Stopping in at the Writing Cabin

Lisa* had the sun tea all ready when I arrived, but seemed disappointed when I couldn’t stay long.

“It’s the new puppy. I can only get stuff done while he’s napping.”

“So what are you going to work on?”

“I really don’t promote on the blog very often. I think I’m going to post about my books.”

“Can I watch?”

“Sure.”

***

Most of you know I’m a writer by now, and I have a decent sized catalog of titles. It seems like they don’t have much of a lifespan, because something new always comes along. Other authors are cranking out projects and it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. Today’s post is all about mentioning some of my efforts. Maybe one of you will want to take one on vacation this year. Great poolside reading, and all that.

The Playground is my newest title. A power-mad businessman built a line of elaborate toys, just in time for the Christmas season. He loaded them with a special new social media for children. His plan is to brainwash the children into his own personal army. To this end, he turns to occult methods.

A cancer survivor, and former doctor finds herself working in end of life care. She is abducted into a strange secret society that can see into the otherworld. She doesn’t know what she’s doing, but she’s our best hope to stop the next generation of The Playground Network before it comes online.

She’s up against a brutal thug, racing to recover the software to speed up this nefarious plan. He’s bigger, has more street smarts, and a head start. Think of this one like my tribute to Tarantino, and Frank Miller.

Will O’ the Wisp is the story of fifteen year old Patty Hall. She’s being stalked by an ancient curse, but has no idea what it is. She’s perfectly prepared for the wrong problem, and if she doesn’t figure it out soon, she’ll join her relatives in the family cemetery.

This one is set in the 1970s, and features a strong coming of age story. Readers enjoyed the setting in a time before the Internet and cell phone technology.

The title is the North American Link. This is the one for the rest of the world.

The Cock of the South is my mashup of traditional fantasy characters with Greco-Roman fantasy characters. Follow Cobby as he gathers bands of oppressed non-humans and opposes the forces of Remus.

Part Exodus, part “hang together or hang separately,” this one pokes the idea of what might have happened to centaurs, Amazons, dwarves, elves, and others.

“Hail Cobby!” Check it out.

 

Arson is the story of Perry Wolfe, a elite firefighter who fights his battles in space. He loses everything due to a freak accident. He’s depressed, and tries to regain some of his former glory as an ATF Arson Investigator. This means traveling to another planet to attend training.

His first arsonist seems to have ties to his murdered sister, but he’s in the wrong bureau to do much about it.

Living up to the family business isn’t for everyone, and maybe he needs something (or someone) else in his life. This story heats up in more ways than one.

Panama is the story of two dipshits who are in over their heads. Ethan and Coop took an assignment to look into some unusual events plaguing the construction of the Panama Canal.

They run into monsters, ghosts, witchcraft, and more in their adventure. It’s all driven by a Carlist pretender to the thrones of Spain and France, who wants to recapture the New World.

Panama also has a few fun celebrity cameos, appropriate to the turn of the century.

***

“Seems kind of dry,” Lisa said.

“What do you mean? I’m just trying to give a sample of what the stories are about, in case someone wants to take one on vacation.”

“Can I try?”

I turned my computer over to Lisa. “See if you think you can do better.”

Not that way, sillies. My stories are great for reading in bed. The adventure starts in my origin story, Wild Concept.

Wild Concept is the story of a new kind of robot, built in a concept lab to be the showcase of what technology has to offer. The robot, Lisa, takes a job at Hudson PD to test out her abilities in a human world.

What she doesn’t know, is that her creators intend to disassemble her for research purposes at the end of her experiment. When she finds out about the plan, this concept goes a little bit wild.

 

Then there is a really cool short story involving me, called Bombshell Squad. It’s tucked inside the Experimental Notebook of C. S. Boyack.

The Experimental Notebook of C. S. Boyack is a collection of short stories across the speculative genres.

It covers some science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy stories. Priced permanently at 99¢, it is a nice way to explore the kinds of stories Craig writes.

