Good morning, all, and I hope it finds you well. Those of you who pay attention to our rotation probably expected to see some of Brian’s artwork today, but due to technical difficulties — i.e., real life — he and I have switched dates and you’ll be seeing him on March 7th. Meanwhile, I’m here to tell you a real-life horror story about what happens when the muse cleans out her desk and moves on.

For 65 years I have plied the Craft, first encouraged by an elementary school teacher who thought she saw something buried under the drivel of ten-year-old fighter pilots and all my little friends defending the neighborhood from live dinosaurs. From the age of ten to 75 I have written stories of varying quality for the sole purpose of entertaining others. I have gone from uncaring about publication, to obsessed, and back to uncaring. I have self-published a number of books and stories, initially in steampunk where I earned the sobriquet of Blimprider for my Beyond the Rails trilogy. In the years from 10 to 75 I have had a wide range of interests, both active and sedentary, and the vast majority of them have fallen by the wayside, victims of character growth, personality change, or just plain laziness, but through it all, writing has been a constant, an unshakable cornerstone of my foundation… Until now.

I have watched it flicker like a dying candle over the past couple of years and have taken drastic measures to fan the pitiful little flame. I’ve tried to double down on genres where I’ve had some success, steampunk, horror, and crime, to no avail. I’ve tried something completely new, stories about young people in a little California beach town, Sunset Beach, based on where I grew up. The first one wasn’t bad, but the second was a flop, and it’s been all downhill from there. I had some good success with a novel in the form of a police procedural (Broken English) and thought maybe I could catch lightning in a bottle once again there. But having built this idea of a female serial killer who targets physically abusive men exclusively (Queen of Hearts) in my head, I sat down to begin construction a week ago, and I couldn’t even write the character names on a sheet of paper, never mind develop their traits and attributes. And with that, I have to assume that I’m done.

All of which is not to say that I’m going to give up. I will be revisiting this Queen of Hearts idea, and if I can’t make it move forward, I will try to work up something else. Don’t sit by waiting for a release date, though; I’m running on fumes right now, and there’s no gas station in sight. I’ll be posting here from time to time, and will let you know how things are (or aren’t) progressing.

In the meantime, presented here for your edification are some writers who are rolling along in a groove, and would very much enjoy your attention:

Charles Heath, a prolific writer who has been blogging almost daily about the Craft since 2015.

Moviebabble, a consortium of bloggers who discuss movies old and new.

Cool San Diego Sights, a photo blog by Richard Schulte updated daily with photographs taken around one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Richard allows use of his pictures for covers and illustrations in exchange for a credit. Contact for details.

Pointless Overthinking, another consortium that seems to deal with every subject under the sun. Some call it eclectic; I call it fun and enlightening.

Richie Billing, a successful fantasy writer, who blogs about his two loves, reading and writing.

Firewatersite, a rockin’ great popular culture site. This blogger first attracted my attention with an irreverent deep dive into Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also covers music, movies, books, comics, and a few other things as well in a most entertaining format.

K.M. Allan, a successful Australian author whose blog examines the Craft in a serious and educational manner.

The Old Shelter, the website of Italian author Sarah Zama who pens dieselpunk stories set in the 1920s, and also offers great how-to tips on researching period works.

Karen J. Carlisle, a prolific Australian writer who specializes in steampunk short story series.

Finally, Inmate Blogger is a curated blog to which prison inmates can submit written letters which are then published as blog entries. This is very unusual, probably unique, and the views expressed run the range from the expected complaints about the legal system to poetry, stories, and serialized novels. Maybe not for everyone, but you should definitely take a look; it’s something you won’t find anywhere else.

And that’s the way it is, Thursday, February 15th. Look for us to be back on schedule next week with another offering from Andrea. Be there! Aloha!