I’m sitting beneath the original Perpetual Synthetic Dusk, at the desk where I wrote the bulk of The Sequence, where a large portion of False Ignition was born. Writing in here feels good, feels right. Still a little messy, the NanoLeaf lights slowly shifting through autumn colours, perpetuating the dusk. Outside, rain is falling but back here in the four feet, ten inches of solitude and quiet, it is a zero weather space. I feel work could be done back here once again, gains made, the novel completed.




What’s Been Happening
The baby! We’ve had a week with Anders now. His due date isn’t until October 11th (or 12th we were never quite sure) so he’s D-5 right now (due date minus five days). This is a gentle nod to some chapter names in the next novel. Speaking of which, I bumped into a friend and fellow local Squamish author Amber Cowie (The Off Season, Last One Alive) at the bakery last week and we discussed the upcoming Whistler Writer’s Festival among other things (read, BABY). I’d forgotten that she was a judge for the Lupine Review short story submissions where my story, Act of Redemption shall be published later this month. It was a blind evaluation so she didn’t know it was me that had written it but said she’d loved that piece which got me right in the feels. It’s nice to hear praise, no matter what anyone says about it.
I went to a book signing here in Whistler at Armchair books, Jim McConkey’s biography, Every Day is a Bonus. I hadn’t realized how old he was (and he looks great) until I read the opening page, Ninety–Nine! The man didn’t look a day over 80! In response to my question, “do you have a favourite moment in this book?” He responded, “when they pulled me out of the crevasse. Because I wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t!”
Sarah (the owner of the bookstore) also asked for more copies of The Sequence. More positive energy, love it.
What I’m Reading
Still getting through a few pages a day of Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson before the fatigue of parenting hits me in the face. Like Amber Cowie said, even a few sentences a day (of writing) will eventually become a novel. The False Ignition word count is up over 200,000 now. The book is written, I’m editing it now and piecing together five years of scenes and first draft material is turning out to be a larger task than I thought. Nonetheless, I soldier on. It will be finished. It shall be published.
What I’m Playing
What you ask? You have downtime? Last night Declan put up a fraction of his usual bedtime fight and I found myself alone on the couch before 9pm. So I fired up the PS5 and played The Last of Us for the first time. Very cinematic, very creepy, and very good. I can see why they made a series out of it. And did you know it’s filmed right in our home town of Squamish, BC? Cool.
Out
OK I have to leave the synthetic dusk and head home where my entire immediate family await under one roof. It’s been magical to have us all together, with the newborn Anders and his brother Declan getting to know each other along with my parents who are in the middle of a four week visit and enjoying every minute as Anders’ grandparents.
Declan is adjusting but resisting the change. He’ll get there eventually, he always does.