Odds and Ends: Early Summer Edition

Cicada wing, photo by elizartyrrell, used with attribution, cc license

This morning, I heard the first of the summer cicadas. It's a sound that brings me back to childhood and the seemingly endless summers that stretched in glorious unscripted time between July and September.

As I travel through the years of my adulthood, it gets harder and harder to remember when days felt long and unhurried. My only deadline was to be home at dusk. There were no cell phones or wifi, so that meant long stretches where no one was able to find me.

There is a freedom in that.

I've recently started to take Yoga classes at a studio near my home. One of the things I love about Yoga class, is the studio has a no cell phone policy. For a glorious 90 minutes, twice a week, I escape the tyranny of outside influence and spend time in movement and reflection.

Summer is traditionally a time to slow down. Certainly the heat and humidity of the past few weeks is an external force, reminding us that we are not always in control. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though it can be stressful when there are deadlines and responsibilities looming.

I am trying to remember to pause often and breathe.

On the writing front, DERELICT is currently with 4 editors of SF publishing houses. Just as I cannot control the weather, I have no influence on when they will read it and if they will love it well enough to offer to buy it. So another thing to let go.

My current serial, OATHBREAKER'S PRICE is about 2/3 through its run. If you want to read it, links are on the right hand sidebar. It's an alternate-world fantasy novel.

PEN-ULTIMATE: A SPECULATIVE FICTION ANTHOLOGY is out in the world, in trade paperback and ebook editions. Purchase links and more about the anthology can be found here. It was an honor and a privilege to edit such fine writers. If you enjoy short stories, this is your chance to read eleven original pieces, written by graduates of the Boston area Ultimate Science Fiction Writing Workshop and support a great cause at the same time. All proceeds are being donated to the SFWA Emergency Medical Fund.

Readercon 24 starts this Thursday evening. If you're attending, look for me. I'm on the program for the first time with three panels, a reading, and a signing. I'd love to see you there!