An Early September Update

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For those who still look here for news, I've decided to give an update on what I've been working on that might be of interest before my main monthly update on Patreon gets posted.

On Medium, I've posted a few things (2 articles and a haiku):

• All I Hear Are Crickets

• Haiku: Clouds, Clouds, Go Away?

• Idioms: The Skin of My Teeth

I am:

• Working on a Shore Leave update (Patreon) and might have other convention news available by the time my monthly update comes out.

• Looking at a possible short story submission. I have to think about how well it fits the guidelines.

• Working on an article about poetry's conundrum (who reads poetry) for Medium. It might not be popular with some poets, but I hope it gives readers something to think about. Whether it's ready this month or next, I'm not sure...

• I've even been playing with a few sketches! Who knows where that might lead.

• Trying to decide if I should reconfigure my Patreon site (can't go back if I don't like it).

Also, feel free to leave a comment on whether you think it's worthwhile to continue on Blogger or just use Patreon as my default blog site. It would be much appreciated!

That's all. Carry on!

Photo Credit:

Photo by Andrii Babarytskyi on Unsplash

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© 2025 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Yes, I'm Still Here

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I know I haven't been blogging on Blogger much this year (or last), but I'm still here and have actually written a few things!

And where do you find my writing? The best places are at these sites:

Medium  (Lots of haiku and such...)

Patreon ( I could use a few more followers on Patreon, for sure, so try and join me there, if you can!)

It is also the time of year when the Shore Leave sci-fi convention is ramping up. I will be there again this year, and I will be giving out a few books. Some have my stories in them, some will not. But it's a free book! Or two! I'll probably put a few posts on Patreon about it, but I won't commit to every day like I usually do. I'm getting older, you know!

I do have a favor to ask, however. If you want to support a writer who is trying to make a living at writing, please subscribe to Terri Deno's Patreon site. If you can afford a paying level, that would be great. But even a follow where you can read about her writing exploits would help. She really needs support! Thanks in advance!

As always, let me know if there is something/anything you'd like to see on my blog here—or elsewhere! I'm open to suggestions, so please be suggestive. But keep it PG-rated.

Photo credits:

The photo used at the top of this post is by bruce mars on Unsplash. It is the same photo I've used for some time for my Patreon site progress updates. It works.

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© 2026 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

One More Year Down The Drain

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But it wasn't so bad...

There was Shore Leave, of course. You can read about that HERE.

And you can read my November and December updates via these links. 

Amazon killed off another platform, Kindle Vella. This will hit a lot of writers and made me rethink where I'll submit future works. I had been working on a couple of tales for that platform, but they are on hold. If you follow me, you know that author Terri Deno has been shifting her works to Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. I would imagine others are doing the same. Amazon never seemed to promote Vella very well and the interface was not the best. 

I need to get working on artwork if I'm to have anything new for this year's show at Shore Leave. I have some sketches and ideas, but you can't sell those!

And I'm working on a couple of short stories. I submitted four stories last year and they were all rejected. I'm hoping 2025 will be better.

There has been lots of discussion about AI and how it will affect things in the writing and art world. It's not going away, and we'll have to deal with it.

And today it is snowing. It is a good time to sit and reflect on the past year and what I want to do in the future. I'm getting older and slowing down, so I have to choose what projects I want to focus on carefully!

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© 2025 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

What Have I Been Up To?

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Up to no good, it seems...

Well, I have been writing and have submitted a few stories. Just to prove I've been working a little, here are some link to my Medium articles , poems, and other stuff (as of September 2024)!

September 2024

• Found Art?  The hard part is hanging it on the wall…

• I’m Having a Squirrel Moment  It happens to the best of us — and me, too

• Spider, Spider  I may have ‘borrowed’ an idea here…

• Haiku for September 2024  There’s one in every crowd

August 2024

• It’s a Red-Letter Day!  Curious turns of phrase #9

• Haiku #2 for August 2024  Only the shadows know…

• I'll Be There in a Flash #1  Here's a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore

• Haiku for August 2024  As if from thin air

July 2024 

• Skink, Skank, Skunked  This happens to everyone, doesn’t it?

• On Which Side Is Your Bread Buttered?  Curious turns of phrase #8

• Haiku for July 2024   His (or her) majesty dines…

• Was it Something I Didn't Say?  A poem

June 2024

• Haiku on the Run  What did I see!

• Haiku for June 2024 - Hidden Pond  What didn't I see?

May 2024

• Haiku for May 2024  Should I look at them from both sides now?

