Jane Lindskold's Blog, page 2

FF: Tried a Few New

Fava Reads

This week, I tried a few new-to-me books, as well as revisiting a few old friends.

And now for the usual reminder…  The Friday Fragments is not a book review column; it’s a list of what I’m reading and maybe a bit about my opinions.  I always read the Comments section, because I enjoy learning what other people are reading.  Oh, and I don’t usually list shorter works unless in a collection or articles.  I also don’t usually list my scattered research reading.

Completed:

Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher.  A better than usual re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.  Author notes are interesting insights into influence.  Re-read.

Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie.  Audiobook.  Begins with reader apology for not being great at French accents.  (This one is set in France.)  I think he did a great job overcoming his handicap.

The Novice’s Tale by Margaret Frazer.  Mystery with Tudor nuns.

In Progress:

To Turn the Tide by S.M. Stirling.  New series.  Time travel into late period Roman Vienna.  If you liked Island in the Sea of Time (I did), you’ll probably like this.  About a third in.

Summer Lightning from The Blandings Collection By P.G. Wodehouse. Audiobook.  Read by Stephen Fry.  Romantic misunderstandings and pignapping.

Also:

The latest Smithsonian.  Just finished.

Inexact Science

Persephone Washes Cayenne

Predicting the behavior of cats is a very inexact science.  If anyone had asked which one of our three adult cats would decide to mother our two foster kittens (now adopted), I don’t think anyone would have chosen Persephone.

Thirteen-year-old Persephone is known for being temperamental.  Until we adopted Roary five years ago, she didn’t even seem to like other cats much.  When Mei-Ling came to us six years ago, Persephone bullied her so much that it was a major event when the two of them would sleep on the same bed (although never cuddling).

But from the start, Persephone was fascinated with our two five-week-old, rather sick, very small foster kittens: Cayenne and Cascabel.  Now that they are four and a half months old, Persephone has taken to washing them.  Cayenne in particular comes in for this, often going over to Persephone and inviting a full-body wash.  Persephone is happy to oblige.

It’s very nice, indeed!

FF: Mostly and Also

Roary Wonders

It’s been an emotionally rough week, so my reading was mostly re-reads or familiar authors.

And now for the usual reminder…  The Friday Fragments is not a book review column; it’s a list of what I’m reading and maybe a bit about my opinions.  I always read the Comments section, because I enjoy learning what other people are reading.  Oh, and I don’t usually list shorter works unless in a collection or articles.  I also don’t usually list my scattered research reading.

Completed:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie.  Audiobook.  First Poirot.

Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip.  Deceptive one character handled well.  Ending a bit weird, even for McKillip.

In Progress:

Bryony and Roses by T. Kingfisher.  A better than usual re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.  Author notes are interesting insights into influence.  Re-read.

Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie.  Audiobook.  Begins with reader apology for not being great at French accents.  (This one is set in France.)  I think he is doing a great job overcoming his handicap.

Also:

The latest Smithsonian.  About halfway.  Got bogged down by a very long piece on Hemmingway and bullfights.

Jim and I have been watching the Beatle’s Anthology that came out many years ago—2002, I think.  It’s very interesting to see clips we hadn’t seen, and also to see the interviews with the three (then) surviving Beatles.  John is kept present by including clips from interviews he gave whenever appropriate to the question. A huge amount of work went into this project.  As a professional “creative” myself, I keep thinking about choices they made and how it would impact their work.

Meet My Watering Buddy

Meets Me Every Morning

First, I want to thank all of you who backed DreamForge Magazine’s Kickstarter last week.  If you wonder what I’m talking about, you can read my post here.

If you remember and wonder if you still have time to get in on some of the really cool deals for readers and writers, the answer is absolutely!  Here’s the link to make it easy.  Some of the incentives are incredibly cheap.

And now to introduce you to my watering buddy.  Ever since I planted tomato seeds back in mid-April, one of my daily chores has been going out to water by hand.  (This is so I can save water by limiting water to only where it is needed.)   Once the weather got hot, as soon as I finished my morning PT, I’d go out with a sprinkle can and water containers.

After a while, I noticed that a large insect showed up every morning.  It was not in the least aggressive.  Sometimes it would just sit down on a flower pot and watch me.  After a while, I had the impression that it was fascinated by these small, localized rainstorms.

