Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve written here, not since the release of the great cover art for Freewoman. Isn’t it lovely? We can thank the truly wonderful Marissa Morris for her creativity and consistency across all three novels. Speaking of Freewoman, I’m chopping away and editing it together bit by bit. Winter is coming.
I’ve been away from the blog because I’ve been away from my computer, mostly. I got seriously ill a few weeks ago and didn’t eat for two weeks or sleep for a week, and I vomited (sorry, I know that’s yucky) for almost 36 hours straight. Not fun at all. The upside of that was that it gave me time to play Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which is a Very Very Good Game indeed. And of course, it features nopon:
I just can’t get enough of these cute little buggers.
In further news (and it will be updated on my media page), Librarian is book of the month for August at PrideParade.net, down in DC! Yay! I’m glad to represent the LGBTQA+ community in my capacity as a novelist.
Never let anypon tell you can’t reach your dreams, team! Pon! Pon!
The altogether too-talented Marissa (my twin star) has once again delivered beautiful artwork for my upcoming novel, Freewoman. Here’s a teaser for you:
If you pay close attention to this site, you may see a sample of chapter one coming through…
Well, hello there! I know it’s been awhile, but after a Tremendous Trip in Orlando (never fly a certain airway company…), Chris and I scurried off to England. It was his first time across the pond, and he only suffered mild trauma from driving in London and then in Cornwall.
That pic was from Tintagel Castle, where supposedly King Arthur was born! Needless to say, the landscape alone provided plenty of inspiration. We had a lovely time, especially meeting up with my fellow Oxonian, Laura, and figuring out how not to die in a motor vehicle accident.
We also saw Les Mis on the West End; I ugly-cried only four times.
On the writing front, I honestly didn’t get much done as we wandered the countryside. I re-read some Orson Scott Card, whom I can’t decide if he is a misogynist or not; the jury is still out, but his writing is very good for sci-fi and anthropology-likers. I just wish every other sentence wasn’t in a foreign language. I speak enough as it is! Still, his concept of the Speaker for the Dead is very appealing to me; something I hope someone would have the balls to do at my funeral.
Tomorrow, though, I’m heading to our local dive to crank out some more Freewoman. Got that deadline to meet, y’know? And I tend to work better when (1) there are libations and (2) when I’m not covered in cats.
Also, please check out the updated Media page; I’ve included several interviews and even a YouTube interview about my works, style, and writing process. I touch on some issues likes gender fluidity and what it means to be marginalized, so I hope everything checks the links out!
I knew of Diana Wynne Jones ever since my friend John introduced me to Howl’s Moving Castle (which, if you haven’t read, shame on you; if you’re banking on the Ghibli movie, double shame!) back in middle-school, and was a devout fan ever since. I’ve read every book she’d published and was mesmerized by each. We unfortunately lost her to illness several years ago.
When I was still a lad in my teens, I reached out to her, desperately searching for a copy of a then out-of-print novel called Fire and Hemlock, and the only one she could provide me with was in Japanese. Heh. See how it all connects? I was not only learning Japanese at the time, but my favorite author had just become a penpal.
Her nuance of tropes — eliminating the Mary Sue — and turning the mundane into magic tempered my style, which, while I’m still a huge D&D player, was a little too Vancian for my liking where witchery was concerned, so her lessons became invaluable.
What can I say, Diana? I dedicated my thesis at FDU to writing about your life, as much as I could glean, but I feel like I have to do more for you. Write more. Make my female protagonists even stronger, more independent…
…and, as my father once suggested, perhaps a little less drunk. But if you know Lenna or Jacob (read my works, darn it!), that not might be happening any time soon!
PS — if you want to read my essay, just leave me a note and I’ll either post it or send it! I thought twenty-some pages my be a bit much for a blog post…
POLICE IDENTIFY LOCAL GIRL IN LATEST OF MURDERS IN OCEAN COUNTY
TOMS RIVER, NJ – A body recently discovered on Cattus Island has been identified as Kylie Graff, 19, of Brick Township. Police confirmed that the cause of death is massive head trauma, contrary to the original assumption that the victim died of blood loss from numerous lacerations on her shoulder blades.
