Francesca Forrest's Blog, page 54

further adventures of Decommissioner 37

I'm nearing the climax of my sequel to The Inconvenient God. I'm excited! This story's considerably longer than that one--with more details about the protagonist's past, including her ~ ~ name ~ ~ (Sweeting was what her grandparents called her, but it's not her name.)

I probably won't finish it by the end of the year--too much other stuff going on--but early in the new year.

... okay, going to take my high energy off for a run and to work out more plot details.


Here--enjoy Sofi Tukker singing...

notes from a bathroom stall

I mean to answer posts--and letters/cards (thinking of you, osprey_archer )--but I've got my head down with a long job that I have to finish by tomorrow. I'm taking a break to share with you the wisdom and art of a bathroom stall.

First the art--it's Pikachu! Who doesn't want to see Pikachu's cheerful face at such moments?



Now a blessing--located, aptly, over the toilet paper:




And lastly, some relationship advice. There were other, similarly themed nuggets that expressed themselves more...

tres poemas

My former tutor, current pen pal, said it was okay to link to his poems!

So here they are: "Medusas," "Sirenas," and "La Mentira," by Geovanni Trujillo/Mictlán.

I really like them--there are great lines and images in all of them--I really like in "Sirenas," for instance, the very first line: "A veces le cuento al viento sobre ti"---sometimes I tell the wind about you.

I like the idea of the wind as a confidant.

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patron saint of ...

In her latest Patreon post , sovay talks about two frustrating films and one id-tastic one. The first of the frustrating ones, which, she reports, in large part "feels like someone drew a line through the set labeled "GOOD TASTE" and everyone kept getting CAD injuries trying not to cross it," reminded me of something hilarious and awful that happened at my church's All Saints Day mass.

For All Saint's Day, the religious ed program always has a few teens pick a saint, dress up as them, and then...

Hot Chocolate Run--thank you!

Wow, the running conditions couldn't have been more different this year from last year--last year's post-run entry reveals that it was 37 degrees F, and rainy. This morning we awoke to a world glittering with hoarfrost-the side of the house was decorated with sparkles--and temperatures below 0 F. By the time I reached the race start point, it had warmed up to a balmy 16 F.

Here's a shot of everyone waiting to get started:



I knew I'd run much more slowly this year than last year. I've done way...

Time of Daughters, Book 1

Sherwood Smith has new novel out, Time of Daughters, in two books. Both are available now from Book View Cafe (ebook only) and Amazon (ebook, paperback, or hardback). I've just finished the first book and found it thoroughly engrossing, a real treat. People who enjoyed the Inda series may especially enjoy this duology, which takes place 100 years later, but I honestly think people who like a dynastically focused story with lots of slow-burn intrigue and character development will love this...

how I clicked 'yes' for a tutor and ended up meeting a poet

I've been using Duolingo to learn/practice Spanish for more than three years now, and Portuguese for about a year, and while it's got its flaws, I basically enjoy and appreciate it a lot, so I decided to get a paid membership to help support its mission. Doing so got me some ancillary benefits that for the most part I was uninterested in, but one thing that came over the dash was an offer of a Duolingo tutor. "Would you like a tutor?" the app innocently asked. I pressed yes, thinking I'd get...

breadrocks

"Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?" (Matthew 7:9)

.... I think you might be forgiven for giving your kid a stone if you came across these loaf-like specimens. I altered the color (crudely; I blame my tech like the TOOL I AM like the tool it is?) so they approached bread color--but it's more the shape, the texture...









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The Boy on the Roof--live for free reading/listening

I said I'd mention when "The Boy on the Roof" was available for free reading at Fireside Fiction, and it's up now, along with *amazing* narration by CSE Cooney. She got everything about the mood just right; she really brings the story alive.

The Boy on the Roof



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walking the rails

Walking the rails is better when the weather isn't quite so bitingly cold, but it's always good. It's a way through the landscape that you don't usually see.

The rails were shining blue from the blue sky overhead:



I saw...