I might be moving soon. Which might make an already tremendously busy July even more busy.

Here’s the story there!

My wife and I want to expand our family and have a little more space for that, so we’ve been looking around. About the time we find a property we like, we find a potential buyer for our current condo—who is on a very tight schedule, needs to be able to buy and move in within 1–2 months. That, of course, made us skittish, as urgency is often used to pressure people into taking subpar deals, but then we actually talked to the lady and learned about her situation. Divorcee. Two kids. Because of the divorce situation she and the kids will be out of their house in a month or two with nowhere to go (nowhere they’ve found, anyway). If at all possible she wants to stay in the area, because with all this disruption going on it would be great if her kids could have a little stability in going to the same school and the same church. And, fortuitously, her price range is just about perfect for what we were thinking about selling for. She was starting to get scared because she couldn’t find anything she could afford and might have had to completely uproot her kids to move far off… somewhere. Then, right as she was about to give up hope, my wife and I are introduced to her, ready and willing to move earlier than we had originally anticipated.

How miraculous is that?

I really do believe that we can be moved into other people’s lives at just the right moment to help them in their time of need—and I really do believe that being just the right thing that someone needs can help you, too. My wife and I are looking to sell, this woman really needed to buy, and we have an in-between place to stay while the property we want to buy finishes getting renovated. I hope I’m using the saying right—a rising tide lifts all boats. It’s cool how unexpected connections can help everyone involved.

Anyway.

Combine that with work ramping up and keeping me busier and busier during the day—leaving me ever-tightening my previous writing time—and I’m moving much slower on many of my projects than I wish I would be. Oh well. Life will find a way. I’ll get all this stuff done… and no matter what, at least a little daily writing/editing on whatever novel is next will always take priority over other projects.

Beyond this hopefully feel-good opener, no bloggyness today. My primary read (Newsletter Ninja) I haven’t had the time to finish yet, so no reviews there, and my temporary secondary read (while out of time), a Pearls Before Swine treasury, I also have yet to finish. I’ll leave this quick plug: Pearls Before Swine is the best comic in the newspaper currently, but I’d put it fourth in my list of all-timers after Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, and Bloom County (in its original run pre-Outland).

As far as writing updates are concerned, things are a little slow.

Inner Demon

I have edited my way to chapter 15 out of 34! As I committed to myself, that’s about a chapter a day (Monday through Friday, sometimes Saturday), so I’m pretty pleased with that progress. At this rate I might be done before the end of June.

Projects Round-Up

Still waiting to hear from my artist before I can confirm whether or not The Failed Technomancer hardcovers will be finalized.

Regular 9–5, a short story that will get sent out with the upcoming newsletter, has finished review from my writing group, and the first half will remain untouched. The second half is going to be completely revamped.

Old Lace and Hairballs, the second short story that will get sent out with the newsletter, has stalled in progress with my tightening writing time and my need to focus on Inner Demon. I will probably have time to focus on it regularly as soon as I finish revising my Third Realm worldbible, which might happen this week—depends on how busy I am.

Other newsletter projects (such as draft-1 manuscripts with commentary) are prioritized after the short stories, so no progress there.

And that’s all! Have yourself a most excellent week.