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<p><a href="https://wandering.shop/tags

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Tue, 02/27/2024 - 15:21

Have you written poetry?

I've published several chapbooks of haiku (in Esperanto with English translation). I've also written a bit of doggerel in the meter that Emily Dickinson used: https://blog.bierfaristo.com/topics/emily

<p>The new UMass Amherst Computer

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Tue, 02/27/2024 - 11:44

The new UMass Amherst Computer Science building is starting to take shape. I wonder if it will be a modern monument to brutalism, like so many buildings on campus. (Brutalism just refers to the use of raw concrete.)

<p>Actually got out early enough this

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Tue, 02/27/2024 - 11:41

Actually got out early enough this year to see the Winter Aconite in full bloom. Normally it's all done by the time I get there.

<p>Headline: Royal Caribbean fixes the

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Tue, 02/27/2024 - 10:04

Headline: Royal Caribbean fixes the worst part of cruising.

What? What is it? Tell me! Tell me! Is it noroviruses? Shigella? What? What?

<p>Rory screamed as he desperately

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Tue, 02/27/2024 - 07:11

Rory screamed as he desperately retuned his shield again just before another fireball splashed across it.
Tseluna followed with a hailstorm of rocks, some of which gave him painful bruises until he retuned again. The ground rose up, breaking his concentration, & threw him off his feet. But Tseluna was suddenly there & caught him. She held him, as he panted, trembling with exhaustion.
"Good boy! You did well with today."
He closed his eyes & basked in her praise.

<p>I laid very still. I&#39;d heard a

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Mon, 02/26/2024 - 10:46

I laid very still. I'd heard a zip & the report of a high-powered sniper rifle. I threw myself down on the grass & didn't move.
I had a terrible itch. I didn't move.
Bugs crawled on me. I didn't move.
A laser dot played on the ground near my head. I didn't move.
A shadow fell over me, then a sound of wings. A vulture landed & ran a few steps. It stopped & inspected me. A slug blasted through it, slapping the ground. It fell and began to twitch, followed by the distant report.
I waited.

<p>When you honestly tell someone the

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Mon, 02/26/2024 - 04:54

When you honestly tell someone the most desperate desire of your heart and they accuse you of mocking them because they think your idea is stupid…

<p>&quot;I will leave the last problem

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Sun, 02/25/2024 - 10:47

"I will leave the last problem as an ," the professor said.
Willow packed up her books and went to the library. After hours of fruitless struggle, she went into the stacks. Eventually, in a dusty tome, she found the exact problem and a truly clever solution.
The next morning, the prof asked who had solved the problem. She alone raised her hand and then told the answer.
"And how did you reach that solution?" he asked.
"Oh, it just seemed intuitively obvious to me," she replied.

<p>Life is too short for grudges: I

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Sun, 02/25/2024 - 04:37

Life is too short for grudges: I wish I could nurse them forever.

<p>&quot;What&#39;s that smell?&quot;

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Sat, 02/24/2024 - 10:58

"What's that smell?" asked Ruhrow.
"It's my newest !" Booboo said, gesturing at the stove.
The Butter Angels looked skeptically at the pot. With a flourish Booboo drew off the lid.
"Ew!" exclaimed Mewmew.
The contents of the pot were dark purple.
"Here! Try some!" Booboo said, ladling it out.
"No, thanks! Uh-uh. No way!" they said. All except for Zsazsa.
Booboo watched hopefully as she blew on a spoonful and took a taste.
"How is it? Is it good?"
"Well… Better than last time…"

<p><a href="https://wandering.shop/tags

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Sat, 02/24/2024 - 08:14

What's your "kryptonite" as a writer?

Other people. I want pure and constant adulation for my writing and other people consistently fail to provide it.

<p><a href="https://wandering.shop/tags

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Sat, 02/24/2024 - 07:47

If your love interest was a writer, what sort of books would they write?

As I mounted the stairs of the tower, I could hear the aetheric crackling. From a gap in the door, flickering shadows cast demonic shapes on the walls & ceiling as she channeled the energies.
"Time for bed, dear," I called.
"Just let me finish this page of the grimoire, my love," she replied. "You know I can't leave this incantation only half complete!"
I sighed. It would be hours until she was ready for bed.

<p>My publisher: Oh. KDP also doesn&

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Fri, 02/23/2024 - 19:23

My publisher: Oh. KDP also doesn't support preorders for printed books, but Ingram allows us to do that.

Me: It's like we're talking to the Mayor of Crazy Town!

<p>Me: Why are there two different

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Fri, 02/23/2024 - 19:07

Me: Why are there two different kinds of paperbacks of Revin's Heart?

My publisher: One is published via KDP (less expensive for us and we make more in royalties) and the other through Ingram Spark for wider distribution.

Me: Ah. I get it: We live in crazy-town.

My publisher: Exactly.

<p>The ol&#39; Sprackler picked me up a

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Fri, 02/23/2024 - 15:45

The ol' Sprackler picked me up a 4-pack of a new Treehouse Triple IPA: The Prodigal Haze Part II. It's 9% ABV packs a nice punch, but the flavor is unusually bright and juicy with a stronger yeasty flavor than the Treehouse beers typically have. I like it.

<p><a href="https://wandering.shop/tags

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Fri, 02/23/2024 - 09:15

Do you format your own work?

I self-published several books of Esperanto haiku with English translation where I did everything (except editing). I used Free Software: Inkscape and Gnu/IMP for the artwork & graphics and Scribus for the page layout. You can see one of the books for free via Google Books: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Po%C5%9Dtmarkoj_el_Esperantujo/V51TBEhTHVYC

Now I'm working with Water Dragon Publishing that has been an excellent partner: They contract with artists for the cover art & do all the formatting.

<p><a href="https://wandering.shop/tags

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Fri, 02/23/2024 - 09:10

What was the first story you ever wrote?

The first story I remember writing was when I was in middle school or high school. It was an extremely tedious account of a dungeon adventure. I'm pretty glad it's not still around.

<p>&quot;You leave tomorrow,&quot;

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Fri, 02/23/2024 - 09:02

"You leave tomorrow," Tseluna said. "Your father is getting your tickets today."
"Do I really need a ticket?"
"Well, no," she said. "But if we revealed you didn't need one, it might shed light on the deception we are practicing."
"And we couldn't have that," Rory said.
"No, we couldn't," Tseluna agreed with a laugh. "And anyone who revealed that would probably need to be severely punished."
"I'll make sure I get my ticket," Rory said, carefully.

(from *A Familiar Problem*)

<p>Alabama has proposed a unique

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Thu, 02/22/2024 - 23:15

Alabama has proposed a unique judicial solution to the question, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

<p>Happy nyan nyan nyan day, to all who

@stevendbrewer@wandering.shop - Thu, 02/22/2024 - 16:38

Happy nyan nyan nyan day, to all who celebrate!

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