Where Personal and Professional Life Collide...

I wasn't going to wade into the current WFC bruhaha (as opposed to past WFC bruhahas), because honestly this will probably continue until those who venerate Lovecraft et al over all other influences are dead, or at least out of the active field.

But look: if your idea of a celebration of world fantasy relies heavily on an old, long-dead, relevant-only-to-some-readers white male American literary figure, you're wrong. Not because you're racist or sexist, but because you're stuck in the 1970's. There has been fifty+ years of evolution in the world of fantasy the field that you're willfully blind to/ignored - more than an entire generation of readers and writers.

But hey, that in itself is not a terrible thing - everyone has their interests and if you don't want to pay attention to current trends and/or events, that's a personal choice. Just like many folk don't really care about writers who were working before 1980. But then recuse yourself from doing the programming for an event that is supposed to acknowledge ALL of the field: past, present and future. It's not that difficult: don't take on a volunteer job you know you're not qualified for or interested in.

But if you do, then getting pissy and throwing comments about "social justice warriors" (like that's something offensive) and the passive-aggressive version of "the lurkers support me in email" when many of your peers speak out against those choices? Just makes you look and sound like a badly-socialized five year old.

Nobody was impressed.

My only comments about the election are that with democracy, sometimes we get the government other people deserved.  Also, that not giving up/not losing faith is the best fuck you we can give to those who want to haul us back to the 1950's (or 1850's).


I'm off to World Fantasy today. Over the weekend, Subtenant will be cat-minding, as she starts to move into the space and make it her own.

(the advantage of subletting to a good friend is that this sort of thing can happen)

Westward Ho! Updatery: Lease, confirmed. Movers, confirmed. Cat moving, confirmed. Insurance coverage for both locations, pending but pretty much confirmed. Self-moving, confirmed. Offsite storage, done.  Pretty much in work-and-wait mode.  Which leads us into....

Writing Updatery: Novels are with their respective editors. The two Sylvan Investigations novellas are being revised. Short stories are being plotted. WillWrite2FeedOthers is going to launch RSN. Maybe even tