Wayward Wormhole: Carousing in the Castle

The Wayward Wormhole Barbados 2026

May Blog

Why do we insist on creating “destination workshops?” We believe personal experiences add interesting elements that ring with authenticity to a writer’s worldbuilding. Here are a few things I wouldn’t have learned about Barbados by doing research online.

1. Barbados is a coral island with over eighty-five percent of the island’s surface composed of coralline limestone. How does this affect daily life? It turns out that this coral bed keeps pushing upward, making it difficult to maintain the roads. As we traveled around the island, we encountered major thoroughfares closed off because a shift in the coralline caused the road to collapse. Potholes were everywhere. The locals would swerve or suddenly dropped their speed to save wear and tear on their vehicles. Repairs were constant, yet the potholes and collapses kept happening—usually in the same spots.
2. Because of the tropical heat in Barbados, sheep do not have wool. They look like goats, but with longer tails and are raised for their meat.
3. Barbados has tiny tree frogs that emit a high-pitched whistle starting at dusk and go late into the night. I’m used to the late summer, early autumn chirping of the tree frogs in North America. It took a few nights to get used to the volume of noise those little creatures made outside our windows.
4. Barbados has few snakes—none that are native to the area, anyway. The Small Indian mongoose has made sure of that. Is a good thing? I’m familiar with snake danger—I’m not so familiar with mongoose danger.
5. Friendly acknowledgements are a custom in Barbados. Anytime Cat and I approached someone’s space, whether we wanted to talk with them, or were just passing by, Barbadians look directly at you and say hello, or good evening, or another friendly greeting. It made me feel welcome and safe. I can’t tell you how nice that was.
6. The West side of the island has powerful, crashing waves that leaves grey sand along the shoreline. The East side of the island has calm waters and powdery, white sand—great for swimming, and full of marine animals like manta rays, and both the Leatherback and Hawksbill Turtles. The Southern area in between the two, mixes the two sands together, giving it a pink hue.

I’m sure you would note different things than me, but time is short now, and noting the difference between research and experiencing a location’s reality can’t be emphasized enough.

The application window for The Wayward Wormhole Barbados – The Art of the Novella closes on May 15, 2025.

The Wayward Wormhole is now thirty-one days away. Aside from my heart palpitations, a
stomach that flips with butterflies every time someone brings up how soon we’ll be at the
Painted Pony Ranch, preparations are well underway, things are going well, and barring any
unforeseen roadblocks, the to-do list is manageable.

With that being said, this month I want to talk about the things I’m excited about. First, there’s
the work and who’s going to see it. Arley Sorg reading my short story and giving feedback?
Delectable! Conversations with Minister Faust about story and writing and philosophy?
Fantastic! Ten days with Donald Maass and Charlie Finlay knowing they’ve both read my novel
and want to help me move it toward publication? The German language probably has a word
that encompasses the torrent of emotion swirling throughout my body. There goes my stomach
again.

Second is the company. I’ve always felt out of place in groups. They don’t get my jokes, they
don’t love the same movies or TV shows, they don’t care about science or dragons or ravens,
and they certainly don’t discuss inter-species dino sex. Then I went to the Surrey International
Writers Conference in BC Canada, and discovered that even if I was the weird one, there were
many, many more people like me—they just weren’t in Campbell River (except for my best
friend—she’s weird in the best ways). So, step one: conferences are good. Then I went to the
Wayward Wormhole last year and discovered how fantastic it is to live with a bunch of nut-ball
crazy SF&F writers who were as obsessed with story as I am. Spending time with all of you is
the highlight of my year, and is the driving force behind every year’s location, instructor
selections, and format.

I’m also really looking forward to a change of pace, a bit of peace at the end of a tumultuous
year. My mum is eighty-two now and struggling with her memory and how she navigates
through this overly complex world. She and I have been investigating seniors’ homes, and it’s
hard watching her come to terms with her situation and its ultimate conclusion. There are some
good things happening too. My husband, Geoff and I have bought a condo in Victoria and gain
possession two days after we return from the Wormhole. Needless to say, I’ve been busy, and I
keep moving forward by imagining myself floating in the pool or talking some quiet time in the
desert. On the flip side, I also enjoy drinking and playing pool, and there’s a foosball table, but
I’m not sure my wrists can hold up under the strain of slamming that little ball down the
opponent’s…sorry…I can get competitive.

The Wormhole holds an entire world inside its writing bubble. It’s my happy place where my
people meet, where laughter and angst live in the same space, and I hope it’s all that and more
for you, too.