Dial M for Mattress

A new bed means never getting murdered by a broken spring.

Today our new bed arrived. This is good, as the old one had two springs sticking out of the sides that tried to murder us every time we got in and out of the damn thing.

This one is not a continuous coil, as the last one was — this one is individual coil pockets. Much safer, and much better on one’s broken back. (One, in this case, being me.)

I am excited for better sleeps and fewer murderful mornings ahead! I think we all need fewer murderful mornings.

Also, I am pleased that although it is raining today the salamanders smartened up and were no where near the front step when the mattress was delivered. Because nothing would have protected them from two box springs and two mattresses being dragged in and out of the house.

Glad you’re alright, little buddy. Stay safe, amphibious friend!

Life with a Writer

I *need* my pens, guys. I need them a lot.

A conversation between Mr. Katje and myself yesterday.

Mr. Katje (holding up pens): My pens.
Me: I have lots of pens.
Mr. Katje: I know, and you are a pen magpie, so if I don’t say these are MY pens they might just disappear on me.
Me (laughing): I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Mr. Katje: CAW CAW CAW
Me: ::bursts into giggles::
Mr. Katje: ADMIT IT
Me: I admit nothing!
Mr. Katje: and yet I hear no denial!

He’s right to be worried. I got my eyes on his Sharpie.

(No, that’s not a euphemism.)

~~(Maybe.)~~

Four Silly Salamanders

We had some visitors on our front step last night.

I wish I had a picture.

Last night, as Mr. Katje and I were leaving our new place to go sleep at the old place (bed has still not been moved over), we discovered we had visitors — in the form of 4 salamanders on our front step.

Four stupid salamanders. One was in the way, and we didn’t want it to get smushed. We nudged it a little bit and it just sort of went limp. We ended up having to move it ourselves. Then it sat there and looked at us with this angry face on.

Same with the others, who I tried to nudge to get them to move out of the way so it’d be safer for us to leave the house. I really didn’t want to squish them. Nope, nothing doing. They were like cats who didn’t want to leave the sofa.

We left the house with great care, as our front porch light needed a new bulb and it was very dark and the salamanders blended perfectly into the step. Luckily, none were squished, and today we picked up new light bulbs so future salamander visitors can sleep soundly. Or, you know, sit around and do nothing soundly.

Silly or not, the salamanders were very cute. Next time, I will take a picture so I can show you too.

Travelling today!

Puppy picture!

So, have a picture of the puppy:

He’s looking for mom.

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

The *best thing* you can do for someone who suffers from an eating disorder is *reaffirm their personal agency and bodily autonomy*.

Content warning: disordered eating

This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (NEDA). Funnily enough I wasn’t aware of this, though I have spoken openly about my eating disorders before on this blog, and I am pro-awareness about them. It showed up in my Google+ feed as I was scrolling last night, and I clicked through to read more about it.

NEDA is pretty good. It acknowledges that eating disorders affect people of all races, ages, genders, and sizes. This is really important. There’s a belief in our society that “eating disorder” is synonymous with “thin, young white woman”. It’s not. Anyone can suffer from an eating disorder, and you can’t look at someone and assume they have one or not based on their appearance.

If you don’t know much about eating disorders, you can read this page and it will give you a good overview. In particular, pay attention to the list of what you should or should not do if trying to help someone with an eating disorder. I’ve had everything on the Don’t list done to me by well meaning people (and some not so well meaning) and I can tell you: it all drove me further into the arms of my disordered eating.

The best thing you can do for someone who suffers from an eating disorder is reaffirm their personal agency and bodily autonomy. Many of us develop eating disorders because of a feeling of loss of control; even if that’s not the cause, having our agency and autonomy denied can definitely worsen the problem.

You probably love someone who suffers from eating disorders. Please read up the info on the NEDA site and learn how to deal with us. Good intentions will not make up for a lack of skill in talking about this sort of thing, nor will they un-trigger someone who’s triggered.

There’s also my post about how to treat a loved one with eating disorders, if you feel like reading a lot of swear words.

If you don’t know what to say, just share something on social media related to NEDA. It will say you’re there and ready to listen — whenever those you love are ready to talk.

Be excellent to each other.

-Katje

Big Bed Wolf in the Library

I am so lucky to have this wolf-dog in my life.

