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He swaggered into the bedroom, naked, with a bowlegged gait and his hands at his hips in imaginary holsters.
"Ahm declarin' marshal law," he said. "Rule number one: Anything I say goes."
His wife looked up from her book and said, "It's spelled 'martial' with a 'T,' moron."
"Rule number two: the letter T doesn't exist."
She licked her lips lasciviously, "But then I wouldn't be able to *tease* him… Are you sure you'd like that?"
"Ahm declarin' the end of marshal law!" #wss366

#FensterFreitag

It clanked and jingled when she shook it. Tucking it in her bag, she then stumbled back down the hill into town. (3/3) #wss366 from Uplands

She looked around to orient herself and consulted the map in the dim light of the setting moon.
She followed the directions to a planter in the garden where the X seemed to indicate a rock. She turned the rock over and dug down a few inches in the soil where she uncovered a small jar. (2/3) #wss366

She came out at the side of the mansion. The #grounds were silent and the grass was covered in dew in the early hours of the morning. The full moon was low in the sky to the west in the pre-dawn hours of Market Day. (1/3) #wss366

#WritersCoffeeClub There’s satisfaction in crafting a good sentence. What satisfies your writer's ear?

One of my final steps in writing is to read the text out loud. It helps me identify sentences that are too long, too cumbersome, or that reuse words in close proximity. It also lets me hear how the sentences sound, and to gauge the rhythm of the language. Many writers strive for lyrical, almost poetic prose. I prefer simpler, more prosaic prose. Hearing myself read it helps me achieve that.

I have met my self-imposed deadline to publish my course website one week before the beginning of the class. Typically, only one or two students look at the website early, but you never know… I'm using this image for my course thumbnail:

I received my hardback author's copies of *A Familiar Problem*. Order a signed copy today! https://waterdragonpublishing.com/product/familiar-problem/

A mushroom in Asia produces consistent hallucinations of tiny people: "visions of pint-sized, elf-like figures – marching under doors, crawling up walls and clinging to furniture." https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260121-the-mysterious-mushroom-that-makes-you-see-tiny-people

The question of the day is this, however: They reported that "chemical extracts from lab specimens produced behavioural changes in mice similar to those reported in humans." But are the mice seeing little people? Or little mice?

"I have muted them," Pascal said. "Do you have a question, Mr. Smith?"
"Do we have enough money to pay for this?"
"The ship had an account, but the bank that held the account was flattened in the first days of the war. We have no assets to speak of."
Jim made a gesture and then resumed his conversation with the Truck Stop.
"Thank you, Truck Stop. The charges will be acceptable." (2/2) #wss366

"#Roger, Pascal," the voice said. "Welcome to the Truck Stop. We charge standard fees, however, you are too large for our normal docking bays, so if you approach the central hub, we have docking tubes you can use to connect to the station. There is an extra charge for this service. Please acknowledge your acceptance of the charges."
"One moment, Truck Stop," Jim said. (1/3) #wss366

A few tongue-in-cheek responses to Mark Carney's great speech:

"Hegemons cannot continually monetize their relationships."
Trump doesn't understand *any* of those words.

"[…] we’re pursuing variable geometry."
I took a geometry class once. ONCE!

"[…] boots on the ice."
I hope they have krampons.

"We’re forming buyer’s clubs […]"
No more Sam's or Costco for Mark Carney!

"[…] if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu."
I dunno. They need dishwashers after deporting all those immigrants.

When I watched the original Star Wars, I was puzzled why the humans all hate the robots so much. But now I get it. I totally understand.

I've been driving to the hospital at sunset, and driving home in the dark, after the end of visiting hours. Tonight, I could "see" the aurora, but only via a cellphone camera. Still cool tho.

I had originally drafted a Bookselling 101 article, but they wanted a Bookselling 201 article. So you can find the other stuff I wrote in my blog: https://stevendbrewer.com/bookselling-101-how-to-set-up-run-a-dealer-table/

My article on hand-selling books is live at @SFWA Planetside today! https://www.sfwa.org/2026/01/20/how-to-hand-sell-books-for-fun-and-profit/ #books #bookselling

"That's a proverb, Bebe."
"Oh!" she said, understandingly. "What's a proverb?"
"It just means that you won't feel hungry while you're asleep."
"Bebe doesn't want a proverb," she said. "Bebe wants a snack."
"Let me get you a cup of warm milk," David said, pushing back the covers. (2/2) #wss366

David #woke up to find eyes shining at him out of the darkness.
Bebe was leaning over his bed peering at him.
"What are doing in my cabin, Bebe?"
"Zaza told Bebe, 'He who sleeps, dines,' and Bebe wanted to see if it was true." (1/2) #wss366

The ducks were in front of the Post Office this morning. Boxer dog provided for scale. #DucksOfMastodon

There was no banner or headline or announcement, so I finally searched: Five screens down the page, under "More News" — that is how the New York Times is recognizing Martin Luther King Day in 2026.