WIP

I rather like this bit.

"A man could run as long as there was land under his feet, solid ground on which his falling-apart boots could thud, where he collapsed in exhaustion, before getting up and running again. He could ride in the crowded trains, in unbearable stench, being eaten alive by lice. The problem arose when he found himself at the shore of a sea, with nothing but waves from here to the horizon. When there was no more land, there was nothing left but to fall from the abrupt precipice of its edge.

It was his punishment, Obolenskiy supposed, for having lived wrong; he had never felt the country underneath him, and now he had none. No university, Sechenov or Wittgenstein were going to change that.

He had lost his rifle a long while ago, somewhere between his battalion and his epaulettes. The latter seemed superfluous, and he tore them off, like scabs off an old wound. Not to avoid recognition – that was impossible; who couldn't tell a White army officer a mile away? – but to expose his hurt, his failure to belong. He tossed the limp cloth wings on the beach, and sat down, hugging his knees to his chest, flicking one pebble after another into the deep water of the Black Sea."

Somewhere in Arkansas...

... there is a person reading my book. I was searching libraries, to see who carried my book -- since it is designed for the library market. Found a new one today, in Arkansas. And Crow was checked out. It gave me a great rush of warm fuzzies. Thank you for reading my book, whoever you are.

It's August already...

... and I'm still buried in work, with no hope of digging out before September. Chipping away at Transomniac, but slowly. Also, it occurred to me that this particular story would be better off as a long novella/short novel, so now the nifty progress bar looks like this:

33,000 / 40,000 (82.0%)

Yeah. I like that. Overall, I noticed that I'm starting to tend toward brevity. I don't think I'm even capable of producing a short story over 6,000 words anymore. Haven't decided whether it's a bad or a good thing.

Novel

The progress of THE INDENTURED TRANSOMNIAC:

30,000 / 80,000 (37.0%)

And huge thanks to Mike Jasper for not only reading ACCORDING TO CROW, but also saying nice things about it here

Dibs on this name...

Just received a bit of junk mail from "Frugality O. Various". Is it a great name, or what? Dibs on it!

A bit from the current WIP: "Dominique came from a solid peasant stock, not frequently given to fancy; still, in the privacy of the thick bones of her skull, she dreamt of an Asian gentleman who insisted on being called Buddha, and small dogs with sharp white teeth."

Have been reading some message boards, and felt tempted to reply to things a few times. Resisted the impulse, but made a few general observations:
1) "If you're not with us you're against us" mentality doesn't seem to further discussion on literary movements.
2) Calling someone an idiot does not invalidate their point. The biggest fool can say that the sun will rise tomorrow; it doesn't make it untrue.
3) Often, statements of fact are misinterpreted as hostility. Some folks like to feel persecuted. Or maybe they can't separate their core beliefs from their favorite icecream brand.

Yes, I like to state the obvious. If something is obvious it doesn't mean I can't find it interesting.

Chi Zine Fiction Contest

My story received an honorable mention! Yay! Making top 8 out of 241 is pretty good, no? I'm very happy about that.

Finishing....

.... a whole bunch of stories started some time ago and abandoned for various reasons. Done with photosynthetic cats; on to a man who sets oil refineries on fire. After that, the encounter between Jebe, Genghis Khan's general, and aurora borealis. And after that -- actually, a tossup between deadly game of marbles, clowns caught in a worldwide flood, and a Crimean war veteran and fistulas. Suggestions are welcome.

Another entry

My story in Lenox Avenue #6 received a positive review in Tangent Online. Otherwise, not much is happening on the writing front -- too much work and all that. I'm trying to snatch up bits of time here and there to do reviews and a little bit of fiction writing. Just started on a new story, with the working title of "Hydraulic". I'm pleased with the central conceit(s), as well as some of the minor plot points -- like cats turning green due to algal symbionts. Ah, a cat you don't have to feed.... There's also mystery, strange energy sources, and the world ruled by Disney. And battery acid.

Jigsaw Nation...

... is getting on its way. I just sent out all the contracts, and we are gearing for March 2006 release. Fingers crossed.

Tangent Reviews

Two of my reviews are now posted on Tangent -- Asimov's August issue, and SciFiction June 22 issue. Highlights of the Asimov's issue: stories by Neal Asher, Paul Melko, and Tim Pratt.

Sale...

...to Oceans of the Mind. "God's Chosen" is about a commune of religious scavenger robots on Mars will be appearing in their Winter 2005 issue. I don't think it gets better than robots on Mars.

Reprint

Just received a lovely e-mail from the Russian SF magazine ESLI, asking to reprint The Smiling Vermin (a short from May 2005 Analog, co-authored with D. Bartell). ESLI is a very nice glossy mag, and I am quite thrilled with their offer. Yay reprints!

OK, I guess it IS my blog.

I decided to use this space for writing updates. This year so far:
1) Novel, ACCORDING TO CROW, is out from Five Star Books.
2) Shorts sold to: Analog, Lenox Avenue, The Book of Dark Wisdom, Fortean Bureau, Fantastic Stories, Surreal Magazine, Strange Pleasures 4, and Jabberwocky.
3) WIP: The Indentured Transomniac (on hold)