March 2022 Dispatch

Two years ago I was just back from Furry Fiesta 2020 and we were starting to see events canceled because of this novel coronavirus that was going around. We’d been scheduled to run in a 5K/10K on the 15th, but the organizers canceled it as a precaution, so a few friends came with us to run an approximately 6-7K circuit on the roads and trails around our house.

Two days later our county and many others in the area announced a lockdown to mitigate the spread of the virus. That route we’d run would become my morning workout; I still have not been back to the gym since then (the step aerobics instructor whose class I took started offering independent outdoor classes). I took a picture that first day, when we thought it would be a few months and then the virus would run its course and we could go back to normal.

We’re still not there; we might never be. But I am (barring something happening in the next week) going to be flying back to Furry Fiesta for their 2022 convention. I haven’t missed an in-person TFF ever, the only convention other than my hometown FC for which that’s true. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with friends, seeing fans, and of course signing lots of books. I’m not doing any panels this year, still a little leery of small indoor spaces, but I’ll be at the FurPlanet table in the dealer room, and if you’ve got questions, find me when the table’s not too busy.

This month I finished up a first revision pass on The Price of Thorns (serializing over at Other Patreon) and sent it out to beta readers. I’m going back over Return From Divalia now and still thinking about what to write next. I read a book on witchcraft trials in medieval Europe as preparation for a possible Camouflage sequel, but haven’t focused in on any ideas yet.

So next month my aim will be to produce a good revision of the Argaea book and start drafting a new book of some sort. Conventions are usually good for inspiration so we’ll see what the weekend brings!

Streaming! I finally started the first part of the last season of Ozark but I’m not done with it yet. Still, the show continues to have great writing and acting.

Watched season two of “Love Life” (HBO). Really liked the first season and the second was just as good. William Jackson Harper (Chidi from “The Good Place”) is a great lead, but the show doesn’t just focus on him as first season did on Anna Kendrick’s character. There are a number of very funny moments and very poignant ones, and overall it seems to have a pretty healthy grasp of relationships.

We have started watching The Woman In The House Across the Street From The Girl In The Window (Netflix), a thriller series that takes itself seriously internally but is played as a comedy to the viewers (think a less wacky Angie Tribeca). Kristen Bell (I promise I’m not just watching shows with “The Good Place” alums) is fantastic and the rest of the cast is also great, as is the cinematography.

And we watched all of “The After Party” (Apple TV+), a fantastic show created by Christopher Miller (“The Lego Movie,” “Into the Spider-Verse”). Tiffany Haddish plays a detective trying to figure out who murdered a pop star at his high school reunion’s after party, while Sam Richardson (Veep, The Detroiters, I Think You Should Leave), Ben Schwartz (Parks and Rec, Duck Tales, Sonic the Hedgehog), Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project), Ilana Glazer (Broad City), Jamie Demetriou (Stath Lets Flats, The Great), Tiya Sircar (The Good Place—don’t say it!), and others wonder which of them might have murdered their friend Xavier (Dave Franco). Haddish interviews each of them individually and their retellings of the night take the form of different movie genres. Really impressive stylistically and the writing holds up all the way through—plus it’s a great Knives Out-style thriller, too.

Hope you guys are all keeping well! Who’s coming to TFF (hi Fate!), and if not, what’s the first convention you hope to get back to?