Friends' Book Releases

A couple of friends I wanted to meet at WisCon have new books available. I had wanted to see if they were interested in writing guests posts for this blog, and now that my son is almost done with school, maybe I'll have time to contact them. In the meantime, I thought I'd share the blurbs and Amazon links.

David O. Englestad recently published his first book, A Call of Moonhart. I've read it and found it an interesting take on the clash of cultures. Here's the description:

Anacarra: A land of two deities that used to be one and two cultures separated by more than cliff walls and forests. The Uplanders live in concert with their goddess, fed by Her bounty and protected by the harsh terrain. The lowlanders live by following the plow and the lonely god. They've been divided for millennia -- the cultures and the gods -- and those divisions are getting more dangerous.

For Rhia it isn't even a nightmare, because nightmares fade in the light of day. But the horrific images of wanton killing and destruction stay in Rhia's every thought long after waking. That's how a calling from the goddess works and, as much as she wants to deny it, despite everyone in Moonhart eknos held some part of the same goddess-sent dream, Rhia is the one, the only one, called by the goddess. She tried to protest: she isn't special, she isn't an elder, or one of the wise. She's simply a hunter but that would have to be enough. She is called to leave all that she knows -- the safety of the eknos, her huntmate, the familiar forests and meadows -- to travel the length of the uplands of Anacarra to warn the other eknos that sinister forces threaten their peaceful way of life, forces that had already murdered and abducted uplanders without warning or provocation. Rhia must rouse the clans, spread the word, and if at all possible, rescue her mother before it is too late.

Dughal has but one dream. It was the same dream his father had, and his father before him: to lead the best troupe of players traveling the realm! Dughal holds onto as much as he can of the old ways, the traditions that hold players in high esteem. His troupe boasts the best singer, the best wordsmith who both writes new plays and crafts the old ones anew, and they even have one of the last remaining Player's wagons. Dughal thought his dream a simple one and simply achieved, but that was before they encountered those called His Own. Ascetics rarely have use for players but Dughal learns that these do, and he isn't going to like the use they put his players to. Threatened with the loss of all he holds dear, Dughal has to choose, but will any choice keep them safe?

 Catherine Lundoff recently re-released Silver Moon: A Wolves of Wolf Point Novel. It's about a group of women who become werewolves as they approach menopause. I enjoyed it when I first read it and plant to re-read it. (Let's just say menopause is much more relevant to me these days.) Here's the blurb:

Becca Thornton, divorced, middle-aged and trying to embrace a quiet life, discovers that there are still plenty of surprises to be had when her menopause kicks in with bonus lycanthropy. And she’s not the only one. The seemingly peaceful and dull town of Wolf’s Point has its own all-female werewolf pack and Becca has just become its newest member. But it’s not all protecting Wolf’s Point, midnight meetings at the Women’s Club and monthly runs through the woods. There are werewolf hunters in town and now they've got Becca and the Wolf’s Point Pack in their sights.

As if that wasn’t enough, Becca’s cute lesbian werewolf neighbor, Erin, is starting to haunt her dreams as well as her doorstep. What’s a newbie werewolf to do, between the hot flashes and the unexpected physical transformations? Can Becca overcome her fears and help the werewolves defeat their greatest enemy?

I hope you check out one or both books! 

Fan Memories of the Crickets

Those of you who've been following me for a long time know I'm a big Beatles fan. Beatles fans often have other Beatles fans as friends, and they tend to enjoy other classic rock bands. One of my Beatles friends is Kristi Phillips Zanker, and she enjoys many other classic bands and television shows. Her memories about meeting the rock band The Crickets (Buddy Holly's group) are included in the recently published work The Crickets: Six Decades of Rock'n'Roll Memories. The Crickets influenced many other music groups, so if you'd like to learn more about The Crickets, you can purchase this book through Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Congrats to Kristi on her first publications. As the Beatles would say, "Gear!"

WisCon--Walk the Walk?

When you've been going to a particular convention for a long time, it becomes a home away from home. Even if you don't speak to other attendees, you know their names and faces. You develop traditions (the first night of the con we go to this restaurant, we stop by these stores and these places in the dealer room) and memorize the hotel layout. So when something upsetting happens at the con, it affects you too.

