Aaron Polson's Blog, page 55

Spider and I (part 5)

I walked the rest of the night, past the dawn, and into the morning. Spider was hungry. I was hungry. I shed tears for my parents, but could I hate him? Last night, he was so helpless—just an old man stumbling in the road. The air felt colder, inviting winter. The weather would work against us soon; we needed to find a spot to hold up for the long, dark months. I wove through rows of little houses—little bungalows tucked behind fading trees. Eventually I had to go back, and I was empty...

Spider and I (part 4)

(How about this blog-color compromise?)

If you haven't been following: part 1, part 2, part 3

I'll have some news about Spider and an offer on Sunday. Have a good weekend.

__________
The kids played below while I listened to Spider breathe all afternoon. I thought about killing him sometimes, how I'd do it. He didn't exactly hold me hostage, but I didn't know any other life. He started mumbling, mostly incoherent ramblings, when the sun crawled really close to the horizon. I looked a my bag,...

Long Time Gone

No, I haven't left the dark side. I've just bleached the blog. How's it look? Does black type on white work better for reading? Should I go dark again?

I feel like a good cleansing after receiving a 300+ day form rejection this morning. Although it's an honor to be held by the particular publication, 300+ days and a form rejection leaves a foul taste in my mouth. Kind of like I swallowed bleach.

I just sent a query for a 120+ day rewrite request (the original piece has been out...are you ready ...

WIP Wednesday: Four Projects of the Apocalypse

Since this is a blog about writing (for the most part), I'll start with my latest WIP...the now-desperate-for-a-title YA ghosty-type story. I've only just begun in earnest, adding at least 1K words a day for the past few. The flip flop between brother and sister's POV (all 3rd person, of course) is making for an interesting narrative with nice parallel stories. I'm pleased.

An excerpt (from Phoebe's storyline):

Lunch in the cafeteria was hell. Phoebe gathered her brown bag from her locker...

What to Read Instead of the New Stephanie Meyer Book

To those who received a spam message from my email account yesterday, apologies. I blame it on my possessed computer at school...

Negativity is a big draw. I know from personal experience: the largest number of hits to this blog in a single day occurred when I posted a nasty note. Go figure.

I don't like negative, despite the marketing potential. Really. It's been my goal to keep things smiley, but WHAM, there it was all over Amazon.com: The Short, Second Life of Bree Tanner: (wait for it......

What to Read Instead of the New Stephanie Myer Book

To those who received a spam message from my email account yesterday, apologies. I blame it on my possessed computer at school...

Negativity is a big draw. I know from personal experience: the largest number of hits to this blog in a single day occurred when I posted a nasty note. Go figure.

I don't like negative, despite the marketing potential. Really. It's been my goal to keep things smiley, but WHAM, there it was all over Amazon.com: The Short, Second Life of Bree Tanner: (wait for...

Monday is for Monsters, Madness, and Magic

I just felt like a little alliteration today, okay?

First of all, head over to the Strange Publications blog and welcome Cate Gardner to the fold. I'm thrilled to say Strange will be publishing her short story collection, Strange Men in Pinstripe Suits and Other Curious Things. I'm speaking of magic here, folks. Magic.

As for the madness, well the NCAA Men's National Championship will be decided tonight between Butler and Duke. My estimate is about 90% of the country (that gives a shite) will b...

Spider and I (part 3)

I was four, maybe five when my folks died. Their car smashed up pretty good, sending bent steel and broken plastic to rend and tear their bodies. They had no close relatives. After that, I bounced a bit—had a rough time. Five years old made me too old for most to adopt.

Five years old, and I was garbage tossed around to foster homes for the next few years.

I had mostly forgotten everything about my real parents except the books they'd read to me before bed. When I scrunched into one of tho...

Spider and I (Part 2)

No foolin'. Two entries from "Spider and I" this week, starting with...

Morning light flooded through smudged glass. Scraps of Spider's dinner lay about—a bit of blood sprayed on the square pillars and a few tiny snatches of fur. I never felt all that bad about the dogs. One of my foster homes had this little dog, Oscar, a little yipping thing that bit me once. Those folks worried more about the dog than me, took him to the vet, while I had to wrap my own hand with a t-shirt to stop the blood...

WIP Wednesday: Reading Well and (Hopefully) Being Read Well

It's been a long week at my house. Poor Owen has struggled with asthma, allergies, and now a "secondary" infection (bronchitis). He coughs most of the night, keeps his parents up with worry, and looks as pale as a the back of a pre-licked postage stamp.

Thus, my biggest work in progress has been reading from Ellen Datlow's new anthology, Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror, in the wee hours of the night. This book, in many ways, was the inspiration for yesterday's post.

Some may remember...