• Native Arts Update  Sometimes we forget what we have right here

April 2024

• Haiku for April 2024  Everything’s better with bluebonnets on it?

• Death by a Thousand Briskets, Part III  Winding down?

• Death by a Thousand Briskets, Part II  BTW, there was an eclipse, too…

• Death by a Thousand Briskets, Part I    Oh, yeah. There was an eclipse, too…

• Ready or Not, Here AI Come!  So, we’ll soon have even more talking cat videos?

March 2024

• Haiku for March 2024  Did you hear that?

• An Indiana Story  Taking a peek into the past for inspiration

February 2024

• Haiku for a Frozen Night  Moonlight feels right?

• Haiku for a Winter's Eve  Warm colors in a cold sky?

• Haiku for February 2024  What station are you watching?

January 2024

• Snow Crows  It's all black and white...

• Haiku for the First Snow  The world goes on in a hushed tone

• Haiku for January 2024  This is the Internet; I post a cat picture now and then

I should probably post this again at the end of the year along with a summary of things not on Medium. But this is a start!

The photo used in this post is by bruce mars on Unsplash. 

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© 2024 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

May 2024 Update

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The weather is getting warmer, and that's not all that's heating up! Yes, I know it's already a bit further into June than I'd like and I should have already posted this, so here's what happened in May...

Shore Leave will be here soon. I have to get the giveaway books together—although I'm not exactly certain how things will work out with the new venue. They say they are having an art show, but the details of where in the hotel have yet to be announced. I'll stop by, but I won't be selling this year. Maybe next time. There is also a last minute guest addition: J G Hertzler. I'm not familiar with him, but I'm sure many others are. Here's a bit from the Shore Leave site:

In theatre, Mr. Hertzler appeared opposite Academy Award winning actress, Holly Hunter in a new Irish play, By the Bog of Cats at San Jose Rep. Earlier, on Broadway, he appeared opposite Irene Pappas in The Bacchae, directed by Michael Cacoyannis. He has appeared with the Oscar winning actor, Roddy MacDowall in the 1996 National Tour of Dial M for Murder.

Perhaps his best-known work for television is his General Martok on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Other television credits include, Seinfeld, Roswell, Six Feet Under, Touched by an Angel, Charmed, Dr. Quinn, Diagnosis Murder, Quantum Leap, The Highlander, Brisco County Jr., Lois and Clark, General Hospital and One Life to Live, and over 50 episodes on the New Zorro series, filmed in Spain. J. G. was featured with Jennifer Beals and Christopher Walken in the film, Prophecy 2. In the film Pirates of Silicon Valley he appeared as Ridley Scott. He has also appeared with Al Pacino in the Barry Levinson/Norman Jewison classic film, ...And Justice for All.

Currently J. G. is voicing the Drookmani Captain and General Martok on Star Trek: Lower Decks. Last Fall, his radical memoir, Confessions of A Klingon Linebacker, was released in several formats. Signed hard copies will be available at a ridiculous cost! He also co-authored the Star Trek duology The Left Hand of Destiny (2003) with Jeffrey Lang. A fourth book is rumored to be planned for spring of 2025. Stay tuned.

I've also posted my latest writing activities on my Patreon site. You can read about them there. I've also posted my short horror story Neersville on Patreon, It is for paid subscribers only.

In other news, Terri Deno has 9 episodes out now for her new Kindle Vella story called Making a Thief.

Miranda Kate's new book Blood River (Tricky's Tales Book 3) should be out on Kindle by the time this is posted. Might be giving out a three-book Tricky trilogy at Shore Leave just in case you were interested!

Mary Rajotte has her story The Call of the Carrion Crows in the reprint anthology Shadowed Realms. It is available on preorder now for Kindle.

And I'm working on another short horror story I hope to submit later this year. Think trains.

That's all for now!

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© 2024 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Shore Leave Update—Sort Of

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UPDATE October 12, 2023:

 

The Monster Mania Convention, which also uses the Delta Hotel Hunt Valley, has made arrangements to use the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor as its site for their 2024 convention. While the main halls are large enough for Shore Leave, I'm not sure it would have enough smaller "break-out" room for all of the panels that Shore Leave has. The hotel rooms are also more expensive. Again, if I find out anything, I'll pass it on!

