Tuesday Ramblings

[will_couvillier]

Howdy, everyone!  This is being posted on the eve of a "me" day, whereas I plan to stay home and veg till my eyeballs shimmer like a veggie salad splashed with light balsamic dressing!  And to read -- see "Project" section below!

 

WIP Progress:  Sadly, I have been slacking in my scribing lately.  However, I have added approximately 300 words to the Moon story, which I seriously have to get cracking on if I want to meet the submission deadline.   I am getting an odd feeling of familiarity as I write it though.  I am beginning to think that my subconscious is in regurgitation mode and this is becoming like something that I once read that had impressed me years ago.

 

Project:  Received my complimentary copy of the July F&SF.  I forget who posted it, but F&SF is doing a promotion, whereas they give you a freebie issue in return for you blogging about it.  So, tomorrow, please come by and read my first ever review of a SF/F magazine!  And I will hold back naught at all….

Music:  I see people posting about this a lot.  However, I cannot really listen to music while I write.  This is because I actually listen to the music I play, and that takes me away from what I'm otherwise doing.  Gimme a background TV running though, and I can pound out the words.  This also is a contridiction to my usual way of doing things, since I really can do without TV.

 

Life:  I have to say thanks to everyone who posted about my wife's situation.  I appreciate all the sympathy when she lost work and the good wishes when she was hired at the new place. 

Signings & Events:   I am still working on setting up a local signing event for Hadley Rille Books and as such again put out the call for authors from my FLIST who may be able to make a Reno, NV signing.  The tentative date would be Wednesday, July 2nd, at 6:30pm.  Note the "tentative".  The bookstore hasn't decided for certain as yet, but I am thinking positive here...

Politics:  This you not see here that often.  I am not overly politicaly minded, but occassionally headlines do pop up that really leave me with astonished drop-jaw syndrome.  Such as this, attributed to our fearless leader, President Bush: "The president says the solution to high gas prices is drilling for more oil and building more refineries."  Hello -- where, on Mars?  I'm an old fart, admitted, and I remember in the late '70s how there was worries about using up the oil back then.  Just how many holes can you prick in Mother Earth before she can't bleed any more?  By this time there can't be that many places left.

Observation of the Day:  I see that "Eyes Delighted", my collaboration with Tom Williams,  is now up.  If you would like a light-hearted comedic read, check it out here: http://www.ecs-media.com/stories.htm

 

 

Recommended reading: Today I suggest hunting up a copy of “Wolfling”, by Gordon R. Dickson.  This is one of Dickson's early works, not much larger than a novella, but it is a very well done story about genetic environmental adaption, lost interstellar settlements, discovering heritage and dealing with elitist snobbery.  It made a great impression on a young reader, and as a much older reader, it still entertains and stands strong.  My regret is that it could well have been expanded.  It would have been a fantastic read as a huge-ass epic, like Dune.  The culture hinted at in it would have supported such completely.

 

Submissions:  I'm still waiting to hear on these: 

::none out at the moment.::

Who Really Is: (insert name)

 

What Ever Happened To:  (insert name)?

Comments

[alaneer.livejournal.com]

I too, am going slowly with my Moon story.

Hehe, the only music I can listen to while I'm writing is classical. No words.

[will-couvillier.livejournal.com]

Also, I have to redesign my Moon colony. The ending of the story came, and it conflicts to the initial design I had envisioned for it.

[alaneer.livejournal.com]

That happens sometimes.

[kaolinfire.livejournal.com]

Any interest in a PDF of GUD for the cost of blogging about it? :)

[will-couvillier.livejournal.com]

You sure you want a novice opinion, seeing as how this F&SF gig will be my first shot at reviewing? I mean, I'll never pass up free reading material...but all you'd get from me is opinion. See my little book references as examples. And add comment about layout, package, ease of use, and there you go.

[kaolinfire.livejournal.com]

Sure, we can be your second ever review of an SF/F magazine :) I think the relative temporal synchronicity should highlight the strengths (and, well, I won't call them weaknesses... let's say differences) between the two. ;)

I'm a long-time subscriber to F&SF, but haven't read the current issue yet. Always interesting to see others' takes on such.

GUD needs all the opinion (read: publicity) it can get--positive, negative, or indifferent. Some percentage of your friends are our target audience, after all. And I'm hoping that percentage is greater than zero. ;)

[will-couvillier.livejournal.com]

Sure then, my email is posted here. It may be a few days after the F&SF, however.

[kaolinfire.livejournal.com]

Emailed. And take your time (or not), as you like. I won't hold you to "a few days"--we pack a lot into an issue. :)

[mehub.livejournal.com]

My moon story creeps along, mutates, then reverts to normal, and then mutates again! Also, should we ask readers to gently call the bookstore to show support for the signing? Or would that be considered harassment? :)

[will-couvillier.livejournal.com]

Harassment? Na, that's called marketing!