June, you were hardly here before you were gone. Although I did get my father’s day card off in time this year, so at least I’ve got that going for me. You’re welcome, dad! And my sons took me out to breakfast and gave me a gift bag of some favorite goodies (I forgot how much I enjoy Swedish Fish). You know, when they get to be adults, they really are cooler and more thoughtful.
New media in June included the last season of Jessica Jones (you can see my review here); the series Eureka, which we missed the first time around and are finding mildly enjoyable; and the Netflix series, Easy, which we are catching up on. Easy has by far some of the most natural sounding dialogue I’ve heard in a show, though it relies a bit too much on the “talking over each other” concept. I have a theory that the show isn’t entirely scripted and actors are being left to adlib some of their lines. If so, they’re doing a great job.
On to the monthly update. . .
Writing Conferences/Workshops/Classes/Professional Activities:
The June meeting of the Frederick chapter of the MWA focused on websites for authors and was more of a show & tell sort of experience. We also held our elections for the upcoming year. Kari Martindale is our new President (former Vice President), Linda Rondeau steps in as our new Vice President, and Nora Azzi will be our new Secretary. Congrats to everyone! I’ll also be continuing on as chapter Treasurer.
There were no other official events attended. I did get my Worldcon draft program schedule, and it looks like I’m currently slated to be on two panels, both on the final day. The first is called Shoot for the Moon: Lunar Depictions in Sci Fi. It should be an interesting discussion about the moon, particularly its treatment in the science fiction of other cultures (something I’m trying to bring myself up to speed on). Ian McDonald will also be on that panel, so its a real honor to be able to discuss the topic with him. But it’s the second panel I’m most excited about. Holy Forking Shirtballs: The Good Place Panel. Should be a blast! If you’re coming to Worldcon, I hope to see you at my panels. This will be my first time serving as a panel member at a con, and I’m stoked.
Finished:
One short story titled His Stainless Steel Heart, complete at approximately 6700 words. It’s gone into the revisions folder for more work, but I think it’s got a beating heart in a cyberpunk, gonzo writing sort of way.
Ultimately I decided to end further efforts on Blue Skies. It felt like I’d begun adding things merely to lengthen it to novel size, not because they added to the story. I trimmed some of the excess fat that wasn’t needed. It’s currently a long-novella or very short novel, coming in at around 45,000 words. A hard length to sell.
WIP:
Began work on another new short near the end of the month about a woman suffering from a curse. No matter where she goes, if music is playing, everyone around her begins to dance. I still need to return to the WWI novel sooner rather than later.
Outstanding:
10 stories outstanding as of June 30th. Longest lead time is 226 days. That one was for a webzine that had gone very quiet the last six months, but they’ve recently started responding to submissions again, so I’m going to let it ride for a while and see what happens.
Submissions:
6 submissions made.
Rejections:
8 rejections received. A couple of those stories went into the revision folder so I can revisit them and try to improve them.
Acceptances:
No acceptances. Still waiting to hear about the story on hold.
Goals for July:
Finish current short story. Take a pause to revisit the WWI novel world building. Try and flesh that out more. Get ready for Worldcon in August and our trip to Ireland.