Happy September, all! As is generally the case, I’m in no mood for a graceful opening segue, so I’ll just cut to the chase: It occurred to me a little while ago that while I may have mentioned it in passing, I haven’t actually given out much information about my next book, and that would be as good a way as any to pad out this blog between now and its eventual release.
So, let’s start with the name: It’s going to be called Love&Darkness (stylized as one word), and it’s another short story collection. The name alludes to the fact that, while there are still the lighthearted and “Twilight Zone-y” tales you saw in Distortions, a disproportionate amount will concern courtship, romance, and the brokenhearted. Additionally, though there’ll be at least as many “actual” stories as in its successor, about half of the book will be composed of poetry, with both elements deliberately arranged in thematic patterns. Right now, it’s about half-finished—I won’t say exactly how many pieces will be in it, because even though I have a precise number in mind, it might fluctuate later. I’ll say this, though: It’ll be at least twice as long as Distortions, and include reprints of all the stories posted on this site, plus most of the poems. A few weeks ago, I finished my most recent story “Were” (as in “werewolf”), and I’m currently at work on the next one, “Hi!”
Unfortunately, my attempt to quicken my writing schedule by establishing goals has had little to no effect, as I’ve thrice missed a self-imposed deadline. But since I’m a firm believer that if you don’t have a good reason to procrastinate, you might as well thoroughly explain your bad one, I’ll tell you a couple of the factors behind why I’m dragging my feet this time:
- I bought a used copy of Uncharted at PAX, and since my PS3’s (basically new) hard drive got corrupted again a few days ago, I feel a fair sense of urgency to complete it. However, things aren’t going too well so far, as it’s proven to be considerably more difficult than the sequel (or at least more repetitive) which does it no favors as a “cinematic” game. In fact, scratch the niceties—it’s demonstrably worse just for the insane difficulty of what I assume/hope is the final level, so the distraction it presents probably won’t go away, so much as be replaced by me (re)playing Fallout 3.
- While the mysterious nausea I so grieved about in a previous post has been considerably quelled by regular medication (although I still feel a more pronounced hunger during the night and morning than I remember from the first nineteen years of my life), a new foe has approached: Perpetual headaches! For the last week or two, I’ve been battling a pain that is irritating at best and a facsimile of Harry Potter eating ice cream too fast when he runs into Voldemort at worst. Since it sticks mostly to the area square above and around the nose, severe upper nasal congestion is the likeliest candidate, although allergies and summer-related dehydration are potential constituents as well. My paranoia about physical health being what it is, the doctor’s appointment I partook of the other day did little to ease my mind, although I’m taking his advice and popping some generic allergy meds for another seven days to see what happens. I guess my point is, it’s hard to sit and think in front of a glowing screen when it feels like little elves are hitting your sinus cavity with toffee hammers.
- The internet. Always the internet. If my primary residence wasn’t in the middle of the woods, where the bills for hooking up a satellite connection might as well have an “infinity” symbol on them, I probably wouldn’t even be able to type my own name without alternating between Facebook and Wikipedia every twenty seconds.
…And that’s all I’ve got to say for now, really. I Photoshopped together an idea I have for the cover, which I’ll give to Mr. Duquette in the near future so he can work his magic with a canvas and/computer. I’ll be moving up to Seatttle in about a month for my first quarter at University of Washington—it certainly won’t get any easier to write up there, but I won’t rest until you can read Love&Darkness as it stands in my mind right now!
Notes&Sketches 