Braving the Forest Primeval

One of the main reasons I was wiped out Monday and Tuesday.

Forging Ahead

Blogging early tonight, because the men who will be installing our new central air conditioning unit will be here around eight in the morning and access to the computer will be tough. That's okay, I'm willing to sacrifice a little time away from the computer to have it be below ninety degrees in my house. I'm just wishy-washy that way.

I've been thinking about my current and upcoming writing projects and events...and what possible changes or adaptations need to be made. Currently I have stories in five anthologies out with two small presses, with seven more stories in four other anthologies on the way. I have one novel out with Pill Hill Press. And I have one independently published short story on the kindle. Not bad. I would call it a good start.

And it's been very educational watching how the market has changed in the short time I have been in the business. Things that made sense for me to do just a year ago, now pose a completely different picture. I'm having to keep learning my craft as a writer, while also learning the market around me as it evolves. And that makes planning a bit of a seat of my pants proposition. I'm kind of leaning towards working on a project by project basis, and choosing the destination of those projects based on their individual merits.

I really haven't shelved Argiope. It's more a matter of setting it aside to simmer while I jump over and do a short story or two for a different project. I'm also toying with the first glimmerings of plotlines for the sequel to The Ways of Khrem. Then there is also a vanity project I'm considering. And all of these would have different routes to publication, each based on what I think would be best for that particular projects set of circumstances.

Right now, everything is fluid and all is in motion. I'm just going to keep working, and pay close attention to what's working and what isn't.

And in case you were wondering about the fate of that raccoon in the video...

Working With It.

In the story from yesterday, the character of Catherine Hatcher has now been changed to Tiffany Hatcher. That's just the way stories evolve as they are written. Sometimes you're hunting that right name to hang on a particular character. Thanks go to Cherri Galbiati for helping me come up with a more appropriate name for this character.

It's good I'm a writer, because I was so sore and exhausted today that even writing was taxing. After a weekend of laying turf, catching and releasing raccoons, and taking kids to the zoo, my poor body is rebelling. I feel like I weigh ten thousand pounds, and have noodles for appendages. I can tell, as bad as it was today, that I'm still going to be paying tomorrow too. Bleh!

On an even more exasperating front, our central air conditioner went completely kaput. So the house has been a nice balmy 88 degrees all day. We now have a little window unit struggling to keep things semi-livable until the people come to install a new central air unit on Wednesday. That's assuming the raccoons don't eat them when they go up into the attic. They've been warned.

Day at the Zoo

Yesterday, we took the kids to the zoo...along with our friend Charlie and her kids. It was hot, but we were expecting that. I was wearing my white shorts and shirt, in a vain attempt to reflect all the heat somewhere else.  On the bright side, there was a breeze which made things a lot better. The kids also played at the little water park there, and had a ball. Of course, the biggest attraction was the dinosaur exhibit.

What is it with kids and dinosaurs? I guess it's that the beasts were just so darn big and cool looking. Anyways, the animitronic animals got more attention and interest than any of the real animals there.

Also, we decided the time had come to attempt to let Rowan go without a stroller. This was a big first for her, and she actually did pretty well. That has two bonuses...first, neither me nor Karla has to wipe ourselves out pushing a stroller anymore...and second, Rowan is pretty tuckered out from all the walking by the time she gets back to the car. No more easy riding for her!

I've also been getting some work done on a short story. I'll post the first seven or eight hundred words later today.

Big Game Hunting

Other people put on their camo suits and head out into the woods to do their hunting. We do it in our attic while wearing pajamas. Safari's are for sissies.

It turns out there were three or four of them up there...minus one now. It was pretty calm about the whole thing until I got the cage down into the living room and the cats came to investigate. That didn't go over with it well. So I took it out to my car and I turned it loose in a nearby park, unharmed.

Sunday, we are planning to take the kids to the zoo. Now the question is...will Dad be up to it? I did some lawn work today, laying down topsoil and turf, and wore myself out pretty good. Then there were was the great raccoon caper. As mentioned in my interview with Lenka, one of the features of Charcot Marie Tooth is I can wear myself out and be almost useless for the next day or two. I'm hoping I didn't push it too hard, because I'm going to take those kids to the zoo no matter what shape I'm in.

