We arrived at our house in Albuquerque after a two day road trip that begged the question, “Has everyone forgotten how to drive?” Seriously, friends, take it safe if you are traveling this week!

We are exhausted. Nonetheless I managed to submit my tenth consecutive entry to Writers of the Future on June 30 from the hotel room at 11:30 pm after driving 9 hours. I’m pretty pleased that I seem to be developing a certain amount of grit and the ability to write in adverse conditions. Now if I could only write speedily in perfect conditions I’d be prolific.

The new house is quiet and reasonably cool. ABQ is consistently beautiful with the sun streaming through clouds like a waterfall of light and rainbows falling to the trees. It is a delightful place. Plus it smells clean in ways Memphis never could with its heavy densely-perfumed air. Both places have their delights, but I will admit to being more comfortable in the desert.

Our furniture and boxes will arrive by the 8th so this week we are taking a drop down week to recover from our lack of sleep for the last three months before we pitch into high gear again.

I’ve realized that the only way I can hope to minimize our food buying and still make delicious meals is to plan the week in advance. So I’ve returned to Plan To Eat, which is a meal planning app I used years ago. Also I’ve returned to writing, though this week is a gentle week.

In other writing news it looks like one of our gaming projects is coming up for playtesting by the gaming company. We’re excited that this may finally see the light of day. The pandemic has been a problem for playtesting, I think. Also coming up is Steve Jackson Games’ Kickstarter with one of our game supplements in it.

I think I’ve mentioned before that I have a secret identity that I’ve been publishing under. While I will not reveal my secret, I wanted to share my joy. My secret self has written a story selected for a prestigious anthology. Even better, the story is the last story in the anthology, which those in the know claim is the second most prestigious placement (after the first story). I’m over the moon!

There are two notable Kickstarters I want to point you to. First is the Kickstarter we are appearing in from Steve Jackson Games. Steve and I would take it kindly if you asked to be notified of the project on launch. It’s a good one!

Second is Robert Zoltan’s Sexy Fantastic Magazine which pulls from the best of fantasy and SF and is written unabashedly for adults. He launched this magazine early this year and this Kickstarter will determine whether or not he can keep the doors open. I love what he’s doing and where he’s going with this. Take a look and see if it appeals to you as well.

So what’s up for July and August? I will write a novel, take classes from Dean, work with Steve on more gaming supplements, and head back to Memphis twice in August. In between I’ll unpack my possessions and arrange the house as best I can for us to work within.

I hope all is going well for you and that summer is bringing bliss. Be well, friends!