kmherkes

kmherkes, 10 months ago to til

#TIL the United States Fish & Wildlife Service maintains a searchable, public-access photographic Feather Database.

It's exactly as amazing as you might imagine. You can browse by family or species, and/or identify feathers you find lying about.

In related news, I came across a feather from a Northern Flicker on my lunchtime walk today.

https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/index.php

kmherkes, 1 year ago to books

If you like stories about people getting superpowers at midlife, moms fighting bureaucracy, & teens saving the world, I wrote just the thing for you:

The Sharp Edge of Yesterday.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XS8GJCN

The Kindle edition has been mysteriously priced $0.99 on Amazon* since March. I don't know why or how long it'll last, but I do know I get full comp from my $6.99 list price when one sells at 99 cents. So that's a bonus, right?

*US only AFAIK

#Bookstodon #Books #Kindle

kmherkes, 1 month ago to writing

Once again, I present my humble offering to anyone seeking a cozy sci-fi read:

Weaving In The Ends, a novella duology that starts with a summer fling & ends with a comedic Winter Solstice brawl.

It's a feel-good chosen family story, and it's a quick read that can be read as a standalone, or as an easy springboard into the world of 2 connected novels.

Available in print & ebook now, audio coming soon!

https://books2read.com/WeavingInTheEnds

#Writing #ScienceFiction #Romance #Books @bookstodon

kmherkes, 2 months ago to books

The Sharp Edge Of Yesterday is a modern fantasy novel about coming of age in middle age & changing the world one choice at a time.

In a world where one in ten people will develop supernatural powers in middle age…
Five disillusioned idealists and a passionate teen activist take on the federal government, save lives, and cope with past & present traumas

https://books2read.com/SharpEdge

@bookstodon #books #fantasy #SFF #bookstodon #RolloverFiles

kmherkes, 3 months ago to writing

Inner critic: so, what did you do today?
Me: watched the rain, drank tea, daydreamed about story elements, played with the cat.
IC: yes, but what did you DO?
Me: Existed, happily.
IC (getting annoyed now): No, but seriously, what did you accomplish, produce, or MAKE? Where are your results?!
Me: Hahahaha, joke's on you. Some days, happy IS a result.
IC: sulks off in a huff

#ImaginaryConversations
#Writing
#RestDay

kmherkes, 6 months ago to random

#WordWeavers 11 Who supports your writing the most?

Ah, wow. This is a toughie. Most to least isn't how I measure. I heart all the supports, from my superhero Spouseman who alpha reads AND supports us both financially, to every reader who's ever bought my books & said something kind about them.

but NGL the most meaningful help comes from you fellow writers. You're there for me w/ideas &resources when I need 'em, & you just get it when I'm stuck & frustrated & need to vent.

kmherkes, 10 months ago to Bloomscrolling

Went to the botanic garden yesterday to practice taking pics w/macro & portrait settings. Nearly every shot got photobombed by busy pollinators like this one.

#bloomscrolling

kmherkes, 8 months ago to random

We had a visitor while we were away at the conference last week.

#BackyardWildlife

kmherkes, 8 months ago to gardening

Once upon a time, a little rosemary lived in a pot on my patio. I overwintered it on 1 shelf of a 3-shelf storage unit & started seeds in spring on the other shelves.

Then I was given a 2nd rosemary to foster, which turned into 3 plants when I repotted it. Next came the gift of a baby jade plant.

This week I repotted 4 big rosemary & 2 pots of multiple jade plants, AND there's a new fosterling geranium that turned into 4 plants in 2 pots.

I'm gonna need a bigger boat.

#gardening

kmherkes, 7 months ago to random

I feel like I’m half-assing the prep for WindyCon, but I'm really not.
It's just that I've finally hit the point where I don't have to do a last-minute scramble to make & order promo materials.

I've finally collected enough good signage & cards over the years to reuse from con to con.

And this is a nice, local con, too. So it's not like I have to pack for travel. Anything I do forget is only a 30-min drive away.

It's weird, how hard it is to accept that something hard has gotten easier.

kmherkes, 5 months ago to Cats

Here's a story in 5 pics I like to call, "How My Cat & I spent Christmas"

A bit belated because my local Fediverse server was down Christmas Eve & then my internet was down for a good while after that.

Don't be daunted by the Patreon domain, it's a public post, most of mine are. Original pics do have alt-text.

#cats #MaineCoon #WritersCat #Catstodon

https://www.patreon.com/posts/this-week-with-95333071

kmherkes, 17 days ago to Funny

Holy Trolls & Goblins, here's reason number 36,471 I love the internet:
someone over on Substack collected all 368 of Robin's exclamations from the old Batman TV series into a single post.

https://badspit.substack.com/p/the-368-holy-exclamations-uttered

I didn't know I needed this today, but I did, so I'm sharing it.

