Atomic Monster Cafe: Don't Look Now...

...but it's officially time to panic...we've now passed the midpoint of meteorological summer...i.e., June-July-August.

What this means to you: winter and all its diabolical trappings (snow and ice and ice and snow) are currently sneaking up on us, even as I write this.

There! Behind you!

No...no, sorry...that was a train...my mistake...but that doesn't change the fact that summer is retreating like a coward before the schoolyard bully of Ol' Man Winter.

What you should do about it: well, as indicated above, panicking is always the first order of business during any crisis.

Right after that little bit of ugliness is out of the way, you need to make a solemn vow that you will not go silently into the cold, dark night of winter!

...well, that doesn't seem so bad...but the problem is, once Christmas is over, Winter just doesn't know when to leave...he's like that drunken house guest that won't take the hint that the party's over...

...and eventually you have to call the cops and have him forcibly removed.

I mean this year he hung around until mid-April for crying out loud...how rude...

Now I can't speak for you (well, actually I can if you'll send me your power of attorney, your social security number and a valid credit card number) but in my world this vow includes, but is not limited to...

...hickory golf...

...campfires...

...enjoying the beauty of nature in all its summer glory all around us...

...visiting exotic tropical islands on beer bottles...and leave us not forget...

...cigars and whiskey...

Ok, not strictly a summer thing but much more enjoyable then bc you can sit outside and luxuriate in the warmth of summer...

What's on your list? Beaching, boating, hiking, biking, baseball, motorcycling...whatever it is, get after it now...don't wait...sieze the summer day my friends...

The sermon has ended...let us go now and live the truth...
[translation: I'm done preachin' at ya...get off your butt and go do somethin'...]

On the writing front, I just re-edited TAT and turned it into a novella, around 35,000 words now, down from 58,000.

Did the same thing with Loved Of My Father, but technically it still qualifies as a novel. I cut it to around 57,000 words, down from over 85,000.

I've republished TAT...

...but not LOMF yet...

...will do so by the weekend if all goes well.

Personally I think they're tighter stories now and much improved, especially LOMF.

There's a story of how it grew to be 85,000 words originally, and it involves trying to please an agent who ended up taking a pass on it anyway.

At that point I was too exhausted to mess with it, so I put it aside and eventually self-published it on Amazon "as is".

Was never really satisfied with how it ended up, but now that I managed to get Timmy out of the well, I like it a lot better.

later, mcm fans...

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