Wheelless

Cemetery Dance is publishing my short story Overtoun Bridge as a chapbook that they will be giving away with certain purchases. The cover art is by Jill Bauman, and captures the sense of the story perfectly. She tells me she’ll have the original art at NECON.

I didn’t get any writing done this morning, but I did finish the first draft of the short story I’m working on. It came in at about 5400 words, which means I should be able to trim it back to 5000 by the time I finish editing. My first reader has it at the moment. There were a few times when I had to backtrack from the direction I was headed, either because it seemed like I had painted myself into a corner or the opposite—I had opened a door that was going to take far more plot than 5000 words could contain. I like the resolution that I came up with, but I’m still toying with the idea of tackling the story again sometime down the line with an eye to making it far longer.

I had to take my car to the body shop this morning to begin repairs from that scrape I received last week. A woman dragged her bumper from the back tire to the midpoint of the driver’s door. The estimate for repairs is about $2500 and I’ll be without my car for two weeks. Fortunately, the responsible party is accepting responsibility, and we can do without the car without any hardships. Still, I miss my car. I like my car.

The psychological profilers were asleep at the wheel this year when they were screening the contestants for Big Brother. Either that, or spending all that time in seclusion brings out the worst in people. Last night it was Natalie who showed the country that she’s a clingy, desperate soul by chasing “Mattie” around like a puppy dog. Matt’s strategy of buttering up each of the other contestants was pretty funny, and this may be the first “showmance” where two people are completely playing each other—or at least they claim to be—instead of one person taking advantage of the other. Sharon seems to be the most levelheaded person in the game at this point, and she was almost taken out of play the first week. It will be interesting to find out tonight what the creepy siren is going to do to the game. I also have to catch up on Jericho from last night. I hear it was a good one.

Today is publication day for The Long Road Home #1, the second Marvel series based on the Dark Tower.