While the dog days of summer may not have officially started, as far as I’m concerned they’ve been here since the second week of May.  That was when we started hitting triple digit temperatures on a fairly consistent basis.

The temperatures may be one reason I really haven’t felt like writing anything.  Or even reading.  The heat can be pretty draining.  Or maybe I’m just getting old.  There have been one or two reviews, a report on Howard Days, and a tribute to Harlan Ellison.  I’ve hardly done any fiction writing, even though I’ve had more time than I did in the spring.

OTOH, my time hasn’t been nearly as structured as when classes are in session.  I’ve done a lot of traveling:  Austin for the State Solo and Ensemble Competition, Howard Days, a week in Dallas for my son’s trumpet camp (those tweets about the BDSM convention showing up at the hotel we were in weren’t jokes, in spite of the humorous wording), and I just got back from a weekend in Cloudcroft, NM.

Classes start Tuesday, so I’ll be back into a routine, like it or not.  (That would be not, but I need the money.)  So I’m hoping I’ll be more productive by the end of the week.  At least you know I’m not dead yet.

No, I’m not referring to the song.  Just an update on what you can expect to see here at the ol’ blog.

First, I had attempted to read the nominees for the David Gemmell Morningstar Award.  This goes to best first fantasy novel. I’ve read two (reviewed here and here).  I’m almost finished with Kings of the Wyld.  I’ll review it.  I decided a few days ago that it would be insane to try and push myself to finish the remaining two.  I have copies and will read/review them at some point in the future.  Right now I want to focus on shorter fiction as well as getting back to reading more Jack Williamson.

I also want to read some Robert E. Howard.  Howard Days starts in less than a week.  I’m really looking forward to it, even though I think there have been more triple digit temperature days in the last few weeks than not.

I’m not teaching Summer I, so I should have a more flexible schedule.  That means I can get some writing done.  That’s all I’ll say about that for now.

What are the rest of you up this summer.

So tonight I was fiddling around with Scrivener trying to figure out how to get it to automatically do a couple of formatting things.  I’d had to do them manually before, but I’ve got some stories I want to submit over the next few days. I wanted to know what I was misunderstanding.

I solved the problems I was trying to figure out, but then I noticed something odd.  The word count on Scrivener was 18.1k.  When I compiled it into an RTF docuement, it was 12.8k.  That’s a pretty big difference. I compared the words in the opening section, and the RTF count was two words less than the Scrivener count.

Anyone have any idea what’s going on here? I’m inclined to trust the Scrivener count because when each section’s word count when tallied adds up to the total.  And the words in each section are only the words of the story.

I want to send this out, but not with such a discrepancy in the word counts.

First, Happy New Year, everyone.

Second, I’m not doing a best of the year post this year.  I simply didn’t read enough new books to have a clue what the best material was.

I am going to give a recap of my year and lay out some goals for 2018. Continue reading →

In addition to the book signing on Saturday, there was some other excitement in our world.  My son is in the band, and the Area marching competition was Saturday in Odessa.  It was successful.  For the first time in decades, the band from his high school is going to be competing in the state competition.  It’s just after the World Fantasy Convention, and like the WFC, it’s also in San Antonio.

Because Texas has so many high schools, only half of them are eligible to compete at the state level in any given year.  I don’t understand all the details, but it’s based on the size of the school.  From what I understand (and I may be wrong), 1A, 3A, and 5A compete one year and 2A, 4A, and 6A the next year.  Or something like that.  All I know is  that he only gets two chances to go to state while he’s in high school.

Needless to say, my wife and I will be attending.  Yes, I’m going to come home from San Antonio and return two days later.  Because I need to get a lot of work done in advance of both trips rather than one, I’m going into radio silence on the blog for a bit.  The Halloween reviews will resume in November.  I might post a short item or two while I’m at WFC.  If I don’t, then the after convention report will be delayed by about a week.

Photo: Dallas Bell

So yesterday I headed to Canyon, TX, for a signing at Burrowing Owl Books.  I’d like to thank the proprietor, Dallas Bell, for hosting the event.  I had a great time.  Burrowing Owl Books is a welcoming, cozy place.  I wish it weren’t so far away; it’s the sort of place I would hang out in on a regular basis.  They have a great selection of new and used books; I intend to return when I can spend more time.  The selection of regional books looks especially interesting.

The signing was for Road Kill Volume 2.  Summer Baker was the other author in attendance.  That’s her on the left in the picture below.  The crusty looking guy next to her is me, in case you were wondering.

Summer Baker (l.) and Your Intrepid Blogger (r.) Photo: Dallas Bell

We were sitting at a table just inside the door.  There had been a hard freeze the night before, but the afternoon had warmed up nicely and the door to the shop was open.  Business was brisk, and the first hour flew by.  While we didn’t sell out, most of the books were gone by the time we were done.  Summer and I signed a some stock for the store.  I don’t know if Burrowing Owl does mail order, but you can contact them and ask.

Summer and I had not met before.  We had a chance to chat a bit during the second hour when things slowed down some.  I found her to be a charming and interesting young lady who is very serious about her writing.  She’s a member of a rather large writer’s group.  If I understood her correctly, this was her first professional sale.  I don’t expect it will be her last.

Everyone seemed pleased with the signing and thought it was a success.  I’d like to thank Dallas again for hosting us.  I had a wonderful time.  If you’re in the area, do stop in.  Burrowing Owl Books is on the square in Canyon.  The square is a groovy place with a great coffee shop (I stopped by before driving home) and a tavern (if I hadn’t been driving) along with some shops I’m sure my wife will want to visit.

I’ve got several reviews I’m been intending to write, but this week hasn’t been that week.  I hope to have some up by the end of the weekend.

Monday we got word that one of our graduate students who had left the country to present an invited paper at a conference had been denied readmission.  Our TA assignments were already stretched to the breaking point, and now we have to fill another hole in the schedule.  Then Monday evening a student with an illegally obtained handgun fatally shot a university police officer when he was picked up on a drug related incident.  To top the day off, an acquaintance was killed in a collision that night, leaving a young wife and children.

Tuesday there was a fire in one of the dorms, and yesterday a student with no history of health issues had a major seizure in class.

Not the best week for blogging.  By the time I’ve been able to sit down and write anything, I’ve been to brain dead and fried to put words together.  Hopefully next week will be quieter.