Sunday, April 12, 2020

Risen

© by Gerald So | 5:00 AM

If this were the usual Easter, my extended family would be getting together, indulging in whatever treats they'd given up for Lent. The memories and ongoing bond I have with my family are getting me through this time we can't be together.

Moving from Lent to Easter, I find it easier to be upbeat about the days ahead. I hope New York is through the worst of COVID-19 and each day closer to ending the lockdown. My hope could be months off, of course, but why think that far ahead? No matter the situation, each day we choose to to live, to do, not to wait and wither, is a good day.

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Tweeting the 2020 Derringer Finalists

© by Gerald So | 10:00 AM

The finalists for the Short Mystery Fiction Society's 2020 Derringer Awards have been announced and group voting is underway.

The official announcement posted to the SMFS Blog didn't include the dates or publications where the stories originally appeared, but member Rob Lopresti tracked down some. I looked up the rest and made a thread on Twitter, including any links to online stories, authors', magazines', and publishers' Twitter handles I could find.

Voting ends April 29, and winners will be announced in May. Congratulations and good luck to all:

Thursday, April 09, 2020

On PAUSE

© by Gerald So | 3:30 PM

Here in New York we've been on PAUSE (I forget what each letter stands for), only essential businesses open since March 22. On March 31, Governor Cuomo extended PAUSE through April 29.

The COVID-19 situation took my attention from The Five-Two's April blog tour, but I prefer a partial tour reflect what's happening this year than a full one proceed as if the virus weren't present.

What have I been up to? Revising a story rejected from Black Cat Mystery Magazine March 27. As usual, revising has meant shortening, the story now under Black Cat's minimum word count, but I believe it's improved. The story idea has been on my mind since 1995, and I've tried getting it off in various forms. Seeing it published in any one will be a personal victory.

I've also spent time exercising with resistance bands, seeing benefits from seemingly less effort than with dumbbells. Maybe bands are simply more fun for me than weights.

Lastly I haven't been able to attend Mass since mid-March, but have seen the sacrificial nature of Lent in the COVID-19 measures, allowing me to live the season this year like never before. At the same time, I hope I never see this much death this widespread again.