These stories are great for coffee breaks, commuter busses, and times when you can’t dedicate a weekend to writing.

***

“Yeah, um, I… Remember when we talked about the word naiveté?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, this may be one of those times, where readers aren’t quite going to understand.”

“Sure they will. It’s a joke. See they can read my stories in bed. Get it?”

“I get it, but you have to remember that picture you were sent too. That’s the world we live in. And stop shaking. Something is going to fly out if you keep it up.”

“But I have mad sign shaker skills.”

“I know. How about if we just return to the books?”

“Fine. Read one of Craig’s books while you’re on Summer break. They cover a broad spectrum of speculative categories, and are highlighted with great characters like me.”

“Perfect.”

*Lisa Burton is my personal assistant, and the official spokesmodel for Entertaining Stories. She’s a robot, and super smart at anything dealing with computers. She may be a little bit naïve in other ways.

A day of celebration

I got to the writing cabin late today. I have family responsibilities on Sundays, and won't shirk those. I went into my office and started on all the things a writer has to keep up with.

I answered several emails, checked Twitter and Facebook, then proceeded to WordPress. Lisa* brought me some coffee, and I looked away from the computer. “Guess who just won a Planetary Award?”

“I don't know, who?”

“Me. My short story, Something in the Water, won a Planetary Award over at Planetary Defense Command.”

“Oh.”

“I thought you'd be more excited. I'm excited.”

“It would have been nice to have Bombshell Squad win something.”

“I get your point, but Something in the Water was a fun story, and it caught the judge's attention. Besides, you've been getting plenty of attention. Wild Concept sold some copies during its 99¢ sale, and the UK sale is still going on. They may even surpass the US store.”

“I suppose. It's just that you've grown as a writer. Bombshell Squad is a little better writing than Wild Concept.”

“I don't get your point. Something in the Water is just as recent, and reflects the same amount of growth as a writer.”

“Should we celebrate, or something?”

“I think we should. We'll get the enchanted beer horns filled up and drink them dry. Make sure you post a picture of the haunted biplane on the blog too. People may want it for a phone background, or even a computer. Besides, you're in the picture, and some people might like that too.”

“That's a good idea. I love my flight jacket.” Her eyelashes fluttered, and I knew she was online.

Lisa scowled. “I have some bad news too. It looks like someone held a kegger out at the island. They defaced the Moai with spray paint and left garbage everywhere.”

“That sucks, why do people have to act like that?”

“Don't know. Do you want me to take a sandblaster out there and try to clean it up?”

“No. Today we celebrate. Drop a note to the National Park Service fairies. They'll take care of it.”

“You're not going to make those poor fairies scrub those giant statues, are you?”

“It's kind of their job, but no. They use dermestid beetles.”

Lisa's eyelashes fluttered again as she searched the Internet. “Gross, those are the kind of beetles scientists use to strip bones clean.”

“Right, they use them for museum displays. I think even the cops use them to study the bones of murder victims. The fairies keep a large herd of them, because they eat garbage and even spray paint.”

<Snort>

“What?”

“Do the fairies use tiny little dehorning saws and branding irons?”

“I have no idea. I'll bet they have an informational page on their website. You should check it out.”

“I'm going to, and if they don't I'm going to shoot them an email.”

“For right now, let's celebrate.” I whistled for the enchanted beer horns, and they both trumpeted. Lisa filled them up while they wagged their tails and helped us celebrate. Lisa doesn't need to eat or drink, so I'll probably empty both of them myself.

*Lisa is my robotic personal assistant, and the spokesmodel for my books. She even has her own Facebook Page.

Feels like old times again #amwriting

I raced through social media early this morning. I wanted to force myself to take up the keyboard once more.

