In the gaslight hours hear the ghost on the train

What's this? Writing work? Two days in a row? I know, I know. Will wonders never cease. For awhile there, all the travel (plus the new day-job) kind of sucked the creative life right out of me. But now I'm home for a stretch*, and I'm determined to get some measure of steady (if not daily) progress on this bad-boy. I don't want to knock up against the deadline, driving myself insane … like, um … the last couple of books I've handed in.

So here's today's progress on my fifth Clockwork Century novel – a book about teenage juvenile delinquents, hypothetical ghosts, and gangland mayhem within the walled city of Seattle … now with Bonus! zombie Sasquatch and the return of everyone's favorite elderly cross-dressing Native American princess:



Project: Inexplicables

Deadline: September 15, 2011

New words written: 1787 (better, but not great.)

Present total word count: 22,304 words

Things accomplished in real life: Day-job work; daily run/climb despite the weather again; went to Walgreens for decongestants, yay; tidied house; exchanged some important emails; resisted the almost overwhelming urge to take a nap**.

Things accomplished in fiction: ZOMBIE SASQUATCH. But will anyone believe it?

Next up: A modicum of relative safety.

Total word count for 2011: 22,304 words



And now for a few extra points – which is to say, here are some links that have been piling up over on my Twitter feed:

The Steampunk Bible gets a Bleeding Cool write-up – They liked it! Thought it was lovely. And if you're curious about last night's even re: that same project, let me just say that it went quite well. Great crowd, great fellow panelists, and birthday cake for Jay Lake. Which rhymes. So you know it was awesome. (The Cult Historian took pictures to prove it. So did Libby, but hers aren't up yet.)

What I'll be up to next June – Being literary guest of honor at ConTemporal, in Chapel Hill, NC! I've been sitting on that news for a bit, as the details have gotten themselves ironed out, but yes, it's official. Can't wait!

The James Review takes on Clementine – And likes it…the first hundred pages, anyway. (And that's as far as that particular reviewer has gotten, so hey, I'll take it!) Speaking of that particular book, before you comment or email to ask questions about it, kindly check this-here FAQ. Thanks!

Fort Freak likewise gets a partial review – This one from SFRevu, which promise a full treatment plus Bonus! interviews with some of the authors at a future date. I am psyched to see this one getting so much advance (and positive) attention. The project was a big departure for me, but I'm extremely proud of the outcome and I want people to enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.





* Until the 13th, at which point I'm going back to SF to do work stuff for most of the week. But that's not so bad. As I've said before – short flight, same time zone, nice hotel (and I'm not paying for it). There are worse fates!

** I'm still playing catch-up from all this sickness, travel, and work. Every now and again, it's seriously all I can do to prevent myself from lying down and sleeping all afternoon. I'm trying to go to bed earlier and eat better, and making my return to an exercise routine…so maybe I'll get my body back online soonish. I hope.

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]