One Revolution has reached its funding goal!  That means that the project is officially going forward!  There's still a week to be a part of it.  If you pledge, you can get an ebook, a signed, personalized print copy, or even a story tailored to your wishes.  I have enough funding to do the bare minimum, but it would be nice to be able to get cover art  or include more stories.  

I really appreciate each and every person who has supported me.  You guys are wonderful, and I look forward to making this book for you.  

 About a month ago, Paul Anderson sent me a request for a story to include in his Torn Realities Anthology.  I was super excited, partly because I was really hoping that someone would request a story from me this year, and partly because Paul is a really cool guy and the anthology looks like it will be great.  

I wrote him a science fiction horror story about lesbian clones and deep space travel with some Lovecraftian themes woven in.  I sent it to him this morning, and he got back to me to let me know he wants it.  *happy dance*  Having a story requested is no guarantee that it'll be accepted, so I'm really glad that my first request ever worked out.  

The book should hopefully be out in March!  

 My short story, "Second Choices" will be appering in Earthbound Fiction's Dark Stars: Best Science Fiction Anthology!  Also, my they published my fantasy story, "Shadow Twin" in Sparks: Exciting New Fantaasy From Today's Brightest Stars.  It's available for the Kindle, and free for Amazon Prime members!  

 So, I wrote at Valentine's Day story for my Kickstarter backers. If you're a Kickstarter backer, you can go read it! If you're not, well, here's the opening.  If you want to read the rest, it's not too late to go back One Revolution! It's not the most action-packed piece, but it's sweet and happy with some light fantasy elements. 

A Happy Valentine's Day
by Jamie Lackey

Kimmy clutched the scissors so tight that her hand ached, and her damp palms left dark smudges on the red construction paper. She sat in the center of a whirlwind of red, pink, and purple gel pens, crumpled heart-shaped doilies, and scraps of mangled construction paper. She stared morosely at her half-decorated shoebox and tiny stack of crooked Valentines. They couldn't afford to buy cards at the store this year, so Kimmy had to try to make them. 

 So, this is a thing that's happening.  

Me:  I want to add more activity to my life.  I know!  I'll take up hiking.  I like to be outside, and it's a nice, cheap hobby.  All I need is a pair of boots!

Universe: Starts laughing.

Me: Look at all these people in their silly over-the-top gear!  "Non cotton base layers?!" Pshaw!  

Universe: Falls over.  Keeps laughing.  

Me: Wow, Smartwool socks are really nice.  
       Hmmm...  These wicking shirts really are better for when it's hot.
       And this thermal shirt really does keep me warm when it's cold.  
       OOooh!  Smartwool makes hats and gloves!?!  
       These pants are made of science!  They resist wind and rain and cold and heat, all at the same time!
       Wait, you want me to take two weeks off of work to go hiking in Peru with you?  I'm in!  
       Well, I should at least try the non-cotton underwear.  
       Maybe I should get an REI membership...  

Eventually, half of the clothes I own will be from REI.  Thank goodness that they have good sales.  

 Dark Tales of Lost Civilizations has an updated page!  Most of my fellow contributors have websites you can check out.  Also, there are reviews!  One of them mentions me!  *happiness*  

It's a nice boost to my ego after my 10-rejection weekend.  

 I went to the Altar Bar for the first time ever this Saturday.  It's a pretty cool place--the atmosphere is very well done.  The concert floor is an open area with a high ceiling, and there are balconies with tables above.  And, of course, there's a bar.  

I was there to see the second act, Winter's Descent, because they are awesome, and because the singer is a friend.  

The opening act went by Love Addiction but on their website they're the Denmon Sides Project.  They were amazing.  They played a few original songs and a few covers, all of which were really fun.  They did a really good job making any songs they covered their own.  Their singer was the only female performer on stage on Saturday night, and she was incredible.  And their violin player was great.  I would definitely seek them out again.  

Then Winter's Descent came on.  Their music is pretty intense, much harder rock than what I usually listen to, but I always really enjoy their shows.  It's obvious that they love performing and they put their hearts and souls into their music.  They were giving out their demo CD, and I was super excited to listen to it.  It's great.  I really love the last track, "The Edge."  

The next group were three rappers called Braynstream Records.  They had a lot of fans.  They seem like a fun group, but rap's not my thing.  My favorite part of their set was when the singer from the first group came up and did Katy Perry's "E.T." with them.  

Then the headliners, Patron Saint, came on stage.  They had a group of really hardcore fans and seemed really pleased to be playing for them.  

Overall, I had a really great time.  Either of the first two groups were worth the price of admission for me, and it was nice to check out a new place to go listen to music.  

 Paul and I went to see Shakespeare's As You Like It on Friday night at the Pittsburgh Public Theater.  