This led to +/- 2000 new words on The Yak Guy project. Ted, the yak guy, finally gets to be with the girl of his dreams. I have a hard time writing these scenes, but I think it came out okay. (I’m one of those males who never got a lot of female attention. Therefore, I’ll just make it up.) The story is from Ted’s point of view, so it might not be as romantic as if it were from the woman’s viewpoint.

Next on the list, Ted has to second guess the whole thing, and wonder what it all means. Then he gets to meet her dad and get the crap beat out of him. By modern standards, I ought to have him getting beat up pretty fast. I kind of want to have him question everything though. This is a conundrum for me. My plan is to write it my way, and see if it needs to be eliminated later on.

I got two requests for a review copy of The Playground, and sent both of them out. (Booyah) I hope the reviewers enjoy it. It’s a little more gritty than my usual fare. Maybe the contrast between The Playground and yak guy’s love scene is causing a short in my brain.

I got asked why I didn’t set up the 99¢ sale for Wild Concept in the UK store. It’s because I didn’t know I had to. I thought it happened everywhere. Turns out those are the only markets available to hold a sale. If you’re completely out of those markets, let me know and I’ll find a way to fix you up. Does this mean I need to start using these things £ or €? Look, it’s a man in a top hat with a big mustache =):€

The sale starts in the UK sometime on the 28th. Then I returned to WhatsApp and let them know. There isn’t much point if I don’t say something about it. Thus, the mention here too.

I sent out another Lisa Burton Radio kit, and finalized another post for one of those spots. I have several partial posts out in cyber space, tomorrow’s is pre-scheduled, and another one nearly final. I’m feeling pretty good about this spot today. We have some fun characters coming up.

Then I got a cool request to write a guest post about how I started writing short stories. This one made me think, because it just kind of happened. I love it when someone asks a question that makes me assess something. I wrote about 800-900 words of blog post and sent it out too.

Finally, I picked up my art app and messed around with my banner some more. I’m really not an artist, but I can cut out and paste things. If it looks cheesy, I’m okay with that. I’m all about the cheese here at Entertaining Stories.

I love it when I have a productive day, and wish there were more like this one.

I should probably return to social media and promote the Wild Concept Sale, and The Playground. I feel like such a book whore, but I don’t see any other way to get the word out. I’ll probably address some of that this afternoon. I found a new place to do paid promotion, but I have to make my own artwork. It’s also kind of complicated to set up. I’ve been whining about it for weeks, and would probably do better to cobble something together and quit crying about it. Getting closer on this front.

Finally, today is my daughter’s birthday. She went to Sun Valley to party with friends, but is due home today. We have plans to go to dinner somewhere tonight. That will be fun too.

Updatey Stuff

I noticed in my stats this morning that several people linked to Wild Concept sometime before I woke up. I'm not an expert on free days or 99¢ sales, but it appears they don't go live until about 9:00 AM, my time. You can get your copy for 99¢ now, so please try again. Here is the link. Tell your friends.

I'm not completely sure whether the sale extends beyond the USA, so if you have a problem, please let me know. I'll figure out something. I got it shared on the What'sApp room, called Books Down Low, and sold four copies right off the bat. Here's a tip even if you aren't a Rave Reviews member, search Twitter for #BooksDownLow. The promoted books are all free or 99¢, and there are some pretty good options.

Lisa is on a bit of a roll lately. I assembled and scheduled the next Lisa Burton Radio post for Thursday. This is going to be a fun one, so make sure you come back and check it out. (Who am I kidding, they're all fun.)

While I'm on the topic, you can also befriend Lisa on Facebook. She's pretty friendly, so make a new friend here.

Lisa kicks my butt in the popularity contest, but you can like my Entertaining Stories page too. I'm a tiny player on FB, but I'm trying to grow.

I think I bought into an advertising banner on Blog Talk Radio, through the Rave Reviews Book Club. I had a few questions, but I got an invoice instead. I paid it, and hope that's what it's for. I kind of hope they ask me what I want, but maybe that isn't how they're doing it. This will be an advertisement for The Playground.

