Allen Sale

Check in on your people, (not just family but the friends and acquaintances you keep); you never know who needs it.

The mirror is far from distant and we are too blind to see it. Calamity isn’t the echo of a scream or shot; it’s the harbinger of hopelessness with the deafening silence of apathy.

Here we are.

Again.

To no one in particular and to many observed:

Self-righteous indignation is a disappointing filter choice. I pity you and pray for you. You are so much better than this as we all can and should be.

A story senselessly ended. Families forever changed. My soul grieves on days like this one.

What successes are you celebrating/grateful for as we approach the weekend?

There’s a scene in Star Trek: The Next Generation where the ship’s second officer, (an android), is caught in a loop, “Processing … processing.”

That’s where I’m at now. My family has lost its matriarch.

My grandma has gone home.

Did I intentionally put two tablespoons of espresso powder in my coffee that already has chicory in it? You bet!

Instant gratification breeds impatience and closed-mindedness. The more connected we become; the more isolated we get. Tragic irony.

“In my experience, communication is a matter of patience, imagination. I would like to believe that these are qualities that we have in sufficient measure.” — Captain Jean-Luc Picard

I love this line so much. But oh, how much we are the opposite.

The book cover for “Legend” by David Gemmell features a detailed illustration of a kneeling armored warrior holding a spear and sword. The warrior is depicted in full medieval armor, with a helmet and a beard visible. In the background, there is a castle with tall towers and battlements, along with a mounted knight on horseback. The title “LEGEND” is prominently displayed in large, stylized red letters, with the author’s name “DAVID GEMMELL” in black above it. A tagline reading “A mighty saga … fantasy at its most splendid” is written in smaller black text beneath the title. The overall color scheme includes shades of gray, beige, and red, with a slightly worn, vintage texture.

Currently rereading this classic. Do I stay awake five hours more to finish?

“Be better today than you were yesterday.”

I remind myself this each morning before my workday begins. Nothing will ever be perfect when you serve others. But you can try to learn from the missteps from yesterday; your adventures today may be smoother as a result.

It’s easy to be grateful on the days when everything goes right and you’re dealt all the aces. When the hard days test you, those are more rewarding because you have to fight for every bit of grace, joy, and patience you give as well as give. Little victories are awesome!

Be the table people want to come to for collaboration, for comfort, and for connections; not the one where people are worried about damaging your centerpieces.

Without such vigor, he might as well be out picking peaches or digging ditches; God knows it would be better for his health.”

— Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing (Joshua Odell Editions, 1996), p. 4.

I can already tell that I needed to read this book. Onward I go.

For the first thing a writer should be is—excited. He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiasm.

“if you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer. It means you are so busy keeping one eye on the commercial market, or one ear peeled for the avant-garde coterie, that you are not being yourself. You don’t even know yourself.

It is going to be a shuffle through the door, stumble into the bedroom, and flop into bed kind of evening. If I can just make it through my zombie-like state in my office, work will be wonderful. So far, so good.

Okay, folks, standard end-of-spring reminder: summer is almost here, so, if you want that perfect beach body, make sure to head on down there early or all the good ones will have washed back out to sea.

Or Monster Brawl?

Leave it to a Tom Waits song to plant a seed in my brain for a current writing project. Place your guesses as to which one in the replies.

Progress is being able to get out of bed without someone helping you. Appreciate the baby steps as they happen.

Be grateful for your baselines; especially, the temporary difficult ones. You’ll be fine as frog’s hair split four ways soon enough. Be patient with your struggles and give yourself grace.

Blep! Nyx in a shopping cart, sticking her tongue out.

Nyx having a blast at the pet store.

Coming to say hi to Cargill!

Nyx looking over her shoulder at me at the park.

Timeline Cleanse

Stack of books, coffee, stickers and bookmarks

I co-own a curated horror fiction subscription service where we ship 1 new hardcover, 1 new paperback, a beverage, original artwork from our in-houses artists. April pre-orders are on sale! Try us out! A women-owned business

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Rod Serling poses with a headstone prop in front of a spooky painted backdrop.

In other news, I will be a failure as a creator until I have an author photo that is basically exactly like this.

Hugo nominations close at midnight PST today. This is all the work I did in 2024 and, with the exception of Voice Acting, it's all Hugo eligible. If you're a voter I'd love your consideration. Thanks:)

Hugo nominations close at midnight PST which is in a few hours. I had a really hard year last year, but I did work I'm really proud of. With the exception of Voice Acting, it's all Hugo eligible. If you're a voter I'd love your consideration. Thanks:)

I like a writer’s block shower, personally!

Getting old means having a room that has turned into a stockpile of Amazon boxes that you refuse to throw away because they’re really good boxes and you might need one at some point.

Did you smile? Did you yell? Did you shriek "Holy shit!" more than once? Did you forget that the world is on fire for a few hours? Are you still searching for something to bitch about? Fix yourself. Seriously. Fix. Your. Self.

#AEWRevolution 🤼

Photographers, learn about alt text: what it is, who it’s for, why to use it, and how to write it. You will serve everyone better as a result.

Let’s not get it twisted. They might not have spoiled it here but other places, however, …