Smokey Mountain Breakdown

Peter Cole, my lovely editor from Issue 3 of Keyhole, left word that they mentioned me in conjunction with that issue of Keyhole on The Emerging Writer's Network. So that's really cool. Keyhole #4 is soon to be available, so you should pre-order a copy. T.J. Forester has a piece in it. T.J. has hiked most of the Appalachian Trail--several times over--and we've had some nice conversations about Max Patch and Hot Springs--SMB neck 'o the woods.

I've got a story called Mr. Black Takes a Sunbath going live in October on Insolent Rudder's Fall issue. It's a fun piece set in the 1960's about a young tomboy who runs away for a few hours after assaulting her sister with a Johnny West action figure. While she's away she witnesses the neighborhood eccentric taking a sunbath. It's one of my favorite new stories and has lots of fun period details like Wonder the Rocking Spring Horse, WAPE AM(the big Ape) radio out of Jacksonville, baby oil and iodine tanning lotion--and stuff like that. I'll give you a link when it goes live.

In other buzz--lookit!


That dirt dauber is totally dragging home a big fat spider for dinner! The neat thing is that he was walking backwards--I turned the photo on its side so you could see better but he's walking backwards up a wall with it. A pretty long ways too. Guineas have cleared the place of ticks. Even with the yard all grown up, I have no ticks. Wasps are going into their aggressive crazy stage right now. I've gotten stung twice. Last night, one of those enormous night flying hornets came in the bedroom. I thought I trapped it in the light but when I went to release it this morning it wasn't there anymore. Which is sort of scary because I now don't know where it is.

Buzz. Happy Sunday.