Author Archives: Eugie Foster

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It’s my birthday today! Happy birthday to me. As I was telling terracinque, I still love having birthdays, but I’ve reached the point where I find the numerical increment in age indicator something of a downer. Yeah, I’m conflicted by my birthday. But at least there’s cake.

fosteronfilm and I got back to Atlanta yesterday after a grueling 14+ hour drive, retrieved Hobkin, who has been a fuzzy lump attached to my hip (or haunting my ankles–which has made walking something of a chancy affair), from his godmother, and have made a dent in unpacking. We discovered several packages on our doorstep, and the mail person brought another one when she made her rounds. After resting and having our traditional Christmas feast (we always have our own, private Christmas after we get back from Illinois)–faux roast beast, mashed potatoes and onion gravy, and cranberry sauce–we opened the prezzies from our friends and the remainder of the ones to each other, and took a long soak in the hot tub. The perfect way to cap off the holiday.

This morning, I’m sipping some delicious Adagio apricot green tea which I brewed from the IngenuiTea infuser/pot, all part of the gift set that n_decisive gave me, while I peruse L’amber by Tanith Lee from teflaime as Loreena McKennitt’s new CD, An Ancient Muse, courtesy dean13, plays in the background. I’ve got on the new Victoria’s Secret sleep shirt the hubby gave me and am using the cordless, optical mouse that my mom-in-law got me to post this LJ entry, while Hobkin snoozes beside me.

It was a good Christmas, with periodic flashes of sadness as something remembered or said triggered memories of my dad-in-law. But I managed to keep from having a total meltdown and only got teary eyed a couple times. He is sorely missed, and his absence was a compelling but quiet presence–much like he was.

   


Writing Stuff

New Words/Editing:
– Cranked out another 600 words for my January Writing for Young Readers column, did several editing passes, and sent it off to my editor. And I got a confirm from her that it made it to her without problem this time. Whew.

Received:
– 92-day personal and complimentary pass from Paradox with invite to submit again. Also, by way of apology for the delay in response (I didn’t think it was that long, actually), an explanation that a bunch of submissions seem to have gotten delayed en route by the USPS. My manuscript, although mailed (First Class) in late September, didn’t arrive until mid-December. It seems other manuscripts were likewise delayed. Eep.
– Payment for my January column. Huzzah!

Published:
– The audio podcast of “Oranges, Lemons, and Thou Beside Me” is now up at Pseudopod, read by Paul S. Jenkins who, ye verily, has a sexy voice. Go listen, yo!
– “Addy in My Mind” is now up at Helix. This story is a stand-alone sequel to my Phobos-award-winning “All in My Mind.” Enjoy!

Merry Christmas

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Merry Christmas! I hope Santa brought everyone what they asked for and y’all are surrounded by loved ones.

They let us out of work at noon on Friday; the legislators scampered out to get an early start on their holidays, freeing us legislative counsel to as well. This week has been a delight at work–although the workload has been steadily ramping up (a foretaste of what’s to come), which has nudged me a bit behind on my December “Things to Do”/”Hamsters to Fling” list. Nearly every morning, I’d come in to find a little Christmas surprise on my desk: festive cards, a bag with gloves and candy, a tin of chocolate goodies, a lovely journal tied with a golden bow. Or one of my co-workers would come round that day with a thoughtful gift: Christmas socks, a platter of cookies. And we had a food day on Wednesday: cheesecake, cookies, cake, humus, stuffed olives. I’m so very fortunate to be able to work with such wonderful people.

fosteronfilm and I dropped Hobkin off with his godmother yesterday for Skunk Christmas Camp and made the grueling, 14-hour drive to Illinois to spend Christmas with his family. I expected there to be snow, but it’s been unseasonably warm. We drove through some rolling fog banks, and it’s rather cloudy here, but no snow. Hoping it stays that way, at least for the week.

Today we feast, and tonight we open prezzies. May everyone’s holiday be joyous and warm.

   


Writing Stuff

This is something of a working holiday for me. I’ve got much to wrap up before next week and the New Year as I prep for the beginning of the Legislative Session.

New Words:
– 900 words on my Writing for Young Readers column. The plan is to finish and email it off to my editor tomorrow.

Received:
– 7-day “nice writing but no grabbie” from JJA of F&SF. Alas, not the Christmas present I would’ve wished for from Hoboken, NJ.

