So, the kids are back to school, as of mid-August. I’ve been trying to get back into the swing of things. Had started the last chapter of Sleigh Bells and Wedding Bells…and had to switch projects because my mom’s birthday hit, and I couldn’t write Amaryllis’s mom right then. No, not writers’ block. Couldn’t see the screen through tears. So, yeah. I’m feeling some better, so that’ll be brought back up and finished off this week.

Of course, I’ve had complications arise. Namely, that the last chapter wasn’t. I’ve already added a few more, and more characters have butted in…but I should be able to finish the first draft today.

I’m nearly 2/3 of the way finished with Street Snacks (Liquid Diet 5). The complications in Meg’s life are unfolding, and she’s working on keeping all the balls she has to juggle up in the air…and working on handing off the ones she doesn’t have to handle herself. Or knows she can’t because she lacks the base knowledge. As soon as I’m done with Sleigh Bells, I’ll work on finishing Street Snacks. Should be a couple more weeks, assuming I can get the damn MP3 player to actually work. Stupid fucking thing keeps turning itself OFF while I’m LISTENING. And writing.

And of course, I’ve had yet another story jump into my head. I keep having to write little bits on it to get it to let me write other things. This one’s going to be…weird, even by my standards. One of the characters doesn’t even have a voice, yet, and won’t for a while. My son is intrigued by the concept. So is my other half. I don’t have a title for it, yet. But the fog around the plot is starting to clear.

Beyond these projects, I’ve got another Modern Gods book in the works. I wasn’t expecting one, but…there you go. I guess that one’s coming back to life. Slowly. And it’s not like there isn’t a lot that can still be written in that world. There are so many pantheons to play with, and so many stories. I’d forgotten, for a long time, how much fun mythology can be.

And with all of that, I’m still trying to get back into the swing of a solid routine, between writing, dealing with kid stuff, and housework. Seriously, all those idiots trying to push for AI to do writing? They’re looking in the wrong direction: give me an AI that can run my house and do the housework–the laundry, the dishes, the picking up and putting away, vacuuming, mopping…the stuff that drags. Not the cooking–that’s kind of fun, and definitely emotionally satisfying. Not the writing, either. Writing doesn’t drag. Writing is the fun part, even if I hate the editing (wouldn’t mind an AI that could edit…so long as we could get one that’s totally unbiased, doesn’t lean left or right, and doesn’t lean toward gray sludge, or romance-only).

I’ve got two and a half hours before I have to go get the kids from school. Therefore, it’s time to get back to making the words go.

(Later, after I get the kids home, I’ll need to mix up all purpose gluten free flour for bread, cake, and cookies, and make supper. And bread. And maybe cake. Because my sales keep improving, year by year–thank y’all for that–and I feel like celebrating.)