We lost one of our white does, Snowflake, to some sudden onset thing. It might have been bloat. I've never had a goat get bloat, and it's really the wrong kind of year. She didn't look anemic, so I don't think it was worm overload. The only other things that looked wrong is that she had a bit of a dirty butt, so maybe she had diarrhea at some point, and she seemed a bit on the thin side, so maybe she'd been sick for a while but didn't show it. Anyway, I'm frustrated by the loss. I sprinkled poppy seeds on her grave and around the property. Goodbye, sweetie. You were a good goat.
I've been writing and editing, and I sent out that agent query I wanted to send out. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Much as I believe that the writing has to stand on its own, I'm not opposed to a little spiritual boost, especially during the current economy.
Like many other genre writers, I'm a little shaken by the loss of Realms of Fantasy. That was one of the magazines I aspired to be published in. Word has it that although subscriptions remained strong, newsstand sales dropped off dramatically and the publisher dropped Realms in order to funnel needed funds into other projects.
This reminds me strongly of the markets when I started my first round of heavy submitting and some of the changes that happened surrounding Weird Tales that disturbed me. The feeling at the time, with magazines like Midnight Zoo appearing and disappearing with unpleasant rapidity, was similar to what it is now, but back then there was far less a sense of desperation. (I actually had an offer from Midnight Zoo and the same day I got the acceptance letter I got an email letting me know they'd just folded.) It seems I do better under an ill-fated star. Maybe this means this year I'll get an agent, despite everything.
1 comment:
Oh noes! Poor Snowflake! I'll remember her fondly and think of her often.
Good for you getting that agent query out! Go you!
Post a Comment