This week's excerpt is straight out of From The Desk of Buster Heywood, due for release in mid-September!

The overhang outside the door kept him dry as he looked out at the storm that had rolled in over the North End.  The slush banks Cameron had kicked to pieces were already melting under the onslaught of the rain, pitted and spiked like termite hills, and rivers ran past the edges of the sidewalk into the gutter.  Buster pulled his gloves on and buttoned up his coat to steel himself, then stepped out into the frigid deluge. 

The tenement building had no roof overhang for him to duck under, so he was soaked by the time he reached the alley.  Even so, the building shielded him from any gales coming at him from the side, leaving him to contend with the rain from above.  He ducked beneath a fire escape and paused to remove his glasses, wiping droplets off with his scarf.  It wouldn’t last long, but at least he’d be able to see long enough to find his way back to the Jetta.

“You,” an unfamiliar voice called out from behind him.

Buster turned, feeling his dinner turn, as well. 

“Yeah, you.”  A short, thin man with a patchy goatee moved forward into the alley.  He wore a faded grey wool coat that looked as though it had seen several previous owners before him, and tattered jeans.  The stained apron around his waist and red bandana tied over his hair marked him almost unmistakably as Luis’ busboy.  “I know who you are..."

Hi, everyone!  I apologize for the lack of post this past Thursday ... not only has life been hectic, but I am trying to push and get 30 Days of Aviario ready, so that I can build my mailing list.  I am behind in my short story deadlines, but that's something I can work with ... I am still hoping to have From the Desk of Buster Heywood published on Smashwords by September 18th.  In order to get things moving, however, I am going to have to put this blog on a hiatus until the book is out.  

In the meantime, I encourage you to still follow me on Twitter, where I will be continuing to help #2bitTuesday grow: this week's optional theme is "Temperature".  To keep myself sane, I've been taking short breaks by indulging in the following things.  Feel free to check them out, if any strike your fancy!

• Your Local Library: I spent a good six hours both in and out of mine, yesterday.  It's amazing what getting away from the distractions of home can do ... and there are so many great things that you can uncover.  
• Headspace.com: Guided meditations to help you take some time out from your busy mind.  The first 10 short sessions are free!
• The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: This was recommended to my by a close friend who's never steered me wrong where good fiction is concerned.  Fantasy fans should give it a shot: so far, I'm impressed by the characters and the world-building.
• Pocket Posh puzzle books: No matter what kind of exercise your brain likes, these are great for small doses of something fun that still keeps your mind going!  (I'm fond of anagrams, personally.)
• The 7th Guest: This is my favorite game, and has been for 20 years.  I have a blog post about it planned for Halloween, as a matter of fact.  It's making a comeback, and a 3rd installation made by fans was just backed on Kickstarter.  If you like some puzzles with your horror, this is perfect.

In honor of the first Two-Bit Tuesday, here's an excerpt from In The Cards which follows the optional theme!

After these last few weeks, I thought it was time to take a break from sharing what else is going on in the online realm of writing, and go back to Aviario.  What better way to start than by showing how the town came to be?

Some of my strongest memories from my childhood are of long road trips to visit my father's side of the family.  To get to south-western Connecticut from central New Hampshire in time for Thanksgiving dinner, I'd be woken up before sunrise, and stagger out to the family car clutching my pillow under one arm and a tote bag full of amusements under the other.  I'd nap in the back seat until the sun rose up through my window and woke me, and then I'd busy myself with books and sketchbooks and toys until we finally rolled up in front of my Uncle's three-story Victorian.  It turned 100 in the year 2000, and we rang the new century in there to wish it happy birthday.  That house embedded itself in my soul.  I loved everything about it: from the tiny little sink in the dining room pantry, to the narrow, winding staircase from the kitchen to the back of the upstairs hallway that felt like a secret passage.   It has a place in Aviario, though I've melded it with another house that captured my imagination.  I can't tell you about it, yet, though: that would be spoiling a great deal of my fun.
I loved the towns we stayed in during those holiday and wedding visits: they were such a far cry from the tiny little town we lived in, with sprawling main streets full of ancient brick buildings and beautiful architecture. Sadly, time and tide have taken away a lot of those buildings, or changed them from their former splendor, but they remain in my memory, and I have chosen to preserve them by lifting them up and placing them in a town that I've nestled in between them, right on the banks of the Housatonic River.
There are other favorite places that have found a home in Aviario, too: the town where I spent many an afternoon visiting my Gram had a similar charm, on a smaller scale, and its library, in particular, stole my heart.  Back in May, I was lucky enough to finally be able to live there, myself: close enough to my childhood yen to live in Connecticut with my family without having to grapple with the high cost of living.
I've been taking my camera around and slowly collecting pictures of places, so that I can take you all on a virtual tour.  But that's something that will come later.  For now, I just wanted to give you a taste of the town's origins.

As for the name, Aviario (say "AY-vee-uh-REE-oh")... well.  Originally, things were a lot different.  Let's just say that many, many birds were involved, and I had this M.O. in the bag long before E.L James.  Wink wink. 

As a follow-up to last week's post, long story short: I'm starting a new Twitter hashtag.  If you want more details, read on ....

inAs of last week, I was still waiting to see the Romance Writers of America's response to the open letters and other feedback regarding their poor choice in RITA finalists.  Last Friday, they posted their official response.... and missed the mark, entirely.  RWA chose to say it was a matter of censorship, when in my opinion (and the opinion of many others who commented), the issue was one of taste and ethics.  It has also been pointed out that the current nomination guidelines do not have a single thing to say about the content of submissions. 

I'm not a romance writer, so it is far easier for me to say that I am done associating with the RWA, even in so small a manner as participating in a hashtag every Wednesday.  I do, however, still love the thought of authors being able to collectively share their content, so I am starting up an alternative for those who are like-minded.  I will be officially "kicking off" this hashtag on August 18th, and anyone who wishes to join in is most decidedly welcome.    

Here are the guidelines! 

• Tweets must be from a Work In Progress (WIP), whether it is in the writing or editing stages.
• There will be a weekly challenge theme, but following it is completely optional.  My participants and I will not mind at all if you choose to share the lines that you love, regardless of thematic relevance.

Yep.  That's it.  Share and share alike!  I also like to round off my day by posting a piece here on my blog that's a bit larger than Twitter will allow ... so feel free to adopt the practice yourself, as well!  The aim of #2bitTues is to build a supportive online writing community where authors can share what they're proud of, and help others get the word out about their own projects.  We're just in this for the love of the written word.

See you on Tuesday!