Last year, a well-known editor who was employed by Tor harassed at least two women, one of whom is my friend. (What's especially upsetting is that this was my friend's first-ever convention.) One of the women wrote about the experience here. My friend's report about this year's convention is here. WisCon apparently misplaced the reports these women filed, and the former editor (he got fired after the incident became public) was allowed to attend this year's WisCon. A ruling finally came out last Friday, with the result that the guy is banned for at least four years and may be allowed to return if he demonstrates improved behavior.

I know this guy by sight, but I haven't had much occasion to speak with him. From reports I've heard, he has a long history of harassing women, which makes me glad that I got rejected from Tor ages ago. This history suggests that any changes to his behavior may be superficial or temporary. I don't know if WisCon has had to deal with a situation like this before; it's possible the ruling was issued this way to establish a precedent, allowing future harassers a chance to redeem themselves. However, this ruling doesn't do much (IMO) to address the victims' safety or mental well-being at the convention. Why would you return if you risk encountering your harasser again? And while I don't know how this decision was reached, I know this guy had connections. It makes me wonder if there is some power play behind this decision. I'd like to think the committee was as objective as possible, and maybe no decision would have pleased everyone. But even the suspicion of power plays supporting a harasser at a feminist convention is upsetting.

I normally register for next year's WisCon and make my hotel reservation while at the convention, and I did so this year. WisCon is the first con I ever attended, the birthplace of Broad Universe, and it's set in the city that I love. I see friends here that I don't see outside of WisCon. I don't want to boycott this convention. I just want it to walk the walk when it comes to supporting women. Whether that's something ordinary members can accomplish, or whether it's a matter for volunteers or committee members, I don't know. It's not an issue that can be solved in a single blog post. I don't care if Tor stops throwing parties at WisCon; I care that all attendees feel safe, no matter who they are. I intend to look for more information from WisCon and other people in the WisCon community as the countdown to WisCon 39 continues.

Cancer Prevention Study-3

I was planning to blog about free/bargain eBook mailing lists today, but I found out last night (shortly before writing this post), that a friend's father had passed away. He'd been recently diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and was undergoing treatment and therapy to get his strength up before starting chemo. I wasn't expecting to receive this news so soon, and it makes the mailing lists seem trivial. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to meet my friend's father, but I've known several friends and relatives who have had cancer. To honor them, I'd like to share this link:

http://cps3il.wordpress.com/

The American Cancer Society is conducting a large-scale Cancer Prevention Study. They intend to follow 300,000 people over at least twenty years to gather data on what factors cause or prevent cancer. If you're between 30 to 65 years of age and have never been diagnosed with cancer, please consider joining this study. You'll be contributing not just to science, but to your friends and family.

I'll be back on Friday with a regular Science of the Week post.

WisCon 36 Recap

Ah, another WisCon has come and gone. They always go by so quickly. Here are a few highlights from the weekend:

1. The hotel: Apparently, all the rooms now have refrigerators (this used to be the luck of the draw). This allowed us not only to buy some produce at the Farmer's Market, but to buy groceries for breakfast and lunch--a much cheaper and healthier option. However, the room we had didn't have a bathtub, just a shower. Alex is used to taking baths, but he gamely agreed to try showers. The experience wasn't too bad. I miss the orange-scented shampoo/conditioner/bodywash the hotel used to provide. However, they did provide us with a free insulated bag to bring our food home.

2. The pool--The three of us got to spend some family time in the pool. It was funny how the pool seemed cooler at night but warmer in the early morning (when I swam laps for exercise). No wonder Alex preferred the whirlpool!

3. The weather--It rained heavily enough on Saturday to delay our going to the Farmer's Market, but not so severely that we couldn't go at all. Later, it cleared enough for Eugene and Alex to walk from the hotel all the way down State Street to Memorial Union and back. No wonder Alex napped when they returned! Sunday was too hot to do much outside, so Eugene and Alex did some activities in Kids programming.

