@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop

mallonge restas, nedezirata gasto… aprila neĝo / doesn't stay long, an unwanted guest… April snow #hajko #haiku #esperanto

#ScribesAndMakers 12. Shameless self-promotion day. Show us what you're proud of. Let's boost away.

I'm proud of all of my books: my books of fiction, the anthologies I've participated in, and my chapbooks of Esperanto haiku: https://stevendbrewer.com/books/

The 60th Annual Nebula Awards Conference schedule is bursting into view. Sneak a peek at the weekend we've planned for June 5-8, then register to celebrate this diamond-year event with us! https://events.sfwa.org/our-2025-conference/2025-conference-schedule/

Tonight, I'm listening to MAISONdes, "a music project that mimics that of an apartment building where every song can be treated as a different resident in that building." Interesting. https://www.youtube.com/@MAISONdes_6half

"Good color," Drew said. "Nice head." He sniffed it. Then he tasted it.
Istvan watched raptly.
Drew threw back his head and drained the mug.
Istvan grinned. "Well?"
"It's… Um…" Drew held out the mug. "I'll need another taste to render an opinion."
Laughing, Istvan headed back to the cellar. (3/3)

Istvan handed one to Drew while he went to get mugs.
While he waited, Drew held the bottle up to the light. "This isn't what you made before…" he called.
"No. This is different," Istvan said as he returned.
He opened the bottles with his church key and they each poured in a single motion. (2/3)

"Drew!" Istvan embraced his friend at the door.
"Good to see ya, buddy," he replied.
"Thanks for coming!" Istvan said, inviting him in. "I want your opinion on my new batch of homebrew!"
He trotted down into the cellar and came up a moment later with two large, brown bottles. (1/3) #wss366

In 2025, one of the prevailing uses for generative AI is for companionship. Think about that. There are billions of people on Earth, but we trust and value each other so little, we would rather have a pretend relationship with a computer algorithm. It's sad.

Checks the calendar…

I have used RSTS, VMS, CP/M, MacOS, AU/X, Xenix, SunOS, Solaris, MacOSX, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, and lots of flavors of GNU/Linux.

Years ago, I did computer support, but I would tell people not to ask me for help with Windows because I hadn't used it. One day, I was talking to a friend, who was railing about Windows and how much it sucked, and I said, "If you say so. I haven't used it enough to know."

He looked at me wide-eyed. "You're not kidding! I thought you were just brushing people off!"

I've literally only ever used Windows a handful of times and I don't think I've ever used version 7 or newer.

Read more about Popo and the rest in Better Angels: Tour de Force, only at the Truck Stop at the Center of the Galaxy! https://truckstop.waterdragonpublishing.com/product/better-angels-tour-de-force/

Philip looked down, discouraged.
"Do you think you think you'll ever be able to #love me?"
"But I do!" she said.
"You do?"
"Yes, I do!" She thought for a moment. "I love you… like a hamster!"
"Like a hamster!?"
"Yes! But I'm not going to marry a hamster either." (2/2) #wss366

Prince Philip sighed.
Popo looked at him questioningly.
"I despair that I will ever be able to convince you of my #love, Miss Popo," he said.
"I don't understand," she laughed. "I am already convinced."
"Then why won't you marry me?"
"Those are two completely different things." (1/2) #wss366

*Lady Cecelia's Temptation* is the omake story for *Lady Cecelia's Journey*, a sapphic romantasy road story. It has not yet been scheduled for release, but if you subscribe to my monthly newsletter, you can receive updates when it appears. https://author-sdbrewer.micro.blog/subscribe/

#LesFicFri "help" from Lady Cecelia's Temptation

I just got an email about a "Faculty Success Project." The administration wants to purchase a technology solution to make it easier to track our productive activity. The words "success" and "excellence" have been so overused that my knee-jerk reaction is always "bullshit." Especially true here.

#ScribesAndMakers Do you use spreadsheets to help in your process? If so, how do you use them, and what makes them better than other tools?

I use spreadsheets for timelines. I have a single timeline for all of my Revin's Heart and Lady Cecelia stories to keep events in order. I'm not sure it's the best tool for this purpose, but it's OK.

I also use spreadsheets in my writing business for tracking expenses, etc. It's good for that.

The @wss366 words are also maintained in a spreadsheet.

He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up and meet his eyes.
"Ah," he chortled. "Such #hate! Don't forget your goal!"
"Oh, this is impossible!" she snarled. "How do women suffer such indignities?"
"If you want to be able to pass as a servant, you must learn to control your temper!" (4/4) #wss366

He looked at her and grinned. "Hungry, aren't you?" He cut a piece of steak and held it out. "Are you hungry enough to say, 'please'?"
Her pride wouldn't let her say it and she stood silently seething.
He popped the steak in his own mouth, then reached out with his bloody fingers. (3/4)