I’m so behind on updating that I don’t even have a punny title. Sorry.

May was spent mostly knitting. I’m smushing the beginning of June into this “what I’ve been doing with my time” post too, since it’s apparently the 10th already.

I really need to learn that when I pick a pattern for something with a specific deadline (like a birthday, or a charity event) then I should read the WHOLE PATTERN before I commit to it.

Because I have a chronic problem with severely underestimating the time it takes to finish things. However, I was able to finish the thing and it sold for a pleasing amount in the art auction at the Michael Kudish Natural History Preserve, for their first annual Art For All Festival. All proceeds from the auction went to the Preserve, so I’m thrilled that someone liked the shawl enough to pay for it.

It did turn out pretty:

Calling this one Liken to Lichen. That border, you guys. That border made me lose my mind on several occasions.

Somehow I still managed to read several books in May.

I finished Acceptance, the third and final book in Jeff VanDerMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy. Hoo boy do I have thoughts. I’m not really sure what they are, because almost a month later I’m STILL processing, but eventually I’ll put together an annotation-style, hopefully coherent post about those.

I also read a couple of the Catstronauts books– comic books for MG readers featuring cats! in! Spaaaaaaace! They’re very cute, but a little lacking in the science department, which was disappointing. Things can be cute and accurate, I promise.

Finally, I read Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller and really enjoyed that. It reminded me a lot of Malka Older’s Infomocracy, with the advanced tech, the computers running the city, the multiple, connected viewpoints. It differs in that Blackfish City is solidly post-climate-apocalypse and the city itself plays a major role as a character. Also, there’s polar bears and killer whales.

Writing suffered a little, what with all the time spent knitting. I re-submitted two stories that are not new and have been rejected several times. I managed to write a brand new story called Too Good, At Least that is not-so-vaguely inspired by the Great British Bake Off and Sweeney Todd. Aren’t you curious?

It’s one that I actually really like, and of course it’s already been rejected three times, including by the market that I wrote it for specifically. Oh well. Hopefully someone takes it, because I think it’s funny.

I also entered, and did not get into, a query letter competition. I threw a tweet into the ring for June’s #PitMad, and did not get a bite, as usual. I had a little flutter of an idea of how to change that novel, but it would take so much restructuring for the 9 millionth time, that I’m not sure I want to dive into that right now.

Why does no one else want to read about Tesla’s Death Ray??

Plans for June include knitting something easy, and writing. I had lofty goals of submitting a novella to Tor when they open for unagented submissions in July, but that isn’t terribly realistic. I’m also considering doing a story-a-day thing in July, which might be a really dumb idea, or it might be fabulous.

Still kicking around some book-themed blogging ideas, too. Stay tuned.