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Wednesday Wanderings

Had trouble coming up with a topic for today’s post, so on a whim, I inputted “writing” and “fantasy” into a random blog topic generator.  It spat back:  “Why We Love Writing (And You Should, Too!)”

No, no, don’t.  I’m put in mind of the Dorothy Parker quote:  “If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.”

In any case, it seems like writers exist (or at least, this writer exists) in a constant state of paradox. We love writing and loathe it, beating our heads against the wall when the beautifully rendered scene in our minds turns into drivel on the page. Our work is derivative drek, but somehow – simultaneously! – worthy of publication by the big houses, glowing reviews, maybe even a movie …

And the ability to hold both these states in suspension, often at the same time, is probably what makes the writing work. Stray too far in one direction or the other, and the result is stagnation.

So yes, if you’re encouraging someone to write, you’re telling them, “You should be a little bit unhappy all the time!” On the other hand, you’re also telling them to be a bit happy all the time, so … perhaps it balances out.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Guest Post: Kayelle Allen & Bringer of Chaos–Forged in Fire

Thank you for letting me share my new book with your readers. Like many, I’m a fan of the Hobbit movies. More specifically, of Lee Pace, who played Elven King Thranduil. The character so resembled my hero, Pietas, that I delighted in watching Pace portray him. There was one scene where Thranduil puts the dwarf… Continue reading Guest Post: Kayelle Allen & Bringer of Chaos–Forged in Fire

Coming Soon …!

I now have a release date for Scylla and Charybdis, my space opera / soft science fiction novel from Grimbold Books:  April 15th!


This is sadly *not* Tax Day this year, as would be somehow twistedly appropriate, but I’m very excited.  Watch this space for more details, peeks behind the scenes, and possibly other goodies.

Here’s the brief summary of Scylla and Charybdis:

For Anaea Carlisle – raised on an isolated space station populated solely by women – the world is far too small.  On a salvage mission, she helps rescue a hypermental named Gwydion who challenges everything she thought she knew.  When she flees the station to prevent him from having his memory erased, she finds herself in a brand-new world and struggling to find a home.

Song Styles

For the second time, I’d like to do something a little different on a Sunday, discuss some new-to-me music that I thought others might like.I’ll start with the most recent and high-profile album, Kelly Clarkson’s Meaning Of Life.  If you’ve turned…

Song Styles

There’s one song I haven’t formally put on my Surgeburnt soundtrack because it describes a romantic arc that I hadn’t decided I was going to use … and here I am, at least (I hope) three quarters of the way through the first draft, and I’m still …