I'm writing again

I'll get back to the MileHiCon posts eventually, but the big news for today is that I'm writing again. I cranked out about 3,000 words in the novel that doesn't want to get written. That's the best production I've had in quite some time.

Maybe things are finally starting to turn around...or more likely, I've decided that it's time to make things turn around.

Tales of the Talisman Panel

Saturday started out with the Tales of the Talisman panel. The four other panelists with me were editor David Lee Summers, Art Editor Laura Givens, and authors Nicole Givens-Kurtz and David Riley. We had a fairly small audience, but I had expected that. The panel mostly consisted of David talking about the zine's history, but he was gracious enough to let me plug Sam's Dot and The Genre Mall for a while.

It was a good panel, and I began to get a sense of Laura Givens' real personality....more on that very soon...

The bar

Friday night we had a little get together in the bar at the hotel...writers networking, you might say. Normally I'm very shy in these kinds of situations, but I basically decided "screw it," and grabbed a chair and butted right in at a full table. I ended up sitting between James Van Pelt (who many of you should know) and Rick Friesen (who many of you probably don't know.) From there people shifted around and we talked about everything you would expect...and more.

This, to me, is the highlight of the Con, as you get to meet a lot of different people and everyone is always so nice...whether they've never published anything in their lives, or even if they're guest of honor Alan Dean Foster (he was there too, although I never managed to make it over to his table.)

If you want to get to know writers, I've learned, you want to hang out in the bar!!!

This was also when I had a sociology grad student start to pick my brain...but more on that later...

Autograph Alley

MileHiCon started out for me with Autograph Alley. They basically put as many authors together as they can in the dealers room and in the hallway outside. For me, this meant that I was in a hallway...farthest from the dealers room, and in a corner. We didn't see too much traffic, but I did get a chance to catch up with Mike Brotherton, who I had met last year, and I also met Michael L. Wentz, who has a new YA SF book out that sounded interesting, but I'm afraid it's not quite my thing.

I had one fan tell me that he had checked my latest collection out of his school library to do a book report on, which I found to be very interesting, since the book has only been out about two months, and I'm quite sure it's not in any libraries yet.

I also had a storm trooper ask me about my first collection. You meet all kinds at the Cons.

The three of us had some great conversation, and none of us signed a book for the entire hour and a half that we were there...but that's a Friday night at a Con...most people seem to spend their money on Sundays.

More later.......

MileHiCon first post

I'm going to be making several postings here over the next few days about the Con. There's just too much to tell in one posting. If you've been to my site, then you've seen the names of the people I wanted to thank...if you haven't been there, then head over there and check out the names. I won't post them here to avoid redundancy.

Overall, I learned a lot at this Con, stayed up way too late over and over and over again, and actually sold some books...almost enough to cover my expenses, which blew my mind.

I did have someone corner me in the dealers room wanting one of my books because he had seen me on a panel...a panel that I thought was a disaster...but that just shows you what I know.

I picked the brains of everyone that I could, and was glad to have my brain picked from time to time.

Overall, I feel quite a bit more confident in my abilities as a writer, and in my ability to actually do these Cons...now if I could just finish this god damn book that doesn't want to be written, I'd feel a lot better. Of course, Connie Willis was saying pretty much the same thing, so I guess I'm in some damn good company.

More later.......

Time to be a geek

Tomorrow afternoon I'll be leaving for MileHiCon here in Denver. Cons are the best. You get to be yourself (usually that means being a geek), and no one looks down at you because you're surrounded by people that don't fit in to society...and refuse to fit into society. These, I've found over the years, are the MOST interesting people in the world.

So, if you're planning on being a geek at the Con, let me know...I'd love to meet up with people. I won't be hard to find...I'm on three panels and I'm doing two signings.

I'll look for all of you there................

Book signing added

MileHiCon has added another book signing for me. I will be in the dealers room Sat. Oct. 22nd from 5-6 P.M.

This is right after Connie Willis signs, so it might be a great opportunity for me.

For more info on the Con, click on the title of this entry, and it should take you to their site.

UNICEF and the smurfs

This is part of a new ad campaign put together by UNICEF in Belgium (not Belgium in the Hitchiker's universe). I'm not sure if I liked the picture because it's a good way of getting the point across, or if I liked it because I'd like to see this actually happen to the smurfs...anyway, enjoy!

The First Snow

We're getting our first snow of the season here in Denver, and I couldn't be happier. I love snow...I'd be happy in Alaska or Canada...the northern parts, that is. In addition to being beautiful to look at, snow stirs something in me that usually helps me to create...more than half of my fiction has been written in late Fall and Winter...must be something to that. Perhaps it's the fact that I grew up in Northern Ohio, and got used to seeing lots of snow.

Anyway, with the snow falling, the Con plans being finalized, and with a day off (after working 24 hours in a 48 hour period), I'm hoping to get some writing done. Although I wish the next week and a half would just fly by so I could be at MileHiCon.

MileHiCon

Oct. 21-23 I will be doing MileHiCon. Here's my schedule for anyone that is thinking of attending. Please feel free to drop me an e-mail if you're going to be there...

Fri:
7:30-9:00 Autograph alley...with a bunch of big names.

Sat:
1:00-1:50 Tales of the Talisman, the birth of a magazine

2:45-3:50 Alien Archaeology..one of the guests of honor is on this one with me.

9:00-12:00 Late Night Rouge and Roguish writers...10 minute reading session...apparently I'm one of the moderators for this one.

I may be doing another autograph session as well.

Story in The Martian Wave

My story "Seedlings on the Solar Winds" is in the October issue of The Martian Wave. This isn't exactly a major coup, as I'm the editor of the zine, and was forced to include one of my stories after an author pulled their submission just days before the zine was to go live.

Still, the story has been published before, in Dark Moon Rising, which is yet another zine that's gone away...so it's no longer available in their archives. It's a rather dark story, which shouldn't really surprise anyone...so have a look, and read some of the other stuff while you're there as well.

Making the blog more "interesting"

This blonde I know told me my blog wasn't that interesting...although I put this together mostly as an informational source, in order to make it more interesting, I've added a bunch of crap to my profile. So go ahead and click on that...maybe you'll find something interesting over there...

Wondrous Web Worlds Vol. 5

Every year, Sam's Dot Publishing puts out an anthology entitled Wondrous Web Worlds...this year being the fifth year. It's a collection of the best stories and poems from the on-line zines, The Fifth Di, The Martian Wave, and Aoife's Kiss, as voted on by the readers.

As always, I'm the editor of this collection, and I'm happy to say that Sam's Dot has made the anthology available in a pre-release sale through The Genre Mall. Simply click on the title above, and scroll to the bottom of the page. There you can order your copy, which will be delivered in early November.

My site...part two

My site has now been moved. I'm on a new host, which costs more, but should offer better reliability. I'm now paying almost as much per month as I was per year, but if there are no annoying javascripts screwing systems up, then it should be worth it.

The greater cost is going to be a bit of a setback, however, so make sure you go shopping while you're there. Either in the Direct Purchase area, or in the Mall.

Just as a note, not all ISP's will be able to find the site right away. It might still take a day or two before everyone can get there, so keep checking back.

My site

Due to numerous problems with my webhost, my site has been taken down. I'm currently trying to jump through all of the hoops that are necessary to get it transferred to a new host, but this isn't easy.

I own the domain name, but it's registered through the old host, which means that the registration company has to get permission from me through the old host in order to let me use the domain name. And if that made sense, I'm amazed, as I still can't figure out why this is so hard.

Hopefully by the time I return from Hell tonight the problem will be fixed, and I will be able to begin transferring the site...but we'll see........................

Comments

I've had a couple of e-mails asking if people could make comments on the blog, and the answer is a definite yes. All you have to do is click on the word comments at the end of my postings.

You don't have to have a blog, or sign up for anything, you don't even have to post your name, although that would just be rude.

No news to report today. Day off from hell, and trying to get caught up on work at home...

The Gaia Theory

I'm sure that most of you are familiar with the Gaia theory...the idea that the Earth is actually a living organism. O.K., that's a bit simplistic, but it gives you the general idea.
Those of you who actually know me know that I'm an environmentalist, although not a believer in the Gaia theory.
Still, one has to wonder after Katrina and now Rita, does the Earth have a plan for us. The increase in hurricanes and the increase in their intensities of late is almost certainly a result of global warming, and now these two beasts have taken aim at America's oil refineries, with fossil fuels being one of the leading contributors to global warming. Coincidence?

It has to make you wonder.

O.K. Maybe it doesn't, but I thought I should put something a little more interesting up.

Timing is Everything

Apparently, the worst time to release a book is at the same time as one of the largest natural catastrophes to ever hit our country comes along. As the cliche goes, "timing is everything."

Sales of the new book have been slow, but this seems to be true for a lot of books. I've noticed a definite decline in sales at The Genre Mall on all titles, and other eidtors and publishers have said that they're taking it on the chin with this one...as are most industries in America.

As for myself, I think I'd much rather read than continue to watch the heart-breaking images from Katrina...and we may be seeing more of the same when Rita hits.

And I definitely know that I'm throwing a brick through the TV the next time "W" comes on. Reading a good book...or even a bad book, is definitely better than having to listen to him try to talk.

The first rant

I might as well get this rolling with my first rant about the horrible job. Today is my first day off since I got back from CopperCon. I put in nearly 60 hours in the last six days, and today I can barely move...and I know Alyse and Josh, who will probably visit this page feel exactly the same way...as they put in a lot of hours as well...and went to school.

Hopefully before the night is up, I will be "caught up" enough to get back to work on the book that doesn't want to get written.

End of rant..............................................

The blog is here

I've had numerous requests to set up a blog on my site so that people can track what is going on in my life...why, I'm not sure, but here it is.

I will post news about my writing, future appearances, future publications, and whatever random thoughts I can think of. There will also probably be a lot of ranting and bitching about the "job that's too dreadful to mention."

So, you asked for it, and here it is...have fun...I guess.

J