Updates In The Void

It’s hard not to recognize that things are particularly bad right now. Some of it is what we already have been living through: pandemic, climate change, rising right-wing white Christian fascism. Some of it is from the tentacular outgrowths of those wretched seed-beds: Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the attack on trans kids in Texas, the attack on LGBT kids in Florida.

It’s not great, Bob.

I don’t know particularly what to do or say about much of this beyond the obvious choices. On Ukraine, I’m particularly lost. I have no great thoughts or wisdom here, except the clarity that we all should have, which is that war is fucking awful and should be everyone’s last resort, and that none of us should be straining for war, and all of us should be recognizing the costs of war. (This, plus the needling anxiety of old, which is, growing up Gen X and being afraid every night before bed that for some reason, the Soviet Union was going to vaporize your town with a nuclear blast.) I point here to some charities one can support, though in this list is the Red Cross, and the Red Cross has not always stepped up (Haiti, Texas, etc.) despite being the often-number-one place to which one sends donations in times of crisis. So, be advised, there.

On the matter of trans kids under siege in Texas and LGBT kids in danger of erasure and worse in Florida — obviously, call your reps, make your voices heard, follow LGBT voices and signal boost them on this subject. Some charities here will be particularly good to look at:

Trevor Project and Audre Lorde Project

Trans Texas (Transgender Education Network of Texas)

Transgender Law Center

And of course, the ACLU.

If you’ve not subscribed to Parker Malloy’s newsletter, I recommend it.

Finally, you have to vote. And you have to vote for Democrats and Democratic Socialists and independents who support trans kids and freedom for LGBT and for human rights across the board. And here someone will — correctly! — note that it’s a very hard sell to convince people to JUST VOTE HARDER, because it’s not exactly as if the Democrats are covering themselves in glory. They are routinely not fighting as hard as they could be, and often compromise on fights in a way that feels both preemptory and perfunctory. (I call this the “not in the face, not in the face” school of politics, as the Democrats always seem to be flinching even from punches that don’t land, often failing to throw their own punches in return.) They currently control the White House, the House, and the Senate, though with margins that are less robust than we’d like — but they don’t seem as able to accomplish much with those numbers, and so it becomes a very hard sell to just say HEY VOTE MORE OF THEM IN. We did vote them in. The country busted its ass to overturn the Republican control of this country, and it doesn’t always feel like as much has changed. Some of that’s down to their poor messaging, some of it’s down to tough choices or troubled realities, some of it’s down to just not really being the people we want them to be. We fought for them and we want them to fight back, and not just fundraise for the next election.

And yet.

And yet.

We still have to vote when the time comes, voting for the people who are not going to be the ones demanding that we out trans kids and gay kids, and the ones who aren’t going to outlaw and punish abortions, and who are may not be the best of our choices… but who are not actively trying to undo human rights. It’s often a grim choice. I don’t like it. It sucks, and sucks bad, but I don’t know what else there is to do, except letting it all swirl down the drain on principle. But letting it do that means letting a lot of innocent people — in this instance, kids — get hurt in that process.

Anyway. Thoughts. Do with them as thou wilt.

Uhhh. Let’s see, what else is up that isn’t actively awful?

Whoa, What, A Stoker Nomination?

To my great delight and honor, The Book of Accidents has been nominated for a Bram Stoker Award in the Best Novel category, alongside wonderful authors like Cynthia Pelayo, V Castro, Stephen Graham Jones, and Grady Hendrix. I’m really glad the book has found its audience and continues to find new readers. Thanks to all who voted to put it in that slot —

I say again, a great delight and honor.

You can check out all the nominees here!

And a reminder that the paperback of TBOA launches March 15th.

In Which I Do A Keynote

In cautious fingers-crossed please-let-the-pandemic-go-quiet hopes, I’ve accepted an invitation to do the keynote speech at the Colorado Gold Writers Conference Sept 9-11 — registration opens in May!

Speaking of Travel

You did see I’m doing a cool in-person mini-sized book tour with pals Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson, yeah? New York City! Rhode Island! Boston!

Come see us, wontcha?

Yeah, The Website Is Still Kinda Ass-Ugly

Good news is, no fresh hacks. Bad news is, I’m still hanging around with this kinda lumpy boring-ass theme, a pre-packaged WP theme. I need a refresher and am looking into some options to figure out where to jump to next. But yes, I’m aware it’s still not as appealing as it could be. Soon!

OKAY BYE