David Rose (Schitt’s Creek) and Rarity (My Little Pony) are both characters whose strong aesthetic senses resonate deeply for me… while also causing me to recoil, because they’re so focused on fashion, and I loathe fashion, because I can ONLY WEAR COMFORTABLE CLOTHES, which is anathema to most fashion. Continue reading “David Rose, Rarity, and Fashion”
Killing a Character for the First Time
Today, I got to the point in my sci-fi horror novel-in-progress where I got to kill off one of the major characters. He’s been slated for death from the beginning, designed specifically to be annoying, so it’d be fun for me to kill him.
But it wasn’t fun… I don’t know why. Continue reading “Killing a Character for the First Time”
Escaping My Dad Through Fiction
Sometimes I wonder how much of the intensity of my ambition comes from having spent the first two decades of my life under the power of an erratic, terrifying, 6’3” man with social power and a prestigious academic position. Continue reading “Escaping My Dad Through Fiction”
Clarity & Cassie: the Conscious and Subconscious Mind
A reader pointed out the way I’ve been posting about my new puppy (24 hrs!) sounds a lot like the voice of Cassie, the living spaceship in my Entangled Universe trilogy who loves bunnies.
I’ve been thinking about that a lot… Continue reading “Clarity & Cassie: the Conscious and Subconscious Mind”
Courtship FTL
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, November/December 2020
Addie stepped onto the fanciest spaceship she’d ever seen and thrilled at the idea that she might soon own it. The twinkling lights, the shining displays, the dashboards of brightly colored buttons — all hers! She’d been saving credits for years and finally had enough to buy a fully AI-equipped, FTL-drive starhopper. Continue reading “Courtship FTL”
My Fursona
My fursona is usually a cat with a tortoise’s shell. So, like, a turtle-cat.
But I’ve thought of a new fursona that speaks to me: an octopus who got ahold of an abandoned human skeleton, wrapped its tentacles around it, and wobbles about that way. Continue reading “My Fursona”
Hey Little Tomboy
I love Beach Boys music so much & listen to it so little… I thought, hey, I’ll put an album on…
In that lush, complicated, 5-part harmony w/ soaring falsetto in the background, they sing “Hey, little tomboy, it’s time to turn into a girl.”
FLAMES FROM THE SIDE OF MY HEAD Continue reading “Hey Little Tomboy”
Episodes of TNG with Kids
Tonight I rewatched Star Trek: TNG’s “Coming of Age” and “The Dauphin.” I’ve been trying to choose episodes that (1) I haven’t seen recently and (2) seem likely to appeal to my kids. And I remembered both of those episodes being compelling when I was young. Continue reading “Episodes of TNG with Kids”
The Parable of My Dad and My Computer
This is a story about dealing with an abusive authority figure. Bear with me.
When I was a teen, my parents offered to buy me a computer. This was a one-time deal, so I waited until the last few months before college, so I’d have the most advanced computer possible for college. Continue reading “The Parable of My Dad and My Computer”
Sleeping Through Fear
My dad, in addition to being a scary person, is a scary driver. I remember a time in college when I was old enough to be able to understand how scary his driving was, but I wasn’t old enough to be out from under his power… Continue reading “Sleeping Through Fear”