Reading: Conquistador by S.M. Stirling
Music: Keiichi.net Xtreme Anime Radio
TV/Movie: FFX
Link o' the Day: John Joseph Adams Blog

As expected, Final Fantasy X is eating up time like a grad student at the faculty party snack table. Still, it’s loads of fun. Sure, I got my ass handed to me in Blitzball, and some of those boss monsters are pretty tough (doubly so when you don’t stock up on healing potions). and the dreams. Yeesh.

But it’s loads of fun. And Pretty Maggie has been a patient angel these past few days. I figure that in a couple of weeks, the novelty of chasing after monsters just to level up will taper off.

But for now, it’s back to work, also. Some changes have come in for certain freelance projects, and I’m starting to get sniffs of the next SFWA Bulletin gearing up.

Plus there’s writing, and some writing, and some more writing. Starting to jones a bit over that.

* * *
I finally received word back on a story I sent to Asimov’s back in February. I wasn’t sure what to expect when given the recent changeover at that mag. I’ve been hearing a number of people gently gripe about getting dropped from receiving personal responses to form letters. I’m apparently one of those. (I’ve even see two people claim that they will no longer send stories to Asimov’s--fine by me! Less competition, but with attitudes like that, I don’t think they’d be much competition anyway.)

I’m, nonetheless, disappointed that a story that was rejected, yet earned personal “almost, but not quite” notes, from both Gordon and Stan didn’t deserve a more personal response from Sheila. Still, I wasn’t alone in this, apparently.

So the story goes off to another market this very day. Still aiming high. I just can’t decide if I’m going to finish some short stories, or get a novel off the ground. The goal for this year--by the way--is to get the first draft of a novel done by New Years. I have about five different outlines to choose from, urban fantasy, space opera, anthropological SF, heroic fantasy, and mainstream, and can’t decide which one I want to work on the most! The two most developed outlines are for the space opera and the anthropological SF novel. The former is a really fun book about a professional gambler whose luck is more than he thinks, and whose recently-discovered daughter’s is the unluckiest survivor in existence. The latter might be easier to write coming from a short story tradition as it’s a frame tale history of a planet, its inhabitants, its discovers, and the galaxy surrounding it.

Decisions, decisions.

* * *
Today’s link is an enlightening one. Ever want to get into the head of a Slush God? John Joseph Adams has gone and started his own blog, and it’s one of the best laid-out blogs I’ve ever laid eyes upon. Check it out!

Enjoy!