Halloween!

So, I really like Halloween. I'm not much for the majority of holidays, but this is one I really like. My family will be zombies, soon. I'll start doing makeup after school. Wooo Hooo!

But we all know it's Halloween.

Did you know Every Day Fiction put out their table of contents for November? It's true.

Here it is:

November’s Table of Contents

Nov 1 Jim Bernheimer Rob’s Last Day
Nov 2 Milton T. Burton Grassy Knoll
Nov 3 Lucian J. Janik The Volunteer
Nov 4 E.E. King Synesthesia
Nov 5 Stephanie Scarborough Why Pews Don’t Come With Pistols
Nov 6 Jenny Schwartz Moving In, Moving On
Nov 7 Kevin Shamel Krupper and Jons
Nov 8 Mark Dalligan Rainbows
Nov 9 Tom Williams Strange Connections
Nov 10 Kimberly Medlin The Real Estate
Nov 11 T. A. Markitan Dragon Slayer
Nov 12 Kurt Kirchmeier In Summer’s Shadow
Nov 13 Roger Poppen Menage a Trois
Nov 14 Oonah V Joslin Sleight of Hand
Nov 15 Heather Parker Promotion
Nov 16 Lane Haygood I Have Read Your Fate in the Wind
Nov 17 Sarah Black Barbie at the Table
Nov 18 Sarah Hilary Me and the Mouser
Nov 19 Nick Logan Bad Blood
Nov 20 Jens Rushing Ars Draconis
Nov 21 K.C. Ball Oh, Woman of Easy Virtue
Nov 22 Sarah Silvers Don’t Look Down
Nov 23 Sara Crowley The Collector of Shiny
Nov 24 Frank Roger The Talisman
Nov 25 Sylvia Spruck Wrigley Coffee or Tea
Nov 26 Brian Dolton Getting to Know You
Nov 27 Jason Stout And the Well Runs Deep
Nov 28 Suanne Warr A Star’s Seduction
Nov 29 Justin Crockett No Time Like the Present
Nov 30 Robert Hamill Lockout


Again, there's a list of writers I wait for appearing this month. And some names I haven't seen at EDF. That's always good.

My story out on the seventh, Krupper and Jons, marks my eleventh month in a row of appearing at Every Day Fiction. Is that a record or something?

Please drop by and check it out. It's science-fictiony and stuff.

Have a great day.

Thanks for reading!

Face Time

Erin M. Kinch has a new story out at Every Day Fiction today called, A Million Faces. It's excellent.

If you've got a few minutes, please go check it out. I liked it a lot. I hope more comes from it. Like a graphic novel or somethin'...

I Am Running Around The Playground

Superheroine Erin tagged me. Sorta secretly, too. She's apparently blogging while adventuring, and so could not follow some of the rules of the tag, yet.

I'm home after taking Zane to preschool, and about to launch into work on the novel, so I thought I'd warm up by answering these questions with really good words.

Here's the rules of the tag. I think I've messed them up. But I think they were messed up before:

Display the award.
Link back to the person who gave you this award.
Nominate at least 7 other blogs. (a big YIKES for me)
Put links to those blogs on your blog.
Leave a message on the blogs of the people you've nominated.
(I think, copy, answer and post your answers should be here somewhere...)

So, here's the award:

(Erin loves my blog)
Here's the meaty bit:

You can only answer in one word:
1. Where is your cell phone? Unpurchased
2. Where is your significant other? Work
3. Your hair color? Red
4. Your mother? Yikes
5. Your father? Hm.
6. Your favorite thing? Imagination
7. Your dream last night? Realistic
8. Your dream/goal? Wisdom
9. The room you're in? Office
10. Your hobby? None
11. Your fear? None
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. What you're not? Stupid
15. One of your wish-list items? Greenhouse
16. Where you grew up? Idaho
17. The last thing you did? Typed
18. What are you wearing? Hoody
19. Your TV? Off
20. Your pet? Luke
21. Your computer? Nice
22. Your mood? Mellow
23. Missing someone? Zane
24. Your car? Meh
25. Something you're not wearing? Ring
26. Favorite store? None
27. Your summer? Excellent
28. Love someone? Absolutely
29. Your favorite color? Ha!
30. When is the last time you laughed? Above
31. Last time you cried? Months
Well, that was fun. And now I'm ready to write some craaaazy things.

And do some laundry.

Dangit.

Thanks for the meme, Erin.

Now I must figure out seven bloggers to tag, not include Erin, and she tagged Alex...
Terri
Gay
M.
Sarah Hilary
Queen of Coins
Bryan
-C-
If you don't want to play, it's no sweat, no worries, and no skin off my nose. (where the heck did that last expression come from?) I understand and hold not a thing against any of you. Unless that thing is me, and we're hugging.

(imagine that I'm laughing us out crazily...)

Class

It's been nearly twenty years since I graduated from high school.