Magic, fairy lights, and the warmth of family

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Had a lovely weekend. fosteronfilm and I had intended to go see one of the many movies that’re out that we’ve been interested in, but we had a very slow and therefore late start on Saturday. After completing our final bits of Christmas shopping, we decided we’d prefer having a Christmas evening at home with Hobkin–who was looking a bit anxious and peeved at being abandoned for so long. So we stowed away our purchases–including a plush pooch with winter scarf and hat clutching a fleece blanket for Hobkin–and made cinnamon-glazed roasted almonds, had (faux) roast beast and onion gravy, cranberry sauce, and white chocolate & cranberry Harry & David’s coffee while watching White Christmas.

Vera-Ellen is one of my favorite dancers of that era. It’s sad that she never received the sort of accolades and acclaim that others did. She was so charismatic and effervescent. I remember the first time I saw White Christmas on the big screen. It was at the Normal Theater, the renovated art theater back in my old Midwestern stomping grounds. The first Danny Kaye/Vera-Ellen dance number had me utterly spellbound. Seeing them spinning and leaping together took my breath away and transported me to a simpler time where happiness was measured in graceful movement and sentimental songs.

Yep. I really love the holiday season. Magic, fairy lights, and the warmth of family snuggled close.

   


Writing Stuff

Editing:
– Did a couple final editing/rewrite passes on “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist etc.” and stuck a fork in it. And it’s off. Fly, little story, fly! Be brave and valiant, and come back with your shield or on it!

Received:
– Payment from Pseudopod for “Oranges, Lemons, and Thou Beside Me.” Very excited about hearing their podcast production of it.
– The autograph plates for the special hard cover edition of Aegri Somnia, which I spent a couple hours on Sunday applying my John Hancock to. There’s one plate which I think will make whoever gets it extremely amused. Three writers (myself included) drew self-portraits on it next to our signatures. Sending those back to jasonbsizemore in today’s mail . . .

Tin Girl no go

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The charity calendar that the Dragon*Con folks are putting together to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer research foundation now has a forum so that people can make suggestions or offer advice on the enterprise, courtesy Dean, one of the photographers.

Still don’t have anything but a ray gun for my pulp space girl costume, but we’ve been browsing through the shops to see if there wasn’t something pre-made that could be modified. We found a nearly perfect one, a Tin Girl Costume (except without the hat). I tried it on, and it’s way cute. The skirt’s a little shorter than I was wanting, also it’s not flared and flowy but tight and clingy, but otherwise, it’s pretty near ideal.

And it’s also $51.00. Sigh. Not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, but a bit much for our current budget for an outfit I’d only wear once.

I remember having piles of disposable income once-upon-a-time. Alas, those times have passed.

Back to the sewing machine.

   


Writing Stuff

Editing:
– An editing pass on “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest, etc.” After a perusal of all the crits that came in, I’ve come to the conclusion that there wasn’t a consensus on whether it was too confusing, too explainy, or just right. Snartleblast. So I’m going with my gut instincts.

Shopping and writing

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And lo, there was much holiday-related consumer activity. Our Christmas shopping is almost done, although I still don’t know what to get Hobkin.

   


Writing Stuff

The crits are in; tomorrow I start on my rewrite of “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest etc.” Hoping to have it out the door by the end of this week.

Published:
– “Wanting to Want” is now out in the premiere issue of the new U.K. ‘zine, Hub. Yay!

Received:
– An invitation to submit to an anthology put out by a new publishing outfit. I recognize the name of one of the editors; I’m sharing a ToC with him in an upcoming issue of GrendelSong, and he dropped me a very nice email letting me know he enjoyed my story in GS#1. Pondering whether I’ll have time to put together a story by the deadline, since the first three months of next year are dedicated to the legislative session, and I wanted to try to do that whole novel thing again afterward. But I hate turning down an invite to submit anywhere.

New Words:
– 100 on “By Oak, Bramble, and Metro.” At least they were constructive words. I think I’ve got a direction now for the ending. I think.

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
3,878 / 4,500
(86.2%)

A good beginning to the week

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I keep gushing about it, but I can’t help it. I absolutely lubs my job. The people here continue to rock my socks. Yesterday, one of the attorneys gave me a pile of Christmas prezzies. I came in to find a stack of wrapped packages and a card on my desk. I’m absolutely over-the-moon touched by the gesture.

