It’s been two weeks since my last post. Much has happened in the world, but much has stayed the same.

I’ve sold a short story (can’t announce where yet, unfortunately) which is always exciting news. Still have a novel out (sitting on the editor’s desk, last I heard) and another short that I’m waiting to hear back on. Yeah, boring standard update to be sure. Until…

I don’t talk about my girlfriend on here very often, primarily because she doesn’t want to be in the spotlight at all. I mean, seriously. A very quiet and shy woman here online. So I don’t mention her name on here and spare her from being dragged out into the public.

Wednesday night her childhood home — the one she hoped to buy from her parents one day — burned to the ground. Eight different fire stations responded but, given the location and the lack of water (the firefighters forgot about the river next to the house for some reason) it was a total loss. Fortunately nobody was inside and the dogs were in their outdoor dog run, so everyone is physically fine. Still, it’s hard to replace a lot of the items in the house, as well as the memories.

It’s been a rough few days, to say the least. But she’s hanging in there. She’s a tough one, tougher than I would be in a similar situation.