Author Archives: Eric

The Obvious

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I wrote previously that writing is still hard. Among other obvious statements, I’m going to continue that train of thought.

Work is still work.

After a couple of weeks getting our balance with the way things work now people seem to have gotten the hang of remote working. I say this because teleconferencing has spiked for me personally. Others may or may not have been experiencing this before ~ it’s a new thing for me. I had 5 teleconferences yesterday. I’ve got 3 lined up for today. I had 2 on Monday. Three days, 10 meetings. I bailed early on my on-line book club meeting because I was just exhausted by the end of the day. It’s just the same as when I was at the office being interrupted… I got very little actual work done.

I will admit it’s nice to see other faces, but it’s still work.

So, I don’t have all the “extra” time that some people have right now. I’m thankful to still be working. There are a lot of folks out there that aren’t and they’re suffering because of it. Yes, I’ve taken a 20% pay cut, but I should survive that. We’ll go right back up to full levels as soon as work in the construction industry picks up again.

I’ve been trying to give my creative needs outlet. As always, I have six or eight projects that have cropped up in the “OH! I should to THAT” category and got notes or nascent beginnings. I’m really trying to focus on the things that I know I have opportunities for though. There’s a lot going on – and I’m doing my best to stay on track and continue to function. We’ll see how it all shakes out as we go.

I’ll continue to share things here as they come up. Hopefully there will be exciting stuff on the way!

Looking for…

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Looking for Trouble

Looking for Trouble by Joan I. Wendland

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I pre-ordered this book so I was on the list when it came out. I am very lucky to have spent some time with the author at science fiction conventions in the past – I was able to get a copy before the official release day.

I agree with the author – I don’t want to tell you how to go about enjoying your books – but you’ll get a lot more out of this second in the series if you read the first one, well, first (you should totally go buy it if you haven’t!).

I enjoyed this book. I like the world and the premise. I like the characters.

I was looking for something light, and there is some heavy stuff in this book. I don’t think it was meant to be in depth and certainly didn’t feel like some other works I’ve read where it felt like as much text book or research paper as it did anything else – but there were parts of this story where I was reading and felt as weighted down as the protagonist.

I think that’s a sign of some very good writing right there. This book also does something that the best science fiction does. It takes on things from the real world in fictional terms. There’s a lot of stuff to discuss from this book too. I’d love to chat about it – you should go get it and read it!



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Written Work

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Programming note: Writing is still hard.

I’ve seen a ton of posts about all the time that some people have on their hands these days. I’ve seen posts, some joking, some serious about how much some people accomplished in the past when under quarantine rules. I’ve seen numerous posts about how one should feel about all this time, your personal level of anxiety and how much work you should get done.

A friend of mine posted an update on how much had been written during this time of not leaving the house… and questioned its value.

Writing is still hard.

Extra time at the keyboard doesn’t change that. Some people might not even get extra time at the keyboard. Some people might not be able to take it. I am extremely lucky to still be working. I am on the same hours / schedule I was before the modern plague hit the world. I still can’t sit here in front of the machine for 12 or more hours at a time. I reserve a great deal of time for work here on my computer – the day job kind.

That is not to say that other projects are still lagging. Quite the contrary actually. I’ve been chipping away at things little by little. The biggest boon to me is the reduction in travel times along with the reduction in number of meetings. There are no places I have to go, no drive time involved in going there. Very few people clamoring for my attention. that has made a certain amount of focus easier for me, so I’m getting more writing done than I have in a while.

That is not to say that it’s good writing. There is a lot of anxiety floating out there and as I have stated in other posts, the panic can and will rub off. I’m hoping that as we adjust to the way things are right now that the new schedule will allow for even more work to get done.

In the end – writing is still hard. IF you’re creative and you’re struggling – that’s OK. If you’ve got scads of free time and you can make a go of it – then you go! Get cracking and make something awesome. If you’re not a maker, be a consumer when you can. Authors, freelancers, small businesses are all going to undergo changes in the coming months. IF you’ve got the time, dig up a new author or a small press and see if you can find something you like.

Hopefully I’ll be able to pull my bits and pieces together and keep forging ahead.

Parallel

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Parallel Worlds: The Heroes Within

Parallel Worlds: The Heroes Within by L.J. Hachmeister

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have to say up front – I bought this book because I knew there was a Jim Butcher story in there and I wanted to read that. I don’t know if I would have found this anthology if not for him.