 There is a slight update to the Shore Leave / Farpoint hotel situation. No, they haven't found a suitable location. They are having a joint farewell party at the hotel on October 28, 2023. This is from the Shore Leave Facebook page:

Event by Shore Leave, Farpoint Convention and Don L Ramsey

Delta Hotels Baltimore Hunt Valley

Public  · Anyone on or off Facebook 

Join the gang from Shore Leave and Farpoint for a final sendoff at the Delta by Marriott Hunt Valley Inn!

Here is the current schedule...and I believe there will be cake!
All activities will be in the Tack room...though I think most of us will also be found in the bar.

10:00 - The Bob and Howie Show - Authors Robert Greenberger and Howard Weinstein greet us one last time from 245 Shawan Road.

11:00 - Founders Remember (Cathy Dougherty, Regina DeSimone, Melissa James, Marilyn Mann, Denise Masters, Martha Sayre, Chris Schildt, Weston Scrimger, Renee Wilson; Moderator: Steve Wilson) Members of the committees of Shore Leave and Farpoint who were there in the beginning recall our 43 years at the Hunt Valley Inn.

2:00 - Weird and Wonderful Memories - (Moderators: Diane Baron and Susan Olesen, with special guest T.A. Chafin) Escalator roulette, Klingon raids, and how did that Studebaker get here? Our panelists and audience members recall their favorite bits of wackiness in the halls of HVI.

4:00 - Trivia Contest (Diane Baron)

8:00 - Marc Okrand - The creator of the Klingon language has a very long history with Baltimore, his convention home. Marc will talk about being a guest across five decades in Hunt Valley

Here's a map so you can see where the Tack Room is located (yellow circle on lobby level):

As you can see, it is not one of the larger rooms in the building. I suppose that's why most folks will be at the bar. Well, it's as good an excuse as any.

I'm not sure I'll make it there, but I'll try. After all, they say they'll have cake. Perhaps I can get the scoop on what's going on. If so, I'll pass it on to you.

You can read more about the hotel situation HERE.

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

I've Had Enough Fun With Simily

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I think it's time to end my experiment with Simily. 

via GIPHY

I received this email from Simily this morning (June 14, 2023):

Wednesday June 13, 2023

Important Changes to the Simily Platform

To Our Fellow Similians,

Simily’s mission has always been to build a place where creative writers and readers can thrive online. As the platform has grown, we noticed a shift in the quality of content and engagement on the site which took us further away from this mission. Over the past few months, our small team has spent countless hours and resources defending the site from bad actors focused on driving spam and bot traffic. (If you’ve been with us for a while, you understand the bumps in the road and we can’t thank you enough for sticking with us!) 

It’s time we bring our focus back to creating a social platform that allows creators to share high-quality writing with an engaged audience.  

We’ve spoken to hundreds of you and based on your feedback, we are excited to announce a series of changes to the Simily platform. Each decision was made in an effort to make Simily a home for creative writing and foster an engaging community of readers and writers. These changes were designed to set our Similians up for long-term success and we can’t wait to continue this journey with you all! 

So, what’s different?

Social settings are changing. In an effort to support meaningful interactions on Simily, the ability to direct message other writers, create groups, and post in groups on Simily will now only be available to paid users.

There is an application process to become a Simily Writer. As of now, members will need to apply to become a writer on Simily. We will no longer allow anyone to publish whatever content they want. By curating the content on Simily, we hope to create a better, higher-quality experience for our writers and build a library of incredible stories for our readers.

I have stories on Simily, what happens now? If you posted on Simily before this change took effect, all of your stories will be reverted to drafts. We encourage you to apply to be a Simily Writer through our application process! If your application is not accepted (or you decline to apply) you have until August 1, 2023 to download your drafts from the site before they are deleted permanently. If you are approved as a Simily Writer, your content will be published live on the platform. All new writers will be required to apply for the ability to post content on our site.

Can I apply to be a Simily Writer? Absolutely! Submit your application through our application process!

What about my earnings? When an author is approved as a Simily Writer, all earnings from previous stories will be maintained. If you have a current balance above the minimum earnings threshold, you can request a payout by emailing hello@simily.co.

The following countries are eligible to be paid out through Simily: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.

For additional information, please view our Community Guidelines and FAQs.

We know these are big changes for Simily! If you have any questions or would like to share feedback, please do not hesitate to reach out to hello@simily.co. 

Thank you!

Simily Co-Founders

When I checked my Simily page this morning, I found that six of my stories had reverted to draft. Everything I have there has been posted before the changes took place. They said all would be reverted, but it seems they couldn't get that right, either. Did they forget? Are they not done? Who knows? And the posts that went back to draft were all my most recent posts. What they said and what they did don't match.

