Power in Incremetal Movements

I feel very piecemeal these days. 

Though there is structure and foresight involved, maybe it's more that the results I'm seeing are piecemeal rather than those of my efforts. The writing is slowly coming back. My health is very quickly returning to a better place, both physically and mentally (emotionally too, but that's a constant work in progress, or at least should be). Time no longer feels like a mountain to ascend, but much of that is probably me forcing myself to break my monastic habits for the summer knowing they'll return in better, healthier ways once the weather cools, my new deck is built, and my swim spa is installed. I'm prepping for a healthier, more creative cocooning this winter than I've had in previous years. 

In my last entry, I spoke about buying a new standing desk, and its inclusion into my daily work life has been a welcome boon to my hip and back issues from sitting so much. I'm currently on vacation, but I had an under-desk treadmill delivered last week that I got to enjoy for a couple days and I'm only foreseeing that as being a much needed addition too. I'm looking forward to losing even more weight and increasing my mobility over the next few months. 

Weirdly, the winter is looking promising on several fronts. 

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The picture above is some conceptual cover art I created for a book of scenarios myself and two other writers are creating for our Call of Cthulhu games. You can read an excerpt of the prologue in my previous post to get an idea of what to expect, though...it's an excerpt and some of the darker bits have been left out so as not to spoil things. Suffice it to say, the modern setting and not-quite-post-apocalyptic visions are allowing for some really interesting narratives to bubble up to the surface for us and we're having a good time bouncing ideas off of one another so that we create a cohesive book for people to play through. 

I've not been this excited about a project since submitting my last short story collection out for publication, which I've yet to hear anything back about yet. I'm hoping word comes by the end of the summer, but knowing how publishing houses work, it may be closer to the end of the year before any substantial news is forthcoming. 

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Some new paintings since my last update on new work: 

"Sisyphus v. Sisyphus," January 2023 (24in. x 48in.) 

"Quixote's Last Windmill," January 2023 (24in. x 48in.)

"Moirai (the Three Fates)," June 2023 (3 panels, 20in. x 20in.)

"Beauty in the Breakdown," June 2023 (3 panels, 20in. x 20in.)

"Light from a Dead Star," July 2023 (24in. x 48in.)

"Lightbringer," July 2023 (24in. x 48in.)

"Intersectionality," July 2023 (24in. x 48in.)

"Cosmicomics I," July 2023 (20in. x 20in.)

"Cosmicomics II," July 2023 (20in. x 20in.)

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Continued sincere thanks for those of you who keep tuning in and paying attention to my ramblings. It is (and always has been) equal parts my ego in need of stroking and my need to simply speak my real life mind when my fictional mind feels stymied and unproductive. Sometimes me working through all this shit out on the page helps facilitate better forward momentum in real time. 

There have also been a few of you I've seen out and about recently who have thanked me for vocalizing my inner thoughts and feelings in regards to the emotional hot garbage that has been my last few years.  I learned a long time ago that keeping that shit bottled up does no good (for me or for those around me), so I'm a big proponent of releasing that pressure where needed. I've worried that I retread the same ground over and over again, making these entries a slog to read through, but...since they seem to be helping others more than not, I no longer have that worry. I'm glad my words have been able to provide a salve to what ails you, no matter how big or small the overall effect. 

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