It is Labor Day Weekend, so I took yesterday off from blogging. I hope those of you who got to enjoy the long weekend had a good one. To those who had to work, my thanks for being there so the rest of us can relax and enjoy.
This weekend is the traditional end-of-summer weekend. Lots of activity at lakes, beaches, parks, and backyards. It’s a good one, if a bit on the hot side. But I suppose the chill will be in the air soon, so I plan to enjoy the sun, and even the heat, as I can.
I started doing a big clean-out of the garden yesteday. It needs it badly. I have been very neglectful of it this year. Bad gardener! And the harvest shows it. Because there is none. or not much of anything. Entirely my fault, and I plan to try to do better next year. And that starts with cleaning it up, getting the whole thing (finally!) covered with landscape fabric, and replacing the horrid plastic netting we used to deter critters from crawling through the fence with plastic temporary fencing. That should work better in a lot of ways. Although what I really need out there is a movable, temporary sun shade so I can work longer without risking melting!
Our Labor Day weekend was quiet. Stayed home, relaxed, I got some reading done. We had grilled steak on Saturday, smoked, pulled brisket on Sunday, and today will be steak tips from Mr. Steer. Those are the best steak tips anywhere! Oh, and a few tasty beverages make their way into a holiday weekend, of course!
On the writing side, I started a prequel sort of story for the space opera I want to write for this year’s NaNoWriMo. It was supposed to be shorter, but, um, well, now I am not so sure. Oh, well, it will be what it will be, I suppose. Wanna know the premise? Oh, thanks for asking!
Deuce’s Wild
We all have to start somewhere. For Deuce LaForse, that somewhere was Starforce Academy. Enrolled under her real name, Medusa Grainger, she was smart, maybe a bit too fearless, and determined to show the Universe (in this case, her general-rank father) that she has what it takes. She bursts into her class as the best- and most hated. Medusa doesn’t really care what anyone thinks. Until her roommate and only friend is murdered, a two of spades tucked into her pocket. Everyone knows Medusa’s favorite game is poker, and she becomes the prime suspect. Tossed out of the academy by her own father, and with a determined detective on her trail, she hacks her father’s account and buys herself a ship, which she christens the “Deuce’s Wild. Armed with a fast ship, faster wits, and an AI with a decidedly shady side, Deuce sets out to prove her innocence. And she doesn’t care who she has to run over to do it.
Now, all I have to do is write a story that lives up to that! So far, it’s coming along nicely, and has been kind of fun to write. I’m not planning on a heavy, deep sci-fi thing here. This is going to be pure space opera- fast starships, pew-pew lasers, fisticuffs, and perhaps a sprinkling of snark. Hmm, maybe I should have saved this for November.
One thing I do not like about this time of year is the lack of TV to watch. Yeah, I know- why watch at all? Well, that’s my downtime in the evening. Watch a few shows that interest me, and let the brain and body relax. But now, all the summer series have had their season finales, and the fall shows seem to start later and later every year. I mean, yeah, there are the cooking shows we watch, but those are normally used as filler. “Hm, {Show} just started recording. Oh, let’s watch a Cutthroat Kitchen to let it get ahead a little.” Or- “Oh, {Show} is over, but I still have beer left! We can watch a Beat Bobby Flay.” That sort of thing. Thank heaven football is starting again.
I hope you all enjoyed your weekend, whatever it held in store!
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Available now:
After five years away, Kaili is coming home for the ceremony to install her sister as head of the family business. When an old rivalry threatens the family, Kaili and her partner need to use all their skills to save the sisters’ lives. Learn more here.
A collection of six short fantasy stories set in varied worlds of magic and mayhem. Learn more here.
A short novelette set in a dystopian Earth after the final envinronmental collapse. Sam is a genetically engineered chameleon who may hold the key to mankind’s survival. Learn more here.
And So On... 