Random Friday

I didn't swear I wouldn't mention writing on Fridays, did I? This is a writer's update, but also about life and my evolution in a wider sense… OK, maybe I'm cheating, but with less posts available, I need to cram stuff in the longer-but-less-frequent  ones!

Anyway, here's the thing. I scanned the original illustrated story I mentioned on Wednesday and was so appalled by how awful my drawing skills were back in 1980-81, I decided NOT to make them public. Ever. I may eventually redraw it as one-shot (like Lady Ice, but that was an experimental new story  – see the color or Italian version on my FB profile), but I don't think I'll waste any  more time with that particular story. As it will come out in a collection, the new version won't even need a cover, so it's shelved. The original Italian "comic book" version, I mean. And the English text verion being slightly less than 3k will come out in February during a Fiction Week (I'll decide which week next month).

I probably mentioned it before (but then, there are so many new subscribers to this humble blog *waves at them* they might not be aware of it): I'm glad I was unpublished for the 20th century part of my writing life. Yes, some friends were kind enough to showcase my short stories in their photocopied zines (that was the 1990s, folks!), but most of my production is still unknown, even to my friends. Some stories were really written only for myself, others went only to certain friends because they might be in their preferred genre, at first I didn't have anyone reading them, etc.

So now I feel I have a huge backlist (that needs some editing AND some trashing a.k.a. "forget about this, shelve forever and keep it only as a reminder of your personal growth") and wonder if I will ever be able to show it all off. Except not all my babies are for public consumption, so I'll be all right. I've got writing material for the rest of my life, considering that I keep having new ideas.

January being off DayJob with a nervous breakdown, I remembered I'm my own favorite author (I write what I want to read), so I picked up shelved ideas as well and started pondering on if and how to bring them to life. I watched Casshern again to remind myself of the "body suit" and how I wanted to integrate my version of it in one of my sci-fi universes, discovering that the specific universe still has a very messed up history. So I need to write that history down like I did with Silvery Earth, and then I can write more stories in that setting.

I also need to keep reading, fiction and non-fiction, books, ebooks, blogs and magazines, for research or for entertainment. And watch movies to inspire me, as now my virtual cast is mostly actors and not musicians anymore – although in graphic novels I might still use them, but then I have a very limited number of faces I can actually draw, LOL.

So I'm being a little selfish at this time of my life, but I really want my husband (Mr Writing, for those who don't know) to start paying the bills, because I'm tired of DayJob stress. And our babies are ready to go out in the world and help the family as well, so – Go, Kids! By the way, Latest Long Baby, BoI – Earth, has finally a free excerpt live on Indiebooklist, one month  and a half after release. Anyway, if you wanted to know more about it, go check the above link.

Now, a little help from my blog readers, please? *insert puppy eyes here* I went to the offline writers group meeting and asked which cover they preferred – there were only four people, and votes were split in two. So I need somebody else to jump in and help me choose the best cover. Here are the two options:

cover A (left) or cover B (right)?

Please vote in the comments, thank you so much!