A neighbor came over this morning and said, "I'm so excited that you said the next book will be out in a couple days. I haven't read anything good lately!"
I said, "Oh, dear, you weren't listening to that lying ***** about release dates, were you?"
I didn't mean to fib, but late in the first revision of Gray II, I had a nifty new idea, and it has left the novel in much more of a mess than was curable with a quick edit.
So I'm working on it, struggling a bit to untangle the knots those changes left. It will be a better book for it, no doubt about that. I hesitate to give a new date, in case I don't accurately guess. The first half is a proofread away from publishing. The second half...not so much.
Hang in, fans. It is coming!
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Friday, June 12, 2015
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Tornado season in the US
It is tornado season in the USA, the country with the most tornadoes every year. This past week has seen some major storms, including many that have provided dramatic pictures of mammatus clouds, like these from some years ago:
These cloud formations often come with anvil clouds and big thunderstorms. Try google image for some recent uploads of these impressive cloud photos. Or visit Dr. Masters' always interesting weather blog
(Still revising Gray II, by the way. I do have a tornado novel drafted, but it's going to be awhile before I can get back to revising that one! And I have the coolest idea for a new series...but that's going to have to wait until 2016.)
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| by Brian0918, Wikipedia Commons |
(Still revising Gray II, by the way. I do have a tornado novel drafted, but it's going to be awhile before I can get back to revising that one! And I have the coolest idea for a new series...but that's going to have to wait until 2016.)
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Gray II
I've been revising Gray II, and I was nearly done, when a brainstorm hit me. I think the new idea will make it a better novel, so for those of you I've told it will be out in June, I'm sorry! I still think it will be out before the end of summer, and a better book than it would have been had I not had this new idea. Hang tight, and it will come...!
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Earthquake safety revisited
Watching the amateur and CCTV footage from the Nepal earthquake, I thought it was a good idea to revisit some safety concepts:
If you live or travel in an earthquake-prone area, don't be in a brick building if you can possibly help it. California legislates against building with brick, and its historical brick buildings are retrofitted, but in places like Memphis and St. Louis and Seattle, which could experience a terrible earthquake, there are unreinforced brick buildings that will kill thousands in a bad quake.
If an earthquake hits, the correct behavior is: STOP. DROP. COVER. HOLD ON. This will give you the best chance of surviving without injury.
Immediately drop and crawl under the heaviest piece of furniture you are near, hang on with one hand, and keep your head protected with the other arm. Again and again, in videos of every earthquake, I see people running toward glass doors and walls. That's the very stupidest thing you could do and results in many serious cuts. One of these days, you'll see someone beheaded that way on film--please don't be that person. In Nepal, people were running for doors in such a panic, there were surely more injuries from the crush there than there would have been had they dropped under a table, or even just stayed where they were. Outside, windows, bricks, and gargoyles from buildings can rain down on you, so in a city, outside is less safe than inside.
Even in a brick home, unless you're right at the door, you likely won't have time to get out. If you grab your kid or your purse and head out, by the time you're on the lawn, the shaking will likely have stopped. It's still better to crawl under the desk or dining room table and wait out the seconds of the quake.
This is worth practicing with your family or office, too. Set aside a time for a drill, or use the worldwide Shakeout (http://www.shakeout.org/) on October 15. Drop, cover, and hold on. If you're practiced, you'll be less likely to panic.
I like my readers! Please, all of you, stay safe.
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| NZ, Wikimedia Commons |
If you live or travel in an earthquake-prone area, don't be in a brick building if you can possibly help it. California legislates against building with brick, and its historical brick buildings are retrofitted, but in places like Memphis and St. Louis and Seattle, which could experience a terrible earthquake, there are unreinforced brick buildings that will kill thousands in a bad quake.
If an earthquake hits, the correct behavior is: STOP. DROP. COVER. HOLD ON. This will give you the best chance of surviving without injury.
Immediately drop and crawl under the heaviest piece of furniture you are near, hang on with one hand, and keep your head protected with the other arm. Again and again, in videos of every earthquake, I see people running toward glass doors and walls. That's the very stupidest thing you could do and results in many serious cuts. One of these days, you'll see someone beheaded that way on film--please don't be that person. In Nepal, people were running for doors in such a panic, there were surely more injuries from the crush there than there would have been had they dropped under a table, or even just stayed where they were. Outside, windows, bricks, and gargoyles from buildings can rain down on you, so in a city, outside is less safe than inside.
Even in a brick home, unless you're right at the door, you likely won't have time to get out. If you grab your kid or your purse and head out, by the time you're on the lawn, the shaking will likely have stopped. It's still better to crawl under the desk or dining room table and wait out the seconds of the quake.
This is worth practicing with your family or office, too. Set aside a time for a drill, or use the worldwide Shakeout (http://www.shakeout.org/) on October 15. Drop, cover, and hold on. If you're practiced, you'll be less likely to panic.
I like my readers! Please, all of you, stay safe.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Tornado emergency preparation
In North America, it's tornado season, and it will be for six more months.
Some reminders on preparation for these killer storms:
Stay safe!
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| Wikipedia Commons |
Some reminders on preparation for these killer storms:
- Make your emergency plan now and discuss it with your family
- Find your "safe room," the best place in your home to survive a tornado
- Know where the designated shelter is at work or school
- Have a contact person and meeting place for your family at least a few miles away from home, should your home be destroyed and the cell phone towers taken down, too, preventing phone calls
- Prepare your emergency kit: a gallon of water per person and per pet, a battery-operated radio (a NOAA weather radio is ideal), canned food with pop tops and crackers and peanut butter (or equivalent), life-saving medicines, plastic bags for waste, work gloves, and a flashlight. This is the very minimum you should have, and you can google for more information on tornado emergency kits
- Keep photocopies of driver's licenses, insurance information, birth certificates, and other important information either at a relative's house, in a safety deposit box, or scanned and in the cloud
- Listen to the broadcast warnings and obey them
- Don't risk your life getting a video for youtube of a funnel cloud bearing down on you
- Obey police and fire when they tell you not to enter an area or structure, no matter how panicked you are about loved ones or how curious
- Don't be a tornado tourist if there's destruction near you. It's rude at best, dangerous to you and others, and places unnecessary strain on first responders who might be saving lives instead of trying to police you
- If you loot tornado victims, expect to be shot, and prosecuted, and shunned by decent people thereafter
Stay safe!
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