Updating like an updating thing....
Dec. 4th, 2024 09:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catherineldfSo it never rains and all that. The current renter of my services, ie. the day job where I am a contractor, had told me back in October that I "was doing a great job" and they wanted to convert me to being an FTE. Now they are wildly dysfunctional and in a healthy job market and without a dying wife and chronic burnout, I would have politely declined. But under current circumstances agreed to the conversion "once they got the budget and planning sorted out." Fast forward to today when I find out from a reliable source that there will be not hiring and that there will in fact be layoffs and I can plan on being one of them. Unsure of timeline, but rumor has it they will start next week. Fortunately, I have been trying to treat each week like it might be my last one on this gig because of aforementioned dysfunction and have done some planning...but they had just extended me to June. I could live with not going FTE, but June would have been a solid date to plan for and I could get a number of things done around the house as well as planning for whatever future I may have. So now I get to add job hunting anxiety and probably commuting to my newly-honed mortal terror that my wife will hang on long enough that the safety net that supports her in hospice disappears. I was hoping she would pass soon for her sake as well as my own, but now I get to throw money into the mix just to make it all perfect. *Screams into the void*
How are things apart from that? Queen of Swords Press is putting out a new title tomorrow!Point of Sighs (Astreiant #5) by Melissa Scott is a terrific installment in the Rathe and Eslingen series set in the magical city of Astreiant and I love it to pieces. I also just sent Melissa the edits for the brand new Astreiant novel, Point of Hearts (coming out early in 2025). Its so good and I'm so excited!
I've also got another submission to look at and have heard rumors more are on the way. And I have started overhauling the next werewolf novel so hoping to dig into that. I also picked up a very part time gig in January vetting arts grant proposals. And I have a few ideas about pitches and class proposals and so forth, always assuming I can continue to do the queer fiction and nonfiction work I've done for decades now. I accepted an invite to be guest at Readercon this summer - I've been wanting to go for years and decided that now is the time. I'm also planning on Seattle Worldcon, seeing these are both things that I pay significant costs up front for.
Apart from all this, I'm stocking up on needful things. I had a successful house cleanout sale and give away this last weekend that dented things a bit. I'm spending time with friends and going to events and donating and buying things from tiny businesses in hopes that they can survive the times ahead. I'm working on reconnecting with folks I haven't talked to for a while. I have some plans for retraining in a new field if that becomes necessary. And so it goes onward, step by step, Sending everyone who needs one a giant hug for the here and now.
How are things apart from that? Queen of Swords Press is putting out a new title tomorrow!Point of Sighs (Astreiant #5) by Melissa Scott is a terrific installment in the Rathe and Eslingen series set in the magical city of Astreiant and I love it to pieces. I also just sent Melissa the edits for the brand new Astreiant novel, Point of Hearts (coming out early in 2025). Its so good and I'm so excited!
I've also got another submission to look at and have heard rumors more are on the way. And I have started overhauling the next werewolf novel so hoping to dig into that. I also picked up a very part time gig in January vetting arts grant proposals. And I have a few ideas about pitches and class proposals and so forth, always assuming I can continue to do the queer fiction and nonfiction work I've done for decades now. I accepted an invite to be guest at Readercon this summer - I've been wanting to go for years and decided that now is the time. I'm also planning on Seattle Worldcon, seeing these are both things that I pay significant costs up front for.
Apart from all this, I'm stocking up on needful things. I had a successful house cleanout sale and give away this last weekend that dented things a bit. I'm spending time with friends and going to events and donating and buying things from tiny businesses in hopes that they can survive the times ahead. I'm working on reconnecting with folks I haven't talked to for a while. I have some plans for retraining in a new field if that becomes necessary. And so it goes onward, step by step, Sending everyone who needs one a giant hug for the here and now.
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Date: 2024-12-05 11:20 pm (UTC)*hugs*
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Date: 2024-12-11 02:23 am (UTC)