Having Survived To Friday Night...

 I still have not caught up with myself.

There has been very cold weather here, so my changed hours were a good thing.

A crock pot of navy beans needs a decision - is it safe to eat, or do I get rid of it.

No working on fiction. I decided to keep working on dad's case. That has left me feeling like I am shaving ice off of a glacier.

Last night, I went with a friend to a trivia contest/dinner. We came in third.

Today, I got out very early. I even got to group therapy early. Notes will follow in a separate post.

I have been closing out my nights with Netflix: Kalki 2898 A.D., and The Brothers Sun I recommend to all of you. If  The Brothers Sun was meant to continue past one season, then Netflix has done us a disservice. Great acting and some very good writing.

Pruning the email tonight. I had a 90-minute nap, but still too tired to do much. Although, I did get the dishes caught up!

‘Her face is a marvel!’: Vanessa Redgrave’s 20 best films – ranked!. When I first saw Nicole Kidman (Dead Calm), I thought she looked like the young Vanessa Redgrave. However, Kidman never has had the mischief in her eyes that always seems to be Redgrave's trademark.

Lloyd Cole review – still causing a gentle commotion

That, right there, blunt to the point of rude, is the difficulty facing older artists who are still creative, still writing good songs, but whose early success sells tickets. One of the best tracks Cole plays tonight is recent-ish work: The Idiot, an elegiac, Kraftwerk-like tribute to Bowie and Iggy’s Berlin years. It’s charming, artful and playful, but it’s not on Rattlesnakes, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions’ classic debut LP, and so is not received with the fervour it deserves.

Another sign o' the times - people are attached to reliving their youth rather than moving forward.

Some items from last which I just did not have the energy to post about: 

Chasing Mystery Through Fiction: On the Life and Literary Career of Mavis Gallant (LitHub). I have been seeing the name Mavis Gallant appearing recently and finally dove into an article on her. Another cautionary tale of literary reputations.

 We read Gallant today, in other words, not because she accepted the parameters of the story or the world that were handed to her but because she dared to go her own way—and in so doing redefined, as every great writer must, what the story and the world can be. To put it another way, where most writers aim for mastery, Gallant never stopped chasing mystery. In my view, her Collected Stories is one of the great works of fiction of the last century; it has the burnished perfection Linnet Muir aspires to: “seamless, and as smooth as brass.” But that doesn’t mean its author has nothing else to say.

5 Indy arts and culture things that are balm for the soul (Indy Mirror)

Rejections have been coming in for my stories. the first two were for "When Thomas Kemp Went Missing". I really appreciated the first one.

Thank you for your submission, but I'm afraid we won't be accepting this particular work.

We're happy to discuss this in more depth if you'd like. I know I've always hated form-letter rejections that don't give any extra info, but I don't want to foist any unwanted opinions on you either. Just let us know. (Note that it can take a couple weeks or so for us to get back to you on this.)

Best regards,

Jeff

Jeff Georgeson

Managing Editor

Penumbric Speculative Fiction Magazine

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Thank you for your submission to The Saturday Evening Post. After careful consideration, we are sorry to say that we will not be publishing your story in our publication. Because of the sheer volume of freelance submissions we receive, we regret that we are unable to provide a more personal response. For many reasons—from subject matter to style to the limitations of space—we sometimes must reject well-written, insightful stories. 

We are indebted to independent writers like yourself, without whom publishing our magazine and our online content would not be possible. Please do not hesitate to send us your work in the future. 

Sincerely,

The Saturday Evening Post Editors

3520 Guion Road

Indianapolis, IN 46222

317-634-1100

SaturdayEveningPost.com 

***

Thank you for sending us "Problem Solving".

Unfortunately this particular piece was not a right fit for One Story, but we were very impressed by your writing. We hope that you will feel encouraged by this short note and send us something else.

We look forward to reading more.

Sincerely,

The Editors of One Story

I think it will be a short night and an early morning,

How times are changing: Indianapolis sushi! "Oishii Indiana". The name I recognize is Sakura.

A book recommendation from Ann Patchett:

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