4. My purse--My purse strap broke as I was coming back to the hotel from a brief shopping excursion. For the rest of the weekend, I wound up using a stylish brown paper bag.

5. My purchases--I bought a unicorn mug in the Dealer's Room (the source of the bag mentioned above), two e-books, and a paper book. I also picked up a few items at the Soap Opera on State Street.

6. My panels--I did a reading on Saturday with some other members of BroadUniverse; that seemed to go well. Sunday I moderated a panel on critique groups. It was my first time moderating, and it was interesting because a couple of the other panelists were quite outspoken. I think it went well, however.

7. Other Panels--I attended panels on female villains, crowdfunding and self-promotion, the oppression of children, things to know before self-publishing, and "I'm Blonde, But I'm Not 20 And I Don't Physically Kick Ass." This is probably the fewest number of panels I've attended at a con, but part of that was due to helping out at the BroadUniverse table.

8. My sales--I sold five paper books during the convention. I wasn't sure what to expect, but for a relatively unknown author, that's not bad. It looks as if I had a few sample downloads from Smashwords, but I didn't see any sales of e-books during this time.

9. The Signout--It was fun participating in the SignOut on Monday. I appreciated that we were able to get some light munchables during the event. (I shared them with my son.) Alex helped me hand out chocolate Kisses during the event; he was quite the fun assistant. I also asked another author to sign my Kindle.

10. My friends--It was great being able to see some of our friends at WisCon and outside of it as well. I wish WisCon could be twice as long--but the hotel bill would be a bit much then.

P.S. I have a few paperbacks of Lyon's Legacy left over from WisCon. If you'd like to order one directly from me, it's $5.00 plus shipping. I can take payment through PayPal or via check. Please contact me if you're interested.

A-Z: Madison

We're at the halfway point of the A-Z Challenge! Congrats to those who are still participating. For those who had to drop out for various reasons, I hope you can try again next year.

Ah Madison, Wisconsin, my home away from home. I fell in love with Madison at first sight, when I came up for State Forensics in spring of my sophomore year of high school. Since then, I've spent four years at UW-Madison; I returned in my mid-twenties for about eighteen months for my first post-grad-school job. I know that living in Madison isn't all Farmer's Markets at the Capitol Square and hanging out at the Memorial Union Terrace. I think it was my sophomore year when seventeen inches of snow fell in one day, leading to classes being canceled. Still, we go there about twice a year, in May for WisCon and in the fall for our annual Thanksgiving dinner/reunion with college friends. It would be nice if we could make it up there more often.

Here are some of Madison's attractions:

Vilas Park Zoo--it's free!














A Thai temple at the Olbrich Botanic Gardens.














A view of the Capitol building from the children's museum.



















There are many other favorite spots in Madison, like State Street or Picnic Point, that I haven't included because I either don't have digital photos or just can't find them. I still like to visit them when I have the opportunity.

I don't expect my son to attend the college there, but when he gets old enough to understand, Eugene and I will have to show him around campus and tell him how important the city is to us. After all, if we'd never met, Alex would never have been born.

Two of Us

Some traditions are too sacred for anything, even National Novel Writing Month, to interfere. One of them is Faux Thanksgiving, our annual get-together with our college friends up in Madison. Unfortunately, there is one thing that trumps Faux Thanksgiving, and that's Continuing Education for my husband. He had to attend a conference this weekend, but this was the weekend that worked best for everyone else. So I decided I'd go anyway, bringing Alex with me.

We drove up Friday; I timed the drive to coincide with Alex's nap time. Our hotel was near West Towne, so after relaxing for a while, we had dinner in the Food Court. Then we had some gelato, played in the Play Area, and customized a stuffed wolf for Alex (the wolf was costumed as a train driver, naturally.)

Alex did much better sleeping in the hotel than he had in the past. Perhaps he wasn't so bothered by the noises outside, or perhaps it helped that we were in the same room and not in a suite. I'd made sure to get a room with a refrigerator, since I brought along food and snacks for him. He enjoyed eating Froot Loops for breakfast; I hope he doesn't start asking for them here.

