News, Personal

Update on me

HEY- Hugo nominations are open until March 15! If you’re eligible to nominate, don’t forget to do so!

January was crap. That’s all there is to it. It’s over now, which is great.

I have talked about hemochromatosis here, but the update is I can’t find a good hematologist. One did a quick breast exam, sent me for a mammogram, then set up a breast surgery appointment without discussing the mammogram results. (No, I didn’t go. Got another opinion.) The one I went to after that told me I didn’t in fact have both genes for the disease, and I could stop getting phlebotomies, but she wanted to check me yearly. Went in for checkup last year and POOF, she was gone, they had no record of this “misdiagnosis!” Turns out I DO have both genes, they even showed me the lab report, and the new hematologist who has taken over my case has determined I must have monthly phlebotomies to get my iron levels down quickly because it’s been building up.

Punch line- I haven’t met my new doctor. I speak to him through his physician’s assistant.

Second punch line- breast-surgery-recommending doctor (#1) has moved to my new hematologist’s office. I have said under no uncertain terms will I allow her to be my doc again. And if you know me, you know I’m not good at standing up for myself.

Are there any good blood docs in this fucking area of medical innovation?

Since this is my fifth pint of blood I’m losing in as many months, it’s starting to get to me, and I’m losing several days to exhaustion. I was going to try to get work done this morning, but it turned out that I wanted to complain/blog about my health instead. I really am getting older. Next, I’ll kvetch about the weather.

Nah- I’ll tell you that I have one ISBW and one DD ready to go, I just need to get them posted. Hurrah!

Writing: I started a new original book and a new project (vague, I know) recently. I will tell you more when I can. I also have a book for a younger audience coming out this summer, but it’s not announced yet, but it’s on Amazon for pre-order, so… that’s weird. This is not an announcement.

 

Oh and Reedsy listed Six Wakes in the 100 best sci-fi books of all time.

 

Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #73: Teddy Ruxpin Sings Sean Grigsby

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:13:44 — 49.4MB)

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[Good lord- this went out without the link. And only one of you told me…]

The Ditch Diggers come to you live from Jodie Foster’s Very Busy and Very Important Staff Room with special guest, author of SMOKE EATERS and DAUGHTERS OF FORGOTTEN LIGHT, Sean Grigsby!

  • Matt explains that this is their second go at recording the intro, and how he is Busy and Important.
  • We discuss the history and mythology of Teddy Ruxpin (no, really), and Sean promises to perform a metal cover of the Teddy Ruxpin theme.
  • Sean was supposed to be a guest at Ditch Diggers Live! at WorldCon 2018, but it didn’t work out.
  • Sean talks about who he is and the books he writes.
  • Also, Sean is a firefighter who, the day before recording, literally saved a puppy from a fire.
  • The Ditch Diggers and Sean discuss how the various non-writing jobs/careers they’ve pursued (such as firefighting and pro-wrestling) influence both the way they approach writing and the way they approach the business of publishing.
  • Legendary pro-wrestler and wrestling promoter Bill Dundee’s sexual fetishes are briefly discussed.
  • Matt asks Mur and Sean, “If you could go back ten years and tell your younger self one thing about the publishing industry, what would it be?”
  • Twitter Q&A! The incendiary topic of which cheese is best is thoroughly dissected, and we answer some actual freelance writing industry questions, too.
  • The customary end-of-episode shilling occurs.
  • Sean’s website: http://www.seangrigsby.com/
  • Sean’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeanGrigsby
  • Smoke Eaters: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857667734/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_58mvCb6F0HE95
  • Daughters of Forgotten Light: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0857667955/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_P9mvCb1S9SE45

Affiliate links to our books!

Podcasts, Projects

ISBW #403: Slumps, and Sherrilyn Kenyon Interview

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:31 — 23.9MB)

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Frankly, I’m in a podcasting slump, and change needs to come to keep me from podfading. I talk about some of those changes here, and then we get to the Sherrilyn Kenyon interview.

Did you know you could have heard this show earlier if you supported the Patreon?

Affiliate links below:

And my other projects:

Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #72: Always A Bridesmaid with Brooke Bolander

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:12:13 — 42.5MB)

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  • Mur and Matt come to you live from Jeff Goldblum’s Douglas Adams Appreciation Center with special guest co-host, Brooke Bolander!
  • Mur explains the location of the show and how it relates to the Ditch Diggers’ struggles to book Brooke on the show (hurricanes, travel, and sick animals were involved).
  • Everyone catches everyone else up on what’s been going on in their lives and careers, including NaNoWriMo and other novel finishing efforts.
  • Mur masterfully segues into the main topic of the show, which is how to handle being nominated for multiple awards and not winning any of them.
  • Mur and Brooke talk about that feeling of almost getting there, but not, and Brooke talks about her many multi-award-nominated short stories.
  • The shenanigan engine thresholds of all three hosts are discussed, as is Robert Silverberg and dealing with the treatment of the less accepting older members of the SFF community.
  • dink jokes!
  • Public speaking for authors, and the many un-taught skills authors need to possess.
  • More dink jokes!
  • The perpetually premature onset on awards season, and everyone’s awards-eligible works.

Brooke on Twitter
Brooke’s website
Brooke’s 2018 Awards Eligibility Post