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I am thankful that the speed limit on that section of road was not 65.
I am thankful that I have lived in this area long enough now to know that the whitetails around here usually don't travel alone.
I am thankful that I just had my brakes redone a couple of weeks ago.
I am thankful that I had enough tread left on my tires to come to a screeching halt when I saw deer two and three.
I am thankful that there was no one behind me when I did.
I am thankful that all EIGHT deer made it across the road, just a couple of feet in front of my bumper...
Topics:
Smoke & Mirrors - The Gothic Magician (Don Deitch) through Oct 31 in Salem, MA
Twilight Tee Shirts
Being Human (BBC TV series)
Valemont
I Kissed A Vampire (web series musical)
New Vampire Fiction -- Gideon Redoak
Paul Huson Interviewed in Witches' Almanac
Marion Weinstein Dies
Audacity 1.3.9.
My News: WitchTalk Interview, Kindle Editions of My Books, Listened to Breaking Dawn and Dead to the World, Witches' Almanac Article
- Mood:accomplished
Yes, folks, the Social Security Administration does more than dole out retirement and disability checks. You can get popular names by birth year, starting with 1879! Oooh, ooh! You can even "See how the popularity of a name has changed over time!"
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
Just had to share. Now, back to renaming a character in a short story I'm working on.
- Mood:
happy
So now I'm catching up. Or should I say that now LIFE is catching up -- with me!
Ooops. I just remembered I left some wet clothes in the washer.
- Mood:
frustrated
As I type this, I'm listening to the archive of the show. It's funny listening to it, knowing that I was trying to sit very still because the mute button on my headset doesn't work properly. It was strange listening to Karagan read my bio, knowing it was going across the internet as he spoke. I know some people say that podcasts will never replace radio, but it sure felt the same to me.
So far, it sounds good, though at first Karagan sounded distant. After that, we sounded pretty equal, which is good. Karagan has a great sense of humor, so we joke around a bit, which makes it sound really relaxed.
Look at the time. I think I'm going to have to stop listening now and upload it to my iPod and listen to it on the way to work tomorrow. I'll let you know how it sounds.
- Mood: pleased
She got an excellent review from Jewish Woman Magazine and a mention in Jewish Week's Art Preview. I think that Jewish Week summed it up best, hitting the points that really excited me about Michelle's book:
"When Michelle Cameron was researching her family history, she came to learn about an ancestor, the 13th century scholar Rabbi Meir ben Baruch of Rothenberg. Trying to find a way to write about his life, she invented his wife, a pious woman with a streak of rebelliousness. “The Fruit of Her Hands: The Story of Shira of Ashkenaz” (Pocket, September) is a multi-generational novel, set in medieval Europe, as anti-Semitism is rising. Cameron, who moved to Israel with her family when she was a teenager, served in the Israeli Army and now lives in New Jersey."
The celebrations start on Thursday, September 10, at 7 PM. Michelle will be reading and signing in the Park Avenue Borders in New York City.
Thursday, September 10, 7 PM
Park Avenue Barnes & Noble
461 Park Avenue
New York, NY
- Mood: excited
Fortunately, I didn't see that, but I did see idiots driving through this horrendous rainstorm without their lights on! The way I could tell that there was something in the road was because I could see a very dark shape behind or in front of a car that had its lights on. Maybe they were just too distracted by the storm to remember to put their lights on?
I just played Rock Band for the first time and got 100% on Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" and 92% on Aerosmith's "Train Kept a Rollin'." Don't get too impressed; I wasn't doing anything difficult like drums. I was singing.
Right now I'm sitting in the hall of the hotel, taking advantage of the free WiFi, trying to stay awake for a 1:00 panel. Inanna Arthen is here, too, sitting in a chair to my left. We get lots of people stopping and commenting on our laptops. (She and I are both have netbooks.)
Fortunately I don't have to be up early tomorrow, so I'll be able to sleep in a bit.
- Mood:nerdy
When I first signed up for Pi-Con and the panels, I didn't know we'd be doing Mary Shelley the following weekend. I think I would have gone anyway, though I think I would have gone lighter on the panels ;-) Pi-Con is a relatively new convention (this is its fourth year), but it's a really interesting con. It's got a variety of different panels that you don't see at other events (costume-making, LARP writing, how to write a graphic novel, Gender in SF/F/H Fiction, Steampunk Parts and Crafts, and so on) and the atmosphere is vibrant and friendly. Pi-Con is "An Event for Geeks, Nerds, and Dorks" being held this year in Enfield, CT, not far from where they usually hold it in Springfield, MA.
