I can’t bear it. I can’t let myself think too far ahead right now. I know the awful is coming, and for a few more precious weeks, I just want to bury my head in the sand like they say ostriches do (even though they don’t, really).
So I’m looking for a few all-encompassing escapes.
One of those is popular entertainment. Mark and I are binging the whole Ally McBeal series, which was from the late nineties and dealt with grand themes like misogyny in the workplace, which thankfully no longer exists (this is where I really need a sarcasm font). It also offered early takes on polyamory and transgender characters. Mostly, though, it’s bubbly, fun, and far enough removed from our own troubled time that I can put my fears on autopilot for a couple hours.
This Thursday, after turkey dinner with family, we’re off to see Wicked. It may seem an odd escapist choice in the current moment – after all, it’s all about a tyrant who gaslights his country and the woman who defies him. But I’m hoping it will provide some enjoyable escapist fare nonetheless with its great cast and foot-tappable, heart-soaring music.
One of my other tried and true refuges from reality is the written word – both reading and writing it. I’m currently immersed in a humdinger of a sci-fi tale – Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valante. I had the pleasure of meeting Cat on a panel at BayCon last year, and was inspired to pick up her book.
How to describe this tale? It’s like the lovechild of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe and pretty much any book by Terry Pratchett, related to the reader by an alien flamingo on crack, in the voice of Yoko Ono. It’s silly, bizarre, and a total retreat from reality as we know it.
When I’m troubled, I also retreat into writing. In that spirit, I’m currently working on three books:
Candescent, the first novel in my new Forever Cycle trilogy, which fits neatly between my Ariadne Cycle and Oberon Cycle books. It’s a fantasy tale set on a generation ship, filled with marvels and magic.
Down the River is my contemporary circle of friends tale, and a follow-up to 2018’s The River City Chronicles. Both books take place in a spring and summer before DJT became President (and now President again), so it’s been strange writing these characters in the shadow of the dark future they don’t yet know is coming.
Finally, there’s Coredivers. It’s the sequel to Dropnauts, and follows mostly the same characters as they navigate the difficulties of recolonizing Earth and discovering a few surprises on the Moon along the way. It’s the story that has its hooks into me the deepest, and I’m really happy with where it’s going.
Each of these projects takes me to a special place. One is totally removed from the here and now, one is in the comforting normal times before our present moment, and one posits the worst of all outcomes, but looks far enough ahead to foresee a time when things are good again.
One last escape, and it’s probably the worst for me healthwise. I am overindulging myself in all things sweet. In particular, the Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Stars from Trader Joe’s – OMG are they delicious. But also Cranberry Orange Scones, Talenti Double Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, Jelly Bellies, Dark Chocolate Covered Orange Slices, Lemon Wafers, Peanut Butter M&M’s, and too many other yummy things to list.
I know it’s not great for me. But right now, it provides a little comfort against the long, dark night. So I’m being gentle with myself, and allowing my excesses.
Soon enough, it will be time to saddle up and ride again. But for now, the great escape is enough.