That's about it for tonight. I'm looking forward to my rotating day off this week, Wednesday. Maybe I can actually get some writing done.

The Rest of the Weekend

This weekend was kind of a bust… Again. I managed a mere 500 words of new fiction, but that's 500 more than I had before, and 500 more than last weekend.

We had date night at a cool restaurant where everything is about bacon. It's actually called Bacon in the daylight hours, but changes its name to Berryhill in the late afternoon. They even have different menus. Berryhill is still all about bacon, and there was bacon in the bread course, even infused in the butter. I really enjoyed my bacon lasagna serving. So I'm probably going to die from a bacon OD, but my body will be preserved for years. I'm also very happy.

My Amazon advertising isn't producing much for The Playground. It never costs much, and the exposure is huge. They don't seem to lead to many sales though.

I managed to move forward with two new episodes of Lisa Burton Radio today. They aren't finished yet, but there are some fun things coming up. I also paid for my next cluster of Lisa Burton artwork. I don't have a book coming out any time soon, but I need some general images to post on the blog.

I was recently awarded a Push Tuesday by the Rave Reviews Book Club. They chose to push Wild Concept, my oldest book. That isn't to say it's old, but the online world moves fast. It came out in February of 2014, I guess that makes Lisa two years old physically, but her database is much older than that.

RRBC started something new recently. They have a members only room on WhatsApp for us to promote and push our free and 99¢ books. My Experimental Notebook was pushed there too, and I sold copies. Experimental Notebook is always 99¢ though.

I kind of want to play in the WhatsApp room, so I'm holding a sale on Wild Concept. I haven't held a sale in about 18 months. For about five days, anyone – not just RRBC members – can get a copy of Wild Concept for 99¢. If I did it right, it will start tomorrow. Once it switches over, I can share it on WhatsApp too. I have to dig a little bit deeper, because they have a special hashtag to use on Twitter. This is so club members will support our sales, but it's a neat tip for readers too. If you follow that hashtag, you can find some great books for free or 99¢.

So let's talk about it. Wild Concept is Lisa Burton's origin story. It covers her journey from just a high tech piece of equipment to the Lisa we all know and love.

It covers her first job, chasing a killer for the Hudson PD, to her flight from the company that created her.

Her questionable decisions are here too. This includes her sometimes garish makeup she learned from YouTube videos, and tattoos so she would fit in with others.

It also addresses issues of prejudice. Some folks aren't too keen on the idea of robots in our society.

I don't expect this to be an overwhelming success. I've never had much luck with sales, and that's why I stopped doing them. On the other hand, I'm a pretty good club supporter, and want this experiment to succeed. If I did it correctly, the sale should start in the morning. You can get your copy of Wild Concept right here.

Finally, I sent out an advertising inquiry for The Playground. This involves sponsoring a blog talk radio show where others are talking about their books. I would get a banner and visual ad that could produce some sales. I like it, because it's different from everything else available out there.

For the rest of the evening, it's Game of Thrones, and a mug or two of a nice Bock beer from McCall Brewing. Okay, I'll probably check email to see if I can finalize those two radio posts, and check my baseball score. The game was all tied up in extra innings the last time I checked. But I'm doing it with a frosty mug in my hand, so it counts as relaxation.

Checking in

I’m just about to head down to my seminar, in Atlanta. I was so tired last night that I didn’t post anything.

I’ve been chosen as another Push Tuesday recipient by the Rave Reviews Book Club. This means my fellow club members will push one of my books across social media for an entire day. This is great support, and it generally moves copies too.

If you think you could benefit from some of this support, consider joining us today.

The club chooses which book to promote, and they chose Wild Concept. Lisa is beside herself with joy.

“I’d like to thank the Academy, anyone who’s invited me to their blog, everyone who’s ever appeared on my radio show, Craig, Bunny,…

Someone give her the hook. I’ve got to go to work. I’ll try to check in during the breaks and to support back when I can. Thanks everyone.