I'm scared to think how I'll be feeling on Monday...assuming a raccoon don't eat me.

Varmints and Stuff

Okay, so it appears the critters that are holding Olympic tryouts in my attic are raccoons. There are at least two of them...one juvenile and probably his mother...which means this situation is probably beyond our ability to deal with ourselves. Not without firearms anyways, and I don't think that's an option.

So who takes care of things like this? Who does one turn to for raccoon extractions? This situation can't continue, and I already shudder to think what's probably been done to the stuff we keep up there. Besides, it's beginning to upset the boy at night. Not to mention I find it hard to sleep when it sounds like something is unscrewing the light socket above my head.

The Raccoon Family must go.

On another front, the short story about the wedding dress is proceeding smoothly. Right now it's just called The Wedding Dress, but that's just a placeholder and it will be changed. I haven't decided what I'll do with it yet. Well, actually I sort of have...I'm going to write four or five stories, and then once I've got all of them I'll decide what to do with them from there. I just want some production, and I feel the need to see some finished products. Maybe I'll build my own little anthology. We'll see...but I'm going to insist on quality.

So A Raccoon Moved In To My Son's Room...

Seriously.

Last night, the boy had been hearing "strange noises." He wanted Mommy to come lay down with him to keep him company. She finally relented, and went to do so...then about a minute later came back out and told me to go get the live trap out of the garage. Quickly realizing I couldn't do that, she then told me to go hold the boy's closet door shot and SHE would go get the live trap. The boy was ordered into our room, and the trap set up in the middle of his floor.

She told me that there was a raccoon in Sheridan's closet, and that it appeared to her to be a juvenile. We  left the closet door slightly open and closed the bedroom door out to the hall. Our only can of canned catfood was left in the trap to tempt our midnight intruder. Karla then went to bed and I went out on a writer's night out.

The next morning we open the door to discover that the raccoon had not fallen for the trap, but had returned to his playground in the attic above. Shortly after that, the trap caught our cat.

Oh well, at least the trap works.

Today I go back to work on the short story I've started. All I've got is the opening scene so far, but I think it sets the stage and the charactors well. It's basically just two women talking as they go through stuff in the attic. So far, so good.

Thanks Lenka!

Lenka, over at Lenkaland.com interviewed me for her latest broadcast. She did a great job, and I did pretty good too...although I still sound like I come from a backwoods trailerpark with nothing but some extra chromosomes to keep me company.

We chatted about living with CMT, The Ways of Khrem, and life and writing in general. It was a very relaxed experience, and I think I'm finally getting over my terror of interviews. Now I just need to watch out that I don't turn into a huge ham.

Anyways, it was nice talking to somebody who lives with the same condition that I do, and who could truly understand what I was talking about...not just the physical aspects of Charcot Marie Tooth, but the guilt and the embarrassment that comes along with having something that wipes you out for a long time after any exertion. It was cool to talk with someone who also had learned to meter her energy, and make allowances when she knew she was about to do something that would deplete her stores.

Thanks again for having me, Lenka! We'll do it again sometime!

Changing Hats

Okay, it's time to put my writer's hat back on and get back to work. I have been doing nothing but cover art, ad art, and promoting lately...and that ain't why I got into this field. I know it's important, and I intend to keep doing it, but I'm going to take a break from it and get back to writing. I need some new stories.

I've currently started a ghost story involving the wedding dress of a dead murderess. It has potential...but they all do when you first start working on them. We'll just have to wait and see where it goes. I have several "good beginnings" stashed away in folders. I may take a look at a couple of those as well.

Today, Heather comes to help with the housework. This means another week that we are all saved from drowning in the rising mess. I'll be taking Rowan to her therapies, and this time I will remember to plug in my laptop so it's good and charged so I can take it with me and use it in the waiting room. I sort of blew it yesterday, and had to leave it at home. Yeah, it's a poor excuse for a writer who doesn't keep his laptop charged and ready to use on a moments notice. I've gotta work on that...and the housework.