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#WritersCoffeeClub Is there a local writing community near you? Do you participate in it?

There are a few. I am on the program committee of the Straw Dog Writers Guild. I also run Straw Dog Writes, a writing group that meets via Zoom on Wednesday evenings. You are also invited!

I recently discovered another: the Western Mass Writers Guild. They are the former NaNoWriMo group. They have a monthly face-to-face meeting that happens to be tomorrow: Support and Accountability in Novel Editing.

"Well," she said. "What do you choose?"
"Thou hast #befogged my mind," he said, raising a hand. "Thou vile witch! What spell hast thou cast that clouds my senses and..."
"It's not hard, Leroy," she said. "I just asked if you wanted chicken or burgers for dinner."
"Oh, thou vile temptress!" he moaned, closing his eyes. "How mayst one choose among such delights that..."
"Okay," she said, rolling her eyes. "Burgers it is." #wss366

I made a big pot of Vermont curry with sushi rice for dinner.

My wife says, "Why would you do that?"
"I love Vermont curry!"
"But why make sushi rice?"
"It's Japanese curry."
"No-one likes that."
"On the contrary, I love that."
"I might have some curry later. But not the rice."

Later she asked, "How is the curry, in spite of the rice?"
"The curry is delicious *because* of the rice!"

There is, as one says, no accounting for taste.

Lambda barked, panting, at the top of the steps.
"Don't drink the water!" Totemo said. "We don't know what it might be contaminated with! Here! I've got a water bottle." (4/4) #wss366

Totemo's arms burned with exertion as she cut her way through the vegetation. She was drenched with sweat and covered with dust and bits of vegetation.
Lambda barked up ahead.
After cutting through one more layer of shrubs and vines, Totemo found herself looking along a narrow alley between two buildings. Weeds were growing up between paving stones. She walked along the alley and found the power canal at the far end, filled with rushing water. Steps led down into the canal. (3/4) #wss366

After the civil war on Holufinia had destroyed the industrialized economy, mills had been constructed along waterways to use water power. But the mills frequently had maintained poor environmental practices. Now that a modern economy had been restored, many of the sites of the #derelict mills were contaminated with lubricants, solvents, and other toxic chemicals. Their job was to document the sites. (2/4) #wss366

Totemo Isogashii used a machete to hack through brush as she and Lambda worked their way toward Factory Hollow under the hot sun. The vegetation was too thick to land their DR20 drop ship nearby. The closest clearing had been two kilometers away. Lambda could slip through the vegetation to help identify the path, but Totemo needed to cut her way through the thick, thorny vegetation by brute force. (1/4) #wss366

Sakura buds coated with ice…

Exactly as I predicted… AIs are routinely being compromised to not act in your interest. https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2026/03/manipulating-ai-summarization-features.html

Ooh! Just what we need! MORE SNOW!

Read more about Rory and Tseluna in *A Familiar Problem*, available now from Water Dragon Publishing. https://waterdragonpublishing.com/product/familiar-problem/

She looked over at Rory, who was still in shock, trying to process what she was saying.
"Oh! Don't look so sad, Sugar!" she said, patting his cheek. "I can make them bigger again. For you." (3/3) #wss366

"My breasts?" she replied. "I just made them smaller."
His eyes goggled. "You… made them smaller?"
"Sure. Women in Japan sometimes use a sarashi to bind their breasts to fit into a kimono. But I can just make mine smaller. It's not like you can show any #cleavage in a kimono anyway." (2/3) #wss366

Rory accompanied Tseluna through an arcade of small shops in Tokyo. Eyes surreptitiously followed her as people glanced at her stunning kimono patterned with chrysanthemum blossoms.
"I have to ask…" Rory said. "How did you get that to close over your… You know…" (1/3) #wss366

#WritersCoffeeClub On what are you unwilling to compromise?

When I wrote *A Familiar Problem*, I aimed it to be new adult, rather than young adult. My publisher suggested that I could cut the sex stuff to have a larger audience, but I pushed back, because I thought it would fundamentally change the story. I got my way and the story came out as I wrote it. Was it the right decision? I dunno.

Lloyd led the customer into the back of Kowareta Nai.
"Do you have any particular specification or request?" he asked.
"Well, what I'm looking for…" he started to say, then caught sight of a very large chicken that was laying on the ground.
Lloyd waddled around the chicken and invited the customer to follow.
"What's wrong with him?" asked the customer.
"That's #Forlorn Leghorn," Lloyd said. "He's depressed because no one will hire him. It's a shame because he'll work for chicken feed." #wss366

Microsoft doesn't want you to call it "microslop." https://www.windowslatest.com/2026/03/02/microsoft-gets-tired-of-microslop-bans-the-word-on-its-discord-then-locks-the-server-after-backlash/

Read more about Rory and Tseluna in *A Familiar Problem*, available now from Water Dragon Publishing. https://waterdragonpublishing.com/product/familiar-problem/

Rory shivered in the chilly breeze. He peered at Tseluna who was naked beside him.
"How come you're not cold?" he asked her.
"I can just use magic to warm myself and maintain my body's homeostasis. You could too, if you had any finesse."
"Really?"
"Of course. Why don't you try?"
Rory thought for a moment to prepare the spell and cast it silently. His clothes burst into flames. He began screaming and trying to beat out the conflagration.
"Finesse," she said, shaking her head. #wss366 #side

I don't want a foldable phone. I also don't want a foldable car. Or a foldable house. Or a foldable dog. In fact, I think the only foldable thing I want is a folder. Go figure.