Category Archives: Blog

Lovely Midsummer Night

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The Midsummer moon was gorgeous last night. We have an east-facing picture window set above our front door that is perfectly placed to frame the moon in the night sky.


Here’s a shot of it during the day. I should have taken a picture of the moon yesterday, but I didn’t think of it.

I made a vegetable pot pie filled with summer vegetables (and tofu) for dinner, and we opened up all the windows to let in the cool air. I think Hobkin might not have been overjoyed at the relative humidity that created:


He flopped on the naked floor in his area to sleep.

Poor lil guy. When the house cooled down a bit more, he climbed up beside me on the couch to cuddle. I hope he’s not too uncomfortable in summer with his fur coat. I know dog owners sometimes shear them, but I don’t think Hobkin would stand for that.


Writing Stuff

The crits continue to pour in. Yesterday it was all about the editing. Several passes on the short story up for crit, and now I’m second-guessing whether I want to put back in the flashback sequence. Feh.

Club 100 For Writers
15

Lizard watching: Anolis carolinensis

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God, I love stormy mornings. The air is so soft and cool, and the dark skies are beautiful. I know it’d be crap to drive in, but sitting at home, gazing outside, it’s lovely.

I was making dinner last night when fosteronfilm called me over to the window with much excitement. I dropped what I was doing to discover we had a gorgeous little green lizard perched on one of the branches right outside the window overlooking our backyard. So I grabbed the camera and started clicking. Isn’t he fantastic?


After the camera-clicking frenzy (and dinner), I Googled him. He’s a Green Anole, Anolis carolinensis. He’s welcome to stick around and make our backyard his home, and so are any of his lizard friends.
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SERENITY TIX!!

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Woohoo!! Just got a call from Stephen Eley, the editor/publisher of Escape Pod. They were running a trivia contest giving away a pair of tickets to the June 23rd Serenity preview. We entered and we won! We’re going to see Serenity on Thursday!!

We’re going to see Serenity!

Escape Pod rocks, and not just because they’re giving us tickets. I downloaded all their podcasts and loved them. My favorite was “Snow Day” written by jenwrites. I’m really hoping to break into this market because I think it would be so cool to get one of my stories turned into a podcast. Go forth and download some excellent mp3 fiction! It’s free!

Dragon*Con panels

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Getting notes from Dragon*Con track directors (*waves at bevlovesbooks*) with panel requests. It promises to be an extra busy convention this year. I wonder if it’s possible for me to go the whole thing without sleeping. Hmm. I suspect that would result in me hallucinating by the time of the Dead Dog party, which might be amusing in its own right, I suppose. ‘Course I might start hallucinating and babbling at a panel, which would be less amusing–at least for me. And I suspect my editorial skills would go out the window way before then.


Writing Stuff

New Words: Editing editing editing.
Did several passes on the story up for critique. It’s getting there. Feedback continues to be generally positive. A couple folks have commented that they didn’t like the flashback I used and would prefer to see things in sequence. Upon some consideration, I think they’re right.

Club 100 For Writers
13

I Heart Huckabees

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fosteronfilm came home earlier than I thought last night. Yay! We had nummy gin and tonics, and watched I Heart Huckabees which was a dada, surreal, bizarrely existential film. If you asked me what it was about, I’d have to point and repeat “dada, surreal, bizarrely existential.” It’s a comedy. It’s like the sequel to Being John Malkovich, but without any of the same actors, characters, director, or producer. And otherwise having nothing whatsoever to do with it. More of a “soul sequel.” Definitely different. And different is something to be applauded, even if it left me giggling and reeling. And no, that wasn’t from the gin.


Writing Stuff

Had a submission make it past the first round of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. Now waiting to see if it makes it past round two.

And just got PayPal notification that Andromeda Spaceways paid me for my story “The Life and Times of Penguin” in the current issue. Hurray!

Did a couple critiques–one for Critters and one not.

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This is the last weekend of the Atlanta Film Festival, so I should have my hubby back soon. Good thing. I’ve got a real craving for the taste of a gin and tonic, and I can’t bring myself to drink alone. I brewed up some iced peach rooibos tea, but it’s not the same.

Plan to spend the day doing some writing, getting caught up on my correspondences, and sipping tea.


Writing Stuff

Received my contrib. copies of Paradox #7 with “The Tiger Fortune Princess” in it, as well as my check! Happy happy.

Got an invite from Esotericon to be a guest. They didn’t mention a comp badge for fosteronfilm, and that’s a necessity, so I’m going to drop them an email query about that. But assuming that gets squared away nice, I fully intend to accept their invite. It sounds like much fun.

Nine crits so far on the story up at Critters. It’s being well received. Plan to do some critting this afternoon as well (yes, for your story, britzkrieg).

Wrote a review of Aeon #2 for Tangent. It’s the first full-issue review I’ve done in a while. I’ve sort of been doing ad hoc reviews as needed, a story here, a story there–more as a duty than for fun. I’d forgotten how enjoyable it can be to read and review a ‘zine at my leisure. Reviewing is different then just pleasure reading. It’s like flexing a different reading muscle to identify and dissect the parts I liked (and that I didn’t) and to think about what the author intended, rather than just what I get out of it. ‘Course it helped that I thought Aeon #2 was a very good publication. It’s much less fun to review something that’s a chore to read.

