Everything's on fire but I have an Uncanny story. And cats! :D
Hello, friends!
In this edition of Samtastic News, we have: a new story! an update from the land of fire and brimstone (aka the western US)! and cats!
NEW STORY! 🚀
If you somehow missed me pterodactyl screeching my way from one end of the internet to the other, I have a story out in the latest issue of Uncanny Magazine! “Anchorage” is about a messy space family stopping to visit a drifting library and the anchoress walled up within it, told by a very unconventional narrator. It is a bit of a departure from my mini epic fantasies and I had a ton of fun with language and the point-of-view character. I’m thrilled it found such a good home!
DISPATCHES FROM MORDOR 🔥
So I glanced out the window last weekend and saw this:
The sky has not been blue again since. We are under a constant haze, though the smoke has been blowing away from us the entire time, so the actual air quality around our house hasn’t tanked. And you know it’s been a weird year when the countryside around you catches fire, and you think, “Well at least ours was caused by a tractor and not a gender reveal party.”
It’s been a weird year, is what I’m saying! I have reached a state of stress plateau in which I am now taking everything in stride like it’s no big deal. I packed everyone in the house some clothes, toiletries, vital records, and irreplaceable keepsakes, just in case. Then I settled down to watch MST3K with my husband so we could have a few laughs while waiting for an evacuation order that (thank goodness!!!) never came. We are good, we are fine. I have nearly let my guard down enough to unpack our stuff.
And hey, I got this sweet bloody moon photo out of it!
Cats cats cats cats CATS CATS CATS 😻
The babies have completely settled in! They have even won over the crankiest holdout, our 20 pound, 11-year-old tabby cat Professor Stormfury.
I just… LOVE THEM ALL!!
Next time on Samtastic News:
I haven’t gotten a lot of new writing done amidst the… *waves hand at everything.* But I’ve been reading a lot, and will put together a big set of reading recommendations soon. Some have gone up on Twitter under the hashtag #samtasticreads, but I’ll gather up some highlights on the blog as well.
Till then! <3