Song of the Week

Cat Power, “Cross Bones Style”

Hello! I hope you’re doing well this Monday morning.

This will be a pretty normal week around here: new chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door up on Patreon tomorrow, and the latest chapter of Journey to the Water will be up on the blog Wednesday.

I do have two news items, though! First, I’m starting Twitch streaming again with the Tea and Sidequests channel. The plan is for me to stream Fridays and talk about some aspect of fantasy writing. This week, I’ll be playing Totally Accurate Battle Simulator and discussing fight scenes. On Saturdays, my husband/streaming partner will be doing exercise challenges.

Second, we have a new kitten! Her name is Shepard and she is four months old. She’s already helping me work (when she isn’t walking across my keyboard).

Shepard, a brown-and-gray tabby kitten, lies next to a laptop with both paws draped across the keyboard.
Editor Shepard
Shepard receives belly rubs while reaching toward the camera with black toe-beans. Her eyes are brown with a little blue around the pupil.
She is very wiggly and never stops purring.

Solaire isn’t sure how to feel about her, but I think with time and patience they will become friends.

As always, thanks for being here, and have an excellent week.

Song of the Week

Susanne Sundfør, “White Foxes”

Happy Monday.

I was a child when patriotism began to mean unquestioning obedience, adherence to authoritarian religion, and the organization of the world into the deserving and the undeserving. I tend to let Independence Day pass by unobserved. If you’re celebrating, I hope you are safe and can enjoy some good food.

Nothing out of the ordinary to report this week: Journey to the Water will have a new chapter on Patreon tomorrow, and the latest chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door will be up here on Wednesday. In case you missed, it, Episode 4 of The Well Below the Valley went up on Patron last week.

I’ll be back on social media tomorrow as well. I’m sure everything there has been very normal while I’ve been gone…

As always, thanks for being here, and have an excellent week.

Song of the Week

Omar Souleyman, “Mawal Jamar”

(He did not bury me, he did not bury me)

The Supreme Court decision came through while I was running errands on Friday. I still haven’t quite processed the fact that when I left the house, I had full rights to decide when and if someone else uses my body, and when I returned, that decision was taken from me and given to men I have never met, some of whom died a hundred years or more before I was born.

I’ll regain some semblance of those rights upon my death, when it will be illegal to take my organs without my prior permission.

In the meantime, there will be a new chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door on Patreon tomorrow, and Journey to the Water will have a chapter up here on Wednesday. I’m working on the latest episode of The Well Below the Valley, and that will be on Patreon later this week.

Take care of yourselves. I’m glad you’re here.

Song of the Week

Opeth, “Soldier of Fortune” (Deep Purple cover)

Happy Monday! Yesterday was Juneteenth! I hope you had a good day.

I am back on my usual nonsense: the newest chapter of Journey to the Water will be up on Patreon tomorrow, and the latest chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door will make its appearance here on the website on Wednesday. I’m also working on The Well Below the Valley, and Episode 5 will be available before the end of the month!

Please pray for my lettuce as we enter another stretch of 90+ degree days here in the midwestern swamp. (This is not a euphemism–I am growing lettuce, and supposedly it prefers cooler weather).

Anyway, climate change is real, and none of us are free until all of us are free, and time creeps inexorably onward (this song was released SIXTEEN YEARS AGO??). Have a good week, and stay safe.

Song of the Week

Kate Bush, “Waking the Witch”

Good morning! I hope you’re well, wherever you are.

There will be a new chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door up on Patreon tomorrow! Thank you for being patient as I get back to our regular posting schedule. We’ll be back to normal (one chapter on Patreon and one chapter here) next week.

If you’re a regular reader, you are probably aware that I have three ongoing projects (Journey to the Water, The Book of the New Moon Door, and the script for The Well Below the Valley), and I really don’t have time to take on more, but new ideas keep coming up! I may or may not have a space opera, a cyberpunk mystery, and possibly an urban fantasy in the works. I just want to be writing all the things, but my time management skills are not up to the task.

