journey to being published.