oddments and ruminations

I did 1,051 words on Chapter Ten of Daughter of Hounds yesterday. Long ago, years ago, I referred to some story or another (I think it was "Glass Coffin") as having developed "bad shopping cart syndrome" You know, you get a shopping cart, and it has a bad wheel, and when you want to go straight it keeps pulling left or right, sending you careening into pyramids of canned soup? Well, it's like that. Yesterday, I was trying to go straight ahead, and the chapter was determined to pull me over there, instead, and I've learned that, at least as far as my writing's concerned, the bad shopping cart is always right and always gets its way. If soup cans must clatter to the floor and go rolling about willy-nilly, so be it. I hope to do at least 1,200 words today. And thanks to everyone who took the time to comment on the excerpt I posted yesterday, especially St. Sisyphus.

Late yesterday afternoon, Rogue called to see if I'd be at last night's Crüxshadows show at The Masquerade. We'd only just found out about the show earlier in the day (the whole world passes me by), and I was utterly exhausted from writing all day, and Spooky was tired, and we very reluctantly bowed out. I've not seen Rogue or Jessica or Rachel since Dragon*Con 2004, and I felt like a fekkik, not being able to muster the energy to get up off my ass and get dressed and drag my sorry, aging carcass a few measly blocks to the show. I suck, but, if you happen to be in Jacksonville, FL on Saturday evening, you can catch The Crüxshadows at Thee Imperial and you will not suck.

I also can't shake the feeling that I ought to be in Madsion at WFC, which began yesterday, but, like I said, I don't know how most writers can afford to do cons they aren't paid to attend.

Thanks to tjcrowley for this link, which will forever lay to rest many of your questions about the joys of elvish sex. And then there this (thanks, Kirin), which may herald a new age of palaeontology wherein actual science and field work are replaced by sloppy Photoshop compositing.

That's about it for now. However, later today I will make another entry with some very exciting news regarding the vignette subscription service. Meanwhile, please have a look at our current eBay auctions ("Buy It Now" purchases get monster doodles). Among other things, we have the trade paperback of Silk for only $9.99. Thanks!

Addendum: vignette news and another sundry thing

Subterranean Press has generously offered to sponsor the monthly erotic vignette subscription service (which desperately needs a shorter name...I'm working on it), which is going to make everything much, much easier on this end. It also means that there will be more illustrations, coupons and special offers, and that there will be additional collections in the vein of Frog Toes and Tentacles, since subpress will be releasing occasional print volumes collecting selections from the monthly service along with original material. I'm very pleased that the books will be happening, but before anyone falls into the "oh, good, then I'll wait for the trade paperbacks" mindset that has adversely affected monthly comic book sales, I want to be clear that only a fraction of the content of the monthly PDFs will ultimately appear in the collections, certainly much less than 50%, and the only way to get everything will be to subscribe. The service will only succeeed (i.e., I'll only have time to do it), if we have a solid subscription base. Also, subscribers will receive sneak previews of novels and stories and other material, as well as eligibility for monthly give-aways. If you're interested and haven't yet expressed that interest, please do so now, by voting in the poll, e-mailing me (lowredmail@mac.com), or commenting in the "Vignette Subscription" thread on the phorum. Also, I'll be doing an interview regarding the project for the Subterranean Press newsletter, which you can get by going to this page and simply entering your e-mail address below "Join the Subterranean Press e-mail list" (be sure to indicate whether you want the newsletter to come as HTML or text).

Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth (Fedogan and Bremer), which contains my story "From Cabinet 34, Drawer 6," is ready to ship, and you may order the book from Arkham House. Here's the cover: