OryCon report

My interview with Irene Radford will be published in The Broadsheet at www.broadunivers.org very soon. It was great getting to know her. She also writes as CF Bentley and PR Frost.

The panels went well for the most part. There were two panels that had topics that didn't have enough staying power. That actually happened twice. There was no discussion because all the panelists and all the audience were on the same side.

The first one that happened with was the "Selling your integrity to pay the bills: are you really selling your soul as well?" panel. Our side? We all said no. We did have certain limits, but for the most part, if you pay us to write something, we'll write it your way.

The second one was "Will blogs replace conventional media?" Again, our answer was no. At least all two of the panelists thought so and the audience agreed.

So what do you do when you've exhausted the assigned topic in fifteen minutes or less? You tangent. Thoughtful tangents that the audience would be interested in and get them talking and asking questions. It all worked out. They got to participate more.

I really enjoyed the "Women role models in SF" panel and the "Portraying workplaces in SF and F" panel. We had some great panelists and great audience participation and discussion.

The Broad Universe reading was great. We had a superb line-up of readers. I believe there were 8 of us all together.

I was introduced to "toxic waste", a standard RadCon alcoholic beverage that is made with dry ice for full effect. And of course is served out of a container with a radiation symbol on the side. It was surprisingly sweet. I only had a sip and that was of the leftovers the next day. I had to leave the hotel to get to where I was staying Friday night just 10 minutes after I arrived at the RadCon party so I didn't taste it then. But it was worth showing up just to see it.

I had a second opportunity to congratulate the Endeavor Award winner, Brenda Cooper at the Endeavor Award party on Saturday night. I also met two editors from IROSF there: Stacey Janssen and Bridget McKenna. I had a wonderful conversation with Bridget and hung out with Stacey and her fiance and Radcon programming guy, Bob Brown the rest of the evening.

On Sunday, in the dealers room, I got a card from a publisher that does (among other projects) short story collections. I've had so many short story sales of late, I'm starting to consider putting them together when they're all available again. Oh, the publisher is Wheatland Press.

Well, perhaps the biggest thing that went wrong at OryCon was mixing up the time for the Critiquing Workshop. I showed up an hour late. My bad! I was able to meet with one author briefly and still need to email the other one. I can't believe I did that!

And I missed every photo opportunity. I don't know why I brought the camera. I should have at least got a picture of us Broads at the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading but I was waiting for the last person to arrive and she was late. Then I had another panel right after and so did someone else. And then I could have gotten most of us at lunch and forgot. >sigh<

I'm going to post the first Chapter of Awesome Lavratt on my website tomorrow for your reading pleasure.

I'm half done with the Chelan bus tragedy fantasy story. I had wanted to have it finished on the anniversary of the event but didn't quite make it.

So, I'm considering RadCon. But Valentines Day falls in there (It's Feb. 13-15). Must make hubby come with. Also, a large pull for me is that they have the guests speak at the local high schools the day before.

Just a shout - Story sale!

I just heard from Beyond Centauri. They're publishing "For Chance to Dream" in their July issue. It's a SF/F (and ewww gross) print magazine for 9-18 year-olds. This is my first sale to a print magazine and also my first sale to a publication for this age group. Woo hoo!

I'll post a run-down on OryCon when I've recovered from same. Just had to get my victory dance in. :)

Networking Junkie

It's official. I'm a networking junkie. I'm thinking that should be my tag line for my speaking profile. The one I still need to write... I'm in about 8 LinkedIn groups alone. That's in addition to the Yahoo groups, Face Book, My Space and a number of published author online groups. And Broad Universe. I've probably missed ten or so, still.

I've cut way back on volunteering, but the networking is now getting extreme. But I love it! I enjoy meeting people and sharing ideas and tips.

This Ain't No Rodeo is now available. My story, "Bullheaded" is in its pages. 75 percent of the proceeds go towards the Resistol Relief Fund for injured bull riders and their families.

Two story rejections arrived in the last two weeks. I should be getting an acceptance soon, then right?

I finished Lord Tophet by Gregory Frost and have started on the review. It will be at Mostly Fiction eventually. Meantime, I'll just say - AWESOME! Can he ever weave a story within a story and turn a world inside out -- or in this case -- upside down. :)

Pot pourri

Oh my goodness! I haven't posted for ten days! Shame, shame, shame.

