Virginia City Writing Retreat – By D. L. Lewellyn

Authors, Books, and Writing

Writing is still on hiatus for me, but never the writers! Come back tomorrow for an excellent conversation with my critique buddy, Isa Ottoni, who just launched her debut dark cottagecore fantasy novel, Path of the Crescent Moon.

I have more interviews scheduled for the year, and I plan to revisit one of my 2025 summer guests (a fellow local author from last year’s Viriginia City Writing Retreat) for updates on their year in writing. Scroll down for this year’s Retreat highlights.

I plan to have two (for sure one) short story appearing in upcoming TDB Author Collective anthologies, so stay tuned for those exciting publications. Thanks to all of you who visit my blogs and read my books! Your support is so appreciated.

Health

Meanwhile, on the home front, I’m three weeks past hip replacement surgery and thrilled with the results. The first week and a half, I was a big baby wondering what the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks! I was thinking. Typical for early post-op days, I suppose. I’ve only had three surgeries in my life, and I’m pretty sure this was even more invasive than my partial mastectomy. Those scars they leave on your butt? Huge! This time I remembered to mention that the only time I can ever throw up is when my body wants to purge pain drugs and anesthesia (last time all the way out of the hospital and in the car on the way home), so the anesthesiologist kindly stuck an antinausea patch on my neck. Beauty!

Oh, and it was my first time at Carson-Tahoe Hospital. I was impressed. Not crowded either…

Okay, enough of that. Can you guess what I’ve been doing during recovery?

Stitchy Update Time!

Virginia City Writing Retreat 2026

It was super awesome having a writing retreat at the end of May right before surgery to keep my mind off being sliced and diced. My friend Dee and I enjoyed our cozy room again, the abundant homemade food, and the classes, like how to write a cozy mystery, researching–the good old-fashioned way (in person and making actual phone calls)–for our fiction and non-fiction stories, and character development. I missed the pitch (to an agent) class but learned it was super entertaining watching the roll-play. The highlight this year was a book display organized by author and awesome cover designer, Salem T. Lynn, where attendees could share and sell their books. I bought two and got them signed, of course. Jacci Turner will be a guest on my August Spotlight. Our wonderful host and author, Kim Harnes, outdid herself once again.