By the sea: Friday Update

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News:

“Snot” was posted on Monday, and the voting continues through today. Enjoy 15 stories of seaside terrors!

In personal news, I got my first new smartphone (last one was secondhand and the last new phone wasn’t smart). It’s really nice having a battery that lasts and an operating system that supports my apps. I’m learning new ways of doing things, but the whole set-up process and applying the protective screen and case reminded me that I am, in fact, capable. Because I don’t often adopt new technology for the sake of mere novelty, I sometimes forget that I tend to be quite technologically adaptable.

Works in Progress:

I finished editing Crooked House (Thorns 5). The only thing left to do is the final read-through for proofreading. Then I’ll send it off for formatting. Can I afford it? Not really, but I’m doing it anyway. If I can’t publish anything else this year, I’d like to get Crooked House out so Thorns can have its soft ending. (There are more books to write, but if I died after Book 5, the series could stand as is.)

However, first I’m tackling the double edit of Book & Candle (Meridian 5) to give me some distance so I can come back with fresh eyes, important for proofreading. I’m having trouble getting into B&C due to some attention issues (there’s kind of a lot going on in the world right now), so I’ll have to do that thing where I turn off the wireless to minimize distractions.

Books I’m Reading:

The Tommyknockers by Stephen King
Why Didn’t You Just Leave edited by Nadia Bulkin and Julia Rios

Things I’m Listening To:

Crooked House playlist
Fourth of July playlist
Drift playlist

Things I’m Watching:

6 Souls
NCIS series
S.W.A.T. series
So Help Me Todd series (finished)
Kitchen Nightmares series
Hoarders series
America’s Got Talent series
CSI: Miami series
CSI: NY series
CSI series
Supernatural series
White Collar series
Murder, She Wrote series

Poem of the Week:

you thought if you cast down the dissident
the dissonance would correct itself
into the mellifluous harmony you designed,
but the clang of the pandemonium gate
is my clarion call overture to a chorus
murmuring off-key, dissatisfied legions.
would you throw out a third of your angels
to keep the illusion of peace?