@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop

#WritersCoffeeClub Is your WIP's first chapter indicative of the whole work?

*Lady Cecelia's Journey* has an overarching story composed of six novelettes. Each of the novelettes has its own story arc and each is quite different from the others. Overall, it's a "road" story where, in each part, they are in a different region , face unique challenges, and have distinctive experiences. But the parts are all sapphic romantasy all-the-time, so they're not *that* different from one another.

A paean to the NYT Book Reviews: "Reading the *Book Review* is a joyless task because it is mostly so massively, stiflingly dull. There is a sameness and a flatness to the reviews, held as they are to some invisible set of *Times* 'standards,' the most obvious one of which seems to be, 'Never be interesting.'"

Ouch.

https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/new-york-times-book-review #books #bookstodon

#Writephant Self-Promo time! My (verified!) links are all listed in my profile on Mastodon. I have two books out now: *Revin's Heart*, a steampunky fantasy adventure with pirates, airships, and a trans protagonist, and *Better Angels: Tour de Force*, a fluffy military space opera. I've recently finished a new series set in the Revin's Heart universe that is a sapphic romantasy, *Lady Cecelia's Journey,* which I'm hoping to serialize in six novelette-length parts. Look for it soon!

#Writephant A4 Have you ever written from the POV of an animal (real-world or invented)?

I mostly write in third-person limited. I have written some first-person stuff, but that has generally been a person, although in *Always a Destroyer* the viewpoint character is a "destroyer" — an engineered biological weapon that is like an extremely gaunt woman with feathered wings and sharp, recurved claws. (You can find the story in the *Romancing the Rainbow* anthology out now!)

#Writephant A3. In your stories, are the companion creatures there to reveal aspects of the MC’s personality or backstory? As catalyst for an important event? Just for fun?

When I write in an animal, my goal is for it to be a fully-fleshed out character with its own agenda. I really hate the Disney idea of every character having an animal companion that acts to advance the agenda of an associated human. That kind of saccharine shit makes me want to vomit. Animals have their own reality & goals.

#Writephant A2 Do you often include pets or companion creatures in your stories?

Revin saw a small animal struggling in the effluent of the sewer. Then he heard it whimper. 
"You're not a rat!" he said, springing into the flow. 
He scooped it up, held it to his chest, & struggled back out. The puppy tried to lick his mouth.
Revin emerged from the sewer and, after one whiff, a cry went up from the girls. 
"It's not my fault!" Revin pleaded, holding up the puppy. "Look!" 
"Wash first!" they said.

#Writephant A1 Do you have any pet companions? Please share a picture if so inclined!

I don't have any pets of my own anymore, but my son has a boxer puppy that I visit a lot (like every day). My wife says she's like my grand-daughter. Her name is Tanuki-chan and she is my little hime-sama.

laxative accident

This morning, my 91 year-old-mother said, "I had a laxative accident this morning."

I cringed and looked at her. She continued, "Yeah. I spilled some of the laxative powder I was measuring out."

Relieved, I said, "Well, if you're going to have a laxative accident, that's the best kind to have."

For a couple of years, I've wanted to replace my ancient picnic table with something more comfortable. So, this year, we bit the bullet, got a new patio installed, and bought some comfortable patio furniture. Today we christened it by offering a libation of two cans of Treehouse #beer: Year of the Wooden Dragon (in the brown can) and Heart of a Warrior (in the purple can).

#PennedPossibilities How do your characters express romantic love?

"Close your eyes!" Cecelia ordered, laughing.
Kasseh obediently closed her eyes & Cecelia slipped something onto her left ring finger.
Kasseh's eyes sprang open & she looked. A beautiful Metterwin's ring was there. Cecelia held up the matching one.
[…]
"And what do these mean? To you?" Kasseh asked.
"Do you have to ask? I want us to be together! Always."
"And so we shall, dear heart. So we shall."
(from Lady Cecelia's Flowers)

#WordWeavers Is there a person you’d love to show your writing to but are afraid to do it?

Not anymore. When I first started writing LGBTQIA+ stories, I had not yet come out to my mom or children. I published my first stories in Esperanto which they couldn't read. When my first story in English came out & had a bunch of queer characters, I was a little nervous about showing it to them. But, in the end, it was no problem. My father had dementia at that point, so I don't think he ever understood.

I particularly like the next bit:

"What did you talk about?" Revin pressed Lidja as they walked to the stables. 
"Oh, stuff," Lidja said, with a little bounce in her step. "Girl stuff."
"You can tell me, can't you?" Revin persisted. 
"You're not a girl, are you?" Lidja asked, archly.
Revin scowled and Lidja hugged him.

#WritersCoffeeClub Share the opening of your work.

Revin paced with anxiety. Lidja had been closeted with the Queen for nearly 40 minutes with Revin enjoined from entering. Finally, the door opened and they emerged. They looked at Revin, then looked at each other and smirked. 
"Agreed," they said, shaking hands. 
Revin did not like the sound of this at all. 

(from Devishire!)

According to @AltTextHealthCheck only 56% of images posted on wandering.shop have alt text provided. That's sad. We're writers! We can write descriptions of our images, can't we? We should be at 100%!

Yesterday, I discovered that Tanuki-chan has a supernumerary nipple. JUST LIKE FRANCISCO SCARAMANGA! #DogsOfMastodon

The US basically doesn't fund basic research anymore. But the story of CRISPR supports why basic research is fundamental for transformative discoveries. https://stevendbrewer.com/basic-research-and-crispr/

Whenever Jesse Winker comes up to bat, I have to say, "What a winker!"

It's a rule.

A tiny, yellow, leafhopper nymph on my computer screen. In other news, who knew my computer screen was so dirty!

Marker, by Peter Fagen. Part of the Wandell Sculpture Garden at Meadowbrook Park in Champaign, Illinois. #SilentSunday

I received another shipment of books from Water Dragon Publishing for Readercon. This one had copies of @ElaineIsaak's *A Wreck of Dragons*! Come find us in the Dealer Room July 11-14 in Quincy. https://readercon.org/bookshop