Large publishers prefer agented submissions because the work arrives pre-vetted. They’re not wasting their time on an amateurish screed from someone who thinks they’re a writer because they own a copy of Word and know how to stuff a manila envelope full of their poorly-written, spell-check-ignored ‘manuscript’ and fire it off (unsolicited) to the President of the publishing company.

Agents exist, in part, to spare editors from sending more paper to the local recycling facility.

If you have bona fides—actual credentials—you can approach a publisher directly. But you follow their roadmap, not yours. No serious publisher accepts unsolicited manuscripts, but most will consider a query letter and book proposal (for non-fiction), or a synopsis and sample chapters (for fiction) — IF the writer conducts themselves professionally.

That last word there is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence.

Public Service Announcement:

I’ve decided I’m going to continue to use the ’em dash’ character — the character that idiots think is a hallmark and “proof” of AI writing, instead of what it actually is, “a mark for emphatic pauses, abrupt changes in thought, or asides” as defined by the Chicago Manual of Style — so that people think I’m artificially intelligent rather than actually intelligent.

That way, there’s no expectation that I’ll have to display my intellectual brilliance or perfection to those who clearly do not deserve to bask in my greater glory.

As the popularity of overlanding continues to grow, Subaru’s presence celebrates owners’ love of outdoor adventure and the camaraderie it builds.

Subaru of America, Inc. is returning as the title sponsor of the 2026 Overland Expo, bringing an expanded Camp Subaru experience to Costa Mesa, California, where Subaru is set to showcase its adventure-ready SUVs, hands-on off-road workshops, record live podcasts, feature music, and offer owner-focused programming.

Camp Subaru will feature a full lineup of Subaru’s latest adventure models — including the 2026 Crosstrek Wilderness, Outback Wilderness, Forester Wilderness, the Trailseeker, and the Forester Hybrid — alongside new accessories from outdoor brands such as REI and Thule. The exhibit is designed as a gathering place for both longtime Subaru owners and newcomers curious about vehicle customization and practical overlanding gear.

With over eight million Americans taking overlanding trips in 2024 — a number industry analysts expect to grow roughly 50% in the coming years — Camp Subaru aims to be a practical, immersive classroom for would-be and veteran adventurers alike. Attendees can take workshops on off-roading techniques, pet travel safety, camp setup, navigation, and route planning, and learn best practices from experts and fellow enthusiasts.

“Subaru owners are known for their enthusiasm around outdoor adventures, and Overland Expo is a prime destination for them to meet, share stories, and plan for their next excursions,” said Alan Bethke. “We want to do everything we can to support them and their dedication to our brand with access to our latest off-road-ready vehicles, unique onsite experiences, and inspiring discussions.”

True to its More Than a Car Company® positioning, Subaru will also continue community-minded programming at the Expo. The company will partner with local shelters to host pet adoptions, run workshops on safe pet travel, provide complimentary dog treats and pet water stations, and support the Subaru Loves Pets® initiative with pet-focused giveaways.

According to Subaru, select Overland Expo stops will add owner perks such as an evening reception and access to Subaru Base Camp, an owner-exclusive camping area offering food, beverages, and yoga classes.

For more information about Subaru’s presence at Overland Expo, go HERE.

For more information about Overland Expo, go HERE.

California State Parks purchases the NoraBella parcel for $2.415 million, adding ridged forest and creeks to California’s oldest state park.

The acquisition — the park’s first acreage addition since Little Basin in 2011 — is a strategic move in the broader Reimagining Big Basin effort born out of the 2020 CZU wildfire. Planners see NoraBella as a natural approach to rebuilding a visitor experience: space for a welcome area at Saddle Mountain, room for shuttle access that keeps parking and buildings away from the most sensitive old-growth trees, and sites for operations that let the core groves heal while still welcoming visitors. California State Parks is advancing a facilities plan, general plan amendment, and environmental review to guide rebuilding.

The property itself has a checkered past — clear-cut a century ago, later used as a dump and infamous hoarding site, and then shepherded back toward health by successive owners and conservation partners. Sempervirens Fund — the group that helped create Big Basin more than a century ago — shepherded NoraBella into protection before conveying it to the state; earlier private owners, a high-profile clean-up, and subsequent environmental reviews all cleared the way for the transfer in 2026. The parcel’s streams, healthy redwood stands, and habitat for species such as mountain lion and gray fox add ecological heft to the park’s recovery plan. New state laws and ongoing partnerships aim to speed similar additions nearby, but NoraBella matters because it gives managers room to rebuild thoughtfully: a place to welcome people, and space for the forest to mend without being overwhelmed.

