@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop

The witches thought of their working as weaving the elements of the spell together. But Gretchen thought of the coven itself in the same terms. Mani, Penny, Becky, and Jan — they were the #warp that provided the structure. (2/3) #wss366

Gretchen sat outside the door smoking her corncob pipe as the other witches arrived.
They nodded at her as they approached, one after another, and respectfully said, "Mum."
She clamped the elderberry stem of her pipe between her teeth and nodded back at each. (1/3) #wss366

A set of orders put funds and an airship at her disposal.
"I would like to send you as an envoy to Woodseer to learn as much as you can about what's causing the vines there to die, so that we can be prepared."
"I… I'll need to…"
The Baron smiled. "Yes, you need to ask your wife." (4/4) #wss366

"Today, I received this note from Count Bontakor," he said, offering it to her.
Cecelia unfolded it and read.
"A #blight of grape vines?" She looked up concerned. "In Easton?"
"Not here. Not yet," the Baron said. "But it's affecting Woodseer."
He handed her what he'd been writing. (3/4) #wss366

"One moment," she said, as she dried her hands, then followed the page through the dim corridors of Ravensbelth.
He ushered her into the Baron's office, then shut the door.
The Baron finished what he was writing, put his pen down, and picked up a folded piece of paper. (2/4) #wss366

A page arrived at the Botanical Garden while Cecelia was finishing up for the day. She was washing her hands off in the fountain, which always overflowed with fresh cool water.
"Pardon me, Milady," he said. "But the Baron requests your presence immediately." (1/4) #wss366

She held up a hand and studied it. She had thought her disguise was perfect. She sighed. Well, if she couldn't accomplish her research, she could at least have some fun. She flexed her hand, let her claws emerge, and licked one with her rough tongue. (3/3) #wss366

The torment had been escalating all week. People had tried to trip her. Her locker had been vandalized. And now someone had made tarot cards of Death with her picture and was leaving them around the school. (2/3) #wss366

She sat in the bathroom stall, staring at the floor, feeling #numb. She had worked so hard to get into this school and was still stunned that students could be so cruel. It wasn't just the #crude comments muttered behind her back. It was much worse. (1/3) #wss366

Just wrapped up the panel at @SFWA Quasar about "Science Fact in Science Fiction: Getting It Right in SFF." What a fantastic bunch of authors! We had a great time and were able to play off one another really well. I'm having a great time.

I never ever click on anything in an interstitial, other than to close it (and frequently just close the tab instead). But very occasionally, I might want to do the thing in the interstitial and am a little sad that, since it was presented to me in an interstitial, I won't ever do it.

RE: https://wandering.shop/@philipbrewer/115554385048714551

What was your unfortunate Mastodon setting choice?

Easier. I don't think that word means what you think it means. #xfinity

I had the pleasure of hosting James Cambias for a presentation on Worldbuilding last weekend. It was fantastic and I learned a lot. https://stevendbrewer.com/worldbuilding-101/

I had meetings and errands pretty much all day today, so — although I really should be catching up on grading my overdue papers — I'm slacking this evening, listening to J-pop and reading manga.

There is still (barely) time to sign up for the @SFWA Quasar online conference that starts tomorrow (Nov 15). The program looks fantastic with lots of professional development opportunities and a keynote address by Nicola Griffith and Lois McMaster Bujold! Join us! https://membership.sfwa.org/event-6301796

let the willow #weep tonight
and to the stars belie
its tendency to shun the fight
when tempest winds do fly
for though the mighty oak may fall
and every hemlock fail
the willow bends to heed the call
and o'er the storm prevail

#wss366

He sketched out a map in the dirt and drew two arrows.
"See this canyon?" he continued. "We draw them in from opposite directions and get them to spend themselves against each other. Then we clean up what's left."
The squad's mood lifted as they began to hope.
Sergeant Baker grinned. (2/2) #wss366

The cadets of Squad 6 were discouraged.
"We've got three squads arrayed against us," Updraft said. "Three against one! We're screwed."
"Bring it!" Nightmare exulted, pumping his fist.
Curtiss thought for a moment and then said, carefully, "I think you're thinking about it backwards." (1/2) #wss366

#WritersCoffeeClub Name the oldest work to have inspired you

I certainly appreciated ancient epic poems, like *Gilgamesh* or *Kavaliro en Tigra Felo*, but in terms of genuine inspiration, I would probably cite both *The Three Musketeers* and *Treasure Island* that profoundly influenced my writing. My debut work, *Revin's Heart*, though not a pastiche of *Treasure Island,* began with the question, "What if Jim had gone off with Long John Silver? What adventures might they have had together?"