Saturday we visited the Children's Museum. This was our first time visiting it in the new location. I think Alex enjoyed the train running in the stairway between the first and second floors the best, though he also enjoyed building with blocks in Possibile-opolis. I went to one of my favorite stores on State Street but didn't find what I was looking for. We drove around for a bit so Alex could nap before the big get-together. He was still groggy from sleep when we got there (I had to wake him up), and for some reason he kept bringing my things to me. He didn't eat much (though he kept taking cookie bars that I'd brought), but by the time we left, he was in a good mood.

We were supposed to attend a Sunday brunch with our friends, but Alex wanted to go to the bookstore instead. So I took him, and we wound up getting him a couple of toys. (I have to admit it's nice that they're distracting him from some of his other toys. He has some cheap model trains that won't stay coupled and have parts that keep coming off; they're frustrating for both of us.) Then I reluctantly left Madison and drove to my parents' house so they could have some quality Alex time. Alex wound up falling asleep on both legs of the journey home. Eugene was happy to see both of us again, and he'd set up a huge track layout to keep Alex and his trains busy. It should be interesting to see how well Alex sleeps tonight, especially with the end of Daylight Savings Time.

Although the trip was a bit demanding at times,  Alex did pretty well overall. I even managed to write when he was asleep, both staying up late and getting up early. Even so, I'm about twelve hundred words behind where I need to be for today. Hopefully I can catch up.

Beatlefest 2010

Every year, there's a convention for Beatles fans in the Chicago area. It used to be called Beatlefest, but they changed the name several years ago to The Fest for Beatles Fans. (I've been going long enough that the old name is stuck in my mind.) The last time I attended was before Alex was born. This year, I finally decided I wanted to go, so I asked Eugene to take care of Alex while I was gone. When Alex found out where I was going, he asked to come with me. Perhaps in a couple of years I'll bring him.

I belong to an online forum for Beatles fans, and members like to get together before the event opens. I was a little late since, despite printed directions, I managed to take a wrong turn near the airport and wound up by all the car rentals. Fortunately, a gatekeeper at one of the places helped me get on the right track. I chatted with friends for about an hour. We took some pictures, though a few people left before we took them.

Afterwards, I wandered around for a bit, checking out some of the exhibits. My favorite one was of lost Beatles photos taken by their tour manager. I was sorely tempted to buy some of the photos, but I still have several Beatles photos that I haven't hung up yet in the house. I decided to wait for the book to come out next year. Then I met up with a friend of mine, Aviva, and caught up with her for a while. I also met my other friends Susan, Tina, and Kristi. Eventually I went to the dealer's room to get A Date with a Beatle autographed (the author was very sweet) and buy a shirt and toy for Alex. I also stopped in the video room and the art show.

For dinner, I went with several friends (Aviva, Susan, Tina, and Melanie) to Pappadeux. We met with Eugene and Alex. Alex hadn't napped earlier but fell asleep on the way there. He was a bit tired and cranky at first, but once he woke up (after some sugary snacks), he was a hit. I would have liked to have returned to the Fest for the fan fiction panel, but it was getting late, and I wanted to help put Alex to bed. Maybe next time. It was good to be "back where I once belonged" and see all my friends again!

A Meeting of Blog Chainers

Heather Dyer introduced me to the Blog Chain, and Mary Lindsey used to be part of the Blog Chain as well. Today all three of us (plus Eugene and Alex) finally got to meet in person. Mary was in the area for a writers retreat; Heather and I live close by but haven't had the chance to get together yet. We introduced Mary to Chicago-style stuffed pizza. We all had a great time; hopefully we'll be able to do it again sometime! Who knows, maybe I'll even learn how to smile in a photo by then!

Faux Thanksgiving Weekend

Every year in October or November, Eugene and I go up to Madison to have a Faux Thanksgiving with our college friends. It's a real Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and all the traditional side dishes, just a little early. I don't remember how many years we've been doing this, but it's been going on for a long time.

We drove up to Madison Friday evening; I left work early to prep for the trip. (I even managed to clean the living room carpet before we left.) When we picked Alex up from daycare, they were playing outside, and he was zipping backwards and forwards on a riding toy. We let him play for a bit, but once his teacher spotted us and told him, he came running.