The Sheriff’s Department has released a statement concerning the Press’ previous report of two, word-like wounds carved into the flesh on the victim’s abdomen: MALK ELHM. The Press initially identified this as a shortening of mal’ak Elohim, a Hebrew phrase from the Old Testament translating to “angel of God.” Reporters who had access to the initial crime scene photographs and police reports have been subsequently placed on leave.
“These markings are not words,” Sheriff Benjamin Shigo states. “There is no reason to believe this crime is related to religion or these flesh carvings anything more than gibberish.”
Graff’s death follows the pattern of a number of murders in the area over the past two years. Much of the press coverage has been stymied due to massive layoffs and lack of access to eyewitnesses: reports end up missing or deleted, and witnesses’ phones are no longer in service.
One witness to a prior murder, Mrs. Marjorie Redgully, 72, told the Press she noticed a young man fitting the description of Nathan Parks, 16, being escorted into the woods near her trailer home in Manchester Township by a “tall, naked man, with bumpy shoulders” and “long, long white fingers.” Parks was the last body to be recovered before Graff’s; details on the state of his body upon discovery are no longer available for unknown reasons.
The man’s description coincides with a statement from Bruce Graff, Kylie Graff’s father. According to Graff, the night before Kylie disappeared he received a selfie of Kylie and a stranger who was a very “tall man” but “so blurry” features were hard to determine. The photo was sent from the number corresponding to Kylie’s cell phone. Neither Graff nor Redgully were available for comment as of this article.
APP was fortunate enough to receive a print of the photograph before it was confiscated by government officials who stated its content was “dangerous to the public.” In it, Kylie is smiling smiling and is accompanies by a mala man-like figure whose shape was too blurry to describe except for sharp spear-like fingernails. The area the man occupies in the phototo appears to be overexposed under over overexposed, but I we all at APP think that that words have MEANING or else they are not words and the police are LYING PIG SCUMMM
Police were not available for further comment on this statement.
We will continue to repor ton this series of irregulAr eveNts as we receive future developments but that picture is very hauntinG to to to see on a personal level evEn with my 20+ years as profess profess professional journaLiSt redact redact redact do not look before time is nigh
please redact redact the HUNTING malakredactmal’ maldu4u84dsssssss“““`
Cue the Final Fantasy battle victory music; I’ve leveled up! It’s been a couple of weeks since my great time at the Winter Getaway with Murphy Writing, a sort of retreat where Chris and I met great people, enjoyed a beautiful hotel, and unwound from life. Much needed, trust me. OH! And I also wrote. A lot.
As you know 2021 was more or less a pile of steaming, hot rubbish for me, but I’m determined to kick that year in the teeth and start things fresh. With a good dosage of Xanax and a shot of vodka, I kicked aside my menial day job and am now focusing solely on Freewoman. Lenna is returning, kids, and this time, it’s Big Business.
Today was a writing session with my friend Sean, and in an hour and a half I tackled my goal of one thousand words — no, I overcame it! My Writing Mage is now level 3.
Tomorrow is another session for me, with another dear friend. Do you think I can hit two thousand? Only Lenna and the Godjewels know… (if you don’t get the reference, read my books!)
That was a shameless self-endorsement, I know. But what can you do? Write on, Bao-Bao, write on.
First of all, I must reach out to my beloved Marissa for bringing me an image of the day; her Netflix queue lined up the most perfect mashing to create the best TV show for me in all of existence. Baking is Futile.
Now, onto deeper topics: the state of me, and how I haven’t posted in ages.
Most importantly: the personal, as it’s distracted me from everything else since January. My father became quite ill and was on hospice for many months, and my mother’s illness finally and rapidly progressed into heart failure. My mother passed in May; my father hung on until August. Both my husband and I were temporary caregivers, and the loss has been felt very deeply. I’m thankful for the friends and family who offered succor during what has been a terrible year for me.
Now, the bigger questions. WHERE’S LENNA? WHERE’S MORE JACOB? WHERE’S THE JANET PROJECT?
Well, those are all really, really great questions and I can answer them all!
Freewoman (scheduled for 2021) is being pushed back to 2022 just because of the sheer insanity of my life these days, but over the next few weeks I should have TEASER ART from my beloved cover artist to tide you all over with.
“Jacob Orange” short stories. I actually have three more coming! One is complete, and two more on the way. There are hijinks with Napa cabbage, Eyeballs (yes, they must be capitalized here), and the divine wrath of Victoria’s high heels. Keep your eyes peeled for a release of the next story, “The Progenitor Machine.”