Please send well wishes to the lettuce in my garden, as the next three days are supposed to be over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and if you like what you read here, tell your friends about me! When it comes to books, word of mouth is still the best, even in this digital world.

Thanks for being here, and have an excellent week.

Song of the Week

Kate Bush, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)”

Believe it or not, with all the Kate Bush I’ve posted over the lifetime of this blog, I haven’t done this song yet! Also, if you haven’t watched the latest season of Stranger Things, go do that as soon as you get a chance. I’m having a bit of a hipster moment (I liked this song before it was cool!), but I’m excited that the show is creating more Kate Bush fans. She deserves it. (Also, listen to the entire Hounds of Love album. As the kids say, it’s 100% bangers.)

Good morning! Due to last week being an odd one and multiple anniversaries in my life this week (one year in our house as of tomorrow, and five years married at the end of the week), there won’t be a new chapter this week. The latest chapter of Journey to the Water will still be up here on Wednesday, so stop back then!

Have an excellent week!

Song of the Week

Enya, “How Can I Keep from Singing?” (American hymn)

I’m no longer religious, but I don’t deny the comfort of the old songs. Also, I was a 90’s kid. Enya is where it’s at.

Okay. The Newsletter Poll is now closed. Not too many responses, but they were overwhelmingly in favor of a newsletter, so I will get working on that and it will be available later this summer. There will be a way to sign up with your email.

The next episode of The Well Below the Valley, titled “Convergence,” will be up on Patreon tomorrow! Interlude Two of Journey to the Water will accompany it. The latest chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door will be up here on the blog on Wednesday.

This past weekend, I went to the Oddities and Curiosities Expo!

The writer, a brunette white woman with a short side cut & a bun, glasses, and multiple layered skirts, carrying a mask and a hat, looks up at a banner reading "The Oddities & Curiosities Expo." The backdrop is dark blue with an Art Deco circular design.
A somewhat blurry banner (I took a bad picture) featuring an illustrated pile of skulls and the title "Skulls! Skulls! Skulls!!!" stands behind a set of velvet ropes.

I’m not super into taxidermy (I haven’t eaten meat for something like 16 years), but there were vampire hunting kits, cryptid paraphernalia, antique and gothic fashions, and so much great art. I’ll have a post up on Instagram today with some more pictures.

Thank you for being here. Have an excellent week.

Song of the Week

Florence + the Machine, “Cassandra”

Happy Monday!

You may have noticed the new banner above. I’m working on my social media presence. The most work right now is going into Instagram, so if you’re on there, you can find me here.

This week, I’ll have a new chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door up on Patreon, and the latest chapter of Journey to the Water will be up here on Wednesday. The plot is thickening in both, so I’m excited for you to read them! The next episode of The Well Below the Valley will also be on Patreon soon, either late this week or early next week.

If you haven’t voted in the newsletter poll, go do that! Cross it off your to-do list and feel accomplished, and then have a great start to the week. I’ll see you back here later.

Song of the Week

Evanescence, “The Chain” (Fleetwood Mac cover)

Happy Monday! Have you voted in the Reader Poll yet? I need to know if you want to receive an email newsletter.

This is going to be a typical week here in blog-land: there will be a new chapter of Journey to the Water on Patreon tomorrow, and the latest chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door will be up here on Wednesday.

Have an excellent week!

Song of the Week

Queens of the Stone Age, “I Never Came”

Happy Monday!

I’ll have a new chapter of The Book of the New Moon Door up on Patreon tomorrow, and the latest chapter of Journey to the Water will be up here on the blog on Wednesday. Later this week, I’m going to be having a new Reader Poll, so be sure to check back!

Not much else to share this week, though this weekend I am going to a talk by Neil Gaiman, who is one of my favorite authors. The event was originally in 2020 and was rescheduled at least twice. I’m very excited.

Have an excellent week!