Just being strange

October looks like it’s going to be a busy month around here. The job with the paycheck is sending me out of town next week. I jumped the gun and changed my wallpaper today. It feels more appropriate to October and Halloween.

Sales of my Notebook have slowed. That’s pretty normal in my experience. They make a big splash, and it turns into a trickle. I hope some of my October micro-fiction will inspire a few people to take a 99¢ chance. Those of you who’ve read it seem to be posting great reviews. Those reviews on Amazon and Goodreads really help. I can always use a few more reviews if you’re of a mind.

I’ve been reading this weekend, in both electronic and paper format. I’m still working through The Dresden Files, and really enjoying them. One thing is certain, I’ll be checking out some of Butcher’s other tales when I get the chance.

Right now I’m almost finished with White Night, which is book number nine. Harry is doing a lot of soul searching here, and it’s really well done. His observations about internal pain are spot on. He also has a nice moment with Lasciel, the fallen angel who partially possesses him. Their conversation is about anger management. It kind of deviates into that Jedi stuff where Harry tries to convince her to turn good, but I still like it.

The idea is that Lasciel is immortal. Harry can hold on for years, but she will win eventually. This is a great slow burn to underlie the series. It parallels our own mortality in a way. I tend to study the writing when I read these days, and there is a lot to learn from Jim Butcher. I haven’t finished this one yet, but it may be my favorite one so far.

I may start calling my prostate gland Lasciel. I can draw a few parallels there too. My PSA numbers keep going down due to some herbal products, but it may win in the long game. It also has time on its side. Getting up in the middle of the night means the quality of sleep goes down. It’s a slow grind. Told you I’m being strange today.

I spent some time last night getting my October submission off to my critique group. We meet on the fifth, and I’ll have to sequester myself away once I get home to work on their submissions.

I have a cool guest post planned for this week, which really helps me. The paycheck job will keep me busy into the evenings most of the week. Having someone else write a post is nice.

My Macabre Macaroni stories are all ready to go. Posting them is mostly a matter of copying and pasting. I’m still debating Thursdays or Fridays, but Fridays are in the lead right now.

Then there is the Will O’ the Wisp blog tour. This is such a perfect Halloween story that I had to give it a push in October. There will be some supportive re-blogs here. It’s the least I can do to say thanks to those who host me.

I see a lot of writer/bloggers have Halloween themed plans for October. This stuff is so much fun I can’t wait to see what everyone does.