Last week, I asked Jim to get a picture.  We sent it to our friend Rowan Derrick, who loves all manner of insects.  She told us that our friend was a cicada killer wasp.

Despite the intimidating name, it turns out that cicada killer wasps are dangerous only to cicadas.  They dine on nectar and pollen.  Although wasps, they are not likely to sting.

Welcome to the wild life of a writer!

FF: Reader Interpretation

Cascabel and Veggies Read

Thanks to those of you who decided to back DreamForge’s Kickstarter, which I wrote about in this week’s WW.  This is the first time it’s funded in a week, so there’s still plenty of time to join the fun.

My audiobooks this week and last are repeats…  Except they aren’t.  While I’m familiar with both novels, these have different readers.  It’s an interesting look at how very much audiobooks are an interpretation of written prose—and a reminder that each reader also interprets a book.

And now for the usual reminder…  The Friday Fragments is not a book review column; it’s a list of what I’m reading and maybe a bit about my opinions.  I always read the Comments section, because I enjoy learning what other people are reading.  Oh, and I don’t usually list shorter works unless in a collection or articles.  I also don’t usually list my scattered research reading.

Completed:

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie.  Audiobook.  Spy thriller crossed with country house mystery.  Inspector Battle.

Harrowing the Dragon by Patricia A. McKillip.  Short stories.  A good, varied collection.

In Progress:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie.  Audiobook.  First Poirot.

Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip.  I think I missed this one, so new to me!  Waiting nervously to find out just how deceptive one character is being.  I rather like him, but he could be a complete rat.

Also:

American Archeology, current issue.  Finished.

The latest Smithsonian.  Just starting.

Planting Dreams

Zinnias and Portulaca

Yesterday, I finished the short story I’ve been working on since the end of June.  It’s not exactly “short,” which is one reason it took me a while.  It even has a working title: “Tomb of Young Dreams.”

Someone asked me, “Who are you doing this one for?”  My answer, “Me.  I had an idea.  I decided to turn it into a story.”  Next up is seeing if I can find a market for it but, no matter what happens next, the story exists.  After all, my dream when I started writing was to learn how to write and finish a story.  The published author bit could only come after.

It’s like the flowers in the photo above.  All were grown from seed, with no promise they would sprout, much less bloom.  But bloom they did, and they are delight to eyes as well as food for wandering bees and hummingbirds.

Speaking of planting dreams, once again Scot and Jane Noel at DreamForge Magazine are running a Kickstarter to help them continue to publish their magazine into this coming year.   The money raised goes entirely to help the magazine meet expenses.  Scot and Jane do their editorial work pro bono.  Full disclosure: I’m their official Senior Advisor and Creative consultant, also pro bono.  I also offer one of the Kickstarter incentives.  See more on that below.

DreamForge is a fascinating magazine.  Not only does it publish stories, it also publishes essays on the art and craft of writing.  And the magazine is fully-illustrated in color, with color covers.  Also, there is a print version in addition to the more commonly available digital magazine.

Incentives reflect DreamForge’s dual identity, with many devoted to getting writers one-on-one help of the sort that just might help a creative seed to sprout.  Even if you don’t write yourself, these incentives make great gifts for the writers and would-be writers in your life.

The associated DreamCasters group meets via Zoom, sometimes to hear talks by established professionals, sometimes to pursue group projects.  It’s a friendly, supportive group—perfect for those who want to talk writing without going all the way to a convention.

Most years, DreamForge has had a theme.  This year’s theme is The Art of Connection.  Here’s what Scot says about it:

The Art of Connection is about standing up for kindness and communication instead of conflict.

The world has always had problems, disagreements, and dark times, but we keep moving forward. People still care about each other, and stories about hope keep us going.

DreamForge Magazine celebrates connecting with the other. It shows how understanding can solve problems that seem impossible, and how talking and sharing—even in surprising ways—can help us through hard times.

You can read more about DreamForge (and hopefully sign up) here.

My incentive is a detailed manuscript review for an SF or Fantasy novel manuscript of up to 100,000 words.  Some limitations do apply.  To find out more, go to the Kickstarter, then go to the bottom of the Incentives column.  As of this typing, my incentive is still available, but as I offer only one, I can’t promise it will still be there.  It usually goes pretty quickly.

On that note, I hope you’ll join us in planting and cultivating dreams!

