All about the books we love

It was an interesting ride to Enterprise. The guy I've been talking to picked me up and we were talking, got onto the topic of writing. He's doing a post apocalyptic thing where he wants to subvert the toxic masculinity you often see in dystopic fic and queer it as well (the character is a bi man) and he is a Huskerdust Hazbin fan. I'm surprised he was so comfortable to tell me about a queer story here in deep red southern Ohio. Maybe in the fall I'll try harder to get a SF/F/Horror writers group going at the library. Maybe there is more of us than I know.

The car is a Jetta. I haven't been in a Volkswagon since my mom's 1970s Bug. I had to dig out the owner's manual three times before I got home because shit wasn't where I'm used to it being in my Japanese cars. Also how to tell I haven't been in a car in almost a decade? Within an hour I bashed my knee into the steering column, knocked my skull into the top of the door, jabbed my elbow into that same door. I'm already over the Jetta and they gave it to me with no damn gas. Why is the gas tank on the wrong damn side?

I drove it to my coffee shop, went inside. Not one seat open and six people ahead of me in line. I leave, go to Kroger for road snacks (forgot my toothpaste) go back. It's still jammed but I get at seat. WTF? It's just a random Thursday morning. Are people taking off already for Memorial Day? I'm there trying to write and hoping my book will come at the library before I leave tomorrow. It didn't.

Come home, did laundry but didn't do much else. I don't have to leave until later tomorrow because Evil Little Dog has work and I don't want to be sitting in her driveway waiting. I have a list. I feel like I'm going to leave something.

At 4 pm I get an email. Book is at the library. Head desk. Well now I can get my toothpaste and the book tomorrow (I have to go to Jackson to get to where I'm going)

I took a swing at that not-likely shot at the demon anthology curated by V. Castro. It's worth a shot and I really like that story. I did edit the Appalachian one thanks to ELD's beta but I also shelved it for now since that open call seems hinky.

But before I get into it can I say my luck is still going. Woke up this morning with a tick right on the edge of my arm pit with a 2 by 1 inch red spot surrounding it. Either it's erythema migrans or my blood thinners and the ticks did NOT play well. Off I go to urgent care to get probiotic antibiotics (because we are lymes and alpha gow central around here) They've made changes. No more 1 weeks worth of doxycycline and vomiting. It's just 1 day, mega dose. And they gave me anti nausea meds. I'm holding in.

So let's talk world building. I mentioned struggling through TJ Klune's We Burned So Bright with the worldbuilding as it is (about half way in it finally mentions getting gas is getting hard) with the gas situation and frankly everyone seems too calm for knowing the world is ending.

This whole worldbuilding pain started last week at the con when meeting merfolk and knowing there is an open call for merfolk from their point of view and wanting their culture (actual merfolk not humans as mers) and I was thinking how much world building do I want to put in for a short story that isn't paying fantastic. Because I can see her with her whistle/whalesong language and her chromatophores changing color. And then I get into...what the hell do THEY call whales, dolphins, sharks, humans. And then it gets daunting.


Then it spiraled into my current novel. Do they have horses, dogs, cats or something else? I went the lazy route and said yes. People like horses, dogs and cats and it's freaking hard coming up with weird animals and getting people to see it as you see it. I mean I could show a not-horse pulling a cart or someone riding astride.

So my question to you is if you do fantasy worlds how do you tackle the animal/plant issues?

OPEN CALLS


Genderf**k Anthology Transgressive trans and non-binary erotica

Cosmic Roots And Eldritch Shores June 2026 Window Speculative storytelling including science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch fiction

Menace Magazine Open (speculative, transgressive, literary weird, dark themes)

Side Hustle: Horror Stories for Late Capitalism Gig work, second jobs, and late capitalism horror

Heavy Are The Years The weight of time, aging, immortality, memory, responsibility, and the passage of years (It's due next week so if you have a novella that fits)

Shallow Waters: May 2026 Contest Halloween Night

5 Paying Literary Magazines to Submit to in May 2026


27 Approachable Literary Journals

Roxane Gay Books Is Open To Novels

Pyrite Space Heists / Scavenging / Piracy / Prospecting / Fool’s Gold Dreams This is for a novella and it's not due until November

