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NEWS AND VIEWS - JULY 2023
WRITING NEWS Another slow month, writing-wise. I finished the outline for the new Sam Fortune novel, Sam Fortune and the Hazards of the Game, but I haven't started working on it in earnest yet; I also started doing some preliminary work on the tenth Signalverse novel, City of Strange Gods, and started working on another outline for a new fantasy novel, which I don't have a title for yet. So a lot of outlining, but not much actual writing. As for Galatea and the Dupe, well, I'm hoping to get it out there in another month or two. Josh Howard has agreed to do the cover art for me (Josh also did the cover for The White Ribbon and the Heart of the Night), so things are moving on that front. I also redesigned the dedicated Signalverse site this month -- I'll probably upload the changes after Galatea and the Dupe comes out. I'm planning to update the "news" section there every couple of weeks, kind of like I do here, with some little essays or whatever Signalverse news I might happen to have, so if you're interested in that, be sure to check it out. * * * * * * * * ALL THE HITS Here's some songs I really like. "The Coldest Winter" by Al Stewart, which is about the Great Northern War and Charles XII's invasion of Russia in 1709, which ended in his defeat at Poltava. A beautiful, haunting song. "The Pittsburgh Kid" by the BibleCode Sundays. It's about the light heavyweight boxing champion Billy Conn, who unsuccessfully challenged Joe Louis for the heavyweight title back in 1941. "Let's Go Slaughter He-Man" by Lordi. An amusing Lordi song. Been a fan of this band for a long time. * * * * * * * * WHAT I'M WATCHING/READING/PLAYING Octopath Traveler II. Lots of fun. Good stories, good mechanics, beautiful graphics. I've gathered all eight characters and finished all of their second chapters, so maybe I'm about halfway through it now? I don't know. Boku no Hero Academia. This sixth season has been a huge improvement over the last one. The plot's moving, the status quo has been shaken up, and in the last few episodes the focus has finally returned to Midoriya and his classmates. Vinland Saga. This second season has been excellent so far. Thoughtful, sad, elegiac. I think I'm liking it more than the first season, and I really liked the first season. Love is for Suckers. A pretty good Korean drama/romance. I wouldn't put it up there with True Beauty or Extraordinary You, but I like the leads and a lot of the supporting characters. Some of these Korean series sometimes become a chore for me to get through, but I find myself looking forward to watching this one. My Shy Boss. Another Korean show. Kind of corny, and not as good as Love is for Suckers, but I'm liking it. Tonikaku Kawaii. This second season is basically just more of the same. It's not bad, but the stories aren't exactly engaging and I found my attention wandering while watching the last episode. The Basilisk Throne. The first book in Greg Keyes's new fantasy series. It's pretty good. I have some issues with it, but I'm enjoying it more than his High and Faraway series and I'll definitely check out the sequel(s). That said, Keyes tends to start strong and then fumble the endings of his series -- the first two books of The Age of Unreason were great, but the last two were forgettable, and the same is true of his Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone series. The High and Faraway started out pretty good, too, but the last book especially wandered off in all kinds of odd directions. Really, the only series of his that had really satisfying endings were The Chosen of the Changeling and his very underrated Elder Scrolls tie-in fantasies. Anyway, I've got five or six chapters left to go. * * * * * * * * JULY SCENERY Spent most of this month working on lake cabins. Here's some pics. 
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