I have a new routine — I brush my teeth while sitting next to the fish tank and reading. This makes my fish very happy.
Author: marylowd
Stray Thoughts on a Random Day
Talking to the four-year-old about how he needs to settle down and go to sleep, he suddenly got really somber and quiet. A moment later, with absolute seriousness: “I just remembered, I’ve never fallen asleep.”
One of my favorite lines from Michael Copperman during tonight’s discussion of Kazuo Ishiguro’s brilliant novel, “Never Let Me Go,” at Wordcrafters In Eugene — “You’d be surprised how often the heavy-handed, clunky move is the one you need.” Continue reading “Stray Thoughts on a Random Day”
Animals Should Talk
The four-year-old, speaking of the small dog: “I wish Amy could talk like me.” A moment later, “I’ll pretend she’s talking.”
Yep, that’s my kid.
Doubtful but Creative
The four-year-old’s excuse for not listening to me at the park: “I left my ears at home.”
Writing Processes Changing
Generally, I’m a very linear writer. I write stories like I’m reading them… just more slowly. But lately, I’m finding myself writing passages entirely out of order, and the sentences reorder themselves around me like pieces in a Tetris game. It’s very disturbing. Continue reading “Writing Processes Changing”
Furry Award Eligible Stories
It’s award season, and so we’re doing a round-up of Mary E. Lowd’s furry short stories published in 2017. There are a lot of them! All but one of these stories can be read online for free; four of them can be read right here at Deep Sky Anchor! If you love any of these stories, please consider taking a moment to nominate them for the Ursa Major Awards, or if you’re a qualified nominator, the Leo Literary Awards. Continue reading “Furry Award Eligible Stories”
The Unification of Worlds
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Arcana: A Tarot Anthology, November 2017
Diamma’s scaly green tail curled to one side, then the other, swaying uneasily, as she stood in the open hatch of her spaceship. Crystals of pink snow caught in her fiery, leonine mane as the flakes drifted down from the powder blue clouds of this world. Snomoth. For years, it had been a number in the registry on her ship; somewhere she would eventually go. For the last few weeks, it had been a dot of light on the main viewscreen. Now it was a faintly pink snowball, the color of cherry blossoms in the early spring, stretched out before her, waiting to freeze her toes when she stepped down from the hatch.
The final piece of the puzzle might be here, hidden underneath the pale pink snow. Continue reading “The Unification of Worlds”
The Moon Like An Unhatched Egg
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in The Symbol of a Nation, June 2017
The moon stretched out in front of Jenn like an unhatched egg. Full of possibility. Full of portent. In a few moments, the four pod capsules, including hers, would be ejected from the USS Fledgling, and the final competition would begin. The winner would secure the continuation of their genetic line and be the first live astronaut to Mars. All of them were uplifted birds, designed especially for this purpose, but only one would win. Continue reading “The Moon Like An Unhatched Egg”
Beta Readers
Every beta read of everything I write ever: “I expected the characters would have more feelings…”
Me: *grumblingly adds feelings to the manuscript because squishy humans think they’re so important* Continue reading “Beta Readers”
Writing with Chai
The coffee shop I’m writing at today drew a panda in the foam on my chai, and now they’re bringing around free chocolate chip cookies to everyone!
I’m at the stage of writing my novel where every night I think, “I’m going to finish it tonight!” But then I don’t…
But maybe tonight!