Sometimes, ya gotta try new stuff

We authors tend to all try the same things to promote our works. We blog, we tweet, we sign up for paid promotions. It all works to a degree, and there is no magic spell that will help us stand out from the crowd.

I've been known to try some crazy things from time to time, and today is no exception. I see that adult coloring books are all the rage today. Sadly, I don't have any of those. Still, maybe an old school trick still has some life in it.

My regular readers know that Lisa Burton, the robot girl, is a recurring character on Entertaining Stories. I recently promoted her to 'Official Spokesmodel' for Entertaining Stories.

Lisa takes her job seriously, and when I'm writing she really gets into it. She uses alternate voices to read back my dialog, calls me out for too many coincidences, and dresses for the part.

I recently sent her over to Sean Harrington's studio to pose with some of the outfits from my novels. Sean designed a paper doll sequence and you can have it for free. Those of you who've been lamenting a Lisa of your own, can now have one.

She's pretty helpful too. Just stand her next to your computer and read out loud to her. She will miraculously help you spot difficult passages and weak dialog.

The doll is Lisa in a classic James Bond pose. It clearly shows off what she did to $20,000 worth of GMO human skin.

I chose to print my doll on card stock. She stands up better when you dress her up.

Some of you may be happy with simply the doll. She's just as helpful as when she's in costume.

While the doll represents Wild Concept, there is an outfit for every novel.

If you prefer chasing the dreaded demon, El Chivato, through the Panamanian jungle, there is an outfit for that.

Maybe you want to delve deeper into witchcraft in your story. The outfit from Will O' the Wisp is there for you. Here are a couple of examples:

The Cock of the South

With the hat, which Lisa knitted herself, she filled in for Argon the cyclops. Without the hat, she assisted with any number of characters, from the Southern Dwarves to a Remsian nobleman.

Arson

Maybe you prefer Lindsay Pennington, from Arson. I still say this little pyro is the most fun supporting character I ever wrote.

Of course you can go absolutely crazy and mix them up if you like.

The whole kit is absolutely free. I've made a new page at the top of my blog. Click on the printable PDF files and go to town. Make as many as you want. Spread them around town. Give them to friends, with my blessing. I'm sure Lisa would be proud to serve as your bookmark.

A big thank you goes out to original cover artist, Sean Harrington. This project wouldn't have been possible without him.

Another big thank you to everyone who reads Entertaining Stories. Your comments are what keeps me motivated. Who knows, maybe one day I'll offer up a small Muse to put on the other side of your computer.

Company went home

I've been on radio silence this weekend. My parents came to visit, and I really enjoyed them this trip. The weekend was mostly about visiting, shopping, and going to dinner. I even wound up at Bed Bath & Beyond. Nobody offered us a lotus cake, and we were able to actually leave before the bank account was empty.

My wife and my mother had to visit Trader Joe's for some cookie butter. This stuff is pretty good, and is similar to peanut butter. They don't have such things in Mom's small town, so it's a treat for her. I used the opportunity to slip away to a new brewery for a pint of Porter. The timing was about perfect. We all met back at the car at the same time.

We delayed our dinner out to watch American Pharoah win the Triple Crown. This is such a rare event that I'm glad we took the time. It was absolutely thrilling, and I see online that several of you paused to watch too.

After my parents drove away, I sprayed a little Sevin on the flowerbeds, and my fruit trees. This is the bug killer for vegetable gardens, so it's pretty mild stuff. Now it's just me and my iPad.

I am researching the book promotion sites you so generously provided. Part of me wants to sign up for all of them at once. I'm just anal enough to use one at a time and track the results for future reference. By the end of today I'll jump ahead with one of them. Thank you for your tips.

As far as the rest of my day, I'll probably read a book. I may add the final bits to a short story I'm writing, or an index card to one of my outlines.

