The theme and some of the ornaments for this tree came from a trip to Tanzania. The safari was like nothing else I've experienced. The large exotic animals, the flat expanse of the land and the overwhelming sky that stretched forever was so different from home, I could have been on another planet.

Writers live in their heads. It's where they work. And despite the frustrations, it's a comfortable place to be. But it's necessary to brave life without editorial controls and embark on adventures into the unknown--to gather sights, sounds, people, places, emotions--the it's where we find our stories.