The Journal of Michael Merriam

I would never cause trouble. Look how innocent I am.



This is my sunbeam. You go find your own.

I’ve been away from Live Journal, just posting marketing stuff. I do have several things going on as writer, and I plan to get back to posting on a regular basis. But before we start talking about writing and writing related things, I wanted to update folks on Beyln.

First, I want to again thank everyone who donated to Belyn’s initial care and upkeep. As you might remember, the little guy showed up on our door, all skin and bones and bedraggled.



Over the next several months we worked to get him healthy and well fed, giving him a safe and stable place to live. After a few initial problems with urinating, he settled down and began to settle in. Belyn is active, playful, and inquisitive. He likes toys that make noise and the fish-on-a-string toy. He is also a cuddler, happy to curl up in a lap or drape himself across your feet and take a nap.

The one problem is that he and the Reverend Selena are still not getting along. Things are better, but they still get into howling, hissing spats and fights. A recent trip to the veterinarian found both cats in good health (The Reverend is in good health for her age), though neither were terribly thrilled with the trip.



The vet has given us contact information for a behavior specialist to call and we are all still hopeful that they will eventually, if not be friends, at least come to some kind of truce.

Over all, Beyln is turning into a big, fluffy, beautiful cat who loves the humans in the house. We hope to have many years of his companionship.

In your quest to go from temp-to-perm kitten to permanent kitten, it might be wise of you NOT PEE ON THINGS. The more so since I know you know how to use your litter box properly.

That said, I know you are a stressed-out kitten in a new environment with a cranky older cat who doesn't seem to like you very much and you're just trying to mark some territory. That's why I'm only a little mad at you.

Also, you are still very cute.

I have been writing on Dead Brew II (title pending). I’m about to the middle of the book and finally have the shape of the thing clear in my head. What I need to focus in now is writing the synopsis for Dead Brew and get it sent out.

Speaking of sent out, I submitted three new pieces to Anthology Builder. I have more pieces to submit to them, but I thought I would start with these three and once a decision was made, submit three more. If I can get all the stories on Anthology builder I would like, that would be 12 pieces. I also sent out a query on a small short fiction collection of my space opera pieces. The publisher in question has told me he is looking for more SF and space opera, so I have high hopes.

Attempts to integrate Belyn—aka Temp-to-Perm Kitty—with the Reverend Selena have been mixed. It would help if Belyn would read her signals (which are pretty obvious, considering how vocal she is) and back off when she’s angry. I wonder if the male inability to read signals a female is sending is a universal thing.

He is still very cute and we are patient. Belyn really wants to make friends with Selena. She is not all that interested right now. I think she might be willing to ignore him, if he would stop getting in her face.

Snippet four of Last Car to Annwn Station is more character and relationship development, with an indication that Jill is about to be drawn into the metaphysical mystery that Mae is dealing with.

I received my postcards and 8x10 prints from Carina Press for Last Car to Annwn Station. They are lovely, and I will have them to give away at 4TH Street Fantasy Convention, Convergence, and Diversicon if I attend.

( Snippet #4 Behind the Cut )
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Last Car to Annwn Station. Releases on June 27th. Pre-Order at Carina Press, Amazon U.S., and Amazon U.K.

Should We Drown in Feathered Sleep. Available in ebook format at Carina Press, Amazon, B&N, and in audio format at Audible.com

The Reverend Selena and Belyn had their first physical meeting after Belyn got through the screen separating them. Little Belyn came running into the study for protection from the big black cat making a noise like an overloading steam-engine. No one was injured, though Selena swiped at him and made him back away. Both cats are now sleeping in separate rooms, with Belyn safely behind a closed door again. I am now listening the the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Cats while I try to get a little writing in.

The writing has been going slowly the last couple of weeks, swallowed up in computer woes and a new kitten. I’m hoping to get back on track by writing a little this afternoon.

Belyn, aka Temp-to-Perm cat, has been neutered and given a clean bill of health by the veterinarian. He and the Reverend Selena have seen each other through a screen. The Reverend Selena made a sound like an air raid siren before settling down to glare malevolently at Belyn. For his part, Belyn’s noise was something more akin to an agitated teakettle, though he quickly became bored and continued his quest to escape the crafting room.

The release date for Last Car to Annwn Station has been moved back to June 27th (One month! OMG!). I should have postcards to give away at 4th Street Fantasy Convention and CONvergence.

( Snippet #2 Behind the Cut )

I am overwhelmed and humbled by the generosity of people, many who I only know through computer pixels. Belyn is a very lovey and cuddly fellow, and we have great hope that his sweet disposition will allow him to integrate with the Reverend Selena once his visit to the veterinarian is over.

Thank you. Thank you all so much.

We didn’t have tornado here in Hopkins yesterday, though the WCCO radio did say we had a funnel spotted at Highway 169 and Excelsior Blvd. Despite that, we never heard any sirens here. What we did get was lots of hail, some of it ping-pong ball sized. Nothing seems to have been damaged, which I am thankful for.

I started the day with a headache, so it seemed a good idea to head back to bed. What it did was make me groggy all day, so that I’ve never seemed to get things in gear. Not even Chinese buffet could save the day. S and I spend a fun and quiet hour building a small birdhouse and watching the Reverend Selena watch the squirrels. Tonight, we will head to St. Paul for an evening of hanging out with friends at the Muddy Pig.

I’m nearly finished with the final pass of Dark Water Blues. This is a last continuity check after I rewrote several sections. I should be able to finish it tomorrow evening, once I’m home from my every-other week visit to Lifetrack Resources. I really hope I can finish it tomorrow night or by Friday afternoon, if for no other reason than I am sick of looking at the manuscript.

Now I am off to make dinner and feed the Reverend before we head out.

I wrote my first new words of the year yesterday, about 580 on a new short story that will be about the ghosts of abandoned buildings. I spent a large portion of my writing day figuring out the story, outlining, making decisions. I have become more of a plotter than pantser these days.

careswen and I ran a few errands yesterday, including scoring a Brita tank for the refrigerator at Goodwill. She spent a little of her Christmas money this week as well. I have a couple of things picked out for myself, just need to get to the store.

I am relearning how to cook with good stainless steel pots and pans. I've grown tired of Teflon flaking and tearing despite my best efforts, so went back to stainless. I had forgotten how quickly it heats up and how well it holds heat. I got a good set, so plan on using it for the rest of my life. I still need to pick up a couple of pieces I am missing to make a full set.

Alas, it is time to give the Reverend her sub-q fluids. Wish me luck.

Year before I posted an entry here on Live Journal. I suspect, nay, I know, that it is the holiday crush. We have been busy: family visit, visiting friends, New Year's Eve, having a belated birthday get together. Much fun has been had, as well as food consumed and alcohol imbibed, all good things to help push back against the darkness of winter.

The Christmas decorations are taken down and put back into storage. Tomorrow, I shall start to reset the house back to normal, or at least what passes for normal around here. careswen starts her final class of graduate school this week. We are working on financial things, trying to get ready for her to finish school and make the jump into her career. Things are moving forward all around me.

I'll make a post about what cons and such I will be at this year later this week. I will say that it looks to be a busy year. I have a cool sounding MinnSpec meeting coming up on two weeks, one of our members giving a presentation about a seminar focused on story construction he attended last autumn. I am taking part in a self-editing seminar being run on a forum by the Editor-in-Chief of Carina Press for Carina Press authors for the next three weeks. This can only help me as a writer, moving forward.

I saw the ophthalmologist last week. Still blind. No surprise, really.

The Reverend Selena is very fuzzy still.