I intend to mask in public for the rest of my life.

I haven't caught a communicable disease in five years. It's awesome.

😷

@broadwaybabyto https://zeroes.ca/@broadwaybabyto/114561070582021394

Do you prefer to write urban or rural settings?

I prefer to write wilderness settings.

I research urban settings to write about them with any confidence. I'm familiar with rural & small-scale urban settings—small cities, neighborhoods within larger cityscapes, urban subcultures, etc. I don't understand suburban existence at all. I mean, it's ubiquitous in books and media, and I've lived adjacent to suburbanites, but suburbia is very weird to me.

Wilderness = 💚.

#WritersCoffeeClub 2025-05-23

Do you have a favourite pair of socks? Are they lucky?

I don't wear socks unless it's very cold, or I must wear shoes for some reason. So, no.

Also, I have sacred objects of various kinds, but no lucky objects. If I want to improve my probability of success in something, I make advance preparations to optimize whatever opportunities come my way. If I want divine guidance in my pursuits, I discuss my situation with my Holies. I mistrust "lucky" tokens as traps.

#ScribesAndMakers 2025-05-24

Which creative activities do you engage in (almost) every day?

Reading, researching, worldbuilding, what-iffing, storytelling, diary-keeping, cooking, philosophizing, planning, organizing stuff, conversing, caring, nourishing my marital relationship, mysterious spiritual activities, singing.

#ScribesAndMakers 2025-05-22

If you could magically write a new genre really well, which genre would you choose?

Spacefaring sci-fi. I've always had ideas for adventuring characters, yet I end up feeling intimidated by (perhaps my own expectations for) the tech and the cosmic physics. Inventing my own physics in the fantasy end of the story pool keeps serving me well. But maybe someday I can find the confidence to take to the stars.

#WordWeavers 2025-05-22

#PennedPossibilities 677 - What is your MC's greatest skill?

She is keenly attentive to detail and nuance. Once she understands the context and/or stakes of a situation, she is very good at connecting the dots between causes, effects, and influences. This means she has solid situational awareness and a strong capacity for rapid problem-solving. As an ally in a crisis, she's the one you can trust to coordinate cooperative group actions and deliver very sound advice about available options.

How do you make a location you’ve never visited feel ‘real’ for the reader?

Lots of research, a dallop of common sense, a dash of emotional resonance between characters and location, and the liberal application of sensory and cultural details.

#WritersCoffeeClub 2025-05-22

Love, love, love these flowers so much. Little sparks of happiness on stems. 🧡

@kellyromanych https://mastodon.social/@kellyromanych/114513792585896064

"BAD PEOPLE killing the country / planet / targeted humans are [ableist slur]s!"

Every time you say some version of this statement, you are telling disabled people that the worst hateable monster you can think of to compare the BAD PEOPLE to are...disabled people. The worst NOT US labels you can assign to your enemies are slurs that are used to attack...disabled people.

Every time you use ableist language, you are telling me it is important to you that I stop existing.

Do you care?

#ableism