Those are very good questions, questions that deserve answers.

Short answer: I’ve been busy.

Long answer: I’ve been busy with Real Life.

I mentioned a few months ago that my wife was going into the prison system.  Well, –

What’s that? What did she do?

She filled out the application, got an interview, and accepted the offer.

What, you thought she was going in as an inmate? If anyone in the family were going up the river, it would most likely be me. There is someone in a previous generation of my family named Chicken Thief Smith. (Really. I’m not kidding.)

We’re buying some property to keep the land in the family. I’m teaching for the summer to earn a little extra cash. (Very little, as it turns out, but every little bit helps.) Then it’s pack up and move.

Oh, and look for gainful employment so I’m not a burden on society.

In the meantime, most of my writing has been fiction or assignments for some online writing workshops I’ve been taking. Some of the workshops have novels as reading assignments, which we have to analyze for various things, depending on the topic of the workshops. I’m learning a lot, and I hope it shows in the writing.

I’ve got some things I need to publish, as well as a few stories to submit to markets. I’m hoping to have at least two collections and one novella up by the end of the summer. Part of that will involve how to do print books. I’ve gotten requests for some. (Waves at Will Oliver.)

In the meantime, I’m trying to pack (sooo many books, so few boxes), survive the heat (107 degrees yesterday), and look for a job. I’ll try to get a review or other post up from time to time.

Just so you know, I’m not dead and haven’t killed anyone whose body has been found yet. This blog isn’t dead, either, but it looks like it’s on life support. I’ll try to resuscitate it at least a little going forwards.