I'll be moderating and participating in a number of panels. Here are the ones I'll be participating in or leading:
Sat 1:00 pm – Not All Vampires Sparkle
Sat 7:00 pm – Autograph session
Sat 8:00 pm – Tech Tools for Writers (Moderator)
Sun 10:00 am – Podcasting 101 (Moderator)
Sun 11:00 am – Podcasting Demo (Moderator)
Sun 1:00 pm – Reading
Pi-Con (August 21-23, 2009)
Held at
Crowne Plaza Hotel
ENFIELD-SPRINGFIELD
1 Bright Meadow Blvd.
Enfield, CT 06082
Tel: 860.741.2211
- Mood: excited
We're going to be discussing Mary Shelley, her novel Frankenstein, and how the themes of that novel are found in our own work. It's almost like being in school again -- studying the text, looking at cheat sheets, and wondering what I'm going to write for my paper ;-)
Here's our schedule. At this time I'm scheduled to go to every single event. Yes, every single event. One of these days I have to learn to say no to things! ;-) It should be fun, though.
(You can see this entire list and even links to some nice posters for the events at www.morvenwestfield.com/signings.shtml )
Mary Shelley's Birthday Celebration
(August 27-30, 2009)
Join New England women writers from the international organization, Broad Universe, as they honor the 212th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s birth. Learn about the amazing life and work of a woman whose vision reached far ahead of her time. Hear the truth about the original “mad scientist” and his creation.
Thursday, August 27th, 6:30 - 8:00
Jacob Edwards Library, 236 Main Street, Southbridge, MA 01550
Vampire fiction writers Inanna Arthen and Morven Westfield and SF/Fantasy author Trisha J. Wooldridge
Saturday, August 29th, 10:00 AM to noon
Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St, Nashua, NH 03060-3475
Vampire fiction writer Morven Westfield and SF/Fantasy authors Elaine Isaak, Phoebe Wray, Trisha J. Wooldridge and Julie Andrews
Saturday, August 29th, 2:00 to 4:00
Toadstool Books, Lorden Plaza, Milford, NH 03055
Vampire fiction writers Inanna Arthen and Morven Westfield and SF/Fantasy authors Elaine Isaak, Phoebe Wray, Trisha J. Wooldridge, Justine Graykin and Julie Andrews
Sunday, August 30th, noon - 2:00 at
Pandemonium Books & Games, 4 Pleasant Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
Vampire fiction writers Inanna Arthen and Morven Westfield, past Nebula Award nominee Jennifer Pelland, and SF/Fantasy authors Elaine Isaak, Phoebe Wray, Trisha J. Wooldridge and Julie Andrews
Sunday, August 30th, 4:00 - 6:00 at
Back Pages Books, 289 Moody Street, Waltham, MA 02453
Vampire fiction writers Inanna Arthen and Morven Westfield, past Nebula Award nominee Jennifer Pelland, and SF/Fantasy authors Elaine Isaak, Phoebe Wray, Trisha J. Wooldridge and Julie Andrews
- Mood:
tired
We're at a small convention center instead of the main campus and my major complaint is that the coffee is way too weak. Of course, I have to balance that against the fact that I'm able to get free WiFi
Vampiric fey! Give it a listen. I'll be posting her readings after I return from Readercon.
Still, I arrived safely, without getting lost, so I'm not complaining. I had loaded my iPod with the audio version of the second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, which I've actually already read, but that I wanted to hear again so I'd have the story in my mind as I watched the second season of True Blood. Producer Alan Ball has said that the series won't follow the books directly, and I'm fine with that. I just think it's fun to see what he's changed. Listening to the book made the traffic jam less irritiating, but it was sstill pretty irritating, especially since I drive a standard transmission and had to keep shifting and clutching.
I'm having a quick glass of wine with hubby and then I'm calling it a night so I can get up bright and early tomorrow to get in before the first session at 10.
