2 days to Halloween

Only 2 days to go! I have all the candy stocked up!

grumpy people day

Something got into the water today because the majority of people I came across today were seriously dour. I mean grumpy, snarky, making nasty under-their-breath remarks, answering my word of "thanks" with some type of criticism.

I know the world is pretty harsh right now, and it isn't at all easy to fight that malaise, but don't give up.

Or at least, don't take it out on me.

eggplant in purgatory

I tried an eggplant recipe today and it wasn't terrible. I generally am averse to the flavor of eggplant. I like it okay when it is completely covered up with tomato sauce and cheese and there is frying involved, but the fresh eggplant recipes, not so much. I don't know if I'd try this recipe again, but while I wasn't in love with the flavors, I didn't find it off-putting. I am actively working on this eggplant thing. It's a good vegetable. It'd be nice to actually appreciate it.

https://www.thedailymeal.com/recipes/eggs-purgatory-eggplant-recipe

I do, however, love the title of the recipe.

autumn stream

I went for a hike last week and took this picture while crossing a stream. It's a little dry, so the water is low, but it is a beautiful spot. Not entirely unlike the river area I'd imagined for Pyresnakes, although that definitely had more water in it! But the rocks are similar.

all-the-dashing

Editing today.

I apparently have a love of dashing words that don't need dashes. They do make things look more festive! But they do need some weeding out.

To-day I am edit-ing hard-core! ;-P

reminder post: In Anger Blooming

I haven't mentioned this in a bit, so I think it is time -- and with Halloween just around the corner, this short story has a creepy, spooky element to it that is perfect for reading this time of year.

And, best part, the story is free!
Find it here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/714024

In Anger Blooming summary:

Hayden's hair-trigger temperament blows up spectacularly and he storms out of the house he shares with his boyfriend, Russ. To calm down he sets off for a hike on a nearby trail. Partway up Hayden meets another hiker, Griege, who seems like a friend, but who has a dark side. Griege has been waiting for Hayden and planning his revenge.

candy corn pumpkins

Uh oh. I got into the Halloween candy tonight. I just could not stop eating candy corn and those candy corn pumpkins. I like both, but something about the pumpkins is more toothsome.

I need to go buy more to replenish what I've devoured.

blurbity blurbity

I've been working on blurbs this week. I'm so grateful there are quite a few websites out there with advice on how to craft a good one. Isn't it funny how you can write and write and write a story, and then agonize over 200 words?

hard frost

There's a hard frost tonight so I went and got out the last of the veggies -- two more cucumbers, and all the basil. I spent the night making pesto. Yum. I'll freeze whatever I don't use and will have fresh pesto in the deep winter sometime.

so long weekend

The weekends seem to fly by faster and faster each time. This one barely stopped to flutter its wings. I did catch up on a little sleep.

I hope everyone out there was able to spend their weekend (what there was of it) wisely!

fall colors

I went for a drive this morning (on my way somewhere, not just a joyride) and went through some gorgeous autumn scenery. I thought with the strange weather this year that things would be brown, but the colors are slowing turning. Not as vivid as last year, but still really lovely. If you're anywhere close to some foliage, get out and see it, it is ephemeral and doesn't last long.

letting the quiet part of my brain do the work

So to avoid writing a particularly difficult emotional scene, I have stolen away to the kitchen. I've now made a load of bread, 1-pot lentil dahl (it was delicious), and have a tamale casserole baking in the oven. I am back at the computer and am going to tackle that scene.

Only half the dirty dishes got cleaned, but that's okay.

I don't actually see the procrastination as a bad thing. Sometimes you need to let your subconscious work on issues outside your active mind so that you can get things in order. Very much like the "sleep on it for one night" concept. Things can be much easier when you walk away and then come back.

plenty of links and a few recs

I thought I'd take a moment this morning to throw out some links to various things.

First, links to my goodreads and librarything accounts, because I've been using them to load up books I've been reading and listening to. I'm actually surprised at how many things I read that aren't necessarily primarily romances. I think this is a good thing. I use reading as a way to learn about the world and ways to think about the world, so exploring a variety of topics can only make me a better writer.

https://www.librarything.com/catalog/TrayEllis
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6564767.Tray_Ellis


And I wanted to give a shout out to Delilah and her new story, The Bounty:
https://delilahscollections.com/

She's a very good writer with a great sense of character and plot.
I've been included in two anthologies she has put together.
Here they are:
https://delilahscollections.com/blue-collar/
https://delilahscollections.com/rogues/

(het stories, for those who lean that way)

And, then on the m/m and other wonderful orientation and identity side of things:

An awesome looking noir and vampire story by Kim Fielding:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075YRKV22/
(pre-order, it looks very good!)

And Skylar M. Cates very intriguing story about athletics:
https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/rim-shot-by-skylar-m-cates-8880-b

And, now I'm off to do some cooking for the day and make some healthy lunches for the week. I came across this link to a lentil dahl recipe:
https://minimalistbaker.com/1-pot-lentil-dal/
I love curry and I like using ingredients that are good for me (like lentils, which rock the world) so I'm going to give this one a try and see how it turns out. It also looks like it will take very well to freezing, which makes life so much easier to have back-up food in the freezer than can be microwaved at a moment's notice.