The collection is a total of 19 stories. As with any anthology, this one was up and down for me. I did not read the story from the Dresden verse first. I tried just plowing through stories front to back. Then I got impatient and read Mr. Butcher’s story. I was missing something – and it prompted me to go back and start re-reading the Dresden Files.

That’s a significant part of why it took so very long to finish all the stories in this book. I did in fact read them all. I think that matters for an anthology – you can find new authors you really like that way.

Of the other 18 stories there were a few that stood out. I was surprised and delighted to be reminded of the Myth series with Aahz & Company in “Myth Deeds”. It’s been forever since I’ve read any of those. “Prisoner 141” was interesting, but it seemed to me more the kind of story that needs discussion when done. “Valentine Blues” was a fun take on an old story. “Tragedy of John Metcalf” was the most true to the parallel worlds theme and it was well done. I really liked the world building of “Demons of Arae” and will probably look up more of that.

There were other good stories in there and a couple that didn’t work for me. I know how tough anthologies can be – I would suggest grabbing this one and giving it a shot. You never know what you might find that appeals to you.



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Welcome to the Real

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There are still other people in the world. I know that sounds silly, but I also know that if you’ve been quarantined at home for a couple of weeks you might lose track of that simple fact.

It’s easy to consider others when you’re reaching out across a computer connection. People still exist in the real world too. This is not some bizarre Martrix variation. I am putting this out there because of a small incident from early this morning.

I am fortunate to be among those who are still working. There are a lot of folks out there that aren’t and that’s causing people to make some difficult choices. Because I am still working, I am still on my regular old schedule. On that schedule I am up relatively early ~ and generally out the door for a brisk walk of a mile or more every morning around 5:30 am.

For a community on “lock-down” and under a government mandated stay at home order there were a LOT of people out there, including the local share-a-ride bus. Again, at the risk of sounding silly a couple of dozen cars out and moving that early is a lot. I am very aware of my surroundings while I’m out like that. It’s early, it’s dark most days and I have no desire to be accidentally run over by somebody that hasn’t made it to the local coffee shop to “wake up” yet (that’s an entirely different discussion for a later date).

When I was walking up to one of the intersections a car from the neighborhood down that street rolled up almost to the corner and stopped abruptly. I normally take the crosswalk and keep chugging along, but I hesitated and slowed down. The driver of this car – a young lady that I’m certain was on the way to some kind of work deemed life sustaining – while still in gear, opened the driver side door. I thought perhaps she was going to ask something or was in need of assistance. I stopped and waited. While I was watching from the sidewalk on the passenger side of her car she proceeded to search around insider her car as if she’d lost something. Ducking down below window level, craning back over toward the back seat… generally looking scattered.

Here was my thought process: IF you’re looking for something, take your car out of gear and put it into park. IF you can’t figure out how to turn the dome light on in your car without opening the door, perhaps you should pay more attention to how to operate this machine you’re in charge of… IF this young lady couldn’t manage to handle those two basic things there was NO WAY I was going to walk in front of her car to cross the street. Not happening, no matter how much reflective stuff I have on.

Here’s the part that prompted this post. As I went around the back of her car to continue my walk something reflective must have caught her eye since I was walking through the light of her brake lights. She looked shocked and shaken that somebody else existed in the world. I had my headphones in, but I think there might have been a squeak that came out of her car that had nothing to do with car parts needing oil. She proceeded to stare at me as I walked away for a really long time. I almost wanted to go back and ask her if she was OK – but when I was probably 20 or 30 yards away and looked back I heard the car door slam shut and she pulled around the corner.

I know that stay at home orders are challenging. Please don’t forget that eventually you will need to go out and deal with real people in the actual, physical world again. You’re going to need to be extra vigilant to avoid people that forget there are other people in the world…

See how far the rabbit hole goes?

Time and Space

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It has been a year. Today isn’t a specific anniversary date, but it has been a year since the company that ran a number of conventions including ReGenerationWho imploded. I wrote about my feelings in Death of a Convention last year, but now I’ve had significantly more time to reflect.

That time to reflect has both helped and hurt.

Time away from the chaos, rushing and stress has given me the chance to really enjoy all the fun we had and the amazing things we accomplished over the years. I have so many new friends because of the things we did. We were part of something amazing and wonderful. It has helped me to see just how cool the fandom community really is.