FF: Mixed Chocolates

Cayenne (16 week old edition) Reads

This week my reading reminds me of a box of mixed chocolates.  Lots of variety.

And now for the usual reminder…  The Friday Fragments is not a book review column; it’s a list of what I’m reading and maybe a bit about my opinions.  I always read the Comments section, because I enjoy learning what other people are reading.  Oh, and I don’t usually list shorter works unless in a collection or articles.  I also don’t usually list my scattered research reading.

Completed:

Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie.  Audiobook.  Hercule Poirot.

The Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia A. McKillip.  Slow start, but a very good story.

Pigs Have Wings by P.G. Wodehouse.  Audiobook.  Extremely silly, which I needed.

Tokyo Babylon by Clamp.  Manga.  Issues 1 to 7.  Originally published in the mid-1990’s, this has an end of the millennium vibe that doesn’t date the stories. 

In Progress:

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie.  Audiobook.  Spy thriller crossed with country house mystery.  Inspector Battle.

Harrowing the Dragon by Patricia A. McKillip.  Short stories.

Also:

American Archeology, current issue.  Very focused on how new scientific techniques are being used in conjunction with older ones. 

An Increasingly Long Tale

As with Cascabel’s tail, the tale (a short story) I’m writing keeps getting longer.  It even has stripes.

When I’m writing the first draft, I write, getting to know my character, the setting, and through them the plot.  Even when I’m not actively writing, I find myself thinking about the piece.  Sometimes, my best insights come when I’m doing something else.

Otherwise, life here is relatively quiet.  We had a little rain, but the monsoons have not established.  We’ve picked our first three zucchini, and featured them in stir-fry for last night’s dinner.

Honestly, when story has claimed me, that’s about as exciting as I want things to get.

Later!

FF: I See Fireworks!

Demon-Light Mei-Ling

Fireworks have been going off for several days already, but I expect we’ll see quite a few tonight.  So far the kittens don’t seem bothered—everything is still so new to them—but Mei-Ling is highly offended.

And now for the usual reminder…  The Friday Fragments is not a book review column; it’s a list of what I’m reading and maybe a bit about my opinions.  I always read the Comments section, because I enjoy learning what other people are reading.  Oh, and I don’t usually list shorter works unless in a collection or articles.  I also don’t usually list my scattered research reading.

Completed:

Forced Perspectives by Tim Powers.  Vickery and Castine number two.  This is a series in the definition of series that means “continuing characters and setting,” not one long plot.

The Great Ghost Rescue by Eva Ibbotson.  Audiobook.  Well-read, but probably intended for a much younger audience than those of her books I’ve read to this point.

A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie.  Audiobook.  One of my favorite Miss Marple’s.

Stolen Skies by Tim Powers.  Vickery and Castine number three.  UFOs and spies.

In Progress:

Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie.  Audiobook.  Hercule Poirot.

The Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia A. McKillip.  Just starting.  Haven’t read since it came out.

Also:

Tokyo Babylon by Clamp.  Manga.  Issues 1 to 4 finished, several more to go.  Originally published in the mid-1990’s, this has a end of the millennium vibe that doesn’t date the stories.

Finished the latest Archeology.  Quite good. 

Make Those Blue Eyes Green

Cayenne and Cascabel

Wow!  Our former foster kittens, Cayenne and Cascabel, are now fifteen weeks old.  Although they seem huge compared with how tiny they were when the came to use at an estimated five weeks old, they’re still quite small.

However, those of you who have been following their saga will note that Cayenne is now catching up to his sister in size.  For quite a while, he weighed half what she did, and seemed a week or two behind developmentally.

While it seems as if Cascabel will keep her baby blues, Cayenne’s have gone from dark blue to muddy brown to a sort of pea green.  There’s a hint of bright emerald at the center, so I don’t think they’re done changing color, which would be in keeping with his slower overall development.

Since last Friday, I’ve been working on a short story.  It’s not done, so I’m not going to talk about it.  But I am writing.

Otherwise, the garden continues to be both a source of stress and pleasure.  I’ve had to pull more tomato plants due to curly top.  Particularly depressing was one plant that had set quite a lot of fruit.  However, our zucchini are flowering, as are the blue-speckled tepary beans, and the eggplant.  Several pepper plants have set fruit.

This week has had a couple of cloudy days, which has really helped take the stress off our outdoor world.

Now, off to see if I can make this short story work out…

Catch you later!