SCENES FROM THE SUMMER OF COVID

I haven’t done one of these photoblogs since June. And now the Summer of COVID is almost over. How did that happen? It seems to have gone on forever, but happening in slow-motion at the same time. Contradictory. Time dilation. Time distortion. Time warp. Time . . .

All fluxed up.

Though I'm not feeling like a mummified lizard. Things have actually been pretty good for me considering the condition the world is in. My writing career not only refuses to die, but has taken on a life of its own, and keeps dragging me into furious activity. Watch this space for important announcements.

Soon.

Of course it leaves me feeling burned out. I really need a vacation at this point. A string of weeks when I can spend a lot of time not moving around much and indulging in absurd amusements would be nice . . .

And I am going on a vacation of sorts. A weird vacation. Mostly inside the car or wearing masks. Social distancing. 

Yeah. I'll be writing it up and taking pictures.

I'd also like to work on my novel, you know, Zyx; Or, Bring Me the Brain of Victor Theremin. It needs for me to do some long, serious pick and shovel stuff, not just on-the-run gonzo fragments. I want to at least have a sloppy rough draft done by the hideous conclusion of 2020.

 

And it's been hot. Arizona's hottest summer on record. Let's that one sink in. Is that sizzling I hear?

Suddenly, I get another email from a professor. He wants to know if I want to participate in a panel about Latinx sf. I asked if it's going to be a virtual panel . . . And of course it is.

That's how my life is. All this apocalyptic stuff, then ZAZZ! It's my career calling with a list demands.

I'm always happy to do the writer stuff--especially if it involves money. You can contact me through this blog, and I'm on Facebook and Twitter. My brain is sizzling and I'm fantasizing about being unproductive just for the sheer hell of it.

“MARIACHIS OF MARS” REPRINTED

 

 “. . . 20 of the best science fiction stories about Mars published over the past two decades by top-notch authors of the genre.” It’s The 2020 Look at Mars Fiction Book. In paperback and ebook, and if you have Kindle Unlimited, it’s free!

I’m one of the top-notch authors, and my story is The Rise and Fall of Paco Cohen and the Mariachis of Mars.

Here’s the opening paragraph:

Yeah, I know, I don’t look like him. But then again, who or what is Paco Cohen, anyway? Was he that kid born in Texas, or the myth created on Mars? Maybe I don’t look like the hologram that sings my songs, but I kind of sound like Paco Cohen--if he were ripped to shreds and sloppily put back together again.

CHICANONAUTICA REVEALS THE SECRET ORIGIN OF MY FLUX STORY

Get the inside dope on my latest story in Chicanonautica  over at La Bloga.

Out of a world that’s all fluxed-up:

With viruses running amok:

Quarantining is the thing to do:

Can we customize ourselves?

ERNESTO STORY IN US IN FLUX

I’ve got another story out, and it’s free online, thanks to Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination and their Us in Flux project. It’s called “Tomorrow is Another Daze” and was inspired by the world’s current fluxed-up situation.

And on August 10 at 1 PM, Arizona time, there’s going to be live video event in which I’ll be interviewed by Frederick Luis Aldama of Ohio State University. It’s also free, but you have to register.

So, go and read the story now. It starts like this:

Lalo was in the middle of making Huevos Rancheros Microöndas when the doorbell rattled.