Haus of Rhi

It happened a lot with BTB. It's happening again, as I work through a plot direction lag in this overhaul of Dancing Circles . I get lost in the reading, so lost that I'm drowning in the experience all over again as though it's the first time. I forget what I was supposed to be focusing on, and accomplish nothing. With BTB, I had to literally force myself to skim during the editing passes. The schedule was too tight, the book too long, for anything else.

Years ago, someone challenged me to write a story just using dialogue. No labels, no descriptions, nothing but the spoken words between two characters. As though all but one of the senses were shut down, and even that one was filtered with extreme prejudice. It was a challenge. It took a bit of effort. But it also helped me develop as a writer, opened my eyes to thinking about communication in a completely different way. And these days, instead of just "people-watching" as some writers are prone to do, I close my eyes and listen. To the flow of conversation. To the nuances of language, word choice, the volume of silence stretching out between them, even. It all speaks.

I swear these shots are in no way planned or staged. This one, I took earlier this month--manual shutter, no flash--upon glancing up while in the middle of a conversation with a close friend. Sometimes life lets you know that you're where you're supposed to be, doing what you're meant to be doing. Fate, destiny, design? I don't pretend to know. You decide for yourself.

This coming Saturday (11 February) I'll be at the M/M Italia group on GoodReads for a Q&A session. It's a moderated-membership group, but if you're interested in joining the discussions or asking a few questions, stop on by and put a join request in. Check my GoodReads profile for the group link. Having finished the rough overhaul of a novella for Riptide, I've taken the past couple weeks off from writing. Part of it was the promo blog tour for BTB, but much of it has been spent refilling my tank, unwinding, and pondering what to work on next. And then, in a random trolling of the internet, I stumbled upon a piece of artistry, handmade craftsmanship to stop the breath in one's chest: Tiger & Dragon, Kees Engelbarts Pricing available upon request. One day? I will request that price. It's not a watch, or a timepiece. It's a work of art. That you strap to your wrist. This is gorgeous. I must write more. So that I can buy lovely handcrafted tri...

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