@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop

Totemo worked through the afternoon, recording species in a forest clearing. Lambda, padding around her, suddenly stopped. She turned, lifted her muzzle, and sniffed. She swiveled her head, sampling the #air.
"Do you smell something?" Totemo said.
Lambda whined and pointed.
"Smoke?" Totemo looked up and saw smoke rising above the distant hilltop. Then she saw flames spring above the trees on the ridge.
"Run!" she said. "Back to the DR20!" #wss366

#Writephant A3. Are you a writer with routine or who has to be spontaneous? Sometimes we want to create routines, but life is too chaotic.

I like to have an orderly life so that I can be governed by serendipity. I write when I feel like it. My life is pretty routinized but that just gives me flexibility to do whatever I want. I don't want my writing to be routine.

#Writephant A2. How about your writing? Is any part of your writing life complicated?

The writing part is pretty uncomplicated. When I get stumped on a manuscript, I sometimes have to take a walk to sort out what's happening, but that's about it.

But there's a lot more to my writing life: trying to get published and to promote my work after publication: Attending conventions, running bookselling operations, etc. Plus my service to writing organizations (SFWA and Straw Dog) keeps me busy.

#Writephant A1. Do you think your life is complicated? Why or why not?

Yes and no. As with most things, it's a matter of perspective. I mean, I have chronic health issues, elder care, and relatives that need assistance. Plus, I'm always trying to do too many things.

That said, my life has been pretty stable: I've had a good career, now phasing into retirement. I've lived in the same house for nearly 30 years. And I have a wife that keeps my life in order so I can live my "life of the mind."

Forrest landed on his head.
"That would be me," Forrest said. "You're going to pick up every piece of trash in this park." He squeezed his talons tighter. A little trickle of blood ran down the man's face. "Or else."
"You heard him," Melly said, genuinely glad to see Forrest for once. (5/5) #wss366

They were drinking tubes of Snort! One of them finished one and threw it on the ground.
"Hey!" she yelled.
"Oh?" said one. "What do we have here?"
"Pick that up!" she said.
They surrounded her menacingly.
"Who's gonna make me?" the leader sneered.
A shadow fell across his face. (4/5) #wss366

"What's with the trash?" she asked.
"Oh," he groaned. "Those young hoodlums! I strained my knee and can't get after them. It's a real problem! But I think I've got a line on a solution."
"Let me see what I can do," she said.
She did a patrol and spotted four young men hanging around. (3/5) #wss366

For the briefest moment, she considered calling the Ranger of the Volpex Picnic Park to ask if they could get Forrest to come, but then shook her head with horror for even thinking it.
She arrived at the office to check in.
The Supervisor was sitting behind his desk with his foot up. (2/5) #wss366

The first thing Melly noticed was the trash: trash everywhere.
She had been assigned to assist the Supervisor of the Children's Park No. 843. The park was a rolling green landscape with colorful play equipment. But it was a mess.
"That owl would never let this happen," she thought. (1/5) #wss366

"Are you still deciding if it makes sense to leverage the R&D tax credit in light of the recent tax reform and the newly enacted Section 174A?"

I get a higher class of spam these days…

#WritersCoffeeClub How violent is your work?

Most of my stories have little or no violence. *Revin's Heart* has a handful of scenes of violence, but they're not pervasive and I don't linger over them.

In *Better Angels: Tour de Force*, by contrast, I was striving for a gap-moe effect where the Angels sometimes act like cute little girls and other times like ruthless cold-blooded killers. Scenes of violence were essential for conveying that "gap".

I've been seeing these odd little moths around the tent. iNaturalist would have me believe it's in the genus Fissicrambus.

Registration has opened for the Straw Dog Writers Guild #WriteAngles Conference: https://writeanglesconference.com/ The leading literary conference in #WesternMass, for writers, by writers. ​We're going to be at Greenfield Community College #GCC this year on October 18, 2025. Join us! https://givebutter.com/kN9XKy

I had missed this review of *Revin's Heart*: https://buttondown.com/JenniferRP/archive/lets-go-fantasy/

"It’s ridiculous, but it’s fun. And it has airship pirates. Always points for airship pirates."

❤️

This is, perhaps, the only time-travel story I will ever write. I hate time-travel stories.

I went into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. When I returned, he'd fallen asleep on the sofa. I sat down and sighed.
It was bad enough remembering all the stupid shit I'd done with the time machine when I was younger. But having to confront it face-to-face was mortifying. (2/2) #wss366

"We're chums, ain't we?" he said.
"I'm not your #chum."
"Oh, come on. Don't be like that!"
"You're drunk," I said.
"Don't you mean 'I'm drunk?'" He laughed hysterically at his own joke.
"Let me make you some coffee."
"Oh, poo. You're no fun." (1/2) #wss366

Ooh! Now this is the way to sell books! They have a Craft Beer & Wine tent with a nice selection of IPAs. I may not make any money, but I'm having a great time. #WesternMass

We are set up at Look Park for Rock, Roll, and Gather! https://stevendbrewer.com/rock-roll-and-gather-at-look-park/ #WesternMass

"What about our treasured memories?" she continued plaintively. "They'd be contaminated by that woman!"
"Oh, dear heart!" Kasseh said, putting her arms around her. "I will overwrite them with new memories."
Cecelia hugged Kasseh back, then turned her face up and kissed her on the lips. (4/4) #wss366