@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop

verdaj raŭpetoj sur la ruĝa hibisko… foliskeletoj / little green caterpillars on the rose mallow… leaf skeletons #hajko #haiku #esperanto

"Oh, no," said Doreen, patting herself all over.
"What is it?"
"I've lost my lucky #charm."
"I'm sorry. Do you want to go back & look for it?"
"Yes," she said. "Thanks!"
They turned & headed back.
"What's it look like?"
"A brown leather pouch."
"What's inside?"
"Some knucklebones. And a dried newt."
"Ew."
"It also has a tuft of unicorn hair. And a dragon's baby tooth."
"Does it work?"
A bird dropping fell on Doreen's head. She pointed at her head silently.
"OK! Let's find that charm!"

#wss366

#WordWeavers How pretty is your MC? Are they prettier than you?

As an old, fat guy, that wouldn't be hard.

Revin always thinks of himself as plain. Lady Cecelia, on the other hand, doesn't think of herself as particularly pretty, but she actually is stunningly beautiful. She has long, platinum-blond hair, is well-proportioned, and is curvy in all the right places. But because she's shy and introverted, she doesn't really realize it about herself.

#PennedPossibilities Have you ever mixed a non-Latin alphabet into your WIP(s)?

In *Better Angels: Tour de Force* the Angels perform songs modeled on j-pop and k-pop songs that have a mix of English and Japanese words. In my manuscripts, I had put the words in Japanese script (hiragana, katakana, and kanji). But, after discussions with the editor, we ultimately decided to replace them with their romaji equivalents.

Spring Peeper (*Hyla crucifer*) #TreefrogTuesday

At Pliny Fountain…

murmuras fontan' sub bunta rubandaro… arbara ripoz' / a fountain murmurs beneath an array of colorful ribbons… forest repose #hajko #haiku #esperanto

kŝitigarbo… staras apud la pado, eĉ sen antaŭtuk' / Jizō… standing by the path, even without his bib #hajko #haiku #esperanto

#WritersCoffeeClub Would you ever serialize your work? Have you done it?

I love serializing my work, perhaps due to the influence of manga: it just feels very comfortable. My debut work, *Revin's Heart* was serialized as seven novelettes. And I've written a follow-on story, *Lady Cecelia's Journey* which is set in the same universe and will be serialized as six novelettes.

I learned an expensive lesson about going to conventions. https://stevendbrewer.com/an-expensive-lesson/

ping @tobadzistsini

I went to Hawley Bog with @philipbrewer and his wife. We saw sundews, pitcher plants, cotton grass, and lots and lots of sphagnum moss. #Mosstodon

Leroy came out of the house. Mike searched Leroy's face for clues, but Leroy gave nothing away until he held up the keys and jingled them.
"Awesome!" Mike said, with a grin. "How did you do it?"
"The squeaky weasel gets the #grease." Leroy smirked. "I just wouldn't shut up until he gave in. He's such a dope. I can't believe he fell for it."
Mike's shocked face prompted Leroy to turn around.
"I'll just take those," Leroy's dad said, plucking the keys back from Leroy's nerveless fingers.

#wss366

#WordWeavers What about writing is challenging for you?

My biggest challenge is maintaining tension. I hate tension and, when I introduce it, my instinct is to want to defuse or resolve it instantly. It's taken a lot of practice — and false starts in writing — to maintain and heighten the tension to develop a sense of rising action until the story reaches the climax. But, practice makes perfect! I've gotten a lot better at this over the years I've been writing.

Caterwaul, the big #event of the season, was happening at Nyandafuru Station. Cherub docked & the hatch slid open. But when Tau & Bebe emerged, an alarm sounded & guards converged, weapons drawn.
"Dogs may nyot be on station without a leash," the lead guard hissed.
Tau's hackles came up, but Bebe put a hand out & smoothed his fur.
"Bebe will take care of it." She put on a collar, snapped on the leash, & handed the end to Tau who carried the other end in his mouth.
"No," the guard said.

#wss366

#WordWeavers What makes your setting unique?

The Better Angels are set on the Truck Stop at the Center of the Galaxy, which is a shared-world setting created by authors at Water Dragon Publishing. It's been very interesting to read the different works that authors have created using the setting: it's like the intersection of multiverses that are largely incommensurate, but have this single common feature. It's a real pleasure to work with such a talented group of people! https://truckstop.waterdragonpublishing.com/

#PennedPossibilities Which of your characters would be nominated for best dressed?

Undoubtedly Cecelia's evil mother, Milady Thornice Dahlia Aspidelle of Westland:

Cecelia's mother was a tall, imposing woman, in her fifties, with platinum blond hair done up in an elaborate bun interlaced with gold wire. She wore a bespoke, tailored silk suit and was carefully made up. Everything about her appearance said money.

ĉe la ĝardeno… senĉesa parolado rompas trankvilon #hajko #esperanto

#PennedPossibilities Is your MC confident in themselves?

Many of my stories involve characters that are somewhat naive and insecure, but grow and develop over the course of the stories. This is particularly true of Revin and Lady Cecelia. I often have characters that are very — indeed supremely — confident in themselves: the pirate Will and the neoboxer Tau fall into that category. But, as a person who questions themself, I find having a more vulnerable protagonist to be more relatable.

There was a knock at the door.
Curtains, hungover, lay in bed & groaned.
"See who it is, Roughneck."
Before he could get there, another, more insistent, knock came.
Roughneck opened the door & found a man wearing a crisp Belleriand uniform.
"Lord Curtiss Belthingstone?" he asked.
"Curtains?" Roughneck said, looking over his shoulder.
"That's not my name," Curtains said, sitting up & rubbing his temples.
"There's no #doubt," the man said. "Milord Baron."
Curtains looked up, eyes blazing.

#wss366