04/21/2026
I took some time off from my final edit of Guardian in Exile to drive my old Porsche to an old logging and commercial fishing hub founded in the 19th Century over on the coast. There’s a German auto shop there. It’s a couple of hours of mountain driving from our place, but of course mountain driving is what an old Porsche is all about.
While March was uncharacteristically like summer, April has been more like winter with nearly continuous rain, lightning, and even a bit of snow. I was aiming for a break between storms, and almost made it, but half of the drive back home was in heavy rain — which, on a twisty canyon road, was ‘interesting.’
But after three uneventful days, a sucking sound coming from the direction of my checking account, and a clean bill of health for the p-car, I’m back behind my desk working on my final edit before going to formatting and publication, which I still believe will be this summer.
Book Reviews
I just finished Jim Butcher’s Twelve Months, in which Dresden must battle both demons within and without. Good thing he’s got people he can count on to help him confront both kinds. It’s the only way he can help the people he made it his responsibility to protect. I’d guess the grief Dresden battles reflect pain the author was confronting at the time, something hinted at in his dedication.
Just before Twelve Months, I read James Butcher’s third book, Cold Iron Task. James paints an entirely different protagonist than his father’s Dresden, basically the total opposite. And yet, despite Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby’s lack of self-confidence and magical shortcomings, he’s always able to get the job done by going far beyond his self-perceived limits, despite danger to himself, if he believes he’s doing the right thing. Great writing. A fun, heartfelt read with chills and thrills.
Alright, it’s back to the salt mines for me.
Randy