I ask you, how am I supposed to get any work done like this?
A few months ago I took both cat beds off my desk because the amount of cat fur flying around was getting out of hand. But the cats have other ideas. They either want to sit on my lap or my keyboard. So I gave in and put a blanket back on the desk. As long as they are sleeping, I can see over them, but the sheer cuteness makes productivity difficult.
Tobie is an odd duck. Her nickname is Tobie the terrible because she’s absolutely horrible with anybody other than our immediate family. Horrible, like drawing blood horrible. But with us, she’s a sweetheart who can’t stop herself from giving kisses. All. The. Time. Seriously, the underside of my chin is chapped because that’s the only place her little sandpaper tongue can reach right now.
So if Book 3 is late, you can blame Tobie. Just kidding. Book 3 of the Valkyrie Bestiary is well underway and Book 2, Dervishes Don’t Dance is up for pre-order. Launch date is October 13th.
And here is some new flash fiction for you. Most of my short fiction tends to be on the creepy side, so this is the perfect season to share some more of it.
Delusions of Faerie
n
What if you couldn’t help but believe?n
“There are no fairies, I tell you!” Mr. Doe pummeled his fists against the orderly’s chest. His hands were cuffed, his wrists bruised and swollen from straining against the metal rings. Big Red grasped him by the forearms and contained his outburst. Several fairies twinkled about their heads, making soothing cluck-cluck sounds while Mr. Doe squirmed in Red’s grip.
Skipper waited, swinging his enormous ring of keys in an aggressive arc. “Quit your hollering,” he said and cuffed Mr. Doe between the shoulder blades with the flat of his hand. A troll had been washing the floor and Mr. Doe skidded on the wet tile. Big Red hung on, and the two tumbled together in a heap.
“Sorrrreeee!” said the troll in his rolling accent. “Sorrrreeeee!”