We stopped along the way but still made good time. For dinner, we just wanted something quick and easy, so we went to the Food Court in the nearby mall. We had a hotel suite so we could put Alex in a separate room. Although he didn't seem to mind sleeping in his old Pack'n'Play at first, all the strange noises woke him up, and we wound up sleeping with him on the sofa.

The hotel offered a free breakfast, but it wasn't stocked very well when we got there--only one glass (so we split it among us) and no skim milk. Other things weren't available either. We wound up having a second breakfast at a coffee shop. Then we took Alex to the Children's Museum. He loved the toy cars in the first exhibit so much he didn't want to leave. Eventually we moved on to some other play areas, though. He seemed to have a good time. We left around 1:00 so he could nap in the car. (We took turns visiting the bookstore while he slept.)

Normally we bake a dessert, but it didn't work out this year, so we picked up a couple of tarts from Whole Foods. Alex was obsessed with them--until he tried them. He didn't eat well during the dinner; he mostly ate crackers. I guess he was too busy checking out all the toys. He was more social than he was last year, which is good. I was with him a fair amount of time, but I got to socialize too. I didn't take any pictures, though.

We met our friends again for Sunday brunch, then we headed home. We stopped to visit my parents for a few hours, so we got home a bit late. Alex had taken a late nap, so it took him a long time to fall asleep. I wish we'd had more time to go around Madison while we were there; we missed some of our usual haunts. Ah well, something else to look forward to when WisCon arrives....

The Seventeen-Year Sighting

Eugene and I have an old college friend named Ed. Eugene met Ed first; they bonded over a low score on an Organic Chemistry exam. Ed was the one who taught us the true definition of toluene ("Toluene...is a benzene...with a methyl group...sticking out of it!") and was involved in some of our most memorable moments from undergrad. Unfortunately, the last time we saw him was in 1992, at the graduation ceremony. Every once in a while, we'd find him online, in an alumni group or social networking site. There may have been an occasional phone call or e-mail, but contact was limited once Ed returned to Thailand, where he was born. Then he came to Evanston, near where my in-laws live, to take a short course at Northwestern. We weren't going to let this opportunity to see each other slip away.

We made arrangements to drop Alex off at my in-laws' house for a few hours. Then we drove to Ed's hotel; it was faster driving there than finding a parking space in the parking garage. Ed was waiting for us in the lobby. He still looks very much the way he did in undergrad.

The three of us walked to Carmen's, a pizza place Eugene and I have been to several times for stuffed pizza. The air conditioning wasn't working--naturally on the first really hot day this summer. The pizza was still good, and the conversation flowed. Ed happens to be one of those friends you can pick up with right where you left off no matter how long you've been apart. Of course we did have to fill in the major personal events of the last seventeen years, but they haven't changed our relationship.

After dinner, we walked to the lake, where we took the above photos. Too bad we didn't get one of the three of us! When it started to get dark, we found a Ben and Jerry's and had ice cream before walking Ed back to his hotel.

The babysitting situation turned out to be a triple win. We got to have an adult conversation and walk around downtown Evanston. Alex's grandparents got to spoil him and hear him talk and identify his letters. And Alex, once he got over our absence, ate lots of eggrolls, played with his uncle, and learned how to use a microphone. Yesterday was also Eugene's birthday, so between hearing Alex spontaneously tell him "Happy Birthday" and reuniting with his long-lost friend, I don't think he could have asked for anything more.

Our Son is One! (And Other Wonderful Things)

I'm a little late on this, but Alex turned one on Friday. At daycare, he got to wear a little crown (I'm not sure how much he liked that), and they sang, "Happy Birthday" to him. That evening, a photographer came out to our house to take pictures. We know her so well we invited her, her husband, another photographer from the same company, and the second photographer's husband (do you have all of that?), to stay for dinner. It was a relatively simple meal, but Eugene more than made up for that with his mile-high apple pie, made with two dozen apples. (I'm not kidding; this pie is huge.) Too bad we didn't have enough time to make our own vanilla ice cream. It was fun having them over.

