[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.]

Holy shit, I’m exhausted.

Sunday last, we had the Annual Art Colony Barbecue, where we invite all the artists we know. First Sunday in August, mark your calendar and remind me to invite you if you wanna come next year.

30+ folks showed up, including a bunch of writers and at least 4 professional chefs in the mix. Lots of meat, plus folks brought sides of various types. (The reason you make friends with chefs.)

Everyone networked. Phone numbers and emails got exchanged. At least one person got possibly recruited into a new job. Success.

Saturday, we have to drive down to Fife to pick up tables and chairs, so we ate at the Poodle Dogs. As one does.

Monday, had to return everything first thing, so left the house at a little after 7 and got home a little after 7, twelve hours later. In between, dropped things off, then drove back to Enumclaw and had breakfast at Krain. Then gaming with the boyz from 10-1. Then sat in the library and did some writing. Then went over to the brewery because they have really excellent root beer on tap, where I wrote an essay in my black belt journey book (that will, obviously, be a while in the writing stages). Then dojo. Then home and collapse.

I am just now digging out of the last several days. I don’t even remember Friday.

Oh, and the new story went out to everyone (Saturday?) night. Step One in a new arc of SF fun. Currently writing 008 and 009 (two different POVs) that delve really deeply into what might end up being a massively enormous story. And one I have wanted to tell for a long time, but didn’t have the right frame for the characters.

Zach started out as a character in a Villains and Vigilantes game almost 40 years ago. (Superhero RPG we played in the wayback because a lot faster and cleaner than any of the others that existed then. The new version of V&V is 3.0, and they went stupid with the math so we don’t play it. Plus, both of the groups I’m in are Swords and Sorcery Murderhobos™ these days, so they don’t have an interest in any other genre.)

I’m having fun. That’s the point that matters. Hopefully, you will, too. And if you are reading this in a few weeks and want to upgrade your Patreon to $5 (or join at that level), I plan to append each section to the doc, so you can start at the beginning. First seven parts run 45k, so already a first novel worth, but not sure if I break it there, or run to some other natural point. Seven will be a part, at least. An emotional resting point before things rotate into more craziness.

Similarly, also writing the erotica the same way, having just completed the third story of book 2 yesterday at the library.

As noted, just catching up. Those of you in real time on Patreon, I will be at WorldCon next week with a pretty damned full schedule. And I got roped into the dealer room by a bunch of writers selling books to fans, so you might look for me there. Or reach out and arrange something. We’ll be staying in town all weekend and taking the Light Rail back and forth instead of driving, so I’ll be local enough. And flexible in the evenings, thought I might be a little bitey by Sunday.

Not much past that. See you next week.

shade and sweet water,

b

West of the Mountains, WA

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