An e-zine about spaceships, aliens, science, memory, motherhood, magic, and cats.
by Mary E. Lowd
Originally published in New Myths, December 2019
I am a cracked crystal vase holding a rainbow cloud. The colors leak out through the cracks. The crystal is too rigid; it can’t contain them. The colors are too strong, too big. Too bold. And the crystal is precise. It desperately wants — no, needs — to be precise. But the colors have no patience. They can’t wait for precision. They happen. Whether the crystal is ready to contain them or not. Continue reading “Crystal and Rainbow”
I keep forgetting to post about this… but I signed the contract and can now say, I’ve had another story accepted by Daily Science Fiction!
This will be my 40th story with them!
It’s so easy to forget that—now I’m vaccinated—it’s possible to go in stores. Continue reading “Sales, Stores, and Slush”
My cat likes to steal plushies & drag them under a dresser. She seemed to particularly like a dog, Charlie, who I’ve had forever but am less attached to than most of my plushies.
So I gave him to her.
Oh the DISDAIN. Continue reading “The Cat Wants to Hunt”
Spouse, knowing the zine I edit upgraded to pro rates today: “How many submissions did you handle today?”
Me:
S: *confusion*
M: “What?” Continue reading “Drowning in Furry Slush”
I think I’m very nervous about Zooscape re-opening to submissions tonight, at a significantly higher pay rate.
I don’t expect to be instantly inundated with submissions, because I expect it to take a while for the information about the new pay rate to filter out. Continue reading “Re-Opening Zooscape”
I noticed years ago that when I was at all uncertain while writing, I’d have the characters smile. It served no story purpose, just a nervous tic, attempting to ensure they were likable. I stopped doing it, and it made my writing stronger.
Just now, seeing yet another post about women being told to “smile more,” I realized the connection between that attitude and the bad habit I had developed in my writing. Continue reading “Too Much Smiling”
Which actor on Buffy/Angel would make the best Doctor?
I’m going with Amber Benson as the Doctor and Alyson Hannigan as the Master. Benson has such a complex—vulnerable but clever—demeanor, and we know from Vampire Willow that Hannigan is delightful when evil. Continue reading “White Board Thoughts”
I’m watching Underwater (2020), and it seems to have a monster that should interest me… but I’m barely paying attention.
Now, sure, I could TRY HARDER to pay attention, but I’m watching it for fun. And also, I’ve learned from being a slush reader to trust my instincts… Continue reading “Baseline Normality in Ocean Horror Movies”
Me: *time to write!*
My brain: *hmm. writing is hard. how to avoid it?*
Spouse: “Jeff Daniels has a kind of Bill Pullman vibe.” Continue reading “Bill Pullman Vibe”
I’m trying to work out a schedule for the book I’m writing, and my desire to finish the book soon is very much in conflict with my desire to not require myself to write very many words per day.
I’ve been kind of floundering with writing this book, and I think it’s partly because I thought I could rely on the same strategies as I used for the previous book in the trilogy, which I wrote last fall. Continue reading “Tricks and Gimmicks”