Frim Fram Alyx with Ossenfay

And, yes, shafuffa on the side.
Tomorrow I’m co-hosting Geekly Pleasures with Jules Sherred, whose review of Blue Magic contains one of those paragraphs that really does make the whole writing lifestyle seem like an endless round of hearts and ponies:

I have never been more thankful for a character than I am for the character of Ev Lethewood. Without going into extreme detail, Alyx did a superb job of illustrating what it like to be a trans man. It is always a wonderful thing when the LGBTQ community is represented in literature in a matter-of-fact fashion, instead of salaciously.

I wanted exactly this out of Ev’s storyline. To reach someone, in that way, on that level. Part of me was terrified I’d failed. Seeing this was a joy and a relief.
Things of me: I’m in a bubble of unprecedented super-busy, all tied into the release of Blue Magic. My inbox is full of interesting and exciting things, including travel stuff: I will be in Portland, reading at Powell’s, on the evening of May 7th, and I will have other events to announce soon. There was FanExpo and my own launch and I’ve joined Pinterest and started a newsletter (join button’s on my site) and you’ve all seen the guest blog links. Plus fiction-writing, teaching, tax season stuff, and all the usual… it’s been a whirlwind.

I’m very happy to say I’ve gotten over a thousand words in on the current Gale and Parrish story this week, despite having a meeting at 6:30 OMG ayem Tuesday and being quite bloody-minded about going outside for a walk every single damned day.

Spring in Vancouver is not to be missed. It’s cool and rainy out as I write this, and the double-flowering plums are spectacular right now. They are brighter and more vivid in the gray; bright sunshine is lovely, but it washes them out a bit. In another week or so they’ll start to edge past their prime, and the slightest gust of wind will fill the air with pink confetti. The tulips are in bloom everywhere. The days are longer and noticeably warmer, the trees are leafing up, and the birds are bubbling over with song in the mornings. Soon there will be ducklings and baby Canada geese to coo over. And, if I’m lucky, baby herons. Here’s about two percent of the heronry in progress:
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Pics and Praises

First, a supernice piece of feedback from @SunDriedRainbow, via Twitter: (NBD means no big deal):

I ADORE you have gay and trans characters and it’s NBD. thanks for writing what I want the world to be.

Folks, this not only swelled my ego, it darn near made me cry.

Second, I believe M.K. Hobson’s Kickstarter for THE WARLOCK’S CURSE starts today, on lucky Friday the Thirteenth.

My blogging routine has been thrown to the winds this week, naturally, by the Blue Magic release. It’ll all get back to normal soon, though with a lingering probability of “And now I’m guest blogging here!” showers.

Also because of the release, I’ve hit a stretch where it’s become obvious that, if I choose, I could spend all day every day just answering e-mails.

Here’s a thing: the faster you run on the e-mail wheel, the faster the notes come pouring back. Instead of scrambling like Alice and never getting anything real accomplished, I have made a real effort to move at a sane speed: do a couple things I need to (like, oh, my taxes?) and then clear out the inbox. Then go for a walk so I don’t become a mole person, clear it out again. Right now it all seems to be working. Or I’m deluded; we’ll see which turns out to be true.

All of which means I shot some spring flowers this week:

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When I first moved here, I didn’t know these were star magnolias. For a few years, we called them Daisy Trees.

The Windowman Cometh

The window guys are slated to be back today and Friday, so I may not be around all that much. If they finish (they’re supposed to) I can reassemble the curtains and put the plants back. Not to mention wiping up the fine layer of grit that construction inevitably leaves behind. They’re very tidy people, I should mention, and swept up after their first day in the house. In fact, they swept up a whole pile of grime I’d discovered when I pulled the furniture away from the walls. I had figured hey–wait until they’re done to clean up the cobwebs and cat hair and the crumbly shoe dirt in the foyer. So all that got done for me. Bonus!
Vancouver had a glorious sunny stretch of weather this past weekend, so I got out to Queen Elizabeth Park Friday and chased birds around, both outside and in the Bloedel Conservatory.

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On Saturday, Kelly and I hit Gastown and the Sun Yat Sen gardens with the camera. I didn’t score anything spectacular, but we saw snow geese flying overhead… that’s only about the third time ever for me.
Sunday was one of those rare leisurely days with the true pace of a vacation, with lots of lying around and, in my case, not one but two naps. The house, disassembled as it was for the window job, had a bright and oddly spacious feel.

It’s all about the image

Like many of you, I choose not to resist the siren song of certain consumer electronics. In fact, I’ve been saving my allowance since November in anticipation of the release of the newer, swankier iPad. (I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit this, actually, because it was such a frivolous outlay). I have yet to really luxuriate in the thing’s capabilities, however, because most of the photos I’ve taken lately just haven’t been sharp enough to show off the graphics. This duck is as good as it gets:

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I hit Queen Elizabeth Park on Friday when it was sunny, and even ponied up the $5 to go into the Conservatory and shoot exotic bird life. I’ll let you know if I got anything outstanding. Though something might turn up on my Instagram Feed first, ’cause that’s the way I’m rolling lately.

A farewell to the blankie

In 2001, before we left for Greece with Snuffy, I bought one of those fleece blankets they make from recycled pop bottles, and wedged it into my backpack with a bunch of other warm-weather gear that I thought might be superfluous.

It turned out it wasn’t a bad idea at all. We were there in April and May, on the cusp of summer, and there were some scorching days but also more than a few really chilly ones.

This year, to celebrate the blanket’s tenth birthday, I took it back to Europe… and left it there. Hopefully someone will give it a good home. Kelly and I decided to travel light, you see–in fact, we took carry on luggage only. Our wee bags were pretty crammed when we left, and part of the plan was to jettison some old clothes and other items if we acquired new items or souvenirs.

The blanket made it all the way back to Rome before it got the boot. It was an odd but nevertheless satisfying sacrifice. And before we let it go, I asked Kelly to pose for a good-bye shot.

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