#Funny #Batman #Sayings

kmherkes, 10 months ago to animals

#Today Spouseman asked me where I left the "powdered love." It's a term he'd never used before, but I knew exactly what he meant anyway, which says something about our relationship w/words & each other.
So, what is it? Well. We sprinkle a probiotic supplement on our cat's food, because Mister Pips thinks food is boring & won't eat enough to stay healthy without it. With it, he gobbles up kibble like candy.
Powdered love. Perfect. I shall never call the stuff by any other name.

#catsofmastodon

kmherkes, 3 months ago to random

I have finally watched The Marvels, and I will be watching it again, because it was effing adorable & I want more.

It was far from perfect, mind you. Lots to critique, esp. the...oop, no spoilers...but, phooie to the haters. It rocked.

Give me all the "geeky women save the day + tentacle kitty farce scenes" stories & infinitely fewer "dude shreds reality bc emotions are hard" ones, thank you.

(Also, flerkens are just the most absurd idea ever but I love them anyhow.)

kmherkes, 2 months ago to random

Fellow writerfolk, would you please brag on your cover artists to me?

I need fresh art for a scifi/fantasy story collection I have in the pipeline, to clearly distinguish it from my 2 existing series.

The title will be 'Relics From A Traveling Show," and the general tone is warm & whimsical.

I have a soft spot for Illustration, but digital painting or stock image manipulation are also great. No AI, pls.

Bring on the recommendations!

#WritingCommunity

kmherkes, 9 months ago to random

Fun fact about me: I like to repurpose conveniently-sized containers as kitchen storage, but I hate the PITA task of label removal, a tedious, time-consuming chore involving Goo-gone & much swearing.

Fun fact about glue: the adhesives on a lot of food packaging labels softens to the removal point at ~110ºF.

Unfun fact about today's temps: I put 6 empty snack containers outside on the patio for an hour & all the labels came off clean 1st try.

#HeatWave

kmherkes, 2 months ago to random

Last day of #Minicon. It's been a really good con. Loads of fun, great panels & more.
Hanging out for another hour or so, but not expecting much action. it's pretty quiet in the hall.

kmherkes, 3 months ago to random

#WordWeavers 27 Have you written poetry?

Yes. Not published, but I enjoy haiku, and now and again I come down with a case of free verse.
Funny story, the title of my book "The Sharp Edge Of Yesterday" is a line from a poem that only exists in that book's world (and on my computer hard drive.)

That book's MC wrote a lot of poetry, which I actually had to write for real, of course, because research!.

I love reading poetry, though.

kmherkes, 4 months ago to random

Blogging about being away for a few days adventuring offline.
Which of course means I'm online reporting about it & craving feedback even though I don't respond to feedback.

A study in contradictions, that's me.

https://dawnrigger.com/winter-retreat-1/

kmherkes, 3 months ago to Cats

Mister Pips shows off his best table manners.

#Caturday #Cats CatsOfMastodon

kmherkes, 10 months ago to random

Today in silly observations:
my determinate tomato plants appear determined to behave like indeterminate ones.

(This news brought to you by an unexpected collision between my love of gardening & my love of obscure wordplay.)

kmherkes, 10 months ago to fantasy

Now that I've written two 2nd person POV stories this year, I decided to challenge myself even harder & try writing something in 1st POV present-tense.

It's HARRRRRD, but why not, right?

So, anyway, I'm 525 words into a new story I don't really need to be writing, but it's extra fun.

Bonus, the plot took a sharp turn into left field the instant I started typing.

The first bit will go up to my Patreon patrons next week.

#AmWriting #Fantasy #RolloverSeries

18+ kmherkes, 3 months ago to Cats

Mister Pips is Exceedingly Displeased with me for denying him the freedom of the countertops.

(Picture hidden because his supervillain stink-eye is too powerful to leave unshielded.)
😹😹😹
#MaineCoon #Cats #catsofmastodon

kmherkes, 6 months ago to random

Operation: Ward Off The Gloom Of Winter is in full swing here at Herkes House.

Spent the whole afternoon outside in the sun, playing w/perennials, raking up leaves, & putting up our Winter Lights.

The display is relatively small, assertively amateur, & as non-Christian as we can make it. (6 candy canes, 3 penguins, 3 gift boxes, & a grumpy old nutcracker, + fairy lights)

But it only takes 1 hour & zero ladders to construct, & gives happy brightness when I most need it.

I call that a win.