I really enjoy seeing Shakespeare staged, especially the comedies, so I was expecting to enjoy it.  I wasn't expecting it to fly by as quickly as it did.  I was surprised when the intermission started.  We'd been watching for almost 90 minutes, and I had no idea.  The show really swept me into the action.  

If you're not familiar with the story, two cousins, Rosalind and Celia, are each the daughters of the banished Duke and the new Duke, his brother.  The new Duke decides to exile Rosalind, and Celia refuses to let her cousin leave without her.  Rosalind dresses as a man because they think that will help keep them a little safer.  They buy a farm and settle into life in the forest. 

Meanwhile, Orlando, a young man who caught Rosalind's eye just before she fled, also has to leave his home because of his older brother's undeserved wrath.  Orlando also goes to the forest, where he's taken in by Rosalind's estranged father.  He wanders around carving poems about Rosalind into trees.  Rosalind meets him in the forest, and instead of revealing herself sets to advising and testing him.  

Things get complicated when a local girl falls in love with Rosalind's male persona.  Then Orlando's brother comes to the forest to find him, but gets himself into trouble with a lion and a snake.  After Orlando rescues him, he has a change of heart and he falls in love with Celia on first sight.  

Rosalind arranges a few things, and the next day, four couples are married.  

The actress playing Rosalind was amazing, and the actor playing both Dukes managed an impressive transformation.  If the playbill hadn't told me that it was the same actor, I never would have been able to tell.  It was fun and funny and sweet.  And there was singing!  The show is open for a few more days, if you can get there, you should.  

Bill, Paul, and I went to Colorado Springs for a mini vacation this weekend.  Bill and I wanted to see if either of us were horribly susceptible to altitude sickness, and Paul came along because he'd never been to Colorado before.  We left the Pittsburgh airport on Friday afternoon.  We spent an 90 minutes circling over our connecting airport, watching lightning flashing in the clouds.  It looked just like it does in Fantasia.  That was sort of cool, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have--I had to pee, and they kept telling us that it'd be just another 20 minutes.  When we finally got to Colorado, our rental car agency was the only one with a line.  Then, we got lost trying to find our hotel.  We got directions at three different 7-11s.  But we did get there, and we got to bed.  

The next morning, we woke up, looked out the window, and got our first sight of the mountains.  The weather was sunny but cold, and we set out for The Garden of the Gods.  We wandered through their gift shop, then we took a walking tour.  It was one of the most amazing places I've ever been.  It was so beautiful that it didn't even seem real.  

After our walking tour, we headed over to the Pike's Peak Cog Railway for our trip up the mountain.  Our seats were at the very front of the train.  It was awesome.  We made it to 12,000 feet, but had to stop there because of the snow.  It was actively snowing on our way up, and visibility was pretty low, but it cleared up a bit on our way down.  The elevation didn't cause any of us serious problems.  

After that, we wandered around Manitou Springs.  There are mineral water fountains scattered all around the town, and we tried all of them that we could find.  We had lunch at the Colorado Custard Company, where I discovered my new favorite thing.  It's called a volcano.  Paul and I shared a raspberry one.  It's like a blizzard, but the center is filled with a pool of hot fudge.  

We went back to the hotel, where I wrote a few postcards.  I'm not really participating in Letter Month, but the idea of it helped me to actually get the postcards filled out and mailed.  It was pretty fun, actually.  

Then, we went out for a super fancy dinner at Mountain View Restaurant.  The food was amazing, and the Cheyenne Mountain Resort was stunning.  After dinner, we wandered around the grounds a bit.  We stood on the deck and looked out at the mountains, we looked at the art that lined their walls, and we enjoyed their variety of lovely fireplaces.  

Then we went back to our hotel.  

Sunday morning, we got up and went to Seven Falls.  The falls were frozen over, and the steps were closed because of the possibility of ice, but we got to ride the mountain elevator up and look around as the sun rose over the canyon.  

We drove up to The Cave of the Winds, where we took their lantern tour.  I love caves, and exploring by lamplight was really neat.  And driving so far up to go underground was incredible.  

Our final stop before we went back to the airport was the Manitou Pancake and Steak House.  I tried the green chili.  It was pretty good.  

Our flights home went smoothly.  The only problem was that we didn't want to leave.  We're going to have to go back.  ^_^

 I didn't get the fellowship interview. That probably means that I won't be going to Chatham. Really, it probably means I won't be going to grad school at all. I'm not giving up--there are school-wide assistantships at Chatham I can try for, plus I'm still waiting to hear back from Pitt, but this was my best chance, and I didn't get it. 

If you actually want to make me feel better, go back my Kickstarter. If you've already backed my Kickstarter, thank you. You DO make me feel better.