Soos Creek: A Celebration of Place is a collection of essays about a stream just outside Seattle, sharing with readers the trails, wildlife, geology, and weather of this little-known place, and building a case for why the ordinary is often extraordinary, if you are paying attention. Why was this an important book for you to write?

As my parents aged, they stopped traveling. When I realized they would never again visit me at my home the Pacific Northwest, I found that I wanted to continue to share with them small details about my life as it unfolded 900 miles away. So each chapter of the book became something like a letter home, describing in great detail some small event in my natural surroundings, attempting to create a vivid sense of location and presence. At some subconscious level, I suppose I was aiming to magically transport my parents here. 

Your book blends several writing styles to share your message. What were some key ideas that were important for you to share?

I wanted to show what new understandings can open up when we take the time to notice fine details in the natural world, particularly details that change seasonally. I also wanted readers to share my personal surprise and delight with small new discoveries that are possible every day. 

The writing in your essays is artful and creative, giving readers a feeling that they are sitting and having a conversation with you. Was it a conscious effort to write in this fashion, or is this style of writing reflective of your writing style in general?

Adam Rapoport, a now-retired editor for GQ and Bon Appetit magazines, was extremely influential in my development as an author. He had a wonderful conversational style, expansive curiosity, and a gentle, often gently self-deprecating humor that made for delightful reading. In the two decades that I regularly wrote editorials for a medical journal, I practiced creating a similar narrative voice. It seemed to me this would be the best writing style for the Soos Creek project as well. 

What is the next book that you are working on, and when is that book due out?

​After Soos Creek was completed, and during the Covid lockdown, I wrote my first book of poetry (Mirror to the Clockwork Sky: Poems of Nature and Science–also available at Amazon Books). Now I am working on a second book of poetry, tentatively titled Thermal, which will explore global warming, temperature extremes, and phase changes. I hope to have it completed by August 2026.

Author Links: Amazon