Time away has hurt too. I don’t get to see many of those folks on a regular basis. We’re connected via social media, but sometimes an in person get together is needed. It has also hurt to see folks that did not handle any of this well. I will not name people here, but I have generated a deep and abiding anger toward some parts of the collapsing mess that was. It hasn’t gone away. I don’t think it will any time soon.

I think that’s the key to it all. Keeping the memories and the feelings we all made together. There will be other conventions in the future (not this year of course – 2020 the plague year) and there will be more chances to make that magic.

Keep doing amazing things, even when they hurt a little too. It’s part of what makes us who we are.

Such Magic!
Sharing a Hug

Flash Prompts

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Sometimes I need a little push to get going. Writing is not an easy, flowing thing all the time. A friend of mine has a secret group on Failbook called “Flash Prompt”.

One picture, each day with no discussion – just writing. Hit the “like” button all you want, but don’t comment on other people’s work. It’s meant to get writing stuff moving for people – give some little bit of inspiration. It’s meant to be “flash sized” so short and to the point.

I’ve done a couple of things on there and I thought I might share some with you. I don’t do every one. Some of the pictures don’t inspire me, sometimes I miss a day or twelve and the mood doesn’t move me. It’s hard to tell. The curator is super good about providing a link to the artist who created the picture – and I will try to do the same. Artists need to get paid.

This is the first one I participated in.

Rocky Coast

On sunny days it was great fun to climb on the rocks near my aunt’s house exploring tide pools and finding shells. She loved it there. I loved it there. The breeze off the water, the sound of the surf.

When the storms came the could be endured. The rage was part of the beauty. The danger part of the allure.

When the storm sent sea water down the chimney she decided that endurance had limits and even the best relationships can turn sour. She moved far enough inland that the sea could not reach her.

I miss the rocky coast.

The New Normal

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And there it went. The first full week of the “new normal” is in the books.

Covid-19 is rampaging across the world and killing thousands. Everyone is getting a little crazy about the whole thing – with some justification. Something like this has not occurred in our memory. There was the Spanish Flu back in the 1920s, but there are no people alive who can relate to us how society was at that time. We can read about it, but that’s all we’ve got.

We’ve also got a dramatically different method of communication at our disposal. We know more about what’s going on in the world around us at a faster speed than ever before. Hopefully this will allow us to get ahead of this virus and stop things from reaching Spanish Flu levels. Right now thousands are dying and that’s bad. The other one? Yeah, that killed somewhere between 20 and 50 MILLION people.

Million.

I would never attempt to diminish the loss of a person, or collection of persons, but as a question of scale we’re doing… as well as can be expected. Honestly, probably better than can be expected. Yes, the virus has forced us to change the way we conduct ourselves. No, we don’t know how long this is going to last. Yes, after two solid weeks of news, media and home grown “experts” yelling at us about coronavirus it seems like it’s been here forever, but it hasn’t been that long. How long will it be? No idea. Nobody knows. Lots of people are making predictions, but until we get there we won’t have any idea.

I am fortunate to still be able to work, at least right now. I have shifted to working from home and connecting to everyone via my internet connection. My lovely wife has been given the same opportunity and has a similar computer station set up next to this one. We’ve been in the same house along with the kiddo for a full week + and haven’t gone completely insane. In fact, we all seem to quite like it. We’re much more relaxed. Work has a lot of the same kind of stupid, but it’s muted by the overwhelming noise of change. I’ve heard there are people out there not handling the social isolation very well. I hope those folks take advantage of the technology we have access to and stay as connected as they can without actual physical presence.

So – big changes. Things we were told would never be a thing have come to pass (particularly the sudden ‘realization’ that certain jobs CAN in fact be done remotely). Life will be forever changed by this event. My daughter will have this as a marked point in her life that she will remember long into her adulthood much the same way I remember events like the shuttle disaster that happened when I was in high school. No where close to the same level of impact – but a bright and clear memory of that time for me.

Forging ahead. I’ve gotten a bunch of things done around the house. That’s the thing – when you can’t leave, you have to make it a point to actually create and stick to a schedule that works for your household. What am I trying to say? Well, just this: I’ve been working essentially the same schedule as before. Sure the commute is a hell of a lot better and the dress code is pretty lax, but I’m still on schedule. It means that I’m spending all that work time here on my home computer. So when I “get home from work” I have even less desire to jump on here and keep working than before.

I’m hoping to pick up some creativity soon – but given the circumstances of the world, I’m not sure I’ll get there. Maybe I’ll start cranking out the words. Dunno. Hopefully you’ll keep coming back here to see.