Scenes From a Marriage #7 – Plus News.

Posted on February 12, 2013 by ogresan

Scene: Sterling the Cat is sleeping curled up on the sofa table. Carol is pushing on his belly with her fingers, saying “Knead, knead, purr, purr” over and over. Sterling the Cat takes no notice except to yawn and stretch, apparently enjoying what to him are scritches.

Me: What are you doing?
She: I’m giving Sterling a taste of his own medicine.
Me: Meaning?
She: He keeps kneading me like a loaf of dough and purring in my ear at 4AM!
Me: So you’re interrupting his sleep as payback.
She: Yep.
Me: That’s a cat.
She: Yes. So?
Me: You do realize that cats are immune to irony, don’t you?
She: Oh….right. Then I’ll pick him up and hug him!
Me: Good choice.
Sterling the Cat: (yawns)

There was a little more going on besides the metaphysical quirks of the house felines. For one thing, I’ve just confirmed that the Yamada novel, To Break the Demon Gate, has been delayed until later this year, probably November. Also, there was the spiffy Prime Books notecard that shipped with the February Locus, including Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter along with Future Games and Weird Detectives. Since I’m in 2 out of those 3 books, I rather liked it. Also, LightSpeed Magazine will be reprinting “The Man Who Carved Skulls” in a future issue. I’ll give a date as soon as I have one, but from the writer’s perspective, you gotta love reprints—the work’s already done and you get paid again anyway.

Speaking of work, I just finished the first story of the new year, working title is “The Nothing Boat.” I’ll need to set it aside to cool enough before I look at it again, which is fine because I have another story to work on. And a novel to write. I’m going to be busy this year, I can tell.

New Story Time – “A Thing or Two About Love”

Posted on January 17, 2013 by ogresan

This is an older story. It first appeared in the Wizard Fantastic anthology from DAW Books back in 1997. Sort of a thought experiment on the nature of affection. Or greed. It rather depends on how you look at it. As I said, an older story. Maybe with more flaws than I like to think I commit now. Wishful thinking, probably, but I’m still rather fond of this story. Dragon would like that.

Clockwork Phoenix #4, ToC

Posted on January 15, 2013 by ogresan

CP4

Mike Allen just released the official Table of Contents for Clockwork Phoenix #4, in which I am in good company:

Yves Meynard, “Our Lady of the Thylacines”
Ian McHugh, “The Canal Barge Magician’s Number Nine Daughter”
Nicole Kornher-Stace, “On the Leitmotif of the Trickster Constellation in Northern Hemispheric Star Charts, Post-Apocalypse”
Richard Parks, “Beach Bum and the Drowned Girl”
Gemma Files, “Trap-Weed”
Yukimi Ogawa, “Icicle”
A.C. Wise, “Lesser Creek: A Love Story, A Ghost Story”
Marie Brennan, “What Still Abides”
Alisa Alering, “The Wanderer King”
Tanith Lee, “A Little of the Night”
Cat Rambo, “I Come from the Dark Universe”
Shira Lipkin, “Happy Hour at the Tooth and Claw”
Corinne Duyvis, “Lilo Is”
Kenneth Schneyer, “Selected Program Notes from the Retrospective Exhibition of Theresa Rosenberg Latimer”
Camille Alexa, “Three Times”
Benjanun Sriduangkaew, “The Bees Her Heart, the Hive Her Belly”
Patricia Russo, “The Old Woman with No Teeth”
Barbara Krasnoff, “The History of Soul 2065″

The official launch date is June 2013, with a launch party and author readings at Readercon in July. I like Readercon, though it’s not likely I’ll be able to make it this year. Sounds like a blast.

I’m Calling This a PSA. Humor Me.

Posted on January 9, 2013 by ogresan

Funny thing. While the official publication date of Yamada Monogatari: Demon Hunter was and is February 6th, it seems the physical book is available sort of…now-ish. I’ve checked, and both Amazon and Barnes & Noble list it in stock. It also is/will be available at some brick and mortar B&N, though don’t ask me which ones, and the Nook ebook edition is already listed. I’m sure the Kindle will follow shortly. So all you people who don’t like to do the pre-order thing? No excuses. The book’s ready when you are.

So it’s not official, but it is real. And now it’s that emotionally difficult time for me known as “launch time” when I’m simultaneously proud, excited, and terrified. New Book. Every writer should get to experience this at least once. Preferably lots of times, but at least once. There’s just no other feeling in the world quite like it.

As for the book itself, I like it, but feel free to tell me what you think. Don’t worry (if you were)–my ego has been worked over by experts. Nothing left but scar tissue, so I’m up for it.

Summer

Posted on December 18, 2012 by ogresan

We had to take our elderly cat Summer to the vet yesterday. She had been having increasing trouble keeping her legs under control, and couldn’t walk more than a foot or two without collapsing, exhausted. We expected the worst and unfortunately were not disappointed. The vet discovered a mass that had been hidden under her rib cage until it became too large to hide there anymore. He gave us an option, which he didn’t recommend and made no sense to us, either. Summer was twenty years old, weak and frail, and we weren’t going to put her through all that for no real hope. So we said our good-byes and stayed with her through the end.

I still remember our hello, though. I came home from work to discover a calico kitten hiding in our bathroom. Just a tiny thing then, and she never was very large. She took one look at me and hid behind a standing mirror, and that pretty much described our relationship for the next fifteen years. Continue reading →

Richard Parks

Author, Unrepentant Storyteller, "Relative Anomaly."

Category Archives: Writing