Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Oh, dear! It's been three months since I've posted a thing here. And I so meant to blog at least once a month...

Well, I've been spending my writing time transitioning into editing mode. After writing several new short stories, polishing up a few older ones, I've finally started the Third Draft of my novel, How I Spent My Zombie Apocalypse, written in late 2011. It's been staring at me for a year, awaiting my broad changes and minor tweaks. I hope to get it in good shape by the end of the first week in July. That's how I am planning to spend my Independence Day weekend - writing & editing.

I edited a YA fantasy novel from a fellow writer and a collection of horror short stories from another last month. I now feel like I should have a hip holster, holding a giant comma in place of a gun, for how fast I am at adding them.



When I want to catch up with somebody, I find myself most curious about where current influences and interests lie. So, here's my past few months, in a nutshell:

  • What I'm watching: March/April - watched all of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes (Yay for NetFlix) and recently began season one of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Immersed myself in the world of Joss Whedon's Firefly and Serenity for a few weeks. Also rewatched all of the Arrested Development episodes, including the new fourth season exclusive to NetFlix. And this week, I finally watched Season Five of True Blood. So much better than the last season or two! Love love loved it. Also, loved listening to the episode commentaries, which included a lot with the writers.

    I've been to the cinema to see Mama (which was excellent!), Evil Dead (stick to the original), Star Trek Into The Darkness (fun), and This Is The End (Which was mostly funny and enjoyable). Tomorrow is World War Z, because I have to see it despite how short it may fall from the book.
  • What I'm reading: I finally read that first novel from Rob Brezny (known for his syndicated column "Real Astrology"), Televisionary Oracle. Published in 2000, it was a lengthy poetic prose work, espousing a lot of Bohemian Punk New Hippie Proto-Feminism, that frankly, just didn't speak to me. I also read Lilydale by Christine Wicker, a journalist exploring the history and lore of America's only Spiritualist Community. Read some anthology horror, a "Bizarro Fiction" book, an LGBT humor book, and Why Women Earn Less by Mikelann Valterra. Currently finishing Book Two of the Abarat series, from my favorite author, Clive Barker.
  • What I'm listening to: A little bit of everything, as usual. I got to see Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds recently, which was my first time seeing him live. He and the band were amazing. I'm also listening to William Shatner lately. And I put my iPod on shuffle very often, so that gives me an eclectic mix of Nina Simone, L'Arc~en~Ciel, Thompson Twins, Radiohead, Parliament Funkadelic, Sezen Aksu, and a slew of others. Nothing obsessive at the moment. But I am looking forward to finally seeing Gogol Bordello live in August!
  • What I'm creating: In addition to the writing of short stories, flash fiction, and now my novel's third draft, I've been working on a Goal Journal (of my own creation), and a plan for the Writer's Conference in July. I've begun to work with the above-mentioned author, Mikelann Valterra, on a regular basis to sort out my finances and any inherent personal issues thereof. I've also been incubating some big ideas on gender equality and issues, across many platforms. More on that in the future.