I’ve got an upper respiratory infection and probably have had one for a while. I only just yesterday got on Houston’s gold card, so today I was able to see a doctor and get some much needed prescriptions. Not only that but I am back in treatment for fibromyalgia and finally have a prescription for muscle relaxers again. If you live in Houston and don’t have insurance, you should really have a gold card (even if you make more money than I do).

The new edition of M. Christian’s The Bachelor Machine should go on sale soon from Circlet Press, featuring a new introduction by yours truly. In addition to excitement over seeing my words in print alongside this favorite author of mine, I’m also especially pleased that the new edition features a dialogue between Chris and Cecilia Tan. It was a freebie given to reviewers of the old edition and I once lamented that most readers would be unable to enjoy it; now it’s in its own appendix. I will be sure to post here when the book is available.

The second Houston Art Nerds salon is tomorrow. Our theme this time is ‘Storytelling,’ but as always we welcome artists in all media. If you’d like more information, visit the Facebook group or contact me directly.

What I have done very well at in February is creating infrastructure for me to write within. The first Houston Art Nerds salon was a huge success, with lots of art, photography and creativity in evidence. But I spent most of that time facilitating the group rather than creating for myself. Likewise I’ve successfully begun the process of reviving my online writers’ group, the Society of Voluptuaries but haven’t contributed new work to it yet myself. I’ve also gone a long way into making my life more stable and secure, at least for the next few months, which helps facilitate an environment in which to write and keeps stress from interfering with creativity.

In March, though, my goal for the ongoing healing of my muse is to work on balance — to keep writing while continuing to work on the day to day work of keeping myself fed and housed. Writing does not (yet) pay the bills, but it’s necessary to my sanity. And being able to pay the bills keeps me from stressing out to much to write (not to mention making sure I have a place to put a desk!). I am pleased with myself at working so hard to create this infrastructure, but now I need to make sure I continue to both enhance that infrastructure and create within it.

I’m highly motivated  and have a lot of ideas kicking around in my head ready to be matured into words on a page. March should be good to me.

I just finished a review of The Billy Meier Story: UFO’s and Prophecies From Outer Space. For some reason, it’s also known as The Silent Revolution of Truth in certain markets. It’s almost exactly what you’d expect from the title, but I still managed to go on for 1,000 words about it. I’ll be sending the review to the SF Site later today and I’ll let you know when they publish it. I also know they will be posting a review of the Arse Elektronika 2008 anthology which features my paper on the future of the novel; I’m excited to share that with you when I am able too.

I didn’t include it in my review, but does anyone else think that the venerable RE/Search ought to be either offended or flattered that their logo was ripped off by Reality Entertainment, distributors of The Billy Meier Story?

I’ve decided I need artists around me being creative more often and I’d like to help cultivate some of the creative energies of my social circle at the same time. I’m trying to organize a semi-regular artist gathering in my area, where we could paint, write, compose, craft, or otherwise create in the company of others like us.  If you live in or visit the Houston area and you’re interested but I haven’t invited you to the Facebook group (or you aren’t on Facebook but want to know more), please let me know.

“Lifting the Veil”

Microsoft Word wordcount: 3,108 words

I’ve sent the short story to a few friends and readers in the hope I get some feedback. After I sleep a bit, I plan to polish it up and send it to an erotic SF anthology, just in time for its January 15th deadline. The writing of this story was made possible by sex, leftovers from !Beba’s/One’s a Meal, and a playlist made up of Juno Reactor, Portishead, Stereolab, and Nine Inch Nails’ Ghosts I-IV.

This is the first story I have finished in over a year, since my life fell to pieces and had to be rebuilt. It’s a major milestone. At times, it was incredibly tough going but now I’ve finished and the feeling is incredibly good. Regardless of whether I can get it published, or even whether anyone else but me likes it, I’m really thrilled to be back on the horse. Or is the correct term falling off the wagon?

So I am NOT actually doing novel in 90, this round. I had some minor setbacks around when it started, and was actually out of town for the first few days of the session. I can jump in later, and am working on increasing my output in other ways. I’m partway into a work of erotic short fiction, but am also unfortunately just a few days from the deadline of the anthology I wish to submit it too. It will be an experiment in turning work around quickly, and I hope I succeed.

Otherwise my life is quite good right now. A few interesting people have come into my life lately, people I may be enlisting to ‘help’ with my reviews. Although the cold weather has been hard on my fibromyalgia, and I have a lot of work to do get my life where I want it to be, I find myself happier so far in 2010.

Some tasks I’m working on this week are organizing my online life, starting to maintain a to-do list using Astrid, and slowly beginning to organize my physical workspace into one that is more amenable to, well, working. In the New Year, I hope to revisit an old space which was once helpful — Novel in 90, which starts up again on January 1st (thanks to Stephanie Leary for bringing this to my attention). Even if I can’t keep up with the output (I’ll try!) I think it will be good encouragement, and hopefully a positive writing space for me again. I encourage you to check it out and join if it seems good to you, too.

What’s been getting in my way? I plan to keep examining this question till I can answer, ‘nothing!’