Celia Lake

I have reached the stage of mentally grading the AI marketing spam email that are the bane of many author email boxes these days.

The third one today (so far) is actually quite well designed, compared to its competition. Still obviously AI slop, of course, but it's at least making an effort.

I'm definitely trying to figure out when I can fit it into the writing stack

(Ok, also, do some further background reading and, y'know, come up with a plot.)

But it's percolating in the back of my head, which is always a good sign.

I keep contemplating a Chartist focused one (1830s!) I have a Chartist ancestor, it'd be great fun to quote his work.

(I'm also working on research for things in the 1480s, which is not a period most people pick. Given the incredibly tangled history, I understand why.)

Then I did two classes on Chaucer in college, including one where we could write Middle English in place of one of our essays. (50 lines, if I remember right.)

My British Lit English teacher did the time-honoured version of 'here's the translation for the Prologue and other bits. If you want to read the good stuff in the Wife of Bath's tale, you need to work for it.' and that we just got in the original.

Some of us who have known you for a while are not actually that surprised here.

(I got as far as the 1200s before I hit 'I'm working a hair too hard for this to count', but I've also been reading noticeably more 1400s stuff recently.)

I did iron infusions last summer!

It was not the miracle Vitamin for me, but it definitely did help (and the infusion nurses and staff were all great.)

They're so simple to keep stocked (and yes, I have a range of Souper Cubes. Last summer I discovered the 2 TBS is also a great size to freeze raspberry or cherry puree to go in fizzy water.

Raspberry + lime for raspberry lime rickeys, a drink underappreciated outside of Massachusetts.

Sally's Baking Addiction Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies | SweetBooks®

Besides making the taquitos tonight, today also involved pulling the Chewy Chocolate Chip dough out of the freezer for mid-editing snack break cookies.

(sallysbakingaddiction.com/chewy-chocol... for those not familiar. The dough freezes great, no mixer required. I add a little more flaked salt.)

Random bits of history, writing, and other things that amuse!

(And yes, hunkered down for the blizzard.)

Caused by my saying I had made a batch of the chicken taquitos (for dinner tonight and future freezer benefit.)

That is good knowledge to have if also exceedingly annoying knowledge.

(I hope to keep the current car for a good bit, but did not have 'because later models are exceptionally hostile to my body' on my bingo card...)

I am 5', so also have this problem of cars that absolutely do not fit me.

I love my (2017, got it used last year) Prius a great deal.

My other key requirement when car shopping was "does not require a step stool to remove snow from the top in winter."

I am idly bemused by the current weather reports (I'm near Boston, we are now at blizzard warnings for Sunday through Tuesday).

While I am about to edit a novel that includes problem weather elsewhere, and with other causes. (Among other challenges.)

Weekends are my prime 'sit down and focus on editing and other projects' time (so, um, not exactly relaxed.)

But I do make myself an excellent mug of cold brew coffee (equal parts coffee, milk, and copious whipped cream). And I just took chocolate chip cookies out of the oven for mid-editing snack.

Me to myself: When you name a character Galahad, you should not be surprised when he has a possibly excessive commitment to his personal causes and a nuanced sense of theology.

(As I contemplate which version of the Bible he's quoting. I have gone with the Vulgate.)

She has done more stylistically perfect roumds, but I admit this one has a casual charm to it.

A black cat curled up in an oval sleeping on a beige cat bed with soft raised sides, her ear sticking out at the top left. Her paws are tucked into the circle, and her fur makes it clear this is an entirely soft and pettable cat.

Today's void, sleeping the sleep of the virtuous excellent cat.

(I woke up at 6am this morning, 2 hours before I wanted to be up. 5 minutes later, there was a firm softly vibrating weight on my shoulder, and I went back to sleep.)

You can bid to talk to me about my books or anything else mutually agreeable. Want to chat about historical resources, libraries, research, or other topics? I'm great with that.

(And if the bid goes over the suggested rate, I'm glad to extend the time a bit, too...)

Fire around blue background: I'm contributing to The Books They Can't Burn Charity Auction from the FaRo Society supporting PEN America: www.32auctions.com/faro2026

I'm contributing to The Books They Can't Burn, a FaRo Society auction against book banning!

Bid on books, art, and chances to talk to authors (including me!) Auction runs until February 25th, 2026

www.32auctions.com/faro2026

Exactly! I didn't get to see the nifty pictures this time, alas. But eyes, so incredibly fascinating, and the tech just keeps getting better.

(We monitor more closely than some because there are two things that probably aren't problems but we want to keep them that way.)

Today was eye appointment day (and picture day for my optic nerve!) I maybe find this more exciting than most people apparently do? My eyes are fine, mildly different prescription.

Today's post-dilation activities, A+ worked well:
- Cleaning out the fridge
- Cleaning out my mechanical keyboard

I had 6+ months of low grade migraine that made handling anything hot or sharp - aka cooking - a real problem, plus a bunch of other persistent symptoms. On top of the ongoing exhaustion ones.

Being able to lay out the 'this is the new set of problems' made some of the next steps easier.

At points where I've especially needed this, I've looked for the specific "activities of daily living" checklists and done a general rundown of "usually do that, can't right now" and "have arranged my life not to do that because I usually can't do it reliably."

Skye's newsletter is fantastic, always great reads getting highlighted.

(And I have two queer romance books releasing later this year...)

It really was a great con! So many great panels (thanks for your part in that!) and conversations.

Today in delightful small victories: I have succeeded in putting on my @lionesselise.bsky.social necklace "They Knew Her As The Sun" on as a triple strand. Go dexterity!

(It is the very first piece of Elise's I ever got, back in early 2002. It is absolutely not the last.)

Amber, cobalt glass.

Photo of a gold coin. In the middle is a rose surrounded by the rays of the sun.

With reports of a clear sky today, we feel it is time to show Edward IV’s rose noble with a sun in splendour in the centre. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

So so glad he listened and that you've got a direction forward. (And that he appreciates your notes. Excellent notes that they are.)

I am so glad to have helped! And yeah, there's a bunch of great conversational openers here to help figure out what the library director's aiming at.

(And there is good research out there about "If books aren't circulating, there's maybe a reason, fixing that will help the library multiple ways.")