The Wrong Foot and the Right Book
Woooot! My short story "The Wrong Foot" was published in Daily Science Fiction today - so you can read it free online! (And I love the art they commissioned to go with it. That was a wonderful surprise!)
It's a frothy, romantic comedy of manners (based on a skewed version of Cinderella), and it begins:
Needless to say, I didn't want to try on the slipper in the first place.
"Why should I?" I asked Mama when she came to drag me away from my books that morning. "We both know I'm not the girl they're looking for. I was standing by your side last night, remember, when she first arrived. We both commented on how taken the prince was by her. You made a rude comment about the size of her collarbone, if you recall."
"I haven't the slightest recollection," Mama said, with a typically airy disregard for the facts. She was already sweeping through my closet, tossing fresh undergarments onto my bed. Mama may look dainty, particularly next to me, but she is capable of creating an entire whirlwind of activity when inspired. Her head was buried in my closet, my finest silk stockings flying over her shoulder as she called back: "And neither have you, from this instant onward. The prince has sworn that whoever fits that shoe will be his bride!"
"A deeply impractical way to find his missing dance partner." I shook my head, setting one finger in my book to mark my place. "It certainly fits his appalling reputation, though. Has anyone suggested that he simply look at maidens' faces as a better way to recognize the girl he loves? Or was her face not actually what he was looking at last night?"
…
You can read the full story here.
I wrote this story just for fun, to cheer myself up and make Patrick laugh during a month when we were feeling worried about all sorts of grim, practical issues. And it really was so much fun to write. I hope you guys have fun reading it!
In other news, today I'm reading my very favorite new book on writing, Jeannine Atkins's Views From a Windowseat: Thoughts on Writing and Life. It's a collection of brief essays on different aspects of writing - not offering technical help with craft so much as beautifully thought-out reflections on the different parts of the writing (and publishing) process - and oh, is it good!
I have the Kindle edition, and I keep highlighting paragraph after paragraph that really stands out and speaks directly to me about one or another issue that I've been personally battling with over the last few years. The whole book is written in the wise, compassionate voice of one working writer speaking directly to another about this shared passion (and the struggle of balancing that passion with a professional writing career).
I don't know Jeannine personally, but I've been reading her blog for ages, so I bought the book the day it first went on sale. I've been reading it slowly on purpose ever since then, dipping in and out to read just two or three essays at a time. I always feel refreshed after I read them, and I always feel stimulated and inspired. Highly, highly recommended!
What about you guys? What have you been reading lately?
It's a frothy, romantic comedy of manners (based on a skewed version of Cinderella), and it begins:
Needless to say, I didn't want to try on the slipper in the first place.
"Why should I?" I asked Mama when she came to drag me away from my books that morning. "We both know I'm not the girl they're looking for. I was standing by your side last night, remember, when she first arrived. We both commented on how taken the prince was by her. You made a rude comment about the size of her collarbone, if you recall."
"I haven't the slightest recollection," Mama said, with a typically airy disregard for the facts. She was already sweeping through my closet, tossing fresh undergarments onto my bed. Mama may look dainty, particularly next to me, but she is capable of creating an entire whirlwind of activity when inspired. Her head was buried in my closet, my finest silk stockings flying over her shoulder as she called back: "And neither have you, from this instant onward. The prince has sworn that whoever fits that shoe will be his bride!"
"A deeply impractical way to find his missing dance partner." I shook my head, setting one finger in my book to mark my place. "It certainly fits his appalling reputation, though. Has anyone suggested that he simply look at maidens' faces as a better way to recognize the girl he loves? Or was her face not actually what he was looking at last night?"
…
You can read the full story here.
I wrote this story just for fun, to cheer myself up and make Patrick laugh during a month when we were feeling worried about all sorts of grim, practical issues. And it really was so much fun to write. I hope you guys have fun reading it!
In other news, today I'm reading my very favorite new book on writing, Jeannine Atkins's Views From a Windowseat: Thoughts on Writing and Life. It's a collection of brief essays on different aspects of writing - not offering technical help with craft so much as beautifully thought-out reflections on the different parts of the writing (and publishing) process - and oh, is it good!
I have the Kindle edition, and I keep highlighting paragraph after paragraph that really stands out and speaks directly to me about one or another issue that I've been personally battling with over the last few years. The whole book is written in the wise, compassionate voice of one working writer speaking directly to another about this shared passion (and the struggle of balancing that passion with a professional writing career).
I don't know Jeannine personally, but I've been reading her blog for ages, so I bought the book the day it first went on sale. I've been reading it slowly on purpose ever since then, dipping in and out to read just two or three essays at a time. I always feel refreshed after I read them, and I always feel stimulated and inspired. Highly, highly recommended!
What about you guys? What have you been reading lately?