@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop

It lies, but still…

I gave away a lot of 'zines while selling books this weekend. If anyone would like a 'zine, just buy a signed copy through my publisher and I'll include a 'zine with the book. https://water-dragon-publishing.square.site/steven-brewer

Now the sun is just up…

The men sprang up and each deployed a 10-foot pole, braced in a pre-prepared depression.
The horses, preparing to jump the stone wall, were unable to maneuver, and Curtain's men, carefully spaced, each used their poles to dislodge the riders.
Only three or four riders made the jump and tried to turn, among a jostling crowd of riderless horses on a jumble loose rocks and stones.
Roughneck sprang on the dismounted commander and held a knife to his throat.
"Call them off," he growled. (2/2) #wss355

Roughneck reacted first, but in moments, everyone could feel the earth #pound as the cavalry began to charge across the field.
"Take cover," Curtains said.
"Cover!" Roughneck bellowed.
The squad sprang over the low stone wall of the ruins they were defending and lay flat as the cavalry approached over the broken ground.
Curtains had selected a spot where he could peer through a crack as the horsemen approached. He waited.
"Now!" he yelled. (1/2) #wss366

I went to bed early last night, and am up before the sun this morning, to enjoy the brief cool before the predicted heat of the day.

I wonder if Iran will strike mainland United States. I've heard the media speculating about Iran hitting US bases in the middle east, but I don't see why Iran wouldn't hit the US directly, if they could. I don't know what their capabilities are. Or what missile defenses the US may have deployed. If they did, I think a lot of people would be surprised.

My wife left a snake to keep an eye on me while I was selling books.

Someone stopped by who bought Revin's Heart at Boskone and was looking for the sequel. I had to tell him they're written, but not yet scheduled for publication.

Today I'm selling books at the Amherst Pride Parade. I washed the shirt overnight. Really! #WesternMass

"Let me…" Jewel started to say when Cecelia hauled off and punched her square in the face. She used everything she had learned from Mezzi about fighting to center herself, shift her weight, and put her whole body behind her fist. Jewel fell to the ground, stunned, blood dripping from her nose.
"Get out!" Cecelia screamed. "Do not ever show me your face again!"
Jewel scrabbled frantically back out the door.
Cecelia, suddenly calm, smiled to herself.

#wss366 from Lady Cecelia's Trial

I forgot to mention: WE ARE NUMBER ONE!!

I'm set up for the Queer Market in the Mill District in North Amherst. I've brought a selection from Water Dragon's "Pride" list: https://waterdragonpublishing.com/pride/ Come buy my books! #WesternMass

#WritersCoffeeClub Which facets of your writing only work in the language in which it was written?

I speak two languages fluently and have studied several others, so I'm sensitive to idiomatic expressions and generally try to say what I mean directly. But I don't shy away from using some language-dependent expression when it seems fun or useful.

For year's I've written haiku in Esperanto with English translation. But sometimes you just can't translate them effectively. That's OK too.

#ScribesAndMakers What sort of environment makes you feel the most creative?

I have a truly magical place to write: https://stevendbrewer.com/a-truly-magical-place-to-write/

Posts like this make me furious. All of the AI models just generate bullshit. Expecting any of their answers, especially with respect to their own internal processes, to be anything other than bullshit is a first-order mistake. There is no intelligence or intentionality underlying their answers. There is no "there" there. It's just bullshit, all the way down. Don't use words like "admit" or "promised" or "claimed." Don't project humanity onto them. Stop it. Just, stop it. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/06/to-avoid-admitting-ignorance-meta-ai-says-mans-number-is-a-company-helpline/

#WritersCoffeeClub What's the most you've written in a single session? What made it possible?

I don't generally track my writing output closely enough to know how many words I wrote in a particular session. I did write ~1800 words in a single @SFWA Writing Date (two 45 minute sessions.) At the time, I had recently hacked together a system to make wordcounts visible during writing sprints: https://stevendbrewer.com/making-writing-sprints-more-exciting/

But I am mostly uninteresting in quantifying anything. I just like to have fun.

The ranger tossed the bear a pack of cigarettes.
"Here ya go, Stogie," he said. "I thought maybe cooling menthol might be good for today. It's going to be a hot one."
The bear caught the pack of smokes and tapped them reverentially against his palm. It was going to be a good day. (5/5) #wss366

"I got you!" Forrest screeched. "You should have seen your face!"
The bear sighed, defeated. Then the ranger stepped out from around a tree.
"I heard that, Forrest," the ranger said. "You don't joke about fire. You can spend the day in the petting zoo today."
Forrest screeched with rage. (4/5) #wss366

The bear salivated imagining the delicious smells of cooking meat. And s'mores.
His moment of quiet reflection was broken when someone started yelling.
"Fire! Fire!"
He rushed toward the picnic ground, but there was no-one there. Then he heard mocking laughter from the treetops. (3/5) #wss366