Mertails Merfolk / Mermaid Stories / Underwater Lives

The First Line – Fall 2026 All genres of fiction, poetry, and literary nonfiction

Untitlted YA SciFi Graphic Novel Anthology About AI Artificial Intelligence / Technology’s Impact on Humanity / Near-Future Sci-Fi

SpecPoVerse May-June 2026 Window Details Speculative Poetry

Tales to Terrify horror podcast

Undead Appalachia due next week (I confused this one with the ghost one I submitted to today. sigh, still trying for it)

105 Calls for Submissions in May 2026 - Paying markets

The Monstrous & The Divine Sapphic goddesses and monsters


From around the web

Meta Lawsuit Over AI Training Should Alarm Every Author and Publisher

Do Characters have a Nervous System?

5 Ways to Turn Off Your Inner Editor and Get More Writing Done

Why I’m No Longer Chasing 100 Rejections Every Year

The Emotional Toll on Writers in the Modern Landscape (And Why So Many Are Burning Out)

You Get One Page to Hook a Reader. Yes, Really.

Writing on Solid Ground: Create an Intentional Writing Practice

Book Festival Scams, Interview Fakes: Two New AI-Driven Impersonation Scams to Avoid

Choosing the Right Scenes to Go in the Right Places

Perseverance is Not Enough: THIS is what got me a book deal


From Betty

Seven Ways a Humble Hero Can Make a Difference

How to Pace Your Prose for Greater Impact

Five Traits of a Winning Concept

The Ghost in the Machine (Inherited Creative Blocks)

Heroine’s Journey vs Interiority: What Writers Need to Know

New Research Tool for Writers

Coping Mechanism Thesaurus: Fantasizing About Revenge

YouTube for Writers Part 9: Mastering Upload Defaults and SEO to Get Your Videos Found

How to Create a Self-Publishing Budget: A Christian Writer’s Guide to Counting the Cost

The Hidden Cost of Free Books for Authors

The Story Heart ~ Tips from a Screenwriter Turned Novelist

4 Guides to a Sustainable Writing Life

I did get laundry done but I misremembered when Enterprise closes for the day. It was 5 not four so I ended up making 2 trips to Jackson for nothing. Had I remembered it closed at 5 I would have driven up there and gone to dinner before going to book club at 6.

Oh well. I ended up getting a car not a SUV. I might call and see if I can change it. I didn't want a Jeep but I'm like a car won't be so bad. My bad hip won't be a problem with just a few days in a car. No sooner than I get home the bad hip which hasn't hurt in forever goes, hey remember me? I'm here to wreck your day.

And now I have to go back to Jackson tomorrow. Sigh.

But I cleaned nothing. I wrote little. Maybe tonight.

So have the fannish 50 fic write up


Searching The Stars Torchwood

Change the Shipping Address Hazbin Hotel

Screaming Safewords into the Void Hazbin Hotel

Ordering Hazbin Hotel

From The Shadows. Torchwood

Conspiracy Lasagna. Hazbin Hotel

Delayed Mission Stargate Atlantis

Not This Shit Again South Park

Multiple Signals Hazbin Hotel

occasionally stuck Hazbin Hotel

Nor did the clothes get watched but I have another trip in like 10 days and so much is still up in the air. Once I get that done I can relax.

I did get the summer dress clothes out. Now to get the casual clothes changed out too and who knows with this weather. TOmorrow is cold for this time of year and by the weekend it's going to be 90. Do not want.

I had something to say but now I can't remember what it is. Ah, aging.

What I Just Finished Reading:

Dungeons and Danger - a paranormal mystery It was pretty good

Hooked on Murder - boring mystery


What I am Currently Reading:

That Which Feeds Us - Hawai'ian Gothic, very creepy, low gore horror, one of the best things I've read this year so far

The Death Card - currently struggling to get into it




What I Plan to Read Next: We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune


April's slim reads


The Barn Identity mystery

Stay for a Spell cozy fantasy

Edinburgh Twilight historical mystery

Tale of the Hidden Village: World of Heavenfall Fantasy

Deathly Fates Fantasy

What Feasts at Night folk horror

I stayed an extra day in Louisville because I've never been a tourist here before. I usually just drive through (I'll be driving thru again in just a couple weeks). One of the ones I wanted to do I couldn't because it's only open weekends but there was one I had been planning on since I first decided to come to the con: the Frazier Kentucky History museum. It's downtown Louisville and it's the start of the bourbon trail.

