Raven's View

Well, I won third prize in a short story contest recently. That was $20 and a certificate and publication in the Mensa Canada newsletter. The cash is gone after a few beers at my local to celebrate, but then I'm not really in this to make money. Yes, it would be nice, but my goals are the pleasure of writing, the possibility of improving at it, the camaraderie of my fellow writers, and feedback from happy readers. 

Here's a link to the story, The Traitor. Feedback welcome of course, to help me improve. 

Status:

• Editing - slow but steady on novel #2. Need to get this cycle out of the way before NaNoWriMo planning. My beta reader wants me to just get it done and back to her before she forget what it's all about! 
• Writing - Still thinking of re-assessing my existing Flash Stories. It was nice to get something published again. NaNoWriMo is in two months, so starting to think of a topic.
• Publishing - As above - a short story out there. And since it's in a newsletter restricted to a specific group, likely doesn't count as 'previously published' if I want to re-submit somewhere else. 
• Reading - I read The Dark Winter, by David Mark, First in a series, and a good mystery. I also read The Lost Garden, by Helen Humphrys. Romance and gardening, in WW2 Britain. Another good read. 
• Other
• I spent a week in Toronto, visiting my lady friend. Mostly quiet mornings on her shaded porch with paper and coffees, sharing bits of news. Plus a picnic and photos in some back alleys.
• Netflix has tempted me once again. In addition to Farscape re-runs, there's a cute British detective series, Vexed.