Saturday we had another couple of guests over for Alex's first playdate. We hit it off with a couple in our childbirth class last year, so the mother and her daughter came over. I'm not sure what Alex thought about another baby exploring his house and playing with his toys, though he did watch the little girl try to climb the stairs. I'm afraid that may have put ideas into his head--not what Mommy and Daddy need! We may go visit them in a couple of weeks.

Today Alex and I went to a friend's bridal shower. I had to wake him up from a nap, but we were still late. He behaved pretty well, though towards the end he was a little fussy. We let him nap before going shopping.

As for the other wonderful thing I mentioned, Firestorm of Dragons is now available through Amazon.com and other online outlets! Order early, order often! Now, all I need to do is find some writing time. With Alex's party next week, it may be tough to find any time at night to work.

Writing News

Lots of writing stuff to post today.

First, I'd like to spread the news about a dialogue contest being run on Nathan Bransford's blog. Nathan is a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. He's challenging people to post up to 250 words of dialogue and supporting description. The contest ends tomorrow at 5:00 Pacific Time (he's out of California). I posted a snippet from Thine Own Self. There are nearly 400 entries already, so we'll see Thursday morning if I made it to the finalist round.

Second, one of the writers I know, Maria Zannini, is celebrating the release of her debut novel, Touch of Fire, a fantasy romance. It's available here as an e-book and will be in print late next year.

Finally, and most exciting personally, I found out from Dragon Moon Press that copies of Firestorm of Dragons are on their way to me. I should receive them Thursday in time to bring them to WisCon. I'm planning to be part of Broad Universe's Rapid-Fire Reading there (reading from my short story) and will be selling copies of the anthology at their table in the Dealer's Room. I can't wait to see the book!

I Am Not Dead Yet....

Or even pining for the fields. ;) I've been juggling the various demands of work, housekeeping, spousekeeping, and, of course, writing. My friend Russ just posted in his blog that the only people allowed to say they're busy are parents of little kids. Ever try to write a book, or worse, several books? They're all like hyperactive toddlers running screaming around my brain, insisting on my attention when I have to do something else but not cooperating once I'm finally in front of my computer. I'm afraid of what they would be like if they were teenagers. ;)

So, if there is such a thing as a reader of this blog, the hypothetical reader may be wondering how my writing is going. I've been working on both Day of All Seasons (Chapter Two, where I introduce all of the new Season Lords) and The Key to All Locked Doors. For Day, I finished rewriting the second scene, with Ysabel. I think I still need to weave in a few details about her mother to set up later events, plus I also have to decide if I want to alter Kay's character, since she comes next. Key is moving like molassess, as usual, but I did get some work done on it today at the doctor's office. It would be nice to finish this chapter by the end of the year, since I posted the first chapter on my site well over a year ago. High time I get the first draft of this done, isn't it, especially when I want to revise both Lennon's Line (and decide if I really want to keep it about the Lennon family or if it would be more prudent to file off some of the Beatleness, no matter how painful) and Catalyst in the Crucible. I also have four crits to do on OWW. I've been trying to put my stuff first, and I do write better when I start earlier at night. It still takes me hours to crit some chapters, even if I don't nit the grammar. Other things I want to do are update my website and finish going through my wedding photos by Thanksgiving.

In real life, I did a couple of interesting things. Saturday, Eugene and I went to a holiday party for his mother's company. They had a raffle, and I was feeling lucky, punk. Sure enough, we won...drum roll, please....a black light shaped like a light saber. We are now fully prepared should Darth Vader invade our bedroom at 2 a.m. We can even check him for ringworm at the same time.

Saturday, Eugene and I drove up to Wisconsin to visit my dear friend Liz. She was maid of honor at our wedding, so we wanted to show her our pictures. We're also good friends with her parents, and they enjoyed the pictures too. Liz had a bit of a headache, unfortunately, but it's always nice to see her because it's so hard to schedule something with her work hours.

Anyway, I think that's enough for now. Time to see if I can crank out a few more words for Key before retiring.