Around the league

First off, good San Francisco Giants news; all three major off-season signings have been wrapped up; reliever Jeremy Affeldt, center fielder Angel Pagan and second baseman Marco Scutaro have signed to multi-year deals (three each for Affeldt and Scutaro, four with Pagan).  Now my baseball heart can truly hibernate until spring, and my husband’s Christmas shopping has been simplified; after the World Series, I told my hubby that if Pagan signed with the Giants, all I needed under the tree was a Pagan jersey.  I’m feeling good about my Christmas morning prospects (as well as those for my team in 2013).

The new book is coming along well.  Edits on the last Alvin’s Farm manuscript are minimal, and that novel will be published sometime this month.  Last night I looked over a book I was thinking about publishing next year; the first chapter probably needs to be expanded into two, quite a character dump, but the rest is in fairly good shape.  I wrote Detours back in 2008; man that seems like a long time ago.  But as with the Giants solidifying their line-up, I’m excited about Detours (more family saga drama), and its sequel, The Road Home, written for NaNo 2008.  Both will probably be on the shortlist for release next summer/autumn.

But, out just yesterday, are two short story collections, one of which I have a contribution!  Fools Rush In… and A Winter’s Tale are a cornucopia of genres and POVs from various authors associated with Top Writers Block; Fools Rush In… offers a gamut of manners in which that notion sometimes occurs, including my NaNoWriMo-based tale, “Pork Fried Rice and Recessed Lights”.  Yes, I used my November antics to spark not only a couple of goes at 50K, but a short story to boot!

A Winter’s Tale is an evocative seasonal assortment, perfect as days grow short and temperatures drop.  Even here in California, it feels like 2012 is coming to a close, and I easily recall the extremely brief bouts of sunlight from our time in England, not to mention those truly frigid days.  If you’re looking for some great short stories, or perhaps a gift for someone who doesn’t care a whit about the San Francisco Giants, pick up some copies of these books from Smashwords.  All proceeds from both collections go to Sea Shepherd, and other collaborations by Top Writers Block are available too!