No jokes, M, I'm still reeling from the English to American dictionary discussion.

It's a long time to be out of high school. It makes me look at what I've been doing for twenty years.

A few days ago I ran across a website that was looking for me. It was a high school reunion website. It had a whole list of people's names that I went to school with.

It made me wonder what everyone else has been doing for twenty years. Especially the names that I'd forgotten. Oh yeah, Mr. Short Term Memory Loss actually had a hard time remembering Long Term, too. Someone should do a study about that...

These are people with whom I spent nearly every day for a long number of years. I didn't remember some of them at all.

Some names brought back faces to mind immediately, even if I hadn't thought of the person since we went our separate ways. Other names I still don't recognize. It's pretty weird.

Now, I know some of you are from much bigger high schools than the one I went to, and you're thinking it's no big deal not to know people you went to school with. But I lived in a small town in Idaho. I don't think I even need to look up the number of my graduating class, you're with me now, right?

Anyway, I signed up at the site's database of dispersed individuals. I mainly filled out my personal information and developed a profile so that I could read about my classmates and what they'd been doing for twenty years. And see their pictures! I didn't really even think about talking to anyone.

But once I started remembering people, and times, and how much fun we had together, I messaged a few folks. Two old friends replied, and one of my oldest and dearest friends wrote to me through my website. I hadn't heard from her in at least fifteen years.

I'm not going to the reunion. Mostly because I'm not ever going back to the tiny town in Idaho where it will be held.

I thought another reason was because I still keep in touch with all the people from school that I want to. But that's absolutely not true. I hope more people write to me and I hope I get to see some of those old friends again, even though it won't be at the class gathering.

Jody, did you get your reply? (That's the thing about being called shameless, junk mail filters think I'm nasty.)

Twenty years suddenly seems like a blink of my eyes.

Chunks of Art

I'm still not sure where they'll end up when they're done, but I've got five Lightning Folk mostly painted now.

It's funny, I forget until I'm painting how much I love it. Everything else falls away.

Isn't it Romantic?

I think it is.

My story, Outlast the Stars, is live today at Every Day Fiction.

It's a bit of a departure from my normal writing. (Normal being a relative term.) It's a love story without a single zombie, time-traveler, or weird alien bug.

People seem to like it so far this morning.

Please drop by and give it a read and rating, and leave a comment if you wish.

Thanks for reading!

What I Do When I'm Not Writing (Or Dadding or Whatnot)

I thought I'd show you what I do when I sit upstairs at the computer and no writing comes of it. Here's a chunk of a painting I'm working on.




I'm drawing in ink and painting with photoshop.

It's been fun so far, and I've only got one portrait (mostly) painted. I spent a couple of weeks drawing at thedining room table when I had a chance. I've got lots to paint. It should keep me busy this winter.

I love arting.

Six and Six

Yes, they make twelve. Good job, everybody!!

But really, it's the sixth of October, AND our sixth wedding anniversary.

That's right. For six years Terri has been my wife.

That's pretty amazing. (it's partly because she's pretty AND amazing.)

I'm happy to have made it this far with her.

I just wanted to say that.

Happy Anniversary, Terri. I hope there's sixty-six more years of us together.

Fan Boy

I admit it. If I don't admit it, my wife will admit it for me. Loudly. In front of people.

I'm a geek.

Not a fabulous geek who can build computers or nanobots, either.

I'm a science fiction geek.

Not a costume wearing, Klingon speaking, science fiction geek, but I could probably hang with geeks like that and not be found out to be different for a week or so.

But you know that. You've read my stuff and wondered what the hell I think about, what my influences are, what I watch on TV. Or you just know.

I watch, Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles. I do.

At first I wondered if it was going to suck. I think I do that with every TV series that I see from the beginning. But actually, the ones I watch from their beginnings usually turn out to be the ones I stick with. Anyway, The Sarah Conner Chronicles does not suck.

I love the whole Terminator series of movies.

When the first movie came out, I was fourteen or fifteen years old. It scared the shit out of me. Even at that time in history, it was not a far-fetched idea, artificial intelligence created by humans declaring war on humanity. There were scientists even then talking about how once we invented artificial intelligence, we were doomed to extinction. The public was aware of microchip technology by that time. We could extrapolate.

Put a bunch of robots and nuclear weapons together in the 80's, and you've got a recipe for scaring people. And entertaining them.

But do it 24 years later, and it's just entertainment. We all know we could be blown up by any sort of terrorist, AI or LI (limited intelligence) at any moment. We're not afraid anymore, just in anticipation.

The Terminator series, or as I like to call it, Sarah Conner, is entertainment.

I'll admit, I think Lena Headey (great last name, btw, especially for her) is totally hot (that's Sarah Conner), completely believable as a tough-chick, and does a great job of being afraid for her "hope of humanity" son. I think she's the better Sarah Conner.

