sunshine where I could concentrate and
get lots of work done. I imagined being
surrounded by awe-inspiring nature, but
being close enough to a city where some
friends lived in order to avoid the
isolation best known for driving writers
to drink heavily or, in my case, to delve
into failed experiments with cutting my
own hair. If there were animals around
to keep me company, that would be the
cherry on top, but the rest was non-
negotiable.
About two weeks before leaving, I
went online and started searching for
houses to rent. I looked in every state
west of Colorado, but everything I liked
was booked. I asked everyone I knew