Minnesota

Exploding Trees in the Land of 1,000 Lakes?

I have no idea if this is true, but because someone I don’t know posted it on X, I’m inclined to believe it is.

Apparently, if it gets cold enough, trees can explode! As if Minnesota needs another thing to worry about. ICE agents are running around arresting illegal immigrants, and people protesting ICE are invading churches. And now if someone tries to tap a maple tree for syrup, the damn thing could explode and leave a bloody, syrupy corpse amid the falling snow!

According to USA Today, a sudden drop in temperature can cause a break in a tree known as a frost crack, which is a vertical opening that can extend deep into the wood of a tree. While frost cracks can be loud and cause branches to fall off, it would be extremely rare for a tree to fully explode because of it.

The key words in that last sentence are “extremely rare,” meaning it’s entirely possible that a frozen tree can explode. Why the Defense Department hasn’t somehow utilized this as a unique form of warfare is beyond me. (Maybe they have, and they’re keeping tight-lipped about it.)

So, as a good chunk of the USA prepares for a winter storm this weekend, keep your distance from downed power lines and shivering oak trees.

Chasing Followers, Catching Rage

Authors need platforms.

They didn’t always. Michael Crichton didn’t have a website with a newsletter link when he released Jurassic Park more than three decades ago. Yes, he was well known for The Andromeda Strain, among other works. But he wasn’t tweeting, posting on Facebook and doing a Book-Tok dance.

Do people dance on Book-Tok? I honestly don’t know.

Anyway, to appeal to agents and publishers, even though you technically don’t need one, it makes sense to have one. I’m updating my website this year (much needed after a decade). And am trying to get followers. I’m terrible at it. And, frankly, I don’t want to, but not for a reason you’re thinking.

I’d love to have thousands of followers, and you must work to get them. That’s fine.

But with Twitter/X especially, you invariably get bombarded with the day’s events and what people think about them. Again, fine.

Once you start reading the tweets, you’re bound to get angry or annoyed because almost everyone on Twitter seems angry and annoyed. Take any political issue–Greenland, Minnesota immigration, the Buffalo Bills collapsing again (OK, that’s not political, but it’s up for discussion–and you will get heated, f-bomb-laced screeds on both sides of the issue, and it’s easy to get sucked in.

I rarely comment on anything besides joking to point out absurdity, or chiming in on something that’s universally accepted, like praying for Rob Reiner and his wife after their son murdered them. Yes, there was one lunatic who felt compelled to behave indecently, but he’s not worth mentioning.

You lose time (when you should be writing) and your mental health when you descend into that hole. So, loath as I am to do, I will venture on Twitter to post author-related things (not incessant sales pitches, which are tedious). But, like a bank robbery, I want to be in and out as quickly as possible. And if someone likes whatever I post or wants to engage in a civilized back-and-forth, great!

It is possible to ignore the noise. It is possible to disconnect (putting the phone away)! Hard as it is to do, you will feel better. Maybe that’s the key to true happiness. Powering down.

And reading a book.