I was originally planning to do the bourbon trail but honestly I have enough bourbon lying around the house as is and I'm rather worn out from the weekend but the museum looked promising. Last year it was voted best museum in KY and I can see why. It's three floors and I managed to hit it just as a docent was giving the Cool KY talk so that was fun. I had no idea some woman had ROWED across the Atlantic Ocean. Her boat is here. I knew about the paralympian Oskana Masters but didn't know she lived here.

I really liked the one interactive map, by county that brought up fun facts about each county and a song for each. I wish more museums had something like that.

FLoor#2 was jam packed with history, much about the enslaved people, KY's less than stellar showing in the Civil War and about the Underground Railroad (including mapping out one family's life for years) KY was definitely sell African families down river sort of state and oddly wasn't segregated because they wanted to keep an eye on enslaved people who were often rooming with freed people.

They had bits on women I've never heard of including an Indigenous warrior chief, another few women doctors and one who is in my talk, Mary Edward Walker (look her up, she is something else) and more than one display about how white people don't get along even with other white people in the former of Bloody Monday when over 100 Irish and German immigrants were murdered. (the one thing that never seems to change is we find new immigrants to blame and hate)

Floor Three- it's all about the bourbon. I love some of the old bottles

Museum store: I have never seen a museum store without books. It had bourbon though. A lot of only find them in KY bottles (glad they were expensive because with my luck I'd like it and have to come back for it). They had replica vintage ones that I would have liked if I had places to display them.

From there I went to the Louisville Mega Caverns It's actually an old limestone quarry and it was oddly creepy. You approach what looks like a service access into the side of the hill and really it is just that. If not for the painted footprints in the tunnel I would have thought I was in the wrong spot and it goes on being all access tunnelly for about 500 yards before opening into a cavern and then you see the visitor center.

I get snagged by a group of elderly women in front of a 'sign this waiver' computer bank 'don't you jump the line!' I wasn't planning it. I get to the bank eventually and realize you had to have BOUGHT the ticket first. How about putting the purchase area before this then? I talk to the young guy about the walking vs tram tour but it turns out it didn't matter.

It's a random monday at 130 in the afternoon and everything is sold out until 6 pm (and they're taking like two dozen at a time) I give it a pass and slink out of the scary tunnel.

I move on to the third planned event cave hill cemetery and arboretum which is about 300 acres of the Victorian style rural cemeteries that are part park and part memorial. I saw many very unusual graves (pictures hopefully tomorrow) but only found two of the celebrity ones because even though the cemetery has its own app, my phone is trash and couldn't find a signal.

I did see Colonel Sanders (yes that Colonel) whose memorial is modest (his daughter made the bust) and Muhammad Ali, who also had a modest memorial. There are many other less modest ones and the places is filled with 500 plant species and a plethora of historic signage. Even found the person who designed the confederate flag (was not expecting or wanting that)

Much cooler I found TWO magicians including Tobin who invented the cabinet of proteus. I was struck immediately with the idea that Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis knew about him and that's where they got Tobin's Spirit Guide in Ghostbusters. Even if I'm wrong, I'm right.

I was there for hours. Came back to the hotel, got lazy and doordashed from an Asian restaurant that was highly recced in a few places District 6 and was trapped between do I get pho or the spicy cauliflower bao (or the spicy cauliflower dish). I should have gone with the big dish or the pho because the bao were small but very tasty. I could have eaten a pound of that cauliflower. Got their ube basque cheesecake too. Not as ube tasting as I would have liked but very good.

Then it was my author's virtual meet up and got some editing and writing done.


