Short Note and Sumo

Making this one short and sweet. No pictures either. I’ve been pretty busy with the rounds I’m making for appts (not me, but a relative) and we are hoping and praying everything will happen as planned, on time, with the best possible outcome.

I need sleep!

My projects are still on time but I put the date out a little further than I had originally intended, to give me a thicker cushion. Just in case. Emergencies and all that. You’ll have to sign up to the free newsletter (see sidebar on desktop or below on mobile) to learn the actual date 😉. Or just keep your eyes peeled here in the near future.

And to add, we’re one week and change into the New Year’s Tournament of Grand Sumo. My faves are not doing so well (poor Ura finally got his first actual win!) but there’s a new kid on the block by the name of Onosato and wow is he a joy to watch. I’d love to see a massive upset and have a rookie win the Emperor’s Cup on his first go-round with the big boys.

Post-Mother’s Day

I know it’s a little late, but to all the mothers out there, hope you had a fabulous Mother’s Day!

I didn’t have kids–not for lack of trying, but it just wasn’t happening for my then-husband and I–but I don’t get all bent out of shape and hurt around the holiday, nor am I triggered into a puddle of spineless goo because I don’t have kids. I just take my mother shopping where she wants to shop and eat where she wants to eat and spend the day with her. Oh, and we watched sumo, since the Grand Sumo Tournament started on Mother’s Day. All is well.

However….my mother’s been calling me a ‘mother hen’. Why? Due to the additions to the family. And there are more, now. Four. Here’s one:

Peppercorn, at 10 days old.

We picked up four more, two red sex-link and two the farmer called “American Chocolate”, though I can find no reference as to what the girls will look like. They were completely black at a day old, but gradually some of the coloring is coming out. Note the white throat, red cheeks and red flecking in the feathers. They also have white rumps and black feet and beaks. If anyone has any suggestions as to what she will be, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.

So, yes, I am being a mother hen. I’ve got six in the coop (sounds like a mental illness!) and four more who will join the flock when they’ve feathered out and when I can introduce them under a watchful eye. It takes a lot of care, some fencing and some patience. Chickens can be violent, especially toward one another, and pecking order is a very, very real thing. And that’s what moms are for, sometimes. Breaking up fights.

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WRITING STUFF

Eater of Dreams is now out and published in Vella just over 80K words which is 64% of the planned length. I’ve made decent headway in spite of some life-hits-you-hard setbacks.

I am at a stage where I can also start thinking of the next project I will be working on, after I finish the revision of the novel set in the same universe as Clones Are People Two. That’s been put on hold so I don’t sacrifice time on EoD.

I’ve got quite a few novels and some short story collections waiting to be revised but haven’t cracked them open just yet. That’s where you, my reader, comes into play. I am going to be opening a poll to my newsletter readers asking which project they would find most intriguing. It will be based on sentences/blurbs I developed for the books. If you want to take part in the poll, you’ll need to sign up for the free newsletter. Besides the story, “Whispering Dusk”, which takes place in the Eater of Dreams universe, you’ll also get updates, fun news, etc. every other week. You can sign up via the link in the sidebar/below or here: In Other Worlds…

You can also click on the sidebar/below Promos, and it’s in there as well, along with lots of other free/on sale books. You’re sure to find something entertaining to read.

Sumo’s Back! WOOHOOT!

So who else out there is into sumo? Who else would plan a trip to Japan that coincided with one of the six tournaments that make their rounds on the island?

Yesterday night Mom and I watched Grand Sumo Highlights (which, thanks to DST, shifted to 1930 instead of 1830. Japan doesn’t use DST, just JST) and it was a much-needed diversion from the recent and unexpected loss of our very beloved (and severely spoiled) pup. For a half hour, we got to root for our favorite rikishi, and watch some of the slick and sometimes unexpected moves. We particularly like Ura, if only because, win or lose, he always seems to be smiling. And anyone who holds out a hand to help another wrestler back into the dohyō after tossing him out gets a point on the respect scorecard. Oh, and Endo, because when he wins, the announcer draws out his name with one long OOOOOOOOOOOOO, and he wears a dark purple–my favorite color!–mawashi.

Ura in his silk ceremonial apron.

One of these days I’m going to have to incorporate sumo into a story. As it is, I have the character who was born of my love for MMA, Ennid the Havoc, so maybe I can introduce a sumo-inspired fantasy bout in his universe, somewhere.

Wish me luck!

Have you ever watched sumo?