Friday, January 19, 2018

Daily Mire


Turn on the news, view Facebook, or worse, Twitter, open any form of media today and you are blasted with some sort of negativity.  It is more than overwhelming to some (including myself).  Unlike some other creative types who thrive in hostile environments, I have come to a complete stall.  Every day is a struggle to tear myself away from different areas of social media.  I tend to hop from one to another afraid that I'll miss some bit of news (international, national, local, among family and friends) that will end up impacting me.  I have been unable to complete large creative projects for almost two years now.  I work on them a bit here and there but I can't bring them to fruition.  It's degrading.  It's depressing. I'm stuck.  I know that I'm not the only one experiencing this - social media and the news outlets tell me that I am not alone (yet, oh my God, how alone do I feel).  I've considered taking a break from social media, the news, the computers, but then I start to feel anxious, really anxious.  The best I can do is to cut down on my time spent in the virtual world.  I'll let you know how that goes.

In the meantime I'll work on every day things like getting my house put together from our recent move, re-establishing services for my disabled son, and trying to take the time to get to know this new area/new town (weather permitting).  Taking deep breaths and traveling through life one hour, one day at a time.  I wish us all luck.

Monday, January 1, 2018

Books and Stories Read in 2017





2017 was a rough year to get through.  Aside from all the political upheaval in the USA, my personal life went through a series of changes as well, not the least of which was a move.  I still made time to read though.  The great escape from my childhood came through during these turbulent times as well. 


Stories Read


The Egg - Andy Weir (re-read)
Clay and Smokeless Fire - Saladin Ahmed - Slate.com
Bear Language - Martin Cahill - firesidefiction.com
Dancing Princesses - Roshani Chokshi - Uncannymagazine.com
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? - Joyce Carol Oats (1966)




Books Read


Six Scary Stories - Selected and Introduced by Stephen King






















Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach






















Dexter in the Dark - Jeff Lindsay






















Cycle of the Werewolf (Illustrated) - Stephen King






















You Are Here - Jenny Lawson






















Hungry Ghosts (Eric Carter Series) - Stephen Blackmoore






















Fragile Things - Neil Gaiman






















Cemetary Girl: The Pretenders (Graphic Novel) - Charlaine Harris/Christopher Golden




















Cemetary Girl: Inheritance (Graphic Novel) - Charlaine Harris/Christopher Golden




















Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography - Neil Patrick Harris






















Under the Empyrean Sky - Chuck Wendig






















The Mystery Men (Graphic Novel) - David Liss/Patrick Zircher






















Deadly Valentine - Carolyn G. Hart






















Deep and Dark and Dangerous - Mary Downing Hahn






















The Family Plot - Cherie Priest






















A Study in Scarlet - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle






















Next of Kin - Dan Wells






















Crimes By Moonlight - Editor, Charlaine Harris






















A Ghostly Light - Juliet Blackwell






















The Picture of Dorian Gray (Graphic Novel) - Oscar Wilde, Ian Edginton, I.N.J. Culbard




















The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie/Ellen Ferney




















Chessie - Ruth Carroll (vintage book written in 1936)













Gypsy - Kate Seredy (vintage book written in 1951 - amazing illustrations)



















Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis - Anne Rice






















The Bride Striped Bare - Nikki Gemmell






















The Devil's Only Friend - Dan Wells






















Over Your Dead Body - Dan Wells






















Sleep Like a Baby - Charlaine Harris






















Inked - Eric Smith
























Sam or Our Cat Tales - C. Louis Schaffner (vintage book written in 1913)




Vicious - V.E. Schwab






















Nothing Left to Lose - Dan Wells






















The Royal Diaries: Isabel, Jewel of Castilla - Carolyn Meyer






















Shit My Dad Says - Justin Halpern






















Dead Trees Give No Shelter - Wil Wheaton






















Shakespeare's Landlord - Charlaine Harris (re-read)