Here's an update on another side project that might be good for some debate. I am going back through Wild Concept, and here's why. I wrote a short story for Lisa Burton, the robot girl. This will be part of my book of short stories one day. I decided to revisit Wild Concept just on the off chance that someone goes there after reading the short story.

It's a mess! I wrote this in 2008 and 2009. It appears that I've learned some things since then. I've been bouncing around like a ping pong ball about it ever since. Part of me thinks unpublishing it might be the best thing to do. Part of me wants to fix it.

This story has a great character and her story arc is solid. The plot and themes are great. It's my skill set that was lacking. So what's a writer to do? This story isn't nearly as well written as Will O' the Wisp.

I've invested a lot in Lisa Burton. She is a regular on this blog, and I've even bought some updated art to use occasionally. There is more coming, and it's going to be fun, it's even interactive to a degree. More on that later.

I decided to correct what I can, as a reasonable edit, and upload that version. I'm leaving it available in the Kindle store. There may come a day when I look back at Will O' the Wisp and feel the same way – because I've improved in the future half dozen years. I think unpublishing it is a descent into madness. At some point every book has its warts and flaws. (Maybe not quite this many.)

Lisa has become the spokes model for my writing career, and that's not something I'm willing to change. Steamboat Willy was a pretty awful cartoon, but Micky Mouse went on to bigger and better things. Walt Disney didn't fare too bad either.

On the plus side, it showed me how much I have learned since then. I work hard at this stuff, and take it pretty seriously. Apparently, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Here's the point of debate today. What would you do? Is it best to never revisit the older stories? Would you do a complete rewrite? Hit unpublish? Edit it and write something new? Eat your cookie butter and pout? There is no right answer and what I chose might not be the right move for you. Let's discuss it.

Galvanize

Let’s get galvanized

This is a cool word with several definitions. Today I want to take advantage of them.

1. gal·va·nize

   ˈɡalvəˌnīz/

   verb

   past tense: galvanized; past participle: galvanized

   1. 1.

      shock or excite (someone), typically into taking action.

      “the urgency of his voice galvanized them into action”
   2. 2.

      coat (iron or steel) with a protective layer of zinc.

      “an old galvanized bucket”

We’ll take the second one first. I like this word to describe authors. We are all vulnerable when we share our first work with someone. Our parents like it, and we breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe a close friend says he/she likes it. Then it becomes time to share it with strangers.

Maybe you join a critique group, like I did. Maybe you hire someone to edit it, or take on a mentor. You’re about to get galvanized. We have to hear critical things and learn from them. It’s the only way we get better. This protective layer is best applied here. You don’t want your first experience to be in the form of a review.

My critique group is brutal. We all treat each other the same way, and we get along well. We’re all better writers than when we started. We’re all properly galvanized.

I encourage all writers to get this kind of feedback. I still get bruised from time to time, but my protective layer is building up. Yours will too. I’m sure I delivered a bruise or two in my day as well. (But it was all handled face to face, and I didn’t blog about them.)

Now let’s deal with the first definition.

Reviews are the author’s lifeblood. This is even more important for the indie authors out there. I vow to post reviews of the books I read from now on. It’s easy to move on to the next project, but Amazon prompts me at the end of every book. It’s pretty easy to add a couple of lines right then and there. Reviews don’t have to be long or extremely detailed.

My goal is to galvanize you into action. Nobody likes to get trashed in a review. It happens, but we can say critical things without being mean to one another. We can also enjoy a book without gushing to the point that it looks like a fake. There is a reason for the stars between one and five.

For myself, there are blog followers who said they enjoyed my books, but I’ve never seen a review. Do authors watch? You bet we do. I know of one Wild Concept, three Panama’s, and one Arson who’ve dropped me a comment or line. All of these folks said they enjoyed the stories. (The Cock of the South is still on a lot of reading lists, and it’s too new.)

