(TLDR: Let me know what you want to see more of down below)
Dear Reader,
I’ve been working hard—really hard—on more projects than is probably good for me, but I don’t know what else to do with my hands.
I had two new essays just picked up by County Highway: one is about fishing for critters in the woods of North Dakota using glow sticks and is called “Fish On”. The other is about my time finishing concrete in Kentucky summers and the lessons I learned about family and about a life worth giving to my wife and sons. It’s called “Something Solid”.
I’ve got an interview that I did with Devon Eriksen (author of the breakout novel Theft of Fire) being run in the fall issue of Man’s World Magazine next month.
I finalized a short story collection (called Open Windows) that’s currently with two publishers. Hopefully it’s not too damned weird for them. It might be. It’s a journey through lots of different genres that I think reasonably coheres. I’ve been wrong before, though.
As of this morning, I’m over 90,000 words in on a new novel. I think I have five more scenes in it before I begin the rewrite. It’ll be ready in time for the Ark Press contest in October—it’s pretty weird, too. Maybe there’s a pattern here.
Lastly, I’m still finding time to have quality coffee talks with the wife and do boy/creative stuff with my sons. I recently took them cliff-jumping into the American River for the first time. They were pretty sketched out, but they got it done, and they felt ten feet tall—which is about the height of the little cliff they jumped off of.
My two favorite little guys also commissioned me to draw badass Zelda stickers for their school notebooks. I think I delivered (that sword is the size of my HAND):
Aside from delivering an update, I wanted to see what to do with all that free time I don’t have (while finishing grad school and doing all of the above). I think you’ve gotten to know me through my writing, but I’d like to get to know you a little more on here—maybe by finding out what type of writing appeals to you most below? Feel free to drop specific essay/story titles that you’ve enjoyed (whether on Substack or elsewhere).
Talk soon,
—C.B.
My professional preference is for psychology themes, but my personal preference is for personal themes, if that makes sense. But whatever the theme, it's always good to read your work.