sleep deprived and fuelled by coffee

Ah sleep, long have I courted you, and long have you spurned my advances.

No, I’m not an insomniac yet, but over the past few months my sleeping patterns have been shattered.

I sleep in pieces now.

During my absence my contributor copy of Cabinet des Fées (Volume 1, No. 1) arrived, and it’s a beautiful journal that fits neatly in the hand. The cover artwork by Charless Vess is gorgeous. He also contributed a great deal of the interior line drawings, which are lovely. It’s satisfying to see my story, “In the Woods” in such a well-produced publication, in the company of other fine stories and essays.

I’ve started a new short story. It’s taking me by the hand and pulling me into a weird future world. One of the things I learned at Clarion was to unbuckle my imagination. To open up Pandora’s box, smack the demons inside, make them my bitches, and ride the spark of hope through the clouds and into the wide expanse of blue where there are only ideas, imagination and no bridles.

It sounds more fun that it was at times. Those clouds can be pretty impenetrable.

It’s an exhilarating and fiercely joyous experience to fly by the seat of your pants, but it’s damn scary too:

Fuck, it’s a long way to the ground.
Don’t look down!
How will I get back?
Keep going!
Hey, how can I breathe up here? I should be freezing and faint from lack of oxygen…
If your logical brain doesn’t shut up right now I’m dropping you on your ass!
Um, nice view?
Wheeeee!

I’m off to puncture those clouds.