The Janet Project… I haven’t abandoned you, my beloved retelling of the Scottish ballad “Tam Lin.” I have good news: it’s pretty much done its first round. Then it goes through an edit (or two) from me and some peer review, and fingers crossed, you’ll see it at Barnes & Noble in a couple years. I’m hoping to ship it off to some agents/agencies by year-end, so maybe even earlier than 2023. Ambitious, huh?
I’m going to try to keep the blog up-to-date as time permits. The day job that’s paying the bills is a little intense at the moment, but believe me… there’s more to come!
As a special treat after the break, there’s a writing sample from me for a creative fiction publication. If you’ve stuck around this far, go ahead and read it!
2021 has started out as a cracker of a year for many personal reasons upon which I won’t lament, but I would like the world to give us all a break.
In real news, I have two (2!!) new short stories in the works about Jacob Orange, and work on Freewoman is going ahead a little more slowly than I’d like. But I wanted to assure the world amidst all the chaos that I’m still writing. There’s an Amazon promotion for my first novel going on right now, so check it out with your Kindle or other smart devices. Especially my MFA crew!! Here’s a link: Librarian at Amazon.com.
IN OTHER NEWS, I went hatchet-throwing and landed a bullseye. Pim would be proud (those who get the reference, get it; get the book!). Chris and I have been baking LOTS of bread and making kimchi for days.
Class Italian Loaf
Monday night will be my first role as dungeon master in about 6 years. I hope I don’t kill all my players (you know who you are…)! There will be lots of kobolds and other nasties to get ’em.
Anyway. It’s just a brief update for now but expect more to come!!
So, I dyed my hair pink because… why not? We’re in a pandemic and (1) there’s nowhere to go and (2) if someone says, “Hey, bro! Your hair is pink!” I’m going respond with deuces and quip, “No shite, Sherlock.”
I told you so.
MOVING ON. During the quarantine we wanted something hearty, so we decided on pasta with a bolognese. There’s the traditional method that takes four hours (Anne Burrell, I’m looking at you and still love my Littlepon plushie nested in your cleavage); there’s also Giada’s recipe that only takes a half of an hour. I combined bits from both and made m’own; the next day, I added heavy cream to reconstitute it, and got pink bolognese. Recipe follows!
TO MAKE THE GREAT BAO’S BOLOGNESE:
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 pound ground beef (I used 80/20, if anybody cares)
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup (as much as you drink in a cup…) hearty red wine
1, 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
8 fresh basil leaves, julienned
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Kosher salt
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
8 ounces fresh pasta (or dry, but yes, fresh is best)
A good dousing of heavy cream (for tomorrow’s leftovers, and hence the pink)
(1) In a food processor, pulse the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic into a paste. In a pan over medium-high heat, cook the concoction for 15-20 minutes, liberally seasoning with salt. Stir frequently and scrape up the brown bits — as Anne would say, “Brown food tastes good!”
(2) And the ground beef and season (again) liberally with salt. Cook for another 15 minutes, scraping it frequently to work up a fond.
(3) Add the tomato paste and cook for five minutes, stirring frequently until it’s nice and browned. You want the rawness to go away.
(4) DEGLAZE! Pour in the wine and scrape up all the goodness, then let it reduce to almost nothing, about five minutes.
(5) Add the crushed tomatoes, herbs, and a generous amount of salt — they take a lot of it, like a hooker in Atlantic City. Simmer for thirty minutes until the sauce is nice and thick. Add the cheese.
(6) Meanwhile, boil your pasta. I don’t need to tell you how to do that. When it’s al dente, toss it in the sauce. Serve it with more cheese sprinkled on top and a drizzle of olive oil. You’re welcome.
THE NEXT DAY:
Half and half or heavy cream
(1) Reconstitute the pasta in a skillet over medium heat and, once it’s properly hot, add the cream. Cook at a nice simmer until everything looks nice and glossy.
The end.
PS — I’m still in writing mode! Another Jacob Orange story is coming soon!
Isn’t it lovely? We can thank the truly wonderful Marissa Morris for her creativity and consistency across all three novels. Speaking of Freewoman, I’m chopping away and editing it together bit by bit. Winter is coming.
I just can’t get enough of these cute little buggers.
