There’s something particularly nice about when a new week falls on a new month. I can’t believe it’s May! But the calendar insists it’s true, so I’ll roll with it. April was a blur, but so was March, so I’m just going to assume that’s what it’s all going to be like from here on in. A lovely little blur of time marching on, and it’s the least I can do to just keep step with it.
So we start the month and we start the week, with my usual look back and forward at what was and what will be.
Reading: I finished reading through Phantaxis Volume 2, which featured my story “Damsel in Distress,” along with others, and it was pretty good! My biggest gripe was that a lot of the stories didn’t feel like complete stories to me. They were cool concepts and ideas, but not much of a conflict-resolution type set up. There were exceptions, of course. My favorite one was probably Brian Koukol’s “Circling the Brain,” which took us on a wild trip through a really fascinating world through the eyes of a disembodied head in a jar.
Though I usually only start a new book on Mondays, I received a complimentary copy of Robert Allen Lupton’s new book, Foxborn, which I’m hoping to blow through quickly so I can provide a review. So far, it’s really fascinating, especially since I have a soft spot for shape-shifters. I also started Lindsey Davis’s Shadows in Bronze, though it’s been a long time since my last Marco Didius Falco mystery.
Speaking of Robert Allen Lupton, I hope to get his story from World Unknown Review Volume III up soon as the featured story of the month, which also means an interview with him soon, and that the chances to read Sarah Gribble’s “Lullaby Land” for free is almost at an end.
Writing: Not gonna lie, even though I did finish the (very) rough draft of Fearless this week, it’s been a really rough one for writing. I failed to meet a deadline for an anthology I was invited to participate in, but I’d rather pass on the opportunity than hand them a half-assed story that wasn’t really even that good. I got three rejections flowing in, including one for a story I was really hoping to get in, putting my current total at 49. So at least it’s not fifty yet? And even if I go through May without an acceptance, I’ll still be at five, which averages to a story a month, and that’s not too bad. I just have to keep plugging along and keep getting stuff done.
On a happier note, the Bards and Sages Quarterly that includes my story “The Space Between Worlds” is now available, and there’s a story from WUR author Karen Heslop in there, too. So definitely check it out if you get the chance. The latest Pulp Modern with my “Lady of the Masks” should be arrive soon, too, so, despite all the rejections, there’s at least a few reminders that I am actually getting work out there.
‘Rithmatic: Everything else has been pretty average, splitting my time between writing, working, and Breath of the Wild. I have also joined Fandom High again, which will be a trip. I can’t believe it’s been four years since I’ve been involved in that game that has shaped so much of my early twenties. I remember starting when I was in college, and it’s going to be really fun to get back. It’s a very time consuming game, so it’s weird for me to say this, but I think it’s really going to help with my productivity. Because it’s a game that requires me to be at my computer (although I guess I can do a little bit from my phone now), and that means getting other work done, too.
Nothing too exciting going on, though. I’m prepping myself for a seven-day streak at work coming up, but I get to end it with three days off in a row, so it’ll be worth it. I just hope I can keep my focus and get some stuff done, and not just be a lazy butthead about it.
How’s everyone else’s weeks going?
L.S. Engler 