UPDATE June 14, 2023: All of my posts have been reverted to draft. END OF UPDATE

They also said we'd keep our earnings. That didn't quite work out either. I know others have complained about losing earnings previously. 

And if you've followed my posts in other places, you'll know I wasn't happy about the repeated outages lasting for days with little (or no) information as to what was going on.

These statements worry me: "We will no longer allow anyone to publish whatever content they want. By curating the content on Simily, we hope to create a better, higher-quality experience for our writers and build a library of incredible stories for our readers." It doesn't say who will be "curating" or if there could be a discussion about it if a post is denied. It's just another form of censorship. I seldom (ever?) post anything controversial, but it doesn't sit well.

They do give an address for Simily in their e-mail. It's 4387 W Swamp Rd # 4718902 Doylestown, PA 18902-1039. 4387 W Swamp Rd Doylestown, PA 18902 is a Parcel Place, so they are using that as a mail drop. This brings up the possibility it is being run out of someone's basement/home office. Not necessarily bad thing, but not confidence inspiring—especially considering the other problems I've mentioned.

I really don't think the Simily folks are malicious. I think they're incompetent. Or perhaps less competent than they need to be. Just an opinion. Anyway, I'll be leaving Simily. Might take a few days to copy stuff and all, but it's time...

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Travel Advisory For Shore Leave 43

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Just got an e-mail from the Shore Leave folks this morning. Due to the I-95 collapse in Philadelphia, they are warning folks about possible detours and traffic problems for those coming in from the northeast. I-95 is bad enough under normal circumstances, so take heed!

Shore Leave 43 Travel Advisory for anyone coming in from Philadelphia and points north

Sunday (6/11/2023) a portion of I-95 near Philadelphia collapsed due to a tanker truck that caught fire while parked underneath an underpass. This is reportedly near the Cottman Avenue exit. All lanes of I-95 are closed in both directions between Woodhaven Road (Exit 35) and Aramingo Avenue (Exit 26).

According to officials it will take months to get that fixed. If you are traveling to Shore Leave from Philadelphia and/or points north, please plan an alternate route such as the New Jersey Turnpike. Since everyone else will be doing the same, please plan on heavier traffic and delays. Please drive safely!

The Shore Leave Team

Shore Leave 43

www.Shore-Leave.com

Plan your trip accordingly!

 

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Update On Shore Leave 43

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There have been a few updates from the Shore Leave convention folks. You can check out the web site, but here's their latest news directly from them (received June 5) that summarizes it all! And, as always, I will be there with books to give away!

Dear Fellow Fans,

We would like to provide an update on Shore Leave 43, our guests, planned programming, and other topics of interest and importance.

When:  7-9 July 2023
Where: Delta Hotels Baltimore Hunt Valley, 245 Shawan Road, Hunt Valley, MD 21031
Web:    www.shore-leave.com

Update: Our room block is Sold Out for Shore Leave 43. Please view our list of alternate hotels for a list of other accommodations in the area. (Our room block is sold out, not the convention.) To be placed on the Delta Hotels’ waiting list, please contact Delynn Powelson (waiting list only please).

The deadline for advance registration is June 19, 2023. At-the-door registration will be available at the convention at the following prices:

Weekend: $120
Active Military receives a $10 Discount (ID required)
Friday Only: $45
Saturday Only: $85 (includes Masquerade and Ten-Forward)
Saturday Evening Only: $25 - For admission to Masquerade (viewing attendance) and Ten Forward only. To participate in the Masquerade, you must have at least a full Saturday membership.
Sunday Only: $50
Teen (13-17): $60
Youth (5-12): $20
Supporting (non-attending) Membership: $10

On-site registration (as well as badge pickup for pre-registered members) is now upstairs in the hotel lobby. The hours are:
Fri from 10 AM to 7 PM
Sat from 8 AM to 5 PM
Sun from 9 AM to 1 PM

Guests

Actor Guests

Grace Park (Sat + Sun only), Aaron Douglas, Claudia Black (Sat + Sun only), Ben Browder (Sat + Sun only), Alaina Huffman, Peter Macon, Penny Johnson Jerald, Robert Picardo (Sat + Sun only), Robert Duncan McNeill, Bonnie Gordon.

