So the big news in my life is that I have moved out of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and have moved into Ridgewood, Queens into an apartment with my significant other, C. I’m pretty excited about the whole ordeal. While I loved most things about Greenpoint, I lived in a building whose management style was to repair as a turtle is to swift. I had a leak in my bathroom ceiling. And when I say leak, I’m talking Niagara Falls-style gushing water. The building, after much nagging, tore apart my bathroom, which soon after looked like this:
As you can see, the rotting wood evidences a persistent leak, possibly going on for years. Well, they put up new sheet rock, painted it over, only to neglect the actual cause of the leak upstairs. Three months later, this is what hung from my ceiling after they had redone my bathroom:
It looks like something you might find in the asylum in Sleep No More. Well, I had enough of that, and the numerous other problems with the apartment. And while I loved many aspects of Greenpoint, I had been there 4.5 years, and I was due for a change.
And so I ventured on into the wilds of Queens. C’s apartment, where I’m living now, is a palace compared to my previous residence. (Wait, the bathroom ceiling doesn’t rain water on me when I use the toilet? Luxury!) I have set up a corner of the living room for my office, my desk against one wall and my bookshelves behind me. Once I get the proper chair, this environment will be ideal for me to hunker down and write regularly again.
Because we moved ourselves without professional help (which I may need to get over the trauma of the old place), I haven’t done much writing recently, and it will be excellent getting back into my usual routine of writing every morning for several hours.
And speaking of writerly news, I recently received a nice review of “The Great Game at the End of the World” (published in After) at io9, where Charlie Jane Anders says my story is “Probably the weirdest story in the book.” That made me happy, because I think weird is good.
Also, two weeks ago I participated in a reading for After, hosted by editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. Here’s a shot from that evening (photo credit Melissa C. Beckman):
From left, Terri Windling, Genevieve Valentine, N.K. Jemisin, Matthew Kressel (me), Ellen Datlow and Richard Bowes
So that’s it for now. See you at KGB!
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