The Writing Gig
So as most of y’all know, I’ve been busy as all get out with the Starflight anthology. Now that I’ve finished publishing that and making sure all of the P’s & Q’s are squared away, I’ve managed to get in some word count on new pieces.
First off, I managed to crank out my story for the upcoming, “It Came From The Trailer Park”, anthology. I decided to put together. I love campy B-rate cheesy scifi/horror and it sounded like a blast to put together. So I went with my campy horror character, Braxton Hicks, who’s shown up in Sha’Daa: Toys and will be part of the upcoming BlackWish universe. Look for “Gimme’ Some Lovin” and the anthology to come out around Halloween this year.
After I wrapped up that story I turned my sights onto the next Salvage Title Anthology that Kevin Steverson invited me to. Halfway to the mark, I’ve followed in the light of Smuggler’s Run with a solo Vann Hagar tale that most will find fun and hilarious.
Next on the list is my next Billy and the kid story in William Allen Webs Last Brigade universe, which is a follow-up to my story from the “Standing Fast” anthology. And just as soon as I crank that bad boy out, I’ve got to turn around and burn through my submission for the next “Give me LibertyCon” anthology, published by Baen Books. It’s a freaking honor beyond words to be invited to the antho, So I’ll do my damnedest to do it justice with a new fLUX Runners universe short story.
Harvest time
One of my favorite times of the year, and the best part of having a garden is Harvest time. It might be a lot of work with cleaning, prepping, and canning, but you can stash away lots of good food that will help to cut your grocery bill significantly over the next year. Some of our regular staple items are tomatoes and peppers, with a good helping of hot peppers for me.
At the end of the season, I’ll pickle some Okra and make chow-chow out of whatever plant base I have the most of at the end of the season. (green tomatoes, squash, zucchini, etc.) Mix in some hot peppers, garlic, onion, and a few spices and you’ve got a relish mix that goes with just about any meal for a little kick and adds a little vinegar acid to the meal.
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Not only do we pickle and can our vegetables, we also dry a number of things either on the dehydrator or just by hanging in a good place in the house like the onions below.
And of course, the best part of any garden is getting to make awesome stuff. I whiped together a quick apple cobbler last night for dinner from the apples I had picked earlier in the day.
Fort Cocks construction is almost complete
Yup, I know. It’s horrible. But I kinda like horrible.
I need to finish the top boards and baseboard to lock in the fencing, then I can take the remaining chain link to use as the roof covering for the chicken run. Once I get this thing locked down, I seriously doubt any Hawk, Owl, or Racoon will be able to get to the chickens. I’ve even made a stencil so I can decorate the sides of the coop.
One other little tidbit to note, the coop and run have been built out of recycled material, including the fence that I’ve gathered from here or there the last few years, and has cost me a little time, but not coin.
More to come as I finish it up and get the chickens installed in their new home.
Until next time, Keep your heads up and your pens sharp.
~WJR~