Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff's Blog: #42 Pencil: A Writer's Life, the Universe, and Everything, page 32

Exploring California, Step by Step

I use a Fitbit to keep track of my exercise. It’s fine motivational tool. When I look at the “dashboard” and see that I’ve been sitting around all day, or that my morning exercise walk only generated 15 very active minutes, I get up and do something physical.

But the Fitbit is only a high-tech pedometer. It measures steps, but it doesn’t understand those steps.

Case in point: After I got back from my three-day backpacking trip at the Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California, I logge...

WWW Wednesday – Sept 3, 2014

WWW Wednesday. This meme is from shouldbereading.

This month I was trapped on a transatlantic plane in steerage where, if I wasn’t being forced like my fellow coach-passengers to shovel coal to keep the thing in the air, I had my head buried in my Kindle. My reading consisted of three things: my own work, work I’ve promised to review, and very early work by PG Wodehouse, much of which is now in the public domain and available for free.

• What are you currently reading?

Right now I’m in the middl...

Machines for Living

I am outspoken, and probably a little annoying, in my love for cities. And I just spent some time in two spectacular cities: Paris and London, and was reminded that cities are machines for living. See the photo on the left? That’s an entrance to the Gare du Nord station on the Metro in Paris. Note the gorgeousness of the Beaux Arts ironwork on the sign and fences. Note also the huge trash bins circling the entry. Because as gorgeous as the Metro sign is, it doesn’t exist in a museum; it exist...

[rant] One space or two between sentences?

Apparently, the b/a/t/t/l/e discussion over whether to use one space or two between sentences r/a/g/e/s/o/n continues. Since I have not yet expressed my opinion on the subject, here it is:

You have got to be kidding me, right? Of all the things you could worry about in writing—characters, plot, theme and metatheme, moral center, rising and falling tension, use of language, etc. — you’re obsessed with this?

Once upon a time, when typesetters used single-letter type or operated linotype machines...

BVC Announces From Left Field by Mindy Klasky

From Left Field

Diamond Brides Series 7

by Mindy Klasky

Adam Sartain is the face of the Rockets baseball franchise, a long-time left fielder with an easy-going attitude and a reputation for helping out in the community.

Haley Thurman is literally the girl next door; she and Adam grew up like siblings, raising hell and sneaking out for late-night hijinks at the neighboring Reeves Farm. Now, Haley dreams of buying the farm for her no-kill animal shelter.

Haley’s plan is perfect, until Adam learns th...

Hurrah! Chaz Brenchley Garners Starred PW Review

BVC’s own Chaz Brenchley is basking in the glow of a starred Publishers Weekly review of his soon-to-be-released collection of short fiction, BITTER WATERS, from Lethe Press.

Check it out here.

Congratulations, Chaz!

War Horse: A Very Short Review

by Brenda W. Clough

While we were in London we saw the UK production of War Horse. This show won five Tonys in the US production, and a hatful of awards in Britain. It also was made into a movie by Steven Spielberg. I had not realized that the original source material was a popular British children’s book of the same name, by Michael Morpurgo.

People do not go to see this stage show for the story, which is somewhat sentimental and rather coincidence-heavy. What carries the stage drama, perfectl...

Still Life With Horse Transport

Once upon a time the horse carried the human, and war and migrations and transport in general became much easier, simpler, and faster. People could travel farther, take more with them, and get there more quickly.

Then came the age of mechanical transport, and the horse collected some of the agelong debt. Now if a horse needs to travel a considerable distance at speed, he travels in a van, and the humans do the work of making sure he gets there.

We experienced that firsthand this weekend. One of...

Story Excerpt Sunday: From Kindred Rites by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel

Kindred Rites

Book Two of the Night Calls series

by Katharine Eliska Kimbriel

A Christmas Eve Visitation

“Ready for a lesson?” Marta said suddenly.

I blinked, surprised by the question. “Tonight?”

Marta lifted her head to meet my gaze; a half smile flitted across her lips. “No time like the present,” she offered, tugging her thread back through. “Between fetches and poltergeists, I think it is time for you to learn the first of the major arcana.”

Suddenly I was wide awake, and there was an ache...

Falling Into Harvest

(Picture from here.)

It’s harvest season on our little microfarm. Nanofarm? Postage Stamp Farm? That might be a good name for the place.

We have two gardens. The main one south of the house and the east garden where the turtles live. Yes, we have livestock. We grow turtles. And chickens, but the chickens give us less trouble. There’s a long and sordid history on how we got into raising turtles but it boils down to not wanting the pet trade to decimate animals we like. Turns out from capture to...