I'm really liking Thomas Dekker as John Conner, too. He seems to be relaxing into the character, and really exploring who it is he's playing. I like him.

Brian Austin Green does a damned good job as John's uncle, too. I was surprised to see him in the lineup. Don't know why, but I was. And he brings a great deal to the show.

Summer Glau is the most beautiful terminator ever. Only other female terminators will disagree.


And that's really what this post is all about. Summer Glau.

Last Tuesday night (I dvr it), I was watching Sarah Conner when I came to a decision. I rushed into the next room, where Terri was NOT watching the show, and informed her of my decision. I really wanted her to come in and see what I was talking about, but, as I'd thought, that wasn't going to happen. So I had to explain my realization and decision to her.

I'm a fan of Summer Glau.

I'm not usually a fan of any actor or actress. I'm usually a fan of whoever wrote the thing they're acting.

But there are a few. And Ms. Glau is now one.

Before the last episode, Allison, I liked her enough. I thought she did a decent job of being a terminator, and as I said, she's who I think is the hottest terminator so far.

I liked her in Firefly, too. Her character was interesting. When Serenity came out, and we REALLY got to see her character, interesting became an understatement. And in that movie, Summer did a great job.

In The Sarah Conner Chronicles, Summer was doing a good job of being a terminator, and I thought they did a pretty good job in casting her.

In last week's episode, Ms. Glau had to shuck her robotic act and be a human.

And the juxtaposition of those characters, and the way she played them, got me. I'm gotten. She rocked it. Robot, human at the end of a long, horrible journey, robot, horrid journey, robot, human, robot... She rocked it so much so that I paused the TV and rushed in to tell my wife that I LOVE Summer Glau! (I'm sure she liked that.)

I don't want to give away the whole story behind the episode, but I have to say that it's a great one. It let us into Summer's character (Cameron) who has been (and still is) very mysterious. Now we know why a machine told John Conner that she loves him...

The acting! The acting!

I just want to rave a little more about Summer Glau's acting. She did a fantastic job. FAN-tastic. Turned me into a full-blown fan in two minutes.

I'm sure she's been working on me since Firefly. But it was the two characters she played in Allison that cinched the deal.

I'm a fan of Summer Glau. And I wanted to say that outloud.

I'd love for her to play a character in something I write.

Can't wait for tomorrow night.

Outlast the Stars

Every Day Fiction's October ToC has been published. There looks to be quite a few new names on the list this month. There's also several of my favorites on there like Erin M. Kinch, K.C. Ball, Jason Stout, Alexander Burns, Sylvia Spruck Wrigley and Sarah Hilary! I'm excited to read some promised horror stories in honor of Halloween.

My story, Outlast the Stars, comes out on the eighth. It's not a horror story.

It's one of those that contains a lot me, it's going to be one that hurts if someone says anything negative about it. I hope you like it.

Here's the table of contents for EDF. If you're not already a reader, you should be.

October’s Table of Contents

Oct 1 Kevin Jewell Enter Not
Oct 2 Barry Davis Devil Do
Oct 3 Rumjhum Biswas My Daughter
Oct 4 Dave MacPherson Gallery Four
Oct 5 Jason Stout The Unstoppable Evelyn McHale, May 1, 1947
Oct 6 Oonah V Joslin You Must Remember This
Oct 7 Richard Lamb The Watch
Oct 8 Kevin Shamel Outlast the Stars
Oct 9 Amy Corbin The Adoption
Oct 10 Brian Dolton Weaving Fancies For The Children
Oct 11 Acquanetta M. Sproule Dern Spot
Oct 12 Sarah Black Pies of God
Oct 13 Milan Smith Sasha’s Knee
Oct 14 Douglas Campbell Forlorn Hope Fancy
Oct 15 Jonathan Pinnock Visiting Time
Oct 16 K.C. Ball In His Prime
Oct 17 Celeste Goschen Life Without Jerry
Oct 18 Stephanie Siebert Greedy
Oct 19 Robin Vandenberg Hernfield Sea Shell
Oct 20 Alexander Burns Apotheosis Cake
Oct 21 Joshua Reynolds Rush Hour
Oct 22 Nuala Ní Chonchúir Roy Lichtenstein’s Nudes In A Mirror: We Are Not Fake!
Oct 23 Sarah Hilary Revenge of the River Gods
Oct 24 Ann M. Pino End Times
Oct 25 Erin M. Kinch A Million Faces
Oct 26 Iggy Smythe Any Rapport In A Storm
Oct 27 Jim Harrington The Kiss
Oct 28 Sylvia Spruck Wrigley Darren Is Updating His Facebook Status
Oct 29 Tels Merrick All of My Heart
Oct 30 niddy Monster in the Attic
Oct 31 Kyle White Sweet Bite


Thanks for reading!

I Love Sarah (Silverman, NOT the other one)