An update on everything.
An update on everything.

My continuing bottomless thanks to YOU, my friends. I am catching up with work, but everything is still a kind of mostly peaceful haze, post-exhaustion, that's taking longer than I thought to dissipate. The haze is punctuated with old habitual pangs of stress, and I know -- with the rational part of my mind -- that things are turning out okay, but even with each loving bit of help from each one of you it sometimes takes me a while to remember I am not alone as I have been for the greater part of my life, in this.

I am constantly reminded now, gently, that I swim in a great common sea.

THANK YOU.

And thank you to the wonderful writer and artist KJ Bishop, author of the marvelous literary fantasy The Etched City, who has offered to write and illustrate a story as a generous donation, and to every one who has volunteered and reached out. And Rose and Deirdre, what can ever express how much you have lovingly done for me? Nothing I can say or do is enough.

My sewer has been fixed. It took the plumbers a total of four days to insert two huge chunks of main line (and several connecting shorter chunks) -- two days to do the part that is inside the property, and two days to dig up the alley and then repair the asphalt. We can now flush and use appliances and pour water down the drain without the nagging fear that has been a part of the background of our lives for months. This relief, also, is like a bit of gentle haze -- it does not sink in completely just yet, but like fine mist, fills the air and begins to caress the surfaces of the mind.

WOW.

I mailed the one-month mortgage payment. There is still no word from the mortgage loan restructuring people, so I will be calling them on Monday, but since it’s the holidays I am guessing things are taking longer. At least you have all given me leverage.

I've been so tired and overwhelmed and so behind in any kind of posting, that here are some brief updates on various things.

First, some great news on A Field Guide to Surreal Botany, the quirky fabulous anthology from the good folks at Two Cranes Press (in which I have a surreal plant entry) -- here is a fun book trailer (appropriately surreal and artsy), and this week there was a positive review in Science magazine which happened to point out my plant (Twilight Luon-Sibir) as on of their favorites. In addition there was a KGB reading in NYC today, with many contributing authors present at the gathering -- wish I could've been there…

charlesatan Charles A. Tan reviewed my novel Lords of Rainbow over at the Bibliophile Stalker. Thanks, Charles! :-)

Norilana books author Eugie Foster has received truly impressive author blurbs from Ursula K. Le Guin and Patricia A. McKillip for her upcoming collection Returning My Sister's Face And Other Far Eastern Tales of Whimsy and Malice. I am still reeling!

The upcoming anthology Lace and Blade 2 edited by Deborah J. Ross just got a great review from Publishers Weekly.

And now I must get back to catching up with all the Norilana Books work that got delayed for the several painful weeks of this personal mess. There are several new books due right about now before the end of December, including a new Sherwood Smith sartorias title. More soon -- meanwhile...

May your Solstice be filled with light and blessings of the season, and may your holidays burn with joy!