[As usual, three weeks lag here, if you aren’t reading this on my Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/blazeward). If you’d like your news fresher, and the monthly Anti-Stodgy/Redneck Chef newsletter, all I ask is a buck to help keep the lights on around here.]

Monday.

Lost power last Tuesday at 430pm. Just about the time I was close to recovering from the week in Vegas. Never got that cold around here, so wasn’t as bad as last time. Mostly 40-50F.

Power didn’t come back until Saturday at 5pm. 5 days without the well, because finding an electrician out here who could wire a battery pack and generator switch is apparently a fool’s errand. If I had that, I have a well and toilets.

I did almost pee on a squirrel at one point, walking out to the blackberry bramble. He was hunkered down, then took off when he realized that wasn’t rain.

Another Sunday recovering. Figure I’m about 2.5 weeks of utter chaos at this point. Emotionally exhausted and snapped hard at a couple of folks this morning that had already had enough warnings about being dickheads.

My world is better off without them in it. Done with -isms from assholes, and have expanded my definition. Will be spring cleaning my life. It will be joyous.

And rude.

But buttercup, you’ve been warned.

Finished Red Branch #4 yesterday. The Free City. Set in Trieste in 1950, when it had the potential to turn into something like Monaco. Didn’t, but that was later. And Stalin screwed up there, IMO. Could had materially damaged Yugoslavia at a time when they were pissy at one another.

Anyway.

Started Corsac Fox #7 this morning. That will end Block One, but I probably have 30 novels about Uly and Dan before I finish. And, mind you, I know how the last two novels go, having planned them at the same time I planned Book One.

What I don’t know is how many novels are in between. And how many spin-offs, because I have such a rich and engaging universe here to play in, and a lot of characters who will never get to necessarily shake the pillars of heaven, but are the heroes of their own stories.

Once I finish Block One, there will be time and space to go a little sideways. Maybe some Isann explorations. Or Samuur games. Or Ononguli cattle drives.

Whatever works.

And, with the power out for five days, I ended up with about 20 pages of notes for two other series. Scattered Tribes is one some of you have read. I now have a plot and points for Books 2+.

Additionally, I started a novel in the spring, but had to put it aside when things went to shit. Partly, I kept trying to pull back from crazy big, and that was where the story wants to go, so I have notes on dark gods and pantheonic wars to explore.

Space OPERA.

There will be a dull zone next year, then shit will get crazy, because I also have notes on a new Marrakesh trilogy that will be the start of a Season Two from book six forward.

Now I just gotta find the time to write it all.

Back to the word mines.

shade and sweet water,

b

West of the Mountains, WA

—————————-

Thank you so much for being my patron and for funding these essays!

If you’re reading the free version (which is published three weeks after the Patreon version), please consider joining the ones who do pay at https://www.patreon.com/blazeward. It’s only a buck and helps keeps the lights on around here.