Here in southern Ontario the temperature is finally hovering at or above the zero mark more consistently, after a spell of cold weather. I’ve placed my orders for seeds for the garden, which must be a sign that spring is on the way.
Earlier in February, a fair bit of my time was taken up keeping an eye on my almost-fifteen-year-old border collie, Emma. Though she was in pretty good health up to Christmas, the last few weeks her health went into a steep decline. Sadly, we had to let her go on February 22nd. It’s quiet around here without the click of claws on the floor and the occasional woof from the front window if she happened to spot a passing dog.
Emma’s passing served as a reminder for
how quickly time flies by. It sounds trite, but it seems like only yesterday
that she joined our household. I hadn’t realized how much she’d become a part
of my daily routines, from morning feedings to night-time excursions into the
great outdoors so she could attend to nature’s call. It seems strange to put on
my jacket to go outside and not see someone standing there demanding to come too!
Even more strange to bring in an order of pizza and not have someone doing a
happy dance when she scents what’s in the box . . .
Recent Publications
A short
story titled “To Catch a Chameleon” was published in the Were-Traveler’s Women Destroy Retro Science Fiction, link below:
https://the-were-traveler.weebly.com/current-issue/issue-22-women-destroy-retro-sci-fi
A poem titled “Things You Left Behind When the Great Floods Came” was published in Polar Borealis, Issue 17, February 2021:
http://polarborealis.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/POLAR-BOREALIS-17-February-2021.pdf
A review of Shapers of Worlds, edited by Edward Willett, appeared on The Future Fire’s web site February 1, 2021:
http://reviews.futurefire.net/2021/02/willett-ed-shapers-of-worlds.html
A short story “Sisters” was published for Rhonda Parrish’s Patreon sponsors as part of her lead-up to the release of Clockwork, Curses, and Coal, a steampunk fairy tale anthology edited by Parrish and published by World Weaver Press. “Sisters” was my first attempt at a steampunk fairy tale, but contained elements of historical fiction as well. The story converts the “Four Talented Brothers” fairy tale into the story of four talented hockey-loving sisters.
Rhonda posted a blog piece that I wrote explaining some of the background to the story. The hockey attire sported by the women in “Sisters,” as well as the enthusiasm women demonstrated for the game and some other factors, were based on information I ran across while doing research for my (never-completed) Masters’ thesis in Sport History years ago. If you’re interested, you can read the blog piece here:
https://www.rhondaparrish.com/home/sisters-the-story-behind-the-story/
What I’m
Working On
I’m
continuing to work on short stories for send-out, as well as some creative non
fiction pieces for a number of Chicken Soup for the Soul submission
calls. I’ve also amassed a healthy (some would say overzealous) number of books
for review, which I’m steadily working through.
Coming Soon
My
first-ever novelette, titled To Push Back the Darkness, is due out
March 13th from JMS books. Released as an e-book, To Push Back the Darkness is a futuristic f/f sweet romance/police
procedural.
