Every time I log onto my Twitter feed, everyone is screaming at everyone else about something. Even my go-to writers are angry right now. I logged onto #Caturday last Saturday, terrified that the silly cat pictures had devolved into some kind of war between Siamese and tortoise shells, but I haven’t found that so far. […]
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The in-person Oregon Coast writing workshop ended on Saturday, and worked relatively well, considering all the things we had to do to deal with my unexpected need to remain here in Vegas. Some things worked as usual, and others didn’t. Surprisingly for me, I ended up as tired on Sunday as I usually am when […]
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In last week’s post (titled “Bread and Cupcakes”) I talked about how businesses need to pick and choose their growth. In it, I discussed knowing when you have enough on your plate. I was talking on the macro level. Just because you can do something doesn’t necessary mean you should do something. This afternoon (Saturday […]
Continue ReadingMy cat died in June. He wasn’t just any cat. He was what Dean and I call “a heart cat.” We have cats whom we love and cherish, and then we have special cats—the ones who simply take over our hearts and hold them hostage. Galahad was the best of the best, and we had him for fifteen years.
I’m telling you this not to get sympathy, but because Gally’s death factored into my process this summer. I knew he was going to go at some point, but he went fast. Fine one week, gone the next. Not as fast as our Ella, who literally died in an instant (vet thinks heart attack or stroke) in February, but still, faster than expected.
That, on top of the deaths of several friends since the first of the year, some close and some not as close as they once were, left me reeling. I hadn’t realized how down I was until I figured out that my writing had nearly ground to a halt.
In fact, the one thing that kept me going was the schedule I had drawn up earlier in the year…
Continue ReadingFor years, I’ve enjoyed the Chicks in Chainmail anthologies, edited by Esther M. Friesner. Humor, fantasy, warrior women…what’s not to love? A year or so ago, she asked me to be in the latest volume, Chicks and Balances, which she edited with John Helfers. I thought about it, wasn’t really inspired by actual chainmail, so I thought about what armor really is, and when it’s needed…and somehow, I ended up at the Academy Awards, on the red carpet, with demons. Yeah, that makes sense—in a Rusch kinda way.
Continue ReadingBefore I get too deep in this week’s blog post, I’m going to point out a few things of my own that will be part of future blog posts (and also touch upon past posts). First, I’m participating in the first of three book bundles. This kind of bundle (there are several other kinds, which […]
Continue ReadingOr something like that. I mean, even I get tired of calling these news posts “News!” So, here’s a few things you might want to catch up on. First, WMG Publishing has put together a Diving Bundle. They’ve compiled six of the novellas from the Diving universe into one hefty ebook, and had me write […]
Continue ReadingFor the fourth year in a row, I have posted a blog on Thanksgiving. But this year is the first time I’ve decided to write a post about the holiday itself. Many of you who read this are not from the United States, which is why I have ignored the holiday (and most others like […]
Continue ReadingDaw books just published my short story, “The Destroyer,” in Human For A Day, one of the last anthologies co-edited by Martin H. Greenberg. As usual, I had a marvelous time working with Marty, Jennifer, and Tekno. I’ll miss those interactions. That business has changed a great deal these days. But we’ll have the anthologies. And […]
Continue ReadingI call her the celebutante. That’s our little Molly, thirteen weeks old, and already short about 8 lives. We got her at the vet on impulse. She has a broken leg–well, ruined leg is more like it. And because she benefited from my small town’s charity, she’s in the local paper this week. Here’s the […]
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