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He was apparently pretty tuckered out.

-Katje

PS: please excuse the link at the top of this post. I need to put it in to claim my blog at Bloglovin’. There is no obligation to follow my blog there.

Hey look, it’s Ragnarok

While the sun is devoured by Fenrir I will launch my book about wolves that don’t eat celestial bodies.

Seriously was not expecting snow today. Not very happy with this turn of events. Wish the snow had waited till tomorrow, when I could just stay inside with a blanket and a book.

But Ragnarok never comes at a convenient time, so while the sun and moon are devoured by wolves I will spend my afternoon launching my book about wolves that don’t eat giant celestial bodies.

Here’s hoping other people decide to brave the end of the world, too, and we can have a good party at the café.

This Week at WolfHouse

There is never a dull moment at this place.

I’m more a fan of “Wolf Haus” but mom likes WolfHouse, so there you go.

Overheard at WolfHouse

That’s a fantastic coffee! Accompanied by RAT DANCE.
Hey, Tyee is helping us renovate by ripping up the linoleum in the kitchen!
Oh, fireplace, I love you. Let’s elope.
Pack Leader, I’m worried about Mistress. WHY IS SHE ALWAYS GOING TO THE VET?
I think the oven is possessed.

Some context:

WolfHouse is having a bit of a rat problem right now. No biggie…except, well, the rats are huge. Apparently they’re Norwegian Roof Rats, and they come into houses because they don’t like the cold. My reaction to this:

“Norwegian rats who don’t like the cold? What, did Norway send us their defective rats? What the hell? I DEMAND BETTER RATS.”

::shakes fist at Norway::

Yesterday morning I woke up to a loud thumping sound from the kitchen. It was a massive rat, caught in the trap under the sink. A while later another came by, and they started making more noise under the cupboard, thumping all over the place. Mom dubbed this RAT DANCE and then called the rat man to get him to come take care of the rats.

Tyee was very interested in the rats, and started going into Hunter Mode. He scraped and scrabbled at the floor, hoping it would help him get into the cupboard where he could hunt the rats. This prompted me to make a comment about him helping us renovate by ripping up the kitchen linoleum. Not really, though; that stuff is tough.

We would have let him hunt the rats if there were no danger of said rodents getting into some poison, but there is. Mom was at the end of her rope a while ago and put out poison for the things. She felt awful but didn’t know what else to do — she’d bought a humane trap and every time the rats took the treats out and left it still open.

The original trap didn’t work, the poison didn’t work, and now we have the Rat Man and his traps. He sets the trap up, the rats get caught, he comes and gets them.

If the rats could mind their own business and leave us alone we wouldn’t have to do this, but they get into our food and keep us up by running around in the walls and basically make life very difficult, so we are forced to deal with them even though we’d prefer not to hurt or torture them. Being human can be pretty rough on your soul sometimes.

The fireplace and I are in love. I stand by it and it warms my butt up. This is obviously true love. We are going to elope.

Tyee is worried about me, because I am always going to “the vet”. Wednesday I had surgery at the hospital, Thursday I had a doctor’s appointment, and Friday I had a follow up dentist appointment. Tyee can smell the medicine on me each time and looks at me worriedly before cocking his head in confusion, as if he’s saying “But you have no balls to cut off! What could they be doing to you?”

It’s honestly not that hard to confuse a wolf-dog.

(Also, you’ll notice Tyee uses the wrong pronouns for me. That’s okay; I don’t ask him to try and grasp the intricacies of my genderqueerness. I tried to explain to him a few times about it and he just looked very worried and confused, and then licked my face to show me he still loved me.)

Mom’s oven is broken. The CPU is fried. The burners work but the oven(s) (pizza and regular size one both) won’t turn on, nor will the warming centre (which mom calls “the hob”). The buttons are broken, basically.

However, this did not stop the oven from turning itself on to 350 degrees Farenheit in the middle of the night on Thursday, nor from beeping at me unprompted throughout the day Friday.

It is possessed. We are getting rid of it and perhaps performing an exorcism.

Never a dull moment at WolfHouse, that’s for sure.

2013 James Tiptree Award Winner and Honor List Announced

I’m not sure when exactly this happened; I was too preoccupied with moving since late January to continue with my obsessive refreshing of the Tiptree website.

