Karavansara

East of Constantinople, West of Shanghai


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The case of the Belbo crocodile and other news

So, yesterday I announced I’d take five days off.
In the following 12 hours…

1 . I was hit with an urgent translation job for an important client (”I want it for yesterday”)
2 . I found out Project:GWANGI (don’t ask, it’s Top Secret) is live and I need to get some stuff ready by Monday.

crocodile-796x419

3 . Learned that the local police and wildlife service are hunting along the river Belbo, looking for a runaway crocodile – which, hot on the heels of the illegal car wrecking operation that was busted two weeks back along the same river, and the bit about the guy that interrupted a service in church shouting he was from the Vatican Secret Services and was dragged away and locked up in the loon bin, means those BUSCAFUSCO stories keep writing themselves.

And really, these are not bad news at all – paid jobs, story ideas, Big Things coming…
Sort of makes me think I should take a vacation more often.
But anyway, things are back to HECTIC as usual.
And it’s a good thing.
This writing business is crazy.

And tonight we turn the clock back one hour – which will mess my already messed up circadian rhythms.
Vacation, I said. Five days off, I said…

 


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Five days vacation

Screenshot from 2018-10-26 20-21-41I’ve been a little more under the weather than usual these last two weeks. Bad health, insomnia, a lot of stuff to do, stories to write, trying to pay the bills.
The usual stuff.
But right now is Friday night, October the 26th.
There’s a payment on its way to my bank.
I have submitted four short stories in this month, to four different projects.
I’m 1500 words away from closing a novelette.
So here’s what I will do now… Continue reading


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NaNoWriMoing away

nanowrimo-logoIt’s that time of the year again, well almost.
No, I am not talking about Halloween – that has been thematically influencing this blog for a while, now – but November, and with November, NaNoWriMo.
Will you take part in it?
Will you win it?
Just couldn’t care less?

In the past I have posted about my lack of interest for NaNoWriMo – I am too busy writing to pay the bills to go and do this sort of thing. And I admit I find the amateurs bragging about their success a little irritating.
The most interesting bit about NaNOWriMo to me is the chance – that I always miss – to buy a copy of Scrivener for Windows at a reduced price.
But this year I might.
No, not buy me Scrivener – I am penniless, for a change, and I’m doing fine with the free Linux version – but write a novel in one month. Continue reading


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Sinbad the Sailor

cover_lgPhil Masters is a well known author in the field of gaming, and in particular his GURPS Arabian Nights is in my opinion not only one of the best GURPS supplements, but also a fundamental addition to any Arabian Nights/Oriental Fantasy shelf.
I check it out occasionally, and it’s been very helpful in and out of my gaming life, and was one of the books that started me on my ill-advised idea of collecting different versions of the Arabian Nights.
And this morning the postman delivered a copy of Master’s other Arabian nights book – Sinbad the Sailor, part of the wonderful Osprey Adventures line. Continue reading