1/30/08

Well, folks, it’s here! And it’s beeeyoootiful! The cover is very shiny, nice high gloss. The cover art is crisp and clear. Inside typefont, nice and readable. And a bonus–at the end, there’s short bios of all the authors! I didn’t know that would be included.

I’ll let you know how the stories turn out. Of course.

1/28/08

It’s been about 2 weeks since I planted and most of the snap peas and snow peas are up! I had to replant a couple of “missing” plants, but most have unfurled their first leaves. By the end of the week, they’ll be climbing the trellis!

The green onions are doing quite well also, peeking up and looking rather wispy.

I put the cantaloupe, zucchini and cucumber seeds in the ground yesterday. Yes, I’m probably three weeks early, but if they come up and freeze, well, I’ll just try again.

I found some new sort of maggoty looking worm thing–orange to brown in color–that I spent a lot of time digging up and killing. No idea what it is, but it definitely looked unsavory and likely to eat the roots of my plants.

Jalepeno seeds will probably go in sometime this week. I may just buy the plants because they really should be started indoors. There just wasn’t room on the windowsill what with the 11 tomato plants that are growing there…

1/25/08

My anthology–a mere 3 days after ordering–has shipped! It should be here in a week or so (media mail.)

Clues, Haunts and Mystical Madness

The cover art is by Caroline Yoachim.

I included my own story, “Haunting Clues,” of course, but notice that I also found a story by Jim Hines. I spent a lot of time trying to make sure I didn’t end up with any horror–and that I did end up with lots of humor. The book does have some “straight” or mundane mysteries–like the story written by Abraham Lincoln! Yes, that Lincoln. I also think I found some excellent fantasy adventure stories.

There’s a story by David de Beer–I’ve seen him around the web and always wondered what he wrote. Now I get the chance to see. As I asked around about authors, I received some good feedback on Martha Wells and Melissa Mead so I included those also. Of course I picked up one of Nancy Fulda’s stories–she’s one of Baen’s magazine’s slush readers–and the fantastic lady putting this anthology builder page all together.

All in all, the anthology is coming together. I’ve included “Clues, Haunts and Mystical Madness” in the public anthologybuilder library. This means that anyone can order the exact anthology that I have built (or they can start with it and customize it.) I will also be able to order another copy if I want to give it as a gift.

I’ll post a review of it after I read all the stories!

My most recent short story has just been published over at www.CoyoteWildMag.com: Around the Bend

In this story, look carefully into the shadows, but beware what lurks there.

Psst: It’s a free read–enjoy!

Time to plant beans in Texas! It’s going to be a warm week, which will heat the soil enough for the seeds to germinate. Any type of bean can go in now–soy, snap peas, snow peas or green beans. I soak my seeds and put them directly into the soil Most beans don’t like to be transplanted. Look over at the gardening menu on the left if you are looking for more information about pests or mildew.

I also finished putting in my lillies and dalhias. It’s the first year I’ve tried these. It might be early for the dalhias, but any freezes that we have coming aren’t likely to be more than a few hours during a night, and I mulched over the bulbs pretty heavily.

The daffodils are coming up and I’m just starting to see the hyacinths peeking through the soil. I just love the signs of spring! I can’t wait for the smell of those flowers. They are my favorite!

Of course, with spring comes some additional work. I also had to trim back bushes, including the crepe myrtles. I haven’t tackled the oleander yet. That thing looks like some sort of monster out of a movie. I’m afraid to walk by it. If it grabs me, I could disappear inside that bush forever!