Mea culpa!

Ohmygosh...yet more proof that I am a lousy journal keeper. Okay, I'm back, I'm hiding my head with embarassment that it has been THAT long since I was here. But people are finding me....so maybe I'd better keep MY side of the bargain, huh? Well, I HAVE been writing...started an urban fantasy novel and love it, but I need to sort through the depths. (The story that started this long path will appear in Modern Magic, an anthology due out in April... I'll post more info on the website when it's out). Meanwhile, in the process of writing a novelette for an original SF anthology, I fell through the ice on Europa and into a new SF novel. Sigh. Embarassment of riches here! And meanwhile, of course, I'm still doing stuff with my dogs, woodlot, garden, and my Long Ridge students. I'm afraid to add up my days...the total will come out to more than 24 hours and then what happens?

I just spent an entire week at a herding camp, working with various trainers and lots of other sheep herding dogs. (I had the ONLY Rottweiler! :-)) Talk about another universe...but hey, I had one of the top working dogs there. You know this breed really WAS bred to work cattle. DJ does that and sheep very well, I discovered. That was cool. It's nice to send him to go get my sheep instead of having to coax them into the barn. So now I get to do sheepdog trials (with a Rott, yet!). Bet I can manage a mystery story or two out of that universe.

Chris Barzak, so COOL to see you here! I promise I'll be better about this. Really. Really.