Tuesday, November 1, 2016


Sorry, folks. We're running a bit late here, this month. Here we go, though:

Things are going swimmingly here in the middle of nowhere. Fall is arriving slowly, which means we alternate days of regular human weather with days of hurricane force winds. I've finally found "lightweight" jackets that fit-ish, so it's not as bad as it has been in the past.
Still, there are a few days where we start out with the heater on and then eventually have to turn on the A/C at night. It's not exactly a circle of hell, but...  I'm trying to remember that any day without snowfall is better than any day with.
This city just isn't a good fit for me. I'm doing my best, and trying to remain thankful to even have a job and a place to live in the world as it currently exists, but... *sigh* Gratitude is a great idea in theory, but I find I'm not exactly wired that way. Still...trying...
Author copies of Narcissus came in. It's nice to get those off to people.

Of course, things can't go completely smoothly--there's been some sort of goof up between the cataloging company and Amazon. The result is that, though Amazon recognizes that I have 3 books, and that those books are selling, Nielsen Bookscan doesn't seem to have any information on the Narcissus. I don't track book sales because of any fear that Rebel is engaging in shady practices. Far from it. But I do like to know my sales figures. I know..."a true artist wouldn't care" says the peanut gallery from the 18th century.
I hope people who won contests and got copies will post some reviews soon, too. I'd like to know what people think of it. 
At the same time, I was sent a TV diary by the Nielsen company. I don't rate enough to get a box, but they are at least somewhat interested in finding out what TV I watch for their figures. I wonder what they'll make of my insomnia. "Why on earth did this guy turn the TV off from like eleven until three-thirty am, but then suddenly turn it back on?" Good luck interpreting that data *grin*
The new guitar, Sister Augustine, went off to the repair shop. I bought it online used as a project guitar. I thought I had it up and running fairly well until I went to change the strings and discovered there was even more wrong with it that the website (which shall remain nameless, but rhymes with music-toe-sound) was not as honest as they could have been about the condition of the guitar. They told me it had problems, just left out a lot of them to get me to buy it. Still, two weeks with the guys over at the shop and it plays beautifully. The guy who worked on it even said that, once he'd repaired the issues and gotten it set up professionally, it played "slicker than snot." I'm glad to have it home and working.
Currently reading Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff's YA SF novel, Gemina

The first novel, 2015's Illuminae was utterly fantastic, using elements of high postmodernism in textual features to create an immersive experience (the entire book is made to seem like a collection of files bound together as a final report on an incident). Gemina is the same. Though I dabble with elements of high postmodernism, structurally (especially in Narcissus), I'm not brave enough to go where they go and abandon the narrative prose connective tissue altogether. It's a ballsy experiment that I've compared with Mark Danielewski's House of Leaves. So far, Gemina does not disappoint. Full review will be up on Goodreads as soon as I finish reading it.
So, as always, from the middle of nowhere, we bid you peace and long life.
With the election just a week away, we're all going to need it.

1 comment:

Normandy said...

I just want to say that you help. This state and city are not kind to those of us that are considered "other" however, you make it better. Showing those of us under your influence that it isn't hopeless and that the world is changing, if slowly. So thank you, Warren, from the bottom of my heart. You saved me, and I need you to know. I was dancing on the brink and now I have a plan and a life I want to live. So thank you, from a small kid in a big universe.
- Normandy