Trifled Generosity

Yesterday was moderately stressful, but it worked out in the end. It was tremendously validating to check my perceptions against other people’s and get a, “Yeah, I thought that too,” before I swing into action. Now the house is quiet again, and things can go back to normal.

I do not mind being generous, but when that generosity is trifled with…well, I mind that a bit.

Anyway. There’s exciting news coming down the pike, and yes, it does have to do with a Steelflower book! The Highlands War, in fact, which deals with the hunting of Ferulaine and the evil in the Highlands. I’m super chuffed. There may even be a reveal about D’ri’s scar, which I had planned for the trilogy dealing with Kaia’s return to their homeland. Sadly, I don’t think I’ll ever get to write those three books–ebook thieves are still rampant–but at least I can bring the story to a natural resting-point with this one.

The weather wizards are saying it will be quite warm today–90F at least–so the windows are open to take advantage of morning coolth. I can deal with ugly-hot days as long as the nights are reasonable; it’s when the dark hours are still gasp-broiling that I start to have problems. I am a pale Northwest mushroom, and not meant for such oven conditions.

I want to hold off on the June sales post until I make the announcement proper for Highlands War. We’ll see what happens; there’s a lot of moving parts.

The ankle is slowly healing. It’s in the stage of recovery where there’s a deep desperate pain as swelling goes down and tissues are rebuilt. I have to be super careful not to tweak it, to wear the brace, and to stay on top of anti-inflammatories. The lack of running is making me somewhat tetchy, but if I spend proper time on recovery now I’ll be able to run longer later, so I resentfully cater to my corpse’s demands.

It’s not my body’s fault; she’s doing the best she can, Cap’n, and givin’ it all she’s got.

So today there will be back cover copy written, perhaps that assassination in the Sekrit Projekt to finish blocking, and a little more on Gamble. I’m wanting one of the main antagonists to show up at the wedding planner’s office, and we’re going to see the hero bristle a bit. Which will be fun. Switching between epic fantasy and romantic suspense does good things for me. It feels like both halves of my brain are getting a massage.

I contain multitudes.

In any case, the coffee is near dregs and Boxnoggin is quite eager to get his walkies. I am somewhat slower than usual, but since that means he gets to stick his nose in greenery for longer periods of ecstatic huffing, he’s fine with the tradeoff. And while I hobble the main work of blocking out just how the assassination is planned can be done. I have to know the plan before I can extrapolate what happens in the commission of the act, and that will give my sellsword time and means to disrupt it. I’m pretty sure she sees a danger the others in her party overlook (because she is by far the most experienced with treachery, naturally) and that will give her ammunition during the council later on…

…but that’s another story, and I have to get all the dominos in a row before I can flick one with a fingertip and make the pattern I require. Building a book is often like putting together a Rube Goldberg machine and then demolishing it in the most creative way possible. In other words, a whole lotta fun.

See you around!