The Middle of the Dark

My dog Pepper died two days ago. She was 14. Best dog I ever had, and one of the best friends a person could ask for. And naturally, because this is my family, I'll have to live the rest of my life with that moment, which should have been private, marred by the greed and selfishness of my family. I had to put Pepper to sleep, and after it was over, my aunt came into the room. I told her I needed a moment alone with my dog. "Yeah." That's what she said, and barged in anyway. I had to tell her four times, forcefully at the end, to leave before she did. There is no excuse for that. Selfish. Disrespectful. Wrong. And it's gone on for years. And I told her that, and now she's taking it out on my Mom and everyone else by severing contact, like she's been injured. You cannot hurt someone and then act hurt when they tell you to stop. It's dishonest. For starters. And I won't be silent about it anymore. I will not be hung out to dry becaus...

My friend Mike called from Omaha the other day, wanting me to go down to New Orleans with him. I only wish I could. He wants to volunteer for the devastated NOLA PD. You feel so helpless, you know, but not Mike. He's got his water and beef jerky and he's ready to go. It's fantastic and I wish him all the best. Spent the day working at my brother's art gallery, tearing up the floor in the back, just layers and layers of floors going back to the turn of the century. Then we had to tear up the carpet in front, which was a challenge. Good lord. I called in Ben to help and between him, me, my brother, and two others, we eventually did get it all up. I never sweat so much in my entire life, let me tell you. Books for displaced New Orleans children. A great interview with George Saunders at Maud Newton's. Two great interviews with Aimee Bender, who like Kelly Link is just slightly out there (my favorite kinds of stories), one at Bookslut , and the other at Powe...

I got a rejection letter for one of my stories, the zombie one, the other day. They liked it, but it wasn't for them. I've got two other stories with this same magazine, and I expect to hear about them soon. I haven't done a lot of writing since what, Thursday, but I have managed to finish Chapter 10 in the Angel Book. It now stands at 267 pages, after I wrote five pages tonight, and then added in a homeless bit from an early draft back into it. I'm at that point where I don't know exactly what the hell is going to happen next, and it's exciting and terrifying at the same time. (EPIC TRILOGY ALERT) I've also been revising the second book in the trilogy, little by little, here and there. Just cutting junk out (mostly dialogue; in my first drafts, my characters seem to like to talk, a lot) I've already cut 20 pages. So 740 is now 720 and I hope to at least get it under 700.

New Orleans has been left to the dead and dying. Because our government failed its people. From Beatrice: UK sci-fi writer China Mieville spreads the blame, appropriately, to the local leaders of NOLA, who seem to have failed as miserably in pre-diaster planning as Washington did. Speaking of which, I do not want this man in charge of my country's security. Didn't they say no one ever imagined terorrists crashing planes into buildings, too? I find it hard to believe that an administration that traffics in as much fear as it does never considered a scenerio like Katrina. Oh, wait. They did. Chief Justice Rehinquist has died. Fox News reported this first, as they ran tape of Geraldo Riveria trying to 'shh' a standed baby in NOLA. And then he told the baby's mother, "He's hungry, mom." Uh, no shit, Geraldo. That's some Pulizter caliber reporting there.

That's how a New Orleans police officer described his city, or what remains of it, this morning on CNN, as he defended his own police station from roving packs of armed men firing at the station at will. In the distance, a chemical plant exploded. Half the police force has deserted and when people talk about NOLA in the past tense - which if you notice, is what many are doing - you hear the reality of the situation very few people, especially in Washington, seem to appreciate. I've been trying to find the words for my frustration, my disbelief, and my horror at the catastrophe in New Orleans. Ben seems to have found them for me. Today there were calls for hearings and task forces and a special 'coordinator' to run the show down there. We need to stop appointing more people to handle our challenges. We need to have our leaders lead, and if they can't, then we need new leaders. From Beatrice: New Orleans has given so much to horror writers, and now horror wri...

I finished Chapter 9 tonight, bringing the book up to 236 pages. I really like the chapter and the direction of the story, and some of the characters that weave in and out of it. It's getting to that point where it all seems to be coming to something. I had a lot of ideas about Chapter 10 on my bike ride today, the real turning point chapter, although there are still things coming up, strands and threads I don't know how to stitch together yet.

New Orleans is no longer safe to live in. Apparently attempts to repair the breached levees have failed, and the waters will rise. Looting has escalated into near-anarchy, and CNN is reporting that cops are traveling in packs after one of them was shot by a looter. Over 25,000 people are stranded at the damaged Super Dome; it's surrounded by water now. They have to be evacuated, and no one knows how. One idea was cruise ships. The people in charge down there are talking like abandoning New Orelans is the plan, for now, because the situation is quickly becoming unteneable. The scope of the disaster reaches far beyond New Orleans, and there are some towns in Mississippi that no longer exist. If you want to help, in any way: The American Red Cross A variety of other charities. Maud is blogging literary, and thoughtfully, on the disaster. Caitlin got through to her mother fine in Birmingham, and New Orleans author Poppy Z. Brite made it out of dodge to safety.