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It's hilarious that the people who are so puzzled that no-one wants to have children are the same ones who turned the country into a fascistic dystopia. You want people to have children? It isn't hard! Stop hoarding wealth. Pay workers a fair wage. Start paying your taxes. Rebuild public infrastructure. Rebuild public education. Stop trying to create a dictatorship. OK. Maybe it's not so easy.

#PennedPossibilities What is the most significant smell in your WIP?

Cecelia detected an odor pervading the village. "Is that… What's that delicious smell of juniper?"
"Ah! Smell that, can you? From Lord Metterwin you know that Highlend has mines & exports precious metals & stones. But know you the other product we are famous for?"
"Um…" Cecelia wracked her brain. It seemed like she almost had something on the tip of her tongue.
"Gin," he said. "Kenderback gin is famous throughout Belleriand."

Not everyone is an aficionado of anime. #DogsOfMastodon

Eventually, after going through all of the rooms once, Cecelia considered the placement of the rooms and began to tap on the walls and pull on books in bookcases, wondering if there might be a secret door. This seemed like the sort of place that ought to have one. But while she was engaged in the enterprise, Lord Kenderback arrived. He cleared his throat and Cecelia spun around, surprised, then laughed.
"The only secret doors, I regret to report, are on the ground floor," he said.

#wss366

#WordWeavers SC POV: Who is your favorite person to be around?

"Bebe loves David! David takes care of Bebe and is always fun to play with. But Bebe loves Zaza too! Zaza is smart and gives Bebe orders. But Bebe loves Sssindy because when it's hot she can give Sssindy hugs to cool off. And Bebe loves Cap'n Tau most of all because he gives kisses. And Lulu makes Bebe Fun Meals with the replicator! And Mumu gives Bebe piggy-back rides! And Nene helps Bebe find things when she loses them! And Popo…"

#WritersCoffeeClub What's the best thing about being a writer?

I guess I would have to say that it's the adulation of all the young women. They just throw themselves at me! It's very gratifying, although occasionally it makes it difficult to go places. It's embarrassing sometimes when they try to tear off pieces of my clothing. But I'm just happy if I can bring a little joy into their humdrum lives. If this is what is required for being a writer, then it's a price I'm willing to pay.

#WritersCoffeeClub Do you feature real-world political and social issues in your work?

Few of my stories are set in our world & so I'm rarely presenting real-world anything. But many of my stories address analogous problems. *Revin's Heart* is set in a feudal environment. But, of course, are currently living in an increasingly feudal society. The rising fascism we face is driven by leaders who demand fealty and unquestioning loyalty. Revin's response to that question is what drives the story.

"What was he doing in a swamp?"
He looked at Cecelia. "Swamp?! He was found in a well."
Cecelia pointed at his pant legs that had small black burs stuck in them.
"These are burr marigold seeds," she said. "So he must have been in a swampy or marshy place recently."
"Eh?" said a burly man wearing a uniform. He pushed his way forward. "Your order, Milord?"
"Right. The gamekeeper's cottage. Take some men & check it out, Barker."
"Yes, Milord!" he bellowed. "Arch! Twist! Kemper! With me!"

#wss366

No cherry blossoms this morning… #sakura

#WordWeavers Is there writing advice you used to follow but changed your mind?

I never took any classes or got any training in writing, so I was unaware of things like "writing advice" until quite recently. I just try to write stuff that I would want to read.

I mean, which Joe Sixpack *hasn't* written a few $35,000 checks to pay off a mistress or two?

I am a Winterbelle. ❤️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNjnk-z3OPE #aespa #kpop

At the waystation, Cecelia got out of the carriage to walk around and stretch her legs. She watched Kasseh #drive the wagon in. She was tempted to go chat, but saw Julia on the box and knew she would be compelled to play the role of Mistress.
"Milady!" a voice called. She turned and a young man ran up. "Milord stopped only briefly to change horses but the lunch basket we had prepared is here. I will put it in the carriage."
"Just a moment," she said, struck by an idea. "Hand it to me!"

#wss366

#WritersCoffeeClub Do you keep a journal? Would you?

I never kept a journal when I was younger. But when I first started blogging, my blog was rather like a journal. My earliest entries are all about whatever was going on that day. Baring my soul, here is my entry from today, 21 years ago: http://revo.bierfaristo.com/phpwiki/StevenBrewer.2003-04-02.html

The Iraq war was going on but I was going about my everyday life: I gave a talk on wikis and went to a Chinese restaurant. But the war was never far from my thoughts.

My short story *Always a Destroyer* has been accepted for the *Romancing the Rainbow* anthology!

"Who are you?" she said, her guard up.
"Just a traveler, blown off course," I replied.
"You're a destroyer," she said.
"No longer. That time is through."
She inspected me skeptically. I thought I must look terrible: dirty, gaunt, emaciated, with my wings in tatters. Filled with shame, I choked back tears and made to turn away.
"You must be thirsty," she said. "And hungry. Come. Let us share a meal."

In minutes, they were back in the carriage and on the road. Cecelia observed Lord Kenderback and could see that he was agitated. He was so distracted he seemed almost in a #trance. He fidgeted and touched his lips with his fingers as though he wanted to bite his nails. 
"It pains me to see you so worried, Milord," Cecelia said. "Would you care to talk about it?"
"Yet to trouble you not, I would prefer, Milady."
"If you please, Milord," she said. "It would not trouble me."

#wss366 #microfiction

There is a point in all of my students' honors projects where "shit gets real" and they actually have to make stuff work. Seemingly, for many of them, that point has arrived this week. My "consultations" have become "consolations."

"A village there was here. Destroyed by an earthquake, it was, with many casualties."
"That's terrible!" Cecelia whispered.
"Inspecting the damage, my father was," he continued. "When an aftershock triggered an avalanche. There were no survivors."
Cecelia covered her mouth with her hand.
He got down on one knee and maintained a long moment of silence. She placed her hand on his arm as he rose.
"Like ice, your hands are!" he said. He removed his gloves and offered them to her. "Please!"

#wss366

#WritersCoffeeClub What's your favourite easter egg in your own work and/or another work of fiction?

I don't use Easter eggs very often in my writing which is, by and large, entirely my own. But I can think of one example: I adapted some unit dialog from StarCraft for things the Better Angels say while using their soldier or nursing modules, e.g. "Give Bebe something to shoot!" or "Bebe will take care of it!"

Seven years too late… https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-separate-teams-office-globally-amid-antitrust-scrutiny-2024-04-01/