For myself, I’m posting reviews from now on. I haven’t always done it, and I’ve never posted one for a traditionally published book. That all changes today. I’m a big believer in walking the walk. Won’t you join me?

Let’s recap:

1. Writers should seek out critical feedback, and start building up that protective layer.
2. Readers should consider leaving reviews. They are what allows writers to keep writing.

PS: Okay, there is a third definition. It involves electricity and muscle tissue. I left off twitching frog’s legs and Frankenstein on purpose, but you can talk about them in the comments.

The return of Lisa Burton

I skipped on the snow as I landed at the writing cabin. Roald* helped me drag the gyro-copter back on the runway and turn it around.

Inside, I found Iris** the fairy using one of the tablespoons like a big shovel to load Bunny’s dish with alfalfa pellets.

“Good thing it was my wing that got sprained, and not my back,” she said.

I held a thumb up as I went past into the kitchen. I loaded the eggnog bowl into the sink and filled it with warm soapy water. Roald started on the dishes as I broke out the vacuum cleaner.

The rumble of the Harley sounded from down the valley. It would be a few minutes before Lisa*** got home. Sound traveled well in the icy air. I managed to clean up the worst of the dwarf tracks before slipping the vacuum into the closet.

A trio of harpies shrieked along the road and scattered as the motorcycle approached.

When the front door opened, I held my hands wide. “Welcome home.”

Lisa headed my way and turned up the stairs. I lowered my arms and glanced at Iris.

“Oh my little Bunny wunny. Mommy missed you so much.” Lisa’s voice drifted from upstairs. I waited for her to disburse an apple branch, a cardboard tube, a carrot slice, and a zucchini slice.

When she came back down, Lisa had already hung up her jacket. Her hair was full of icicles, and windblown. Somehow she still managed to look good. It was kind of a grunge/frozen look.

“Did you guys miss me around here?” she asked.

“I did.” I have to confess I was getting tired of scrapple, and eggnog that was stirred by Roald’s arm. Iris had been a big help when it came to preparing for my blog tour.

“Ve’s happy to have you back,” Roald said. “Iris and I can still make ten miles before ve gotta camp tonight.”

“Maybe we ought to wait until morning,” Iris said.

“Nah, I already got the cows loaded and dey’s ready to go.” Roald rumbled down to the basement and brought his cows around through the garage door.

“Are you safe to fly now?” Lisa asked Iris.

“Mostly. Roald said I can snuggle down into one of his cows. He said mountain cows have the warmest hair on Earth.”

“If you listen to Roald, mountain cows are the best of everything,” I said.

Lisa opened a drawer and slid out an old oven mitt. She walked out front and tied it to one of the cows.

“Dat’s a pretty good idea, by golly. Now Iris vill be nice and toasty along the trail.” Roald slapped his hands together and rubbed them. Steam clouded the air where he and the cows breathed.

No steam emitted from Lisa’s rhythmic breathing.

I walked out to join them and Iris snuggled into her oven mitt. “It was nice seeing you guys again,” I said. “Tell the rest of the southern people we said hello.”

We watched them go until they hit the tree line off to the east. It had been a busy year. Four older books published, and The Cock of the South was the last one.

Lisa and I went back inside, and I moved closer to the fire.

“I brought you a souvenir,” Lisa said.

I tried to suppress a grin, but failed. She took a shot glass from her purse and placed it on the front desk.

It looked just like this, but said Whitelyn, Arizona instead of Rachel, Nevada.

“You cozy up to the fire, temperature doesn’t bother me.” Lisa said. “Looks like I’d better get the skis on your gyro-copter before you have a worse landing.”

*Roald is a dwarven tribesman. He plays a supporting role in The Cock of the South. He was filling in for Lisa while she was away.

**Iris is a fairy. She also plays a supporting role in The Cock of the South. She was convalescing at the writing cabin while her wing healed.

*** Lisa is the main character in Wild Concept. She is a robot and works as my assistant at the writing cabin these days.