Life sure is funny.

I was fretting over when my next round of edits would be coming in and poof, edits appear in my inbox.

Of course, then there are other things to fret about, but what would I be without that?

The edits are now back with my editor (wee! one less thing on the plate). I’m suffering from a heavy case of “everyone’s a better writer than me,” and my June and July are hectic, so I’m flipping out about that too.

BUT I am doing writing things (like having a file go back to an editor), so I’m trying to keep that in mind when the doom-voice gets me down. Also, it’s mostly the beginning that’s kind of rough, so…guh. However, it really makes me want to work more on my craft, so that’s a good thing. It’s just a matter of following through. Finding people to help point out when things sound bleh.

In other news, I ready Amy Lane’s Black John, which isn’t one of my favorites of the series, but was enjoyable. I enjoyed the progression of a fallen character into a strong character, and also the love interest’s insistence that he had to get strong on his own.

I think that mentality of “thanks for your help, but I have to do some of this for myself” is good, and it was balanced in the story. Friends, loved ones, and support are important, but the desire to be helped is also vital.

I probably enjoyed the “growing-up-how-I-got-here” portion of the novel less than I did some of the others, because I just couldn’t relate. The others felt more grounded in a reality I could understand and associate with, but John’s past just was sort of beyond me. The storytelling was good, of course, so I never got bogged down with the backstory (in fact, I liked the way it was done with memories and flashbacks), but I still just couldn’t get them.

I also re-read (for the millionth time), The God Box by Alex Sanchez. Part of the reason is because Riptide has a book coming out called Lead Me Not by Anne Gallagher, which is an inspirational that looks at homosexuality and religion. There are a lot of similarities between these books because of that, even though the stories themselves are completely different.

Some people may find my love of The God Box odd. Um, Alex, aren’t you an atheist?

Well, yes, I am. But there’s just something powerful about this story. One, because I think it is a beautiful representation of what religion–and especially faith–should be. And it’s all about acceptance–of the self and others. And it’s so friggin sweet. GO READ IT.