BayCon, Towel Day and Novels to come

I received a tentative schedule for BayCon in Santa Clara. I'll be on 4 panels, reading and signing Awesome Lavratt and possibly organizing a Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading. It just occurred to me today that Towel Day will be during BayCon this year. I'll have to take another look at that schedule. Surely they haven't passed up the opportunity for a Towel Day celebration. Might have to organize an unofficial one, if that's the case. It can't go unremarked.

I've just sent off my story of sentient whale creatures to my online workshop for critiques. Meantime, I'm trying to put a mainstream novel to rights that I started years ago. Someone asked about it the other day and I need something to work on while I wait to send the rewritten story out. I don't want to work on my new novel until the story is sent off since they are both in the same universe covering most of the same events. Too confusing.

Anyhow, the mainstream novel is Blind Date Blues. It has a flaming co-dependent, sharp-tongued woman, a cowboy who doesn't know what to do with her and his buddy who is fond of death-defying feats and alcohol. Oh, and the woman's kid brother dies under suspicious circumstances and one of the three knows more than they're letting on...

I've also sent a number of short stories off to make the rounds again. I'm still waiting for that last mega-issue to go up at Nanobison. I'll keep you posted...

I've started a new regime. Maybe I'll actually stick to this one. I bet the successful writers are the ones that have found that thing, oh what is it?...ah yes...self-discipline. Meaning they can keep their butt in the chair typing away on their novels while ignoring the laundry, the email, the phone, etc. So I've blocked off two hours a day in which I will do NOTHING else. Wish me luck...

I'm going to be speaking at some high schools over the next couple of months. I'm hoping I can keep the students' attention and perhaps even inspire them. A friend of mind warned me about the continuation school. He was afraid they might eat me alive. I doubt it.

I see most of them when I'm out walking the dog. They hang out at the "420 bridge" over the creek behind my house. I've raised five teenagers. I've found that, generally speaking, they don't bite. I treat them all as though they were my kids' friends. I respect them and they respect me back. And they love our beagle.

However, one time, I turned the corner onto the creek path to find a teenage boy of fourteen or fifteen facing me while urinating on the path. He said, "Ahhh...sorry," and put "it" away.

What did I say? "You should be!" and "I don't even let my dog do that!" His friends just stood there. "You're friends put you up to it?" He could only look at his shoes. His friends were probably fighting laughter, though I didn't turn to look. But none of them said a word as I walked on by.

Not one of my more gracious moments. I guess my sense of humor was on the fritz just then.