I always laugh when starting a blog and I mention the weather, but it seems to always be of some import..the actual weather, the emotional weather, my own creative weather. The actual weather is cooler than I'd expect this early in September, but as I wait with my sweaters and spooky decorations at the ready, it is never to soon to be fall. And it will, no doubt, though I usually wait for mid-month before swapping out my closet..the summer dresses that, working from home, I wear out much less. Still, summer happened, though still under the shadow of covid, and mostly glimpsed from my wide open windows and occasional evening walks more than social engagements. The sun makes me tired anyway, so most of my venturing out happens after 5pm when it slips behind the buildings and trees..it's then that I take out the trash and drop things at the corner mailbox. With a few hot spans, it was actually more favorably cool than others and for this I am thankful
In emotional weather, I had a strange long, multi-part dream about my mother being angry at me. These happened both when she was alive and after she was gone, but this one was the first in a long while. I swear it picked up twice after the cats were knocking things around woke me up, and again after a bathroom trip. I find these multi-part dreams when given some time, happen, though usually, they are less narratively sound. Lately, I sleep like the dead, party due to the weather, and wake up with sore arms having not moved them in hours. The sort of sleep where one may be dead for all you know. I've also been waking up early (well early for me) many mornings, 8 or 9, when I usually sleep til noon. This is good for productivity and getting a jump on writing, but bad for sustaining myself through the afternoon when I badly need a nap before I can wind up whatever is on my docket for the day. Then I'm still asleep by 2am-ish.
I am primed this week to begin wholeheartedly on a new poem series and put GRANATA to bed for at least a little while barring some journals I'd like to submit some pieces to. I'll be wrapping up the poems video series as well tomorrow and getting that little e-zine ready to launch. Today, I sat down and estimated my timeline needs for AUTOMAGIC in terms of promo, editing, finalization, proofing, etc.I am probably already a little behind schedule, but I suppose it will get done with some hustle this week (I'd intended to have a final, edited version ready to start galleys, but I have yet to touch it again.) I'd like to have a print-ready proof by mid-month.
Meanwhile, there are about 400 manuscripts in my inbox for the press that I have barely put a dent in, so the evenings will be a lot of reading and sending responses. Evenings which I hope will be cozy and augmented by the sound of my favorite fall repeat watched like Gilmore Girls. I am not a pumpkin spice fan (well, outside of actual pumpkin pie.) but I do like other fall things like brown-sugary vanillas and hazelnuts, though weirdly, Amazon has been running out of flavored creamers like mad, so I may just have to get some half & half and use syrups this week. Because coffee, hot or cold, is pretty much a necessity,
This week, I published my very first few pieces on movies for Gamerant, with more to come (the pay is minimal, but they are fast to write and just fun as hell.). Also, began work on a blog content job that has me writing about first date ideas in Chicago. Otherwise, I am writing about velvet couches and lessons on Renaissance Architecture, more children's books for WP, neighborhood parks, plus whatever else I can pluck from various pools that seems interesting (Friday, I lucked out and logged in just at the perfect moment to grab a piece on one of the things I am most looking forward to this fall.). I also pitched and was granted this one. It still blows my mind people pay me to write things and every time, I am dumbstruck when money comes from merely just putting words together, which I have pretty much always done for free. Pretty wild....