This is a clear win for conservation. Conservation is hands-on stewardship — knowing where water runs, which ridgelines shelter wildlife, and where human activity can occur in ways that respect the natural systems that make a place whole.

Too often, incompetent environmentalism, as practiced in the halls of California politics, wields the scythe of death and destruction across our lands. It substitutes land-management know-how with purple- or blue-haired slogans shouted by liberal mobs — people who have never seen the land and who live hundreds of miles away in treeless cities. It’s all top-down dictates, shrill-voiced ignorance, and clumsy, ham-fisted land-use choices that put the good of Der Party ahead of the good of the land. The result is always the same: damaged watersheds, forests overcrowded with stressed, sick trees fighting for the soil’s meager moisture and nutrients, and the tinderbox conditions that fuel insanely large wildfires threatening the communities and places we’re meant to steward. When the good of One-Party rule outweighs the good of land stewardship, California loses. Securing NoraBella has been the opposite of that impulse: it’s quiet, strategic management that repairs watershed function, protects habitat, and gives land managers the space to rebuild thoughtfully. That is conservation, and that is what endures.

You can read more about this remarkable conservation project HERE.

Find out more about the Sempervirens Fund HERE.

Learn about California State Parks HERE.

Reimagining Big Basin info can be found HERE.

I used to be a writer, and the best thing about it was that there was no expectation; I wrote, and no one expected anything. It was private work—messy drafts, late-night notes, parcels of thought I could toss out or keep without explanation. That freedom is the engine of getting better: you try things that look stupid on the page, you fail fast, and you learn what’s worth rescuing. There’s a calm in knowing nobody’s billing you for your honest mistakes.

Once it was proven that I could write, there was a paradigm shift. After becoming a successful author and ghostwriter, the job kept the solitude but traded the quiet for a ledger of obligations. People—editors, clients, readers, family—started bringing their own maps to the table, each one convinced it was the best route. My inbox became a petition box. Suddenly, I’m not only creating work; I’m shepherding expectations. That’s the rub: being an author is still a solitary vocation, but everyone wants to steer your career to meet their expectations—not yours. Contracts, deadlines, social-media post schedules, promotion events, and well-meaning advice pile up and thin the time you have to do the thing that matters most: the private work where you risk being bad so you can one day be good.

What I tell writers now is to protect a corner of no-expectation time. Call it a practice run, a notebook hour, a wilderness route you reserve for yourself. Keep one piece of paper tucked away that knows only you. The rest—clients, launches, awards—are tools and obligations; useful, but they’re not the quiet that teaches skill. If you can hold on to that small, expectation-free patch of paper, you keep the part that made you a writer in the first place.

Hemingway famously wrote, “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know”. I agree; write that one true sentence for yourself; it’s your true north star.

At the Carrizo Plain National Monument, the first swaths of yellow and orange are up on the lower slopes of the Temblor Mountains. A wet winter and an early warm spell have moved the bloom ahead of schedule — the carpet of color can appear almost overnight and be gone within weeks. Plan on getting there early. Pay attention to the weather. Don’t be afraid to turn back if the weather changes, the roads are jammed, or the area is too crowded.

Take the usual precautions: the monument has almost no services nearby — no reliable water, food, fuel, or charging within a long drive — and many roads are dirt and turn impassable after storms. Stick to designated roads and trails, run a full tank or fully charged vehicle, check road conditions before you go, and don’t count on cell service or roadside help. Parking and primitive camping at BLM day-use spots are first-come, first-served and often fill early on weekends; have a backup plan before you leave.

If Carrizo is crowded or roads are dicey, consider alternatives with good early displays and fewer crowds. For alternative wildflower-viewing areas, the public can visit the Merced River Recreation Management Area in Mariposa County, the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in Lake County, or the Fort Ord National Monument in Monterey County. Rangers and managers are posting bloom updates; a quick call to the Goodwin Education and Visitors Center or a check of the BLM page will save you a wasted trip.

You can find out more HERE.

The California Department of Parks and Recreation offers wildflower viewing safety tips HERE.