Last week I wrote about problems stemming from a rash. There are a few things to update about that situation, plus a few other notes to point out about other things. Bear with me, please.

After more than a month of trial and error, my rash is improving. I’m currently part-way through a course of the drug Prednisone, which has helped ease the symptoms dramatically, especially the constant itching. Now the only itching going on is from healing as the places I scratched open scab over and begin to heal.

My vanity is grateful that the rash didn’t spread to my face, or to my, um, tender bits. Forearms and belly got the worst of it, with some on my back, hips, and thighs. Current wisdom suggests that, while many of the symptoms do indicate an allergic reaction, not all of them do, so there may be more than one thing at work, here. The Allergy Clinic staff recommended I see a dermatologist first before going to the Allegy Clinic. I made an appointment with Dermatology; after significant cajoling, I was able to get a “priority” appointment in December, rather than wait until the next “real”opening in April. Still not convinced there’s a point; by the time December rolls around, whatever it was will likely be long gone, with no way of tracing what caused it. I’m on the waiting list for any cancellations between now and then, but thank goodness my condition wasn’t life-threatening.

So now I wait to see what happens next. Shingles has been definitively ruled out as the cause. It’s possible I was exposed to some plant-related thing – either the plants themselves or applied chemicals – in which case this probably won’t reoccur. If something I ate was the cause, it would be really good to know that before I eat it again.

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THRILLING NEWS! Over the weekend, a short-story I submitted to an upcoming fiction anthology was accepted. The turn-around time on this anthology is super-quick — MUCH quicker what I’ve been used to. It will be digital-only, and will premiere online later this month on DriveThru RPG.

The anthology is titled Darkened Streets, and deals with stories of travel in the various World of Darkness tabletop role-playing game settings. I’ll keep everyone posted, via Facebook, Twitter, and probably here — when it’s available. Even if you can’t afford to buy it or have no interest in the subject matter, I sure would appreciate your reposts and retweets to help spread the word. Payment is royalty-based only, so every copy sold earns all of the contributors a little bit more. This came at a good time for me: it ended a long dry spell of fiction sales, and helped restore my confidence in my writing skills.

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Having missed Chicago Steam Expo thanks to my rash, I’m looking forward to TeslaCon even more. Next up on my convention list for this year is Madison, Wisconsin’s gaming extravanganza GameHole Con October 31-November 3, followed by TeslaCon November 14-17. That wraps up the 2019 convention season for me, though there are several already written down in my calendar for the early part of 2020, including Midwinter in January, and Geneva Steam in March.