Yesterday haiku #18 was published on the Web site. It's quite sacreligious. Yay! But don't worry, 'cause it's the middle of a trilogy. Of sorts. I am still going nuts about July's short story. Now I think it may be "The Red Water," because I sort of reworked it in my mind to where it would actually hold the interest of readers. It's the same story, just without so much unnecesary (to you) fat. Still disturbing. To you. Maybe not to me without the extras. Am I rambling? GOOD! I also think I've finally figured out everything that's not working for me in "Dance Macabre" as it is. So I'm eager to work on that, but I really need to get started on "The Trouble with Doris Gardner." I have no idea what I want for the cover of that one. So...bye.

I don't think I mentioned that, since her deadlines have been changed, Molly and I didn't meet today. The meeting has been moved to July 30. That's when she'll turn in her final versions of the interrior illustrations, and we'll discuss the cover art. The final meeting Molly and I will have regarding the first book in the Metrognomes series will be on August 15, when she turns in the cover art. Then I'll spend the next two weeks getting everything fomatted and turned in to the publisher. I didn't do any writing today, other than this. There was a birthday party for my best friend's wife, and I went to that. Sebastian, the soon-to-be-born, was kicking, and I got to feel. That was so cool! He really meant it too. I think he's ready to get out of that belly!

I forgot to mention on Monday that I posted haiku #17. So go and read it straight away! It's sheer brilliance. On Wednesday, Molly Brimer requested another month to finish the interior illustrations. On Thursday, I came up with a proposed new schedule which still gets the overall project finished at the same date we had hoped for, but gives her some more time. On Friday, she accepted it with a thrill and all was right with the world. I think I've decided which short story to do for July, and it is none of those mentioned in my previous entry. I think "Dance Macabre" needs more room to breathe. I don't want to cram it. I want it to be able to develop as it needs to. I'm going to keep working on it, but it probably won't go up on the site this year. I plan to do another Metrognomes tie-in for October's short story, to coincide with the release of the novel. Of course, we'll have to see if it all comes together. I don't promise specifics on short stories, other than that they'll be posted quarterly. None are even on the release schedule aside from reissues of older ones. I hope to have enough written at some point to put them on the release schedule soon though. As for July's story, I think it's going to be about a woman with eleven heads. It's something I need to release.

Yesterday I did some work adding scenes I'd accidentally left out of the outline for "Dance Macabre." I am really stressed about next month's short story, because I haven't decided which one to use. Also, I am in desperate need of new illustrators. The ones I use are good but they only have so much time to give up for me. Anyone interested, send me a message through the form on the About the Author page of the Web site, and I'll get back to you. I pay almost nothing, as I've said, so it's all for fun. Practically volunteer work, but it gets your work seen. As for "Dance Macabre," the primary problem is that I don't know how long it's going to be, and I have to rework a lot of what I've already written. So who knows if I can realistically have it done in time. There are some others I've started and a few more in my head that are for sure short enough. Still I need illustrations for the covers. "The Snake Bride" would be the shortest one, but "The Red Water" would be the easiest to do a cover for. So where should I put my energy?!?!?!? STRESS!!!!! "The Red Water" is INCREDIBLY disturbing though, and I'm not sure if it's something I'm even going to post EVER. Of course, "Dance Macabre" is pretty fricking disturbing too. But trust me, NOT as disturbing as the other one. Why am I doing so many disturbing stories? Has something gone askew in my subconscious? And when I stop thinking about all that, I realize Nightfire #5 goes up the very next week, and I haven't even started it or found an illustrator for it. Then, when I stop thinking about that, I realize that my deadline for the final draft of Metrognomes is coming up, and I may have to postpone my meeting with Molly a week. She would probably love to gain a week, but I would hate to lose one, because my deadline doesn't change. And we haven't even discusses cover art. And all the while, I keep forcing myself to stop and read for the Religion class I'm taking, which I'm still a bit behind in, and the class ends in August! So there you have it. I am one stressed out writer. I think I'll fake an aneurysm and call in sick.