Wednesday night I attended a NaNoWriMo write in and got 1200 words written on my sequel to Awesome Lavratt. The rest of the week, it seems, I've been dragging. I'm trying to adjust to getting up earlier. Since I walk to work, the nearing of winter and daylight savings time has thrown me. I don't want to walk home in the dark, so I have to start earlier. Of course, going to bed earlier would be the smart thing to do, but I haven't quite managed to do that yet...

I'm getting ready for OryCon. I'll be reading with 6 other Broad Universe authors Saturday morning. Friday night, I'll be interviewing Irene Radford for BU. Saturday and Sunday I'll be busy going from panel to panel. Sunday night before I return, I plan to have dinner with my Aunt, who lives in Portland.

I also attended a funeral this week. I told that family of my good friend what a great sense of humor she had. They didn't know that about her! Amazing. Perhaps they weren't close, or didn't bring out the best in her.

I've started my story about the Lake Chelan tragedy in which a school bus went off an embankment into the lake, resulting in the deaths of 16 people. It should come as no surprise to anyone who know me that I'm turning it into a fantasy story. I wanted to interview any surviving parents, and do a retrospective but when I discovered that it happened in 1945 rather than in the fifties, I realized the youngest would be 96, if any were still alive at all.

So, true to form, I'm starting with a reasonably close description of the event followed by pure fiction complete with merpeople of a sort. I'm hoping to finish in time for the anniversary of the event, which is November 26th. (63 years ago)

A friend of mine, who invited me to the NaNo write-in said she had a dream about me. Something about that I had to keep the stories coming. It was somehow imperative. Stories, not novels. Hmmmm....

So here I am wedging a story in during my big push to get the novel done. I also got a "dear Jane" on my apocalyptic tale of 7K words. It's a reprint, so harder to find a home for. >sigh< I'll have to find a new market for it tomorrow and send it out again.

I'm almost done reading the second Shadowbridge novel, Lord Tophet by Gregory Frost. Check out my complete (well, almost) list of books I've read this year at Good Reads. You can also find my TBR (to be read) list there. Most of the finished ones are reviewed at Mostly Fiction.

And if you haven't yet, come follow me. Click on the Follow This Blog link and your avatar or pic will be proudly displayed. More cyber real estate. :)

"The Heist" is hoisted, the Guy is burned

It's November 5th. Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

I'm slightly English and an Anglophile. Can a person be both? Anyway the English are quite morbid, but because this falls on my birthday, I like to celebrate. More reason to make merry. I even hosted a Guy Fawkes Party one year, complete with a Guy (Guy Fawkes effigy), fireworks and bonfire. And, of course, roasted bangers and spuds. And someone even knew the words to the old rhyme.


Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I can think of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t'was his intent
To blow up the King and Parli'ment.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England's overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

For those able to attend, here's my Orycon schedule:

Saturday 10AM Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading
Saturday 11AM Portraying workplaces in SF/F
Saturday 6PM Writing Workshop
Sunday 10AM Women Role models in SF
Sunday 11AM Who is Mary Sue and why does everyone hate her?
Sunday 1PM Selling your integrity to pay the bills: Are you really selling your soul as well?
Sunday 2PM Will blogs replace the conventional media?

And I'll be interviewing Irene Radford for Broad Universe. :)

And hanging out at the Open Read and Critique Saturday night.

Every Day Fiction has hoisted my story "The Heist", which they published in June, to their year's best anthology. The letters haven't gone out yet but the authors were listed on the forum and picked up by some who blogged the Table of Contents. This is where my Google alert of "Ann Wilkes" came in handy. Anyway, woo hoo!

The Un-Post Post

This is the 'why I'm not posting today' post. You see, I've become a Grandmother this week. My daughter had her first baby early Tuesday morning and I was with her in the hospital. I got home at 4AM Tuesday morning. Thursday I went down again after work. I have been a zombie this week. I've also not managed to write today. Today is also not today anymore.

I tried to take a nap after work but the marching band at the football game down the road kept me awake. Then I vegged when I should have been writing or editing. Then I edited the manuscript I've been contracted to edit by Sunday. The same one handed to me while my daughter was in labor, mind. Now it's tomorrow...

>sigh<

Must go to bed. I have to go grab some 0-3 onesies for Trey before I meet my friend for breakfast. All his clothes are too big or not warm enough. I'm going back to see the him tomorrow. They're an hour away.

So, I'm not really blogging today. You just thought I was. But here, how about a picture of the cutest baby in the world?