My new story “In Defence of Plant Life” is part of On Spec Magazine Issue #128, Vol. 34, No. 2. I’m excited to be part of the longtime Canadian magazine of the fantastic.  “In Defence of Plant Life” is a story about a terrarium on a train.  How did it come about? 

For Mother’s Day five years ago, I went with my middle sister, our mom, and my mother-in-law to Roosevelt’s Terrariums in Portland. The place was enchanting. 

We had such a fun time each making our own terrarium, from selecting the vessel (I picked one with a very narrow neck—definitely limited my options, rather like a writing constraint I guess) to arranging soil, stones, and plants inside.  I madly scribbled notes throughout, fascinated by the process. 

I cast about right away for a chance to use the inspiration in a story.  I combined it with a longtime interest I’d had in setting something on a train, specifically a private rail car.  A few months later, my mom and I went to a local plant nursery, Farmington Gardens, for a presentation called My Alien Plant (I couldn’t resist a title like that), which gave me the exact research I needed.  The month after that, I went to a one-day writing retreat and started the first draft.  I’m so excited the final version is available to readers at last! 

By the way, I’ll have some more poetry news to share later this month.