My old day job had a select-a-gift setup where employees got a catalog wherein we could choose something for our holiday gift. While nice and appreciated, it was also sterile and sucked the charm and joy out of the gift tradition, replacing it with corporate efficiency.

   


Writing Stuff

The critiques are coming in for “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest etc.” And they’re mixed. While most critters enjoyed it, some folks found it confusing and would like more world explanation, one critter thought I was a tad too ham-fisted with my explaining parts, and then there were also the critters who totally got it: story, theme, and message. Urk. Rewrite pondering.

Received:
– The editor of OSC’s IGMS liked my rewrite and wants to publish “Beauty’s Folly.” Woot! It’s not slated for the January issue but the one after that, #5, due out in April/May of next year. But that’s all good ’cause he said he (probably) wants to use it as the cover story!
– Payment for my December Writing for Young Readers column, and also an unexpected surprise, a holiday bonus from the editor in the form of an Amazon gift certificate. *squee!*
– Also, an 89-day pass from the Holy Horrors anthology and a 123-day “we were holding this but . . . ” from Heliotrope.

Editing:
– Couple editing passes on “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest etc.”

Winter bad, writing good

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Winter bad. Southbound MARTA train taken out of service, stranding me at Lindburgh station, bad. Eastbound MARTA train running late and stranding me at Five Points station, bad.

Unhappy, frozen commuter Eugie.

   


Writing Stuff

“Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest etc.” is now up at Critters.org. I was pleased to see four crits in my inbox this morning. At its longer length, I didn’t expect this baby to get much lovin’.

Published:
– My December Writing for Young Readers column, “Writing Talking Animal Tales,” is now up! There was much badness with email. My first two attempts to send the editor my column vanished into the Internet ether with nary a peep–no bounce message, no nothing. My email server appears to be butting heads with cox.net. Most distressing, and VERY frustrating. But at least I was finally able to get the file to her.

Received:
– Contrib. copy and payment for Aegri Somnia. It’s puuuurty.

New Words:
– 800 on “By Oak, Bramble, and Metro.” Adderall was indeed the prod my muse needed yesterday. Although this story is going in a different direction than I’d anticipated. I somehow managed to bring the Iraq war into a story about a fairy metro train. My subconscious appears to be O.D.ing on news broadcasts.

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
3,676 / 4,500
(81.7%)

Playing hopscotch with my meds

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Took an impromptu Adderall holiday yesterday. It’s not been working as well of late, and I think it might be contributing to the perpetual state of dehydrated I’ve been feeling. While I felt a wee bit more hydrated–probably aided by the arrival of both the Coca Cola fairy and the bottled water fairy–I got just shy of absolutely nothing done. I also had two (BIG) cups of coffee and two Diet Cokes, which failed to perk me up but did make me queasy.

However, I did sleep better last night than I have in a while. How irritating. My meds don’t work well enough to give me the boost I need to function like a human being, but do work well enough to throw off my sleep cycle. Lovely.

So, yah, back on the Adderall bandwagon today, although I’m shifting the time when I take it to see if that’ll help.

At least yesterday wasn’t an utter loss. fosteronfilm and I watched Love Actually last night by the fairy lights of our Christmas trees. That movie is fast becoming a favorite, new holiday tradition for us.

   


Writing Stuff

New Words/Editing:
– 200, at best, on “By Oak, Bramble, and Metro.”

Agh! This story just does not want to be written! I stared at it for vasty gobs of hours yesterday and could only manage a couple paragraphs. Hoping that returning to the prescription-strength uppers will get the muse hopping once more.

Zokutou word meterZokutou word meter
2,862 / 4,500
(63.6%)

Cold cold cold cold cold

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Yesterday, on my way to work, as I was walking out of the Twin Towers–the building catercorner to the Capitol and where the MARTA station is–I was hit by a frigid wind that knocked my breath away and clamped my lungs shut. Of late, my fingers turn blue every time I go outside (and sometimes even when I’m inside)–my Raynaud’s syndrome coming out of its southern climate-induced dormancy–and my skin feels so dry I think it should crackle when I smile.

I remember all of these sensations in icky, vivid clarity. It’s what winters are like in the Midwest: freezing, arid, and painful. It’s not how winters are supposed to be in the South! Wah!

