Stories do not always arrive fully formed. Often, they begin as a faint spark, a fragment of an idea, or a sudden image that lingers in the mind. For many writers, the process of a story finding them is a slow, sometimes mysterious journey. It can take years for a story to build itself in the brain, growing quietly until it demands to be told. This post explores how stories find their authors, the accidental moments that trigger discovery, and the research that breathes life

Photo courtesy of Friends of Coolidge Ghost Town The other night, I found myself sitting in the Depot Theatre at the Beaverhead County Museum, listening to a talk about Coolidge, Montana. It’s the kind of place many people might pass without a second thought—just another historic mining town tucked into the landscape. But the way it was presented that night, it didn’t feel distant or forgotten. It felt specific. Grounded. Real in a way that’s hard to replicate without truly u

Armstead, Montana: A Ghost Town with a Rich Legacy ===================================================== Armstead, Montana, once a lively community nestled along the Beaverhead River, holds a unique place in Montana history. You might know it as one of the many ghost towns scattered across the state, but Armstead’s story goes beyond empty buildings and silent streets. It’s a tale of ranching families who shaped the land, of a town that thrived and then disappeared beneath the

There is a quiet magic in stories that linger. They pull you in, not with loud noise, but with subtle whispers. Devienne Weekes writes such stories. Her words invite you to step into places where history breathes and secrets wait beneath the surface. I find myself drawn to her work, especially her debut novel, What the Lake Knows . It is a journey through time and memory, wrapped in the mist of a small town’s mysteries. Her writing feels like a slow walk through a foggy morni

Finding your unique fiction writing voice feels like stepping into a quiet room after a long journey. It is both a discovery and a creation. A voice that carries your stories, your truths, your rhythms. It is the soul of your writing, the thread that weaves your words into something unmistakably yours. I write to capture moments that linger - the mist over a lake at dawn, the whisper of old secrets in a forgotten town. My voice is shaped by these images, by the places I love,

Exploring the Themes in What the Lake Knows Some stories are driven by plot. Others are driven by what lingers beneath the surface. What the Lake Knows lives somewhere in between—rooted in mystery, but shaped by deeper questions about memory, loss, and the quiet ways the past refuses to stay buried. At its heart, this story explores several interconnected themes that echo long after the final page. Memory and the Weight of the Past One of the central ideas in What the Lake K

Every story begins somewhere. For me, it began long before What the Lake Knows —back in a third-grade classroom. I began to love writing in the third grade. My teacher, Mrs. Vondra, encouraged me to write my stories down, and that simple encouragement grew into something lasting. What started as small stories on paper became a lifelong connection to storytelling. A Story Rooted in Place Some stories begin with imagination. Others begin with a place that won’t let go. For me,