Save NPR

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Swung by the library today so I have new reading material (although fosteronfilm mocks me, as our house is littered by review material I keep receiving for Tangent–but all of that is short fiction and occasionally I get a yen for a novel, dammit). So here’s a quick plea to save NPR and PBS, then I wanna get to reading:

This has been Snopes verified and everything. “The House is threatening to eliminate all public funding for NPR and PBS, starting with Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow and other commercial-free children’s shows.” Sign the moveon.org petition opposing these massive cuts to public broadcasting.

Sign the petition! Spread the word!

Prozac. Foo.

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The psychiatrist was uninspiring. I got me 40mg/day of shiny Prozac, although I was hoping for something more uppity with the stimulants. Probably just as well. I could see me easily getting too happy with stims. He asked me some basic questions that translated to: Are you bipolar? Obsessive-compulsive? Suicidal? Schizophrenic? Suffering from post-traumatic stress? When my answer came down to “no” for all of the above (duh), I got a nice SSRI prescription and told to try to regulate my days into standard sleep/wake cycles and exercise more. Hmph. I already know what I should be doing. He also asked whether I’d be interested in counseling/therapy services. I said “no” to that as well. Got a followup in a month to make sure my dosage is stable. Aside from lacking the medical degree, and therefore the ability to prescribe meds, I could’ve done the diagnosis on myself. In fact, I already had. I say again, hmph.

Nothing exciting to see here. Move along folks.


Writing Stuff

54-days to a kind pass from Jed at Strange Horizons with a “looking forward to seeing your next one.” I thought this story was an unlikely fit with them as it’s very high on the high fantasy front, but I don’t believe in self-rejecting. Plus, since I’ve never yet managed to fit anything with SH, I thought it was worth the try. Out it goes again.

The first draft short I completed last week is up at Critters.org. This batch is a three-weeker which is always a bit awkward. Normally by the third week, I feel pretty full-up on feedback and itching to finish the rewrite, but constrained to stick ye ole fork in until the end of the crit cycle. I like the normal one week time frame better, but since my alternative was to wait three weeks before sending up my story, I figure up is way better than waiting.

New Words: 750
On the new short story.

Club 100 For Writers
12

500/day
50

The Smiths on Marriage

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Went out to see Mr. & Mrs. Smith yesterday. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have some excellent on-screen chemistry going there. The dialogue was excellent, although the storyline, not so much; it dragged in the middle or lost direction or something. But for a big ole metaphor for marriage, it was well done. It got giggles from me.

Got an “initial evaluation” appointment with a behavioral therapist today–I assume psychiatrist. If it’s a psychiatrist, why don’t they call it the “Psychiatry Department” instead of “Behavioral Therapy”? The irony is that I’m feeling better today on the emotional equilibrium front than I have in a while. Well, my sleep cycle is still royally fubarred. Maybe the nice doctor can prescribe me something for that.

And how’s this for a smooth segue? Psychology Today says to drink more tea. It’s good for the memory centers of the brain. Coolness. My tea habit has even more benefits.


Writing Stuff

I heard back from the editorial secretary of 9. It seems that the banks in Greece are on strike! Well, that explains why my check came back unpaid. But glah, that’s unsettling. Why haven’t I heard about this in the news? Oh yeah, overshadowed by the Michael Jackson media circus, because, of course, that’s more important than a national bank strike. Sheesh.

New Words: 150

Club 100 For Writers
11

Getting out and about in the name of inde film

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I decided I needed to get out of the house yesterday. The Atlanta Film Festival folks asked Matthew to work yesterday evening at the Rialto, so I decided to tag along both to be helpful and I figure my muse is getting a bit starved, sitting in my living room, without anything fresh to feed her.

As far as muse food goes, it wasn’t really much of a buffet. I got some good imagery from the MARTA station and the walk to the Rialto–skateboarders videotaping their stunts, a guy sitting on a step of the loooong escalator while chatting on the phone–but the film festival people watching wasn’t all that inspiring. Alas.


Writing Stuff

Yay, a sale! A sale! I sold my dark little story, “In Suffering Lies Salvation,” to jinzi‘s awesome ezine, anaisdotmfk.com. I’m so glad this story is finally getting a good home. It’s been dangling in a terrible limbo for years after being accepted for an anthology that got delayed and delayed and is now on indefinite hiatus. Whew. Finally, my “I can’t sell a damn thing” streak has been broken. It’s slated for a special issue due out, Lentish.

I saw on the TTA discussion forum that Andy Cox has decided to rename his flagship magazine, The Third Alternative, to Black Static. He’s not planning on doing any crossover titles or anything like that. Issue #42 was the last TTA, and the next one will have the new name. I dunno. I liked the old name, and more to the point, it was an institution in and of itself. I’m going to miss it. I’m sure I’ll grow to love Black Static as much, but still, nostalgia and all . . .

New Words: 400
On a new short story set in the same world as the last one, upon fosteronfilm‘s suggestion.

Club 100 For Writers
10