Time flies when you're having fun

As they say.

This month has been a whirlwind of activity. Meetings! More meetings! Adult decisions about finances! Fun stuff! More fun stuff! So much that I can't believe it's actually fall. It's almost October, people. I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around that.

I've managed to get some writing done this month, though. Mostly on a secret project, but I'm diving into backstory and new outline for the WIP this week. I need to catch up on writing-business emails and work on a submission package for a publisher.

I'd like to get back into guitar lessons and take an improv class, but any time I spend doing those activities takes away from my writing, and that's a sacrifice I'm not willing to make right now. Experiencing life and writing make you a better writer; it's tough to know when to experience life and when to sit your ass in the chair and write.

Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka--book review

For those of you who don't know Ted Kosmatka's work, he has a knack for making hard science concepts accessible through thoughtful blending with fictional elements. In Prophet of Bones, Kosmatka turns the evolution of man on its head; in this world, carbon dating and the study of DNA have proven the creationists were right and evolutionists such as Darwin were wrong. Science and religion are friends, not enemies. That is, until strange bones are discovered during an archaeological dig on the island of Flores. What are the implication of these strange, almost-human bones? When the bones are stolen and people with the dig start dying, the fearless hero Paul looks for answers on his own.

Admittedly, the book started off a bit slow; while there is plenty of mystery and intrigue early on, the plot didn't start to really rock and roll until half-way through. However, the slow beginning pays dividends at the end, and its well worth reading. The world Kosmatka creates is thought-provoking, the science is solid (the author includes a reference section in the back for those who want to delve into scientific papers), and the prose is clean and linear. Fans of science-thrillers shouldn't miss this book.

 

The dust has settled

Sort of.

The house is sold, the boxes are (mostly) unpacked, and we're officially relocated to Chicago. Ken and I are getting accustomed to living in the city. It's much different than being suburbanites. We don't have a yard, we barely drive, and our place is half the size of our old house. We don't cook as much because we have dozens of restaurants within walking distance. I've almost kicked my Massive Diet Coke habit because I never want to lug a 12-pack home from the store. I've found a local knitting group that meets at a pub once a month, a group of writers that meet once a week, and I'm searching for fellow geeks to hang out with. I'm hoping to pick up the cycling habit before it gets too cold to ride a bike. It's a different sort of pace, and I like it a lot. If you had told me five years ago I'd be living in the city of Chicago, I wouldn't have believed you. Just goes to show you how rewarding life can be when you open your mind to new experiences.

Now that life is settling down somewhat, I'm getting back into the writing groove. I'm working on a novella, shopping around my latest YA novel and working on its sequel, rewriting a short story, and rewriting a short story I wrote early in my career. I have a few pieces coming out later this year (a story in COINS OF CHAOS and an essay in CHICKS DIG GAMING). As always, my writing career isn't moving along as fast as I would like (impatient Kelly is impatient), but it certainly isn't stagnant.