Again, the season of Spring has come
and a spring-source rises under everything,
a moon sliding from the shadows.
–Rumi, “Spring”
Spring is a good time to be a writer. We can go outside and enjoy the glorious sight of Sweet William, day-lilies, and shasta daisies blooming away; feel the fresh warm wind on our faces; watch the birds and squirrels being all busy at the feeders….it’s all very beautiful, in a fragile way, and its prolific transience can be very inspiring, humbling, and thought-provoking for a writer.
The joyful and spiritual poetry of Rumi seems an apt opening for this month’s update, because all of us here at Mercury Retrograde Press are feeling pretty solidly connected to our creativity these days. Zachary Steele, for example, has a clear docket until his much-anticipated sequel, “Flutter: An Epic of Mass Distraction” comes out in August, but that doesn’t mean he’s just laying out in the sun. No, he’s busy with three major projects: developing the Ducky Thomas blog, creating more installments in his hilarious series of “The Bookstore” videos and blog posts, and continuing to work on his YA piece, “The Storyteller”. That ought to keep him occupied for a few months….
Our newest author, Danielle L. Parker, is no less busy. She has just finished and delivered the second Minuet James urban science fiction novel, “The Nihilistic Mirror”, to the editors here–I think Ed Morris (in Oregon) could probably hear Barbara (in Georgia) cheering when that came in! Danielle is also hard at work on not one but three more projects: “Knight of Faith”, the third in the Minuet James series; an as-yet-unnamed historical mystery set in 1905 San Francisco; and the sequel to “Galen the Deathless,” book one of her “Artoria” series.
Edward Morris has a story, “Rejection Letter”, coming out in “End of an Aeon”, the “posthumous anthology celebrating the long and illustrious run of the McKennas’ AEON Magazine, out of Seattle. I miss Aeon. They paid very well, and I like the McKennas’ politics and general human-ness. They are wonderful people.” Ed also is working with his beloved Serena on new cover art for his novel, “There Was a Crooked Man“; that collaboration of creative talent ought to blow the roof off, so keep an eye out for that one! And finally, Ed has placed a few of his shorter works, but details on those must wait until the official go-ahead, so keep an eye on this blog’s monthly updates (you are subscribed already, right?)–oh, and keep an eye on Ed’s own blog, as he’s putting together an online writing workshop/discussion group.
Barbara Friend Ish, our Fearless Leader and Supplier of Fabulosity, has been just as busy as the rest of us: “I’ve been preparing two of Mercury Retrograde’s fall releases for press: ‘Flutter: An Epic of Mass Distraction’ by Zachary Steele, the sequel to his hilarious ‘Anointed: The Passion of Timmy Christ, CEO‘; and the re-publication of Danielle L. Parker’s EPPIE-winning ‘The Infinite Instant’, the first installment of her Usurpers series. In the study, I’ve been working on ‘War-Lord of the Gods’, the sequel to ‘The Shadow of the Sun’. Around mid-month I did an interview with the Pendragon Variety Speculative Fiction Podcast, a podcast by and for aspiring speculative fiction writers; that podcast should go live in a few weeks, and we’ll put up the link when it does. We talked about Mercury Retrograde books and writers; publishing and promotion options for writers entering the field; writing–theirs and mine; tea; and pajamas.”
Larissa Niec is enjoying a quiet May, “thank goodness: current plans are to finish the semester, submit an NIH grant proposal, and write the last few chapters of ‘Cael’s Shadow.’ I’m looking forward to a 3-week writing retreat in Santa Fe in June.” Well, at least one of us isn’t overbooked…much….
Leona Wisoker is taking it relatively easy this month as well. She only has two major events scheduled: a book signing on May 21 at the College of William and Mary Bookstore, and Balticon from May 27 through August 30. Minor projects include finishing the fourth (and final) book in her “Children of the Desert” series; starting another writing class; and beginning to take in editing work. She’s actually managed to get organized enough (thanks to some fantastic guest bloggers and tips from another pro writer) to schedule a number of posts for her blog, “The Writing of a Wisoker on the Loose“, out through June, which allows her to focus more on the novel in progress. So keep an eye on Leona’s blog while you wait for the next book or short story or project to emerge into the public view….Wait, how many eyes on how many blogs is that? Oh, well, just subscribe to them all.
And speaking of quiet time, those of us with allergies aren’t enjoying the pretty flowers nearly as much. We go out to look, and feel our eyes begin to flood from the amount of pollen in the air, so we hurry back inside to our nice, safe, un-pollinated desks. We think it’s nature’s way of making us appreciate the darkness, the night: because standing out in the pollen-free, dim light of moon and stars, that’s when we can really feel that spring-source Rumi mentioned, and see the moon sliding out of the shadows…and we connect with the real spring: dark, lush, and full of mysterious noises, smells, and shadows. And our writing deepens and grows, putting down roots into the fertile ground of the unseen and unacknowledged, to bring up blooms of an entirely new and unexpected form, blooms that don’t wither with the passing of the sun but linger on to provoke consideration and conversation from all who view them.
Yes. Spring is a good time to be a writer. A very, very good time.