Photo-Ops
All photo-ops will be done on Saturday. The following photo-ops are available:

Single Actor Photo-Ops Prices
Grace Park ($80)
Aaron Douglas ($60)
Claudia Black ($80)
Ben Browder ($80)
Penny Johnson Jerald ($70)
Peter Macon ($60)
Alaina Huffman ($70)
Robert Picardo ($60)
Robert Duncan McNeill ($60)

Combo Photo-Ops Prices
Voyager Combo Picardo/McNeill ($95)
Trek Combo Picardo/McNeill/Jerald ($135)
Farscape Combo Black/Browder ($135)
Stargate Combo Black/Browder/Huffman/Picardo ($205)
Orville Combo Jerald/Macon ($105)
Battlestar Combo Park/Douglas ($115)

(All prices are per print. Multiple people may appear in a single photo, however there will only be one print per photo-op ticket.)

Autographs
Claudia Black and Ben Browder will each sign one item for no additional charge during the Official Autograph Sessions on Saturday and Sunday. One Photo Ops photo may count as your free item. Additional items to be signed, in addition to photo op pictures, will be priced at the guest's listed autograph price. Please read the Autograph Policy on our website for full details on the official autograph sessions and autograph line.

All actors will be at their tables signing autographs during the weekend for a fee:
Grace Park ($50)
Aaron Douglas ($40)
Claudia Black ($50)
Ben Browder ($50)
Alaina Huffman ($40)
Penny Johnson Jerald ($50)
Peter Macon ($40)
Robert Picardo ($40)
Robert Duncan McNeill ($40)
Prices are subject to change at the guests’ discretion. Please note that autographs are not included in the price of photo op photos.

Author Guests

Chris Abbott, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Rigel Ailur, Lorraine Anderson, Derek Tyler Attico, Diane Baron, Christopher Bennett, Kirsten Beyer, Alan Chafin, John Coffren, Russ Colchamiro, Greg Cox, Keith DeCandido, Mary Fan, Kelli Fitzpatrick, Michael Jan Friedman, Phil Giunta, Rande Goodwin, Robert Greenberger, Amy Griswold, Glenn Hauman, Andrew Hiller, Amy Imhoff, David Mack, Mike McPhail, Christopher Ochs, Susan Olesen, Joshua Palmatier, Robb Pearlman, Scott Pearson, T.J. Perkins, Roberta Rogow, Aaron Rosenberg, Jenifer Rosenberg, Melissa Scott, Hildy Silverman, Amy Sisson, James Swallow, Dayton Ward, Laura Ware, Howard Weinstein, Richard White, Steve Wilson, and Sherri Woosley.

All author guests, including any science authors, will be at the Meet-the-Pros Party on Friday night from 10pm to midnight. Our bookseller is Larry Smith Bookseller (Sally Kobee, proprietor).

Science Guests

Wayne Bird, Kenneth Carpenter, Kelly Fast, Jerry Feldman, Joshua Handal, Thomas Holtz, Lindley Johnson, Stephen Lesnik, Adeena Mignogna, Timothy Miller, Ray Villard, Brent Warner, and C. Alex Young

Science programming will take place as always Friday evening 6-10pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 1pm.

Artist Guest

J.K. Woodward

Performing Guests

The Boogie Knights, The Chromatics, Luna-C, Bonnie Gordon, Charnock's Comedy Cabaret and Science & Magic with Willie Yee.



Vendors
We have a sold-out vendor room with a wide variety of goods. Many of our vendors are participating in programming, such as workshops and demonstrations. Please read the dealer and programming pages on our website for all the details.


Emporium
The Emporium table downstairs will have this year’s Shore Leave shirts and many other Shore Leave goodies for sale. They will also be selling Photo-ops tickets while supplies last.


Programming

We will have our usual full tracks of programming, the masquerade, the art show, the food drive, charity auction, a fan film track, science programming, children’s and teen programming tracks, workshops, and other special events. Please go to our volunteer page if you’d like to volunteer at the convention, the Lower Decks Crew would love for you to join them.

Free Workshops
Stargazing (Fri and Sat night), Sungazing, (Fri and Sat during the day), and many more to be announced. Check the website for details on these and other workshops.

Gaming

Gaming hours (5 pm-midnight Friday, 10AM-Midnight Sat, 10AM-4PM Sunday

Other Information

Our room block at the Hunt Valley Inn is sold out (just the room block, not the convention). Please view the list of alternate hotels on our website for other accommodations in the area.

Please be aware that due to hotel staffing shortages there will not be any shuttle services. There will also not be any room service, though orders can be placed for pickup. We will announce the availability of food services throughout the weekend on our website as soon as we know it.

Do you want to be part of the action? Join our parent organization, STAT Club of Maryland, and become part of the Shore Leave team. Check out statclub.org on the web, and email membership@statclub.org for information.