At least it’s not snowing. But this weather makes me utterly miserable.

On the non-griping-about-weather front, dire_epiphany swung by on Sunday and taught me the rudiments of Adobe’s InDesign. So much better than MS Publisher. I’ll be using it to lay out the Daily Dragon from here on. And now I have the urge to engage in gratuitous desktop publishing.

   


Writing Stuff

I’m way distressed at email right now. In addition to getting undeliverable error messages when I try to send to aol.com accounts, it seems some of my emails to other, non-aol accounts aren’t getting through, and I’m not getting any sort of bounce message.

The editor of Writing-World sent me a query about the status of my Writing For Young Readers December column, the one I emailed to her over a week ago. I emailed her my column again and asked for a receipt confirmation (from a couple accounts) and haven’t heard back. Ack!

While the bounce messages are annoying, at least they told me when something I sent didn’t make it. This no error thing is freaking me out, wondering what emails I’ve sent that might’ve gotten lost in transit, and what ones I’m not receiving that the sender hasn’t realized didn’t make it to me. So much of the nuts and bolts of my writing career dealings are dependent upon reliable electronic communications. This is so not good. Also, WTF?

Received:
87-day audio reprint sale+contract of “Oranges, Lemons, and Thou Beside Me” to the fine folks of Pseudopod. Not sure when this podcast will go live, but the editors indicated that it might be soon–as in the next couple weeks. Happy dancing and wooting galore!

New Words/Editing:
– Maybe 200 on “By Oak, Bramble, and Metro” and an editing pass to clean up some flotsam. I’m gear-spinny on this one, trying to figure out where I want to take it. I thought I knew, but upon reflection, I think my original idea was too big for the story, when what I really want is to encapsulate a single concept. Pondering.

Published:
– Aegri Somnia is now out! Just in time for the holidays. Makes a great gift for all the dark fantasy/horror fans on your shopping list:

Contents:
“YY” by Jennifer Pelland
“The League of Last Girls” by Christopher Rowe
“All Praise to the Dreamer” by Nancy Fulda
“Nothing of Me” by Eugie Foster
“Heal Thyself” by Scott Nicholson
“On the Shoulders of Giants” by Bryn Sparks
“Dream Takers” by Rhonda Eudaly
“Letters From Weirdside” by Lavie Tidhar
“Wishbones” by Cherie Priest
“All Becomes as Wormwood” by Angeline Hawkes
“Well of the Waters” by Mari Adkins
“Mens Rea” by Steven Savile

Hobkin: sleep aid and writing muse

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My cunning plan to go easy on the caffeine yesterday worked, and lo, sleep was had. I conked out right after dinner and didn’t so much as stir when fosteronfilm flashy-thinged me with the camera. Hobkin helped. Napping skunks exude a sleepy aura that drags anyone with them into slumber mode who’s directly in contact with them, and Hobkin flopped upon me with much determination:

But this morning, I’m back to suckling at the java teat. Mmm, coffee.

   


Writing Stuff

Not much was accomplished yesterday on the writing front due to the diminished levels of caffeine in my bloodstream, but my resting subconscious did engage with the muse. I woke this morning with the realization that I need to add a scene to the last segment of “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast” in order to properly “sell” the finale. Plan to get cracking on that once the caffeine molecules start with the happy bonding at my adenosine receptors.

New Words:
– A mere 300 or so on “By Oak, Bramble, and Metro,” the MARTA-inspired story I’m writing for squirrel_monkey‘s urban fantasy anthology. Thankfully, I have until the end of December to get it to her, not, as I feared, the beginning.

Received/Published:
– Got my contrib. copies of the Feb. 2007 issue of Realms of Fantasy:


I’m in awesome company! Check out the fiction ToC:

“Three Wishes” by Bruce Holland Rogers
“Looking After Family” by Carrie Vaughn
“Spare Change” by Chuck Rothman
“Syren” by Graham Edwards
“The Devil and Mrs. Comstock’s Snickerdoodles” by Eugie Foster
“Number of the Bus” by Jay Lake
“Circus Circus” by Eric M. Witchey
“In the Thicket, With Wolves” by Josh Rountree

Lori Koefoed illustrated my story:

I’m tickled. The kitty depicted was actually inspired by Hobkin, and while the resemblance is faint–different species and all–my skunk muse frequently lounges in that exact posture.