Empty Nesting Rocks -- Time to Write

Kids are great, but when they leave, you're ready. Or at least I was. Connor kept up the drama until the day he left, (don't ask about the car!) but we got him safely ensconced at the University of Montana.

Once there I had to hike up to the giant M that overlooks the university and town. I'm sitting on the bottom of the right "foot" of the M, as seen from the ground. The hike is a bit more of a workout that it looks from the ground, with a 2,100 foot elevation gain. The day I climbed it the air was a bit smoky from the wild fires that had been ravishing Montana all summer. Still, great views of the campus and city. By the way, if you do this hike, bring water.

The thing about living in a dorm, is you end up living in a dorm room. Here you see Alison helping Connor set his up. We didn't get to meet Elijah, but Connor likes him a lot. Although we didn't see him, we saw his stuff, which included an electric bass guitar and a skateboard. Bodes well, we thought.

So writing! I'm still in the Longridge writer's program, working on short stories with Mary Rosenblum. I've got three ready to be seen by magazine and webzine editors. I try to be patient, but I really want my first sale. I mean, come on! ;)

I'm working on a con-game SF story at the moment. My working title is Mirrors and Smoke. It should be about 5,000 words when done. I'm having fun with the point of view. It's first person, told by a somewhat unreliable narrator.

Of course, I can't be without a tabletop role playing group, and I have a good one. We are playing Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (think dark humor fantasy in the Holy Roman Empire) and the players have decided they want to be pirates. So think Lovecraftian horror mixed with swashbuckling action off the coast of renaissance Italy.

-- JWSM