Blog – Page 31 – Deep Sky Anchor

Fake Christmas Trees

My mom bought a this fake tree after figuring out I was allergic to Christmas trees. (They’re filled with mold.) My dad objected strenuously to us switching to a fake tree. But I finally stopped spending the whole of December sick, turning into lingering bronchitis through the spring.

One year, we visited Jewish friends for a couple days around Christmas, and my eternal winter cold lifted. My mom put that puzzle piece together with the fact that I always perked up on Christmas Eve at Grandma’s house — which had a fake tree. Continue reading “Fake Christmas Trees”

Struggling with Burnout

I’ve been really struggling with the concept of burnout lately.

During the two years vaguely centered on the pandemic, I wrote four books, invented numerous weekend holidays to distract my kids, and burned myself out to the point of a serious health crisis.

And I still feel like writing another book is what will make me feel better, even though it is demonstrably NOT an effective way to make myself feel better.

Continue reading “Struggling with Burnout”

Literary Analysis

The 14-year-old: “My English teacher said I didn’t engage enough with the story we read based on one question I answered on a quiz. I’ll never be able to do literary analysis!”

Also 14: “Rudolph is a neurodivergent found family story. Let me list all my evidence…”

Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas

Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas is exactly as spectacular as the rest of the show. Exactly what it should be.

I hope it gets renewed for another season, but if it doesn’t, the Christmas special gave it a much better end than it would have had without it.

Stray Parenting and Writing Thoughts

Me to my kid: “It makes sense to take a break and give yourself time to rest rather than pushing yourself to be in every play the children’s theater puts on.”

Me to myself: “Now, tell me again why you didn’t write a novel last month? ‘Cause, I really think you could have.” Continue reading “Stray Parenting and Writing Thoughts”

Tidbits about Doctor Who & Lost In Space

Avery still doesn’t get it. If the spirit of Christmas involves paying attention to an inanimate monstrosity of a decorated tree instead of HER, then she wants none of it.

She is SO MUCH prettier than a Christmas tree. And she can do TRICKS.

The Doctor to a weeping angel: “My friends are never lost.”

Um… Continue reading “Tidbits about Doctor Who & Lost In Space”

That, Again

That feeling when you’re just about to declare yourself finished with edits on a book… only to stumble across a final note saying, “Search for the word ‘that,’ and remove as many as you can.”

Alas, this is not the first time THAT this has happened to me. Continue reading “That, Again”

Jane Austen Red Herrings and Danica McKeller

It’s mediocre Christmas movie season!

So far, Pride & Prejudice & Mistletoe doesn’t noticeably have anything to do with Pride & Prejudice except for a few names sprinkled randomly throughout.

Danica McKeller’s presence in a Christmas movie, though, seems to be a good sign.

Two Ways of Playing Stardew Valley

In spite of its many problems (too much realism), my spouse has managed to get me hooked on Stardew Valley. And the differences in how the two of us play are very revealing.

He has made everyone in town like him; I have killed enough monsters that I can wear a creepy bone mask.

Award Eligible Work by Mary E. Lowd in 2021

Here’s a list of all the Award Eligible work Mary E. Lowd released in 2021, including approximate word counts and links to where the pieces can be found.

In addition to these works, Mary is also eligible for awards as the editor of Zooscape and for the Deep Sky Anchor podcast.

(Whether or not a work is furry can be a subjective question, but we’ve done our best to mark furry works with an asterisk next to the word count.) Continue reading “Award Eligible Work by Mary E. Lowd in 2021”