HOT TIME SUMMER IN THE CITY

My husband has been telling me that we haven't had a good summer in Alaska in ten years. He moved here ten years ago, and that was a good summer - plenty of sun, some heat, some fish if I remember correctly - but since then they've been cloudy and dismal and cool. And we haven't gone fishing in a long time. Last year we broke the record for rainiest summer. That was a proud day. :/ Global warming seemed to have passed us by.

However, suddenly we are beset by hordes of mosquitoes

I am writing - from the linoleum floor of the downstairs bathroom - this in the heat. Like, the INTENSE heat. Our house faces south and its ugly face is splashed with windows, to make the very best of the paltry light and heat Alaska normally has to offer. Now it's like a convection oven, only instead of cookie pie we're cooking people.

As you do.

However, winter (It was still snowing in the middle of May) fled in a hurry, to be replaced by its bigger honey badger punk sister, summer, and now we're mobbed by mosquitoes and fainting from the heat while walking to the mailbox at ten in the morning. In reality, it's about 85 degrees. But that's like 595 degrees for Alaskans, because we do temperature like dogs do years. Also, we don't have air conditioning.

I'm ignoring the heat and the ungodly bug bites by writing, sneaking it in between 9 p.m. and midnight. And yes, it is still light the entire time. I'm reaching the tail end of Night Runner 2.0. I wrote Don't Bite the Messenger as a kind of wish fulfillment novella in the dark days of a rough winter saddled between two bad summers, when all I wanted was to get the hell out of Alaska. I would not surprised if Sydney and Mal end up at the North Pole by the time I'm done with this story.

So what are you all doing to beat the heat of summer? Are you plopping down in kiddie pools with sangria and books? Dipping into the darkness and icy A/C of movie theaters* Gorging on sriracha popsicles?




*I recommend The Croods. Slapstick family fun. Gorgeous animation. A little scary for smaller kids, particularly those raised on the geographical Ring of Fire and who have developed phobias thanks to earthquake and volcano drills.

STEP RIGHT UP...CARNIEPUNK ARC WINNER

Thanks for all the comments and tweets about the CARNIEPUNK ARC giveaway. This is a stellar urban fantasy anthology, featuring some good friends and great authors. I can't wait for all of you to read it, but as the Highlander says, there can be only one! ... winner of the ARC giveaway.

Hope Evey is the winner. Hope, please email me at writerjakes AT gmail DOT com with your mailing address, and I'll get his posted to you.

To everyone else, thank you for the interest. Do stay tuned because there are a few upcoming announcements related to the anthology, and I may just have another ARC or copy up for grabs prior to release.

A DAY AT THE ZOO

Today is gorgeous. It's over 60 degrees. No snow. No gale force winds. A perfect day for an outdoor activity, like chasing the five year-old all the hell over the zoo - which is full of hills and stairs and loose gravel - while wolverines and baby musk ox watch.

Actually, we couldn't find the wolverine, but that doesn't mean the wolverine wasn't watching us! (This is how I make zoo trips more exciting, by pretending I can see cut wires or tunnels burrowed under the enclosures that are empty. The kids love it, I tell you.)

We did get to see a few beasties on the move that we normally only find sleeping. Also, camels sound like wookies.

Prayer Bear (Grizzly)

Polar Bear, every day hustlin', hustlin'

Snow Leopard, moving with intent

Bactrian Camel, sounds like wookie

Happy Bear is Happy...also fatal (Grizzly)