Caffeine and Opinions

Things Fall Apart Meta: The perils of serialization

I'm not always sure how much I should write about the process of writing this series. I love reading other authors when they write about writing, but I wrestle with how much I should do it. But, here, I'm going to do it, and show you

Things Fall Apart: Chapter 49

This chapter is double-length. I considered breaking it up, but hey, I skipped last week, so you get one big chapter to make up for it! Newer York, en route to Briefing One; 6 Tammuz 2541 AS, midday The ride to Briefing One began much as the ride to the

Things Fall Apart: Chapter 48

Newer York, Ellis Ring, TCTO Embassy; 6 Tammuz 2541 AS, morning Singer had been concerned that anxiety over the coming day might keep her from sleeping well, but exhaustion won that battle handily. It had been a long, emotionally draining day, after all, and she had not slept well on

Things Fall Apart: Chapter 47

Newer York, Ellis Ring, Embassy of the Tau Ceti Treaty Organization, 5-6 Tammuz 2541 Rachel had found Singer and Cadotte still sitting on the veranda, and looked to Singer's eye like she might simply join them on the bench and let dinner wait. Truth told, Singer was more

Things Fall Apart: Skip Week (11 August 2025)

I had not originally planned to honor my impending natal anniversary by skipping this week, but this weekend was ultimately full of other rabbit holes, and the coming week is going to have various things that eat my brain and/or time. I don't completely rule out a

Things Fall Apart: Chapter 46

Newer York, Ellis Ring, Embassy of the Tau Ceti Treaty Organization, 5 Tammuz 2541, late afternoon The briefing went even more poorly than Singer had feared. At first it hadn't been so bad. The parlor was as comfortable as the name made it sound, with well-upholstered furniture and

Things Fall Apart: Chapter 45

Zephyr, in wide orbit of TRAPPIST-1, 1.9 megaseconds out from Gliese-581. Lieutenant Commander Robin Alexander was...not bored. Not quite bored. Ze understood entirely why ze was on the ship, minding the store while the captain played diplomat, and also why Singer had chosen whom she had to accompany

Things Fall Apart: Chapter 44

Newer York, Forward Docks, 5 Tammuz 2541, mid-afternoon Singer allowed the ambassador to take her arm and guide her, like they were two long-lost friends, and tried not to let her discomfort show. Despite having her shields up, Ellison's volatile emotional mix was as readable to Singer as

Things Fall Apart: Chapter 43

Newer York, Forward Docks, 5 Tammuz 2541, mid-afternoon They walked in silence, the Governor and the Admiral, side by side, for quite some time. They hadn't discussed it ahead of time. It just happened that they each had a lot to think about, even from so brief a

Things Fall Apart, Bonus: Chop Wood. Carry water. Kvetch.

It was great when it all began...

Things Fall Apart: Skip Week

This past weekend was CONvergence 2025. Conventions are often a fertile source for ideas and inspiration, but fairly useless for actually getting anything written, so, no new chapter today. There will, however, be some bonus content later today! Stay tuned!

Things Fall Apart: Chapter 42

Newer York, Boarding lounge 23, 5 Tammuz 2541, mid-afternoon The trio from Zephyr each grabbed their duffel bags, and made their way through the airlocks to a lift. They were now unquestionably under the influence of the city's spin gravity, which meant the baggage was hardly a burden.