On Sunday at noon I'll be reading with Broad Universe in the Vermont conference room. If you're at the con, stop in and listen. I think there are 10 of us doing short excerpts from our work. It's always interesting to hear such a diverse selection of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
- Mood: relaxed
- Mood: pleased
That series, in which he played Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin priest, had a big impact on pop culture, if I remember correctly. Suddenly things from Asia were interesting and the spiritual aspect of martial arts became unveiled.
But more than that, it influenced many young men (and women, I'm sure) to follow a disciplined path, and one such person became the basis for my non-vampire character Evan in The Old Power Returns. At one point (no pun intended), the vampire Frederick taunts Evan, calling him "Kung Fu man," a direct allusion to Carradine's character.
We'll miss you, David.
- Mood:
sad
In it I have brief comments on the following panels:
"So You Want to be Published"
"Book View Cafe: A New Venture in Online Publishing"
"Treatment of Aging in Science Fiction"
"Witches and Wizards: Gender and Power in Portrayals of Magic"
- Mood:
sick
Another reason for keeping a landline is for phone interviews. I have a podcast (www.vampireswitchesandgeeks.com) and do interviews either using Skype or over the phone. Cell phones generally don't have the best quality sound, though I'm sure that depends on the phone and the carrier. Still, I've had the best results when the interviewer has a landline, wired phone (not a cordless).
Still, I had to get a podcast out, and I did, raspy voice and all. It's at www.vampireswitchesandgeeks.com
- Mood: sick
The days flow together so much that I have to constantly remind myself what day it is. Sunday, Today is Sunday. Tomorrow I fly home.
Attended two panels in the morning, one on getting published, the other on Book View Cafe. Yes, just about every con I attend has a panel on being published, but it's interesting to hear different viewpoints and to keep an eye on industry changes. Besides, occasionally you hear something phrased just a little differently that makes a point so much more poignant. For example, we all know that a cover letter for a submission should be professional, interesting, and without grammatical error because it represents you and your writing ability. One panelist, though, phrased it in a way that really drives home how important it is. She said, "It sets up an expectation in the editor's mind." In other words, if your cover letter is only mediocre, but the editor decides to read a page of your submission anyway, the editor starts reading with the bias that the writing is probably going to be mediocre, too.
Book View Cafe: Very interesting project by some very talented women. I'll let the site speak for itself: http://www.bookviewcafe.com/ I registered while attending the panel. (Don't you just love free WiFi?)
Speaking of talented women, I met ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
catherineldf, who I had interviewed for Vampires, Witches, and Geeks. She and her partner are absolutely wonderful (darn, I forgot to congratulate them in person on their upcoming nuptuals) , of course (I expected no less). One of their friends, S. N. Arly, is going to be on the panel I'm moderating on Monday morning and it was nice to meet her ahead of time.
Took a turn at the ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
broaduniverse table, where I met author Larrissa Niec, who was also volunteering at the table. We had a lot of people stopping by between panels. WisCon has this wonderful schedule where there's usually a 15-minute break between panels. It gives you time to go to the toilet or make a quick stop at a vendor or information table.
I attended two more panels Saturday evening: Treatment of Aging in Science Fiction and Witches and Wizards, both quite interesting and well attended. The Witches and Wizards one, which focused on how the two are portrayed differently in fiction (at least in the past) ran from 10:30 until 11:45 but was interesting enough to keep me awake.
After that, I visited the party floor and flitted from room to room, sometimes seeing people I knew and other times striking up conversations with panelists who had impressed me or absolute strangers. I felt more at ease than I did last year, my first year at the convention. WisCon has a panel for first-time attendees, but I missed it both years. Maybe next year I can make it ;-)
Well, an evening of events awaits and I just realized that I forgot to eat. That meal replacement bar I had as backup won't last for long, I'm sure, so I think I'd better get changed and try to stop somewhere on the way. I could get something at the hotel here, but I'm not really that hungry. Hmmm. Maybe I'll wait and then see what shows up at tonight's parties.
For lunch I wandered down State St and got a Gyro from Parthenon Gyros, It was excellent, but HUGE! Now I'm ready for a nap ;-) BUT, nap I can't because I've got plenty to do to prepare for tonight's opening cermonies (I'm participating in a skit) and the Broad Universe reading at 10:30 pm. After that, I'll be ready to crash, I'm sure.
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