Alison O. Bender

Now that things are calming down with TQ for the summer, I am officially putting myself on a schedule to finish my novel! I’ve heard a million times that the first draft is always going to be crap—it’s just a matter of getting that crap down on paper so you can begin revising and editing. I like schedules, so I made up a calendar that forces me to write 1,000 words a day. I’m giving myself a start date of Sunday, June 12 (though I’ve already started writing, but this gives me little bit of a buffer), which will mean that I should hit 50,000 words—the point at which I’ve decided it’s alright to go back and begin revisions—no later than August 1. I used the calendar method on my first novel and successfully hit my word count, but then realized I knew absolutely nothing about my subject so that story is on hold indefinitely. That was written pre-Nora, so we’ll see how often she lets me work through the summer…

Anyway, it’ll be a busy, writing-filled month and a half, so wish me luck!

TQ’s Best of Tahoe 2011 issue is on stands! Inside, it features Martis Camp, near Northstar-at-Tahoe, as the area’s best new development. We got to tour the community and it really is incredible—amenities include the Camp Lodge, Family Barn and, my favorite, the Lost Library, which is stocked with almost 1,000 books, plus an espresso machine and tins of M&Ms. I wrote several big stories for the issue, including a feature on the various architects and architectural styles—a range from Old Tahoe to mountain modern—found at Martis Camp, and a piece titled “Best Western” that covers the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction that will be held at Reno’s Silver Legacy this July.

I’ve edited this custom publication for the past three years, the latest of which came out in early May in advance of the Memorial Day Weekend show. The magazine was sent to a couple thousand people who own or owned homes around the Truckee and North Lake Tahoe region, and includes stories about current architectural trends towards smaller homes, area communities, innovative ice melt technology for roofing and easy, affordable green building practices. I love writing about home design and building, so it was fun for me to work with area professionals to learn more about what’s happening regionally in the home industry.