Category: castle frostbite.

castle frostbite. writing.

You wake up one morning and half the year is gone

 It seems that it’s July already, which means that 2020 is officially halfway over. Let’s hope that the first half of the year wasn’t just a warm-up.

Things are going pretty okay here at the Castle Frostbite Magic Novel Factory. We are still doing the social distancing thing and have been keeping to ourselves since March, and from the encouraging COVID-19 numbers for NH, the vast majority of New Hampshirites (yes, that’s the official term) have done the same. I go out once a week for groceries, we wear masks in public, and playdates/hang-outs with friends are still a no-go. International travel will not be a thing for us in the foreseeable future, which means I won’t be able to see my German family and friends in person this year. But that’s why we have Zoom and Skype and WhatsApp, and those are cheaper than airplane tickets anyway.

I do find it a little harder to concentrate on the work due to all the background anxiety from COVID-19 and the general political situation, but like a smart person once said–the difference between an amateur and a professional is that the pro shows up for work every day regardless of mood. I am on schedule to turn in CITADEL, the third novel in the Palladium Wars series, by the end of July. Then I have a Wild Cards and a Frontlines novelette on my calendar for August and September, and the last three months of this year are blocked off for writing Frontlines #8, to be delivered at the end of December. (I can’t give you a release date for that because I haven’t even started it yet, but if I turn it in on time, I am guessing it will be an end-of-year release for 2021.)

Last month marked the one-year anniversary of my ditching of social media, and I can honestly say that it has been a massive improvement for my productivity and my overall mental state. I can’t even imagine the anxiety levels I’d feel if I still spent a good part of my day cycling through the noise on Twitter and Facebook.

That’s what’s going on here at the Castle—work, work, work, and keeping my head above water in this dumpster fire of a year. Hope you’re all staying safe and sane out there. Wear your masks, keep your distance, and be kind to each other, because there’s more than enough angry noise out there already.

books. bullets & links. castle frostbite. in the news. this monkey house.

Isolation update

IMG 2954

We are safely isolating here at Castle Frostbite and doing what we do most of the time anyway, which is to cook food and eat snacks and play games. The kids have been in an online charter school for a year now, so not much has changed around here other than the fact that I still can’t find toilet paper at our usual grocery store.

Life and work continue as we wait out this current craziness. I am busy with CITADEL, third novel in the Palladium Wars series. Number 2, called BALLISTIC, is going to be released next month, and I hope you give it a read because I think it turned out very well. Booklist had some nice things to say about it: “Fans of The Expanse series will enjoy this engaging and fast-moving combination of corporate machinations, police procedural, and interstellar naval combat.” And while we’re on the subject of reviews, LOCUS gave AFTERSHOCKS a very nice review in their April 2020 issue, calling it “a great start to what should be a fun, thought-provoking series.” 

I hope you’re all doing well in your respective isolation headquarters. Maybe one day we’ll have conventions and bar-hopping again, but I have a feeling it won’t be this year. Alas, that will make the company of our friends ever so much sweeter and the overpriced hotel cocktails ever so much tastier.

castle frostbite. health. in the news. new hampshah. travel.

Emerald City ComicCon update

Due to health concerns related to the current coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak, my publisher has decided to cancel their participation at Emerald City Comic Con, so I won’t be in Seattle or at ECCC next week. (Sorry if you were looking to come to panels or get a book or two signed.)

In related news, we just had our first confirmed COVID-19 case in my state, and it’s someone from my county. That person is an employee of the local university hospital, so there’s a good chance people in the Upper Valley are going to buy the local grocery stores empty now. Alas, we here at Castle Frostbite are homebodies even in the most favorable conditions, and we are out in the country, so we are in a good position to ride this out.

 

aminals. castle frostbite.

Sunday, not so fun day

I had to take Mr. Andy A. Doodle to the emergency vet today, which wasn’t great. The tab ran half a grand, which also wasn’t great. But Mr. Andy is fine, which is great. And I got this vet office selfie out of it, which is also pretty great.

castle frostbite. new hampshah.

