I recently returned from a trip to Arizona, where I spent a week with writerly friends. Three of us took a fabulous trip to the northern high country, watching the sun come up over the Grand Canyon, strolling through a slot canyon at noon, and revisiting John Ford’s old stomping ground, Monument Valley. One of us sets her series in Arizona, and what more excuse could anyone want for a field trip? And I’d never heard of slot canyons, although, when showed a photo, I recognized a million calendar shots. Like this photo? You’ll see many more. And even better—I got a book plotted.