I don’t know about you, but in the southeastern United States, July is typically a rather slow month depending on the profession. The outdoor weather isn’t conducive to many activities that aren’t pool, beach, or snow cone related. Yesterday, my favorite coffee shop haunt had an event going on attended by four of the current court of about forty Azalea Trail Maids. I spoke with a couple of them when they came inside to cool off and they admitted it was incredibly hot work, made more difficult because it wasn’t a very active event, at least by the time I got there. It should’ve started at around 9:00 or 10:00 AM and ended as the hottest part of the day was beginning. I wasn’t sure they’d be able to keep at it.
But keep at it, they did! They were there for close to six hours in some of the worst head and humidity we’ve had all summer, mostly dressed in their full “bell of the ball” regalia. It made an impression on me, and on my two little girls when I brought them up toward the end of the event. My five-year-old thought they were Disney princesses. My two-year-old thought they were flower people. I learned quite a bit about dressmaking and terminology I’ll be able to carry over into a story (or several), including the fact that the custom-made outfits weighed anywhere from forty to sixty pounds.
What was the point of that story? I have no idea. I’m sleep-deprived and dehydrated, but nowhere near as dehydrated as those poor trail maids had to be. Just an interesting aside in the middle of this summer slump!
The only thing I can add to that is this: find something you’re passionate about and stick with it. And if you can stick with it during brutal heat and inclement weather, then it means your passion level is high! Keep that tank full, and you’ll go far. Or at least you’ll enjoy yourself while you’re at it.
Now, for some not-so-slumpish news (is that even a word? Well, it is now):
Congratulations to Jay Barnson, Imagiinarium Winner of Best Sci-Fi Novel!
Jay Barnson’s Car Warriors novel Dead to Rights has won Best Sci-Fi Novel in the Imaginarium Awards for 2025! Congratulations, Jay! A fantastic achievement for a fantastic novel. For those who haven’t read it, buckle up!
Corporate greed meets pure vehicular carnage!
Born into luxury but craving chaos, Catherine “Catastrophe” Cattaneo ditches her silver spoon for the blood-soaked thrill of the autoduelling circuit. With her future already mapped out by corporate puppeteers, she’s determined to prove she’s more than just a pretty face in a combat car.
On the edge of ruin, Ray “Sidewinder” Simpson is a man with one foot in the scrapyard. Betrayed, broke, and booted from the pro leagues, he’s left clawing through back-alley arenas for one last shot at glory—or survival.
Two rebels. One explosive alliance.
When Catastrophe’s world gets flipped by a ruthless kidnapping, these unlikely allies unite for a high-octane mission that will test their grit, courage, and steel. Their road to vengeance is paved with twisted metal, deadly secrets, and arena battles that will leave no car—or combatant—unscathed.
Strap in. Burn rubber. Fight to win.