It's music monday 30 weeks of music. This week's prompt is # 25 A song from your pre teen years


( Welcome to the 70s )





here's the whole prompt list

( All under here )

So no writerly ways today.

I went to see the blood sirens at the pool today but some of them were late and I had to bug off before they came (and I forgot cameras/phones) I had to run back upstairs to dress for my second talk.

I presented my research into the first ladies doctors. A lot less people today but that's expected on the last day. A lot of people would have been checking out at this time but I had about a half dozen people and it went really well. They were engaged (and a little outraged as you should be listening to this talk) I had a French Canadian helping me with the French last names which I appreciated it really



There weren't many talks today being the last day but I did sneak ELD into the dealer's room for a while and I was hijacked into the nerf dueling. It was fun. I was shot in the chest on the third shot. Alas. I did sneak out soon after because it was already after 1 and I needed lunch and I wanted one last round in the dealers room to buy a few last gifts for me and others. Did I need hand made over priced marshmallow? No but yes I bought them (I swear I'm going to learn to make these. It looks easy) And a witchy wooden tea light luminiere.

Spent some time talking to Leanna before going to the tea cup races. I went upstairs for a bit to drop off the junk and went back down for closing ceremonies and to pick up something from the auction (to help a LGBT/Diversity group) that I had won (well ELD wanted it. I'll drop it off to her in a few weeks when I use her as a waystop to KC) As far as I could tell...there were no closing ceremonies that anyone formally did and my friend PQ was wheeling his stuff out so I just went upstairs, tossed the garb upon which the clothes rack fell apart in the room. Whee.

I sat down and did the remains of my grading for the next three hours. I had to have it down by tomorrow (Turned out thanks to that Hack of Canvas a few days ago I had until Tuesday) Anyhow it's done and I'm free until August. I need the break such as it will be.

I was too tired to go out so I overpaid to Doordash Chinese (one of the highly recced ones but honestly it wasn't that fantastic). I picked the wrong dim sum but the ones I really wanted were basically snack size at entree prices. I found a dish I haven't had in ages. I was just telling ELD I have only seen Hong sue gai in two places well they had it. I can't fault the portion size and it was tasty so I'm happy enough.

Afterwards I wanted a swim myself. I get in. Let me tell you I have polar bear plunged in Wisconsin lakes warmer than this pool. No wonder the mermaids were sitting outside it. It was fucking freezing and I LOVE a cool pool. I turn and see a sign. No more than 5 people in the pool and NO swimming alone or you get 100$ fine. Well then. I splash back out and give up (not going to miss much I suppose)

Tomorrow I have a few things lined up and something for Tuesday morning (I drive home Tuesday)

It was a good con but small. Too small. I overheard the con runners talking about how unexpectedly small it was. Well they moved it from March to Mother's Day which in a survey they found people didn't like that timing But the real reason listed was the fucking gas prices. Shocker. I do hope they move the date again because I cannot be a repeat con goer on this weekend.

So I could have taken the morning to work on my grades. Instead I went to the Kentucky Derby museum. I never planned on that. I was going to do other museums, realized they were all art museums and then decided I could stand to learn some stuff. I thought it was a tad overpriced but it was fun. I liked that they also prioritized the early enslaved riders and the legacy of women within in the derby. I ended up with a keepsake glass after getting an old fashioned.

Ended up late to the opening ceremonies. I tried but it didnt' work out (I was in the building but the line to get my badge was longer than anticipated.)

It's a small vendor's room and I did get to meet up with friends. In the middle of this evil_little_dog arrived as well. I went down at 5 to the blood sirens mermaid talk. I've been interested in this for a while. I'm less interested now but strictly because I don't think I'd be able to do it. It's WAY more athletic than I imagined. And I had no idea there was a mermaid olympics. The guy giving the talk was the gold medal winner (he was a delight). I was no expecting having to basically be scuba trained, PADI (whatever that is) trained and being able to do that much under the water. I'm quite impressed and I want it to be something I revisit later.

I went to my talk. They forgot to put the room on the schedule. no one showed up. I left and just went out to the Irish Rover for dinner with ELD. I planned to go to the dance tonight. I was just too tired. Maybe tomorrow.