Recently the honor list and winner of the 2013 James Tiptree Award were announced. I’m not sure when exactly this happened; I was too preoccupied with moving since late January and surgery + recovery this week to continue with my obsessive refreshing of the Tiptree website (some of you may remember my book was nominated).

I’d like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to N.A. Sulway, author of Rupetta, winner of the 2013 Tiptree Award.

I’d also like to extend congratulations to the members of the honor list: Eleanor Arnason, Aliette de Bodard, Nicola Griffith, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Ann Leckie, Bennett Madison, Sarah McCarry, Janelle Monae, Helene Wecker, and S.M. Wheeler.

I didn’t expect Bellica to win the Tiptree, but I did entertain some hopes of being short-listed. I would be lying if I said my pride weren’t a little bit stung right now.

But I can see the logic. Bellica was my first novel and it was incredibly long. It’s not terribly revolutionary. It’s good, but perhaps it’s not award or short list material. (And who knows — Canada Post says the copies of the book arrived on time, but perhaps they didn’t. That would suck, but it would also be my fault for not getting the books out earlier.)

Bottom line: I’m okay with Bellica not winning or making the list. I think my other books will have a better chance at being listed for awards, even if I never win any (with which I am also okay). I have a lot of faith in my latest book, Stranger Skies, and the rest of the series that will follow.

Though my pride is stung — I am a Leo, after all — I do not harbour any bitterness or resentment towards the judges or the winners. The authors on that list worked hard for this achievement and they deserve it. I wish them well, and I will add their works to my To Be Read list.

I encourage you to do the same.

-Katje

PS: for the record, Stranger Skies is eligible for the 2014 Tiptree. If you feel it should be nominated, you can do so here: 2014 Tiptree Nomination Form.

Please do not nominate it unless you truly feel it deserves to be considered. (This requires that you have read it.)

Book Launch for Stranger Skies this Saturday in Powell River

Some info about my book launch for Stranger Skies this weekend in Powell River.

Stranger Skies

Queer Pagan Fiction with a YA Bent

“The scent of death and fear hit her then — she’d found her first Minae wolf….”

A goddess’ fall from grace leaves her on an alien world, bereft of her followers, trapped in a mortal body. Should she strive to regain her godhood or accept her mortality and find love?

Silva, Queen of Wolves, Lady of the True Woods, seeks her only friend Etan, who, along with other deities of the Council of Divinity, has gone missing for reasons unknown. Her search traps her on a world where the wolves have lost faith in her; she becomes a mortal woman whose remaining powers could brand her as a witch.

Through the chaos of war and the turmoil in her own heart, Silva can’t escape a persistent feeling: her fall was not an accident.

Just a brief heads up before I go collapse into a codeine-induced coma:

I am having a book launch for my latest novel, Stranger Skies, this Saturday the 22nd at 4 p.m. It will be held at the café “A Step Above” on the second floor of Quality Foods on Joyce Avenue.

From the event page:

It’s finally happening! Stranger Skies is having a book launch this Saturday in Powell River!

Stranger Skies
First Novel in The Borderlands Saga

“Any reader who loves wolves, woods and wonderful characters will devour Stranger Skies.”
— K. Wolff, La Chiripa

Have your copy of the first volume in this magnificent new science-fiction/fantasy saga signed by Katje van Loon, author of Bellica.

Located at the cafe above Quality Foods in Powell River — “A Step Above”. Go to the end of the cash registers, past the frozen foods section, and take the elevator or stairs up!

Hosted by The Pearl Review, Powell River’s book-lover’s collective.

Cover art by Autumn Skye ART.

You can RSVP at the Facebook event page here.

(Let me know if it doesn’t work; FB continues to mystify me. The event is set to public but who knows.)

If you’re in Powell River this weekend I hope to see you at the launch!

If you don’t live in Powell River, I will be having other book launches for Stranger Skies in the coming months both on Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland. It’s an informal book tour — informal, because we’re not planning the entire thing out beforehand and are just doing it as and when and where we can.

However, there will be more notice than a few days’ worth for other towns. We meant to get the word out earlier for this one, but moving + travel + surgery + recovery has kind of eaten our lives.

Speaking of recovery…I’m going to go do more of that, in bed, for several hours. Sleepy time! Codeine is kickin’ in with a vengeance.

Hope to see you on Saturday!

-Katje