If you have any questions about the convention, please go to this page and follow the link(s) to the appropriate topic(s): https://www.shore-leave.com/contacts/

Keep checking our web site www.shore-leave.com for updates. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr!  You can help spread the word by reblogging our posts and sharing them with your followers..

We hope to see you all in July!

Cheers,

Your Shore Leave 43 Convention Committee

www.shore-leave.com

P.S. Please be sure to avoid confusion and misunderstandings by checking out our COVID-19 and Service Animals and Pets policies.  These and other important policies can be found on our website at https://www.shore-leave.com/info/policies/

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Shore Leave 43

www.Shore-Leave.com

That's all for now!

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

New Release! Slipping Through

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I have stories out in a new anthology!

It's now available and I can pass on the news! It's called Slipping Through (click on the title to take you to Amazon) and it's all about passing through to other dimensions, the afterlife, or, well, who knows?

I have three entries in this anthology. One is a short story (Memory Lane) and the others are flash fiction (On the Flip Side & Wrapped in a Mystery). The other stories are from Miranda Kate (who put this all together), Michael Wombat, and Victoria Pearson. Here's the table of contents:

As you can see, there are a lot of stories here, so there's a good chance you'll find a few that strike your fancy. I don't have all my "Amazon Author page" stuff sorted out yet, but that will happen shortly...

If you want to see how this came about, you can read my previous Patreon post here.

Also, if you would like to see other stories and poems I've done, please check out this list!

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

What Am I Up To Now?

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It's been a while since I've posted here. But that doesn't mean I've been idle. Well, not completely.

I have been posting on other sites. Here's a list of what's available since my last post here in early February...

On Medium:

• Spring Is Blooming, Haiku for April 2023 - Published on Apr 1
• Straight Up, Flash Fiction Challenge Story - Published on Mar 30
• Trouble Comes In Threes, The Dark Scent Of Rain — Part II - Published on Mar 13
• A Hint Of Spring, Haiku for March 2023 - Published on Mar 8
• A Worm And A Wet Place, It’s the beginning of a story — perhaps? - Published on Feb 22
• Warm Wishes, Haiku for February 2023 - Published on Feb 10

Note: A Worm and a Wet Place and Trouble Comes in Threes are the first two parts of a serial titled The Dark Scent of Rain. A third part is coming soon!

On Patreon:

• Serial Killer? (essentially a blog post)- Published March 23
• PSA: Upcoming Events - Spring & Summer 2023 - Published March 23
• What's New For 2023 - 1st Quarter - Published March 13
• Poem: The Retiree (poem) - Published February 15

On Simily:

• Wistful Thinking (poem)- Published April 2023      
• Morning Haiku - Published April 2023
• The Moon Gate (poem) - Published April 2023
• 2023 National Poetry Month Kickoff! (poem) - Published April 2023
• March: The Darkest Month? - Published March 2023
• The Retiree (poem) - Published March 2023

So, you can see I have been doing a little writing!

Best of all, I have a bit of a surprise coming—possibly before the end of this month. I can't say anything yet, but it involves a couple of my stories. More soon!

Photo credits for this post: Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Assimilating Simily

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If you've read my previous post, you know I've been trying to find traction among the various venues for publishing stories and poetry. One of these is Simily.

I have a story and a haiku out there at the moment. I'll be putting more there over the next few months and will do a big push during National Poetry Month (April). I've had a couple of reads, but no feedback yet. I'm really just starting out, so I can't expect a lot yet.

My non-public home page on Simily

Much of what I post there will have a format similar to what I've done on Medium. These are short stories and haiga-style haiku. I'll be borrowing a few of my old Blogger posts for content along with new (or reworked) material. The idea is to have a more consistent posting schedule (if time allows) which most folks say builds readership.

For longer stories, I need to continue to work on my Kindle Vella project and novella(s). 

It is interesting that many writers on Simily are doing serialized stories like one would post on Kindle Vella. I would think posting on Vella would get more reads, but Simily is certainly easier even if the formatting isn't so great.

The one thing missing from Simily is a "friends" link where people can read without subscribing (If there is a way to do this, please let me know!). This is a feature I've found useful on Medium. You can access most of my Medium posts free by going through a public page I've set up on Patreon.

So, I'm still learning about Simily. Eventually, I would like to limit the places I post, but I need to find out what works best first.

In case you're on Simily, here are the links to my stories (as of January 8, 2023):

• Wings of Death
• Doing a Michigan

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!

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