The outdoor office

There’s a pond about a half mile down the road, and when the weather is good, I grab my little Surface Go and head down there in the mornings to get a head start on the word count for the day. Right now it’s the start of the best month for using that outdoor office because the vacationers are thinning out and the weather is cooling down. I’ll be able to come down here until the first frost, when the mornings get cold enough to make typing difficult.

But for now, this is the golden month here in central New Hampshire, that beautiful span of time where the leaves start changing color and the evening air is crisp and cool. And for a writing spot, this one is hard to beat. There’s nothing around but loons and the occasional bald eagle.

castle frostbite. horseless carriages. new hampshah. weather.

Life in Upper Cryogenica, winter storm edition

We just had another nor’easter up here in Cryogenica, and this one dumped the most snow we’ve gotten so far in a single storm this winter. Here’s a picture of the total snowfall level–the ground was bare before the start of the storm. For reference, the Renegade has 18-inch wheel rims :

(A month into owning it, I am still impressed with that little Jeep, by the way. It does even better in the snow than the Subarus, which is no small feat. Just after I took that picture, I climbed in and drove the Renegade out of that spot and down to the bottom of the driveway so the plow guys could clean up. No shoveling required.)

I’m hoping that was the last snow storm of the season, but up here you never know. We’ve had nor’easters as late as April and as early as November. And now you know why every other car in New England has AWD or 4WD drive.

I do enjoy the four very distinct season, however, even the snow. It does have its beauty. (Which is easier to appreciate when you have a plow guy on call and an automatic propane backup generator that powers the whole house for a week in a pinch.)

 

castle frostbite. horseless carriages.

The night the minivan died

So I accidentally killed a perfectly good Dodge Grand Caravan that was only three and a half years old and had 44,000 miles on the odometer. The details shall remain undisclosed, but there was no injury or body damage involved.

Luckily, the insurance covered the total loss, so I was able to go out and source a new ride. After having owned two minivans in a row, I had come to the conclusion that while the extra space was nice to have, we didn’t really need the hauling capacity because 99% of the time, I drove around by myself in that big, empty 4,500-pound box. So I downsized considerably:

It’s a Jeep Renegade Trailhawk, the off-road trim of the smallest crossover Jeep currently makes. Robin drives one of the new Jeep Cherokees, and we’ve both been very impressed with that car over the last two years, so I figured I’d get myself a Jeep too. This is their subcompact model, which shares a platform with the Fiat 500X (and like the Fiat, it’s made in Italy.) But unlike the 500X, the little Renegade has some serious off-road chops, especially in the Trailhawk trim. Their 4WD system is excellent, and this little thing is better in the snow than any car I’ve owned before, including the Subaru. And it’s an absolute hoot to bomb around town with this. The short wheelbase and high seating position makes it feel like driving a zippy little buggy.

Now to apply for the right vanity plate for this car. TONKA is already taken, alas. Maybe RUBRDUKY?

castle frostbite. family. food and drink.

The Spirits of Christmas

Robin gave me a neat holiday gift this year: an advent calendar of cocktails. Each day, she handed me a little numbered and labeled bag with ingredients and a recipe for a different holiday-themed cocktail. If you’ve been following my instagram feed, I’ve documented most of them there.

The one in the picture above was the last little baggie on Christmas Day, Santa’s Whiskey Flip. It’s made with honey bourbon, brandy, calvados, and peach schnapps.

My favorite of the bunch was the Signal Fire, though. It’s basically a Manhattan with a bit of maple syrup and peaty Scotch instead of bourbon. A little sweet, bitter, and smoky all at the same time. I’ll be adding that one to the permanent repertoire in the Castle Frostbite bar.

That was a gift that took weeks of logistics and footwork for Robin, researching recipes and buying and stashing all the ingredients in secret. It was a lot of fun to try out a new cocktail together every night. Of all the Christmas gifts I’ve ever received, that was by far the most involved and thoughtful one.

 

aminals. castle frostbite. family.

Things a dachshund owner knows, #2,198.

This is why we tell guests and visitors to keep food items on the counters well away from the edges. People underestimate the vertical reach of a determined dachshund.