Well, the sad fact is that the shorts are written but not yet edited and, since I don't have a badly-paid little bald sidekick I can slap around, I don't have anyone to do the admin work like copying and mailing that is necessary to sell this stuff.

All of which is a long-winded way of saying that I have no idea when it'll be available.

First of all, I'm not "hovering," I'm "havering," which is Scottish for babbling insanely. I'm babbling because I always babble when I"m trying to convince myself of something, in this case to make up my mind about whether I'm in or out.

Honestly, I can make a good case both ways. On the plus side, there is a certain momentum to be gained by doing it with a group, and having that group depend on you (and when I say "depend on," I mean in a "moral support, we're all in this together" sort of way). There are also lots of cool tools like progress bars that are pretty motivating. There is swag and bragging rights and the ability to bitch loudly without seeming like quite so much of a poser.

On the minus side, there is having to wait until November when the truth is that I have the ideas, the impetus and the spare time (actually counted in microseconds right now). There is the necessity of making myself available for social events that rankle me even when I"m wholeheartedly committed. There's the knowledge that when I obligate myself for something, I ride myself mercilessly. I cannot go a single day without writing, lest I harangue myself into depression over my perceived failure. This includes not writing for some very good reasons, like lack of time or desire to do other authorly activities like submitting.

Right now, we're in the infancy of chicken love, which looks like giving a lot without getting a lot in return. "Giving" in this case is building their coop and fencing the run, which has to be done soon as they seem to be growing exponentially. Once that's done, it's off my plate and tons of free time opens up.