The Doctor's Wife

Hi! Sometimes I forget I even have this thing, and yet it's in my bio for work. Everything I do is 99% Red Stylo Media and someday I may point this URL there for the sake of convenience. I  may also revisit some old resolutions and begin posting here again. (That would be the better choice, yes.)

I am the editor of Red Stylo's yearly anthologies, but I have not yet included my own work in the books...until today.



Available for digital download now, or in the printed collection
of "Unfashioned Creatures, a Frankenstein Anthology"

"The Doctor's Wife" is a short comic I wrote for Unfashioned Creatures, A Frankenstein Anthology, a collection of original comics inspired by Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus." I wrote my story after a particularly brutal binge on all the seasons of Nip/Tuck via Netflix, so don't be shocked if my little Bride of Frankenstein is both racy and mean.

This short comic is illustrated by City of Walls artist, A.K. Lovelace. Color by Sara King and letters by Emmy-nominated Mark Mullaney (he loves it when I call him that.)

I hope it creeps you out.

P.S. Got some more comics with my name on them in the works, including a new adaptation of (and a pending sequel to) Edgar Allen Poe's Cask of Amontillado. Do go visit my company page. And drop a comment below if you like The Doctor's Wife or any of the stories in Unfashioned Creatures!

John

Family has been a serious point of contention in my house of late. The little and big issues, old and new injuries. But we got that call late in the night last week. He wasn't breathing. They couldn't get a pulse. They brought him back, but he's in a coma and the doctors don't know yet. The CAT scan came back negative for brain activity. We're going to let him go.

I remember John asking me to dance at the wedding, and smiling up at him. I have a great picture of the man with a lantern on his head, joking around with the girls there too. John and Eileen called me often, especially that first year, to check on me and say hi and keep me from getting too lonely while David was in Iraq. John always asked, "How you doin, girl?" and made sure I knew he was thinking about David and me. He asked after my work, always said, "I'm fine," when I asked--even when I knew he'd been sick--then nattered on about home. Never complained, always interested to hear more about the house or the books or the girls. And he made it a point to say, "Love you" and "So long," never goodbye.

John, you were all the great things a father-in-law could ever be, and one of the sweetest men I have ever known. I'm going to miss you, laughing and kidding around with you most of all. Be at peace and do not worry about anything. We'll take good care of your lady, and I promise to try to take good care of your son.

Rest in peace, John Picture. We love you. So long.

"Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." Psalm 139:7-10

February, march!

Status of resolutions:

I still can't do a pull-up. And I totally skipped posting writing for February and just in on March. However, to prove that I did in fact get writing done...I present to you, World, my thesis, "Riff Writing."

Fun fact! M.F.A. stands for "Mother*ucking Awesomeness." And now I am an M.F.A. because this puppy was accepted "in partial fulfillment for the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Professional Writing." I don't know why they accepted it, but they did. Which makes me a master of fine arts. And a mother*ucking awesome.

Open publication

Resolve

I promised I would do this and so I am. This is a short story I wrote a little over three years ago. Probably needs more trimming, which I will do in the next few weeks, but to get the ball rolling... I'm already 5 days late to post for January. Here goes.

People who read it may recognize certain people and circumstances. This is a work of fiction, very loosely based on events involving real astronauts. "Ripped from the headlines!"

Open publication

A sigh. Relief.

The trade is finished. Finis. So much more to do with this series, but this first volume and verse are committed to the page. I. Can breathe.

But only for a minute.

Some resolutions for the New Year:

1. Thesis will be completed and defended in January. (Yeah, yeah, Summer's way over. Shut up.)
2. I'm going to start posting some honest-to-god writing on this blog. A piece of fiction or an article every month. My words sans pictures. (Yes. Mean it.)
3. I'm going to do a pull-up. I've resolved to do this every year for the last seven and now it is time. Running, core training, a little cross-fit action--maybe. But I will do a pull-up in 2012.

A movie about cancer

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/06/5050-will-reiser-seth-rogen_n_950225.html

This article was good. The movie looks like it's going to be great. One of the lines that struck me in the Huffington piece was that the friends sat down to talk about who was supportive, who was insensitive, who was on and off, and they were glad they did it--had the conversations--because it made the movie and their friendship better.

My mother had cancer. I love her and I'm glad (make that grateful!) she's still here. But the only thing conversations ever do in my family is make the movie better.

Dreaded Thesis

I made a promise to my husband in the carefree Spring of my good intentions that I would have my thesis completed by the end of the Summer. The days grew long...and I worked on POE TWISTED and AZTECA instead. Still am. And now it's the second half of August.

I HAVE to get this effing thing done!