Hello again! I tried to post an update here on Monday night, but there was a storm, and just as I was posting it, I got kicked off-line, my computer froze up, and I had to go through an insane process to get it all working properly again. So there's my excuse. Of course, before that, it had been almost a week since I'd blogged. Now it's been OVER a week. I've been a very naughty writer. This week's been good though. Against all odds, The Chronicles of Nightfire, Texas #4 The Ghost of Alexas Mansion went up on the site on Monday in free e-book form, and I'm so happy that the series is back! This cycle's going to be a fun ride. It was almost postponed again, due to issues with the cover art, but we miraculously resolved the problem when I realized my sister had done a composition years ago that fit the story line perfectly. It was hanging right there on her wall during the entire crisis, waiting to be noticed. And so the day was saved. I also posted haiku #16 on Monday. (sinister grin) Of course it's very deep and heartfelt. I weep whenever I read it. :) I've been pleasantly surprised by the positive feedback my readers have sent me regarding the haikus. It's just my little joke. I never expected people to love them so. But I'm glad. Of course ONE reader in particular absolutely hates them. (Hi, Mom!) But what does she know? I'm just sure I was adopted. And an accident at that. ;) The print edition went on sale on the Merchandise page of the site yesterday, getting back to Nightfire #4. That was also put off a few hours by the storm incident. It did manage to go up on the correct date though. Just a few hours later than I'd hoped. I was uploading the files when it all went down. I saw Kingdom of Heaven last night with Molly. It was fun. Is it just me, or does Orlando Bloom have amazing pecs? There I go again. I'm obsessed with "amazing pecs." It's all because I fear that one day, if I don't take action, I'm going to have breasts. By the end of the year, I plan to have it all taken care of. I have a trainer of sorts now. A monthly one. Once each month he's going to say, "You are THIS fat. Here's what you need to do to correct it and prevent the inevitable shopping for training bras." And I will do whatever he tells me. Then I'm gonna get a job stripping in gay bars. No, wait...I mean, then I'm gonna...be happy and spend all day looking in the mirror. Okay, so I already do that. But I will get even more pleasure out of it. NOT stripping in gay bars! I mean looking in the mirror! You all have such filthy minds! This message has been brought to you by ONE HUGE PARAGRAPH.

I didn't do anything today, as far as writing? I'm still trying to figure out which short story to finish? Now I think I'll read a book and go to bed? I shouldn't have much time for writing again until next Tuesday?

Today I posted Haiku #15. I also had another haiku-writing fit, and I wrote 14 more. I'll have to have them added to the Release Schedule. Oh the horror!!! That's it though. I had a trying day. My front right tire tried to kill me on the way home from work. Ack! It wasn't even flat, it just started...unraveling. I didn't know tires could do that. So, of course, my spare was flat. I had to borrow a friend's car who worked his night job on my way home, and go get it aired up. So, yeah, all I did was write haikus. Tomorrow...tomorrow I think I'll end every sentence I write with a question mark, whether it's a question or not.

I finished The Chronicles of Nightfire, Texas #4 "The Ghost of Alexas Mansion" yesterday. I'm happy with it. This is gonna be a fun cycle. My sister is doing the cover art for it. I added tentative release dates for several things to the Release Schedule page of the Web site today. Now I'm trying to figure out which short story is getting posted in July. It's really between "Dance Macabre" and "The Snake Bride," neither of which I've finished. The thing is, I wanted to do "Dance Macabre" in July and "The Snake Bride" in January, but I promised Molly YEARS ago that she could do the cover art for my 1920s occult detective stories, and she's currently busy with Metrognomes at least through the end of July. So I guess I could post "The Snake Bride," but it's another short symbolic "parable," and I just posted one of those this quarter. Also, I could see ANY of my illustrators doing a brilliant job with this story, which makes it impossible to choose one. Arg! So there you have it: my tale of woe. Rest assured that SOMETHING will be posted in July. Even if it's "Night Light II: The Regurgitation!" No, no, no! Stop screaming, it's not really in the plans. :) I joke!

Well, I did tinker with Nightfire a little bit yesterday after I wrote that "From the Author's Desk" entry. But just fixing typos and such. The Erasure concert, by the way, was amazing as usual. (I'm wearing the tour T-shirt even as I type!) I got to stand right up by the stage. That's the closest Andy and Vince have ever been to me...those lucky bastards. Today I finished the scene I'd been working on in Nightfire, and I figured out a better way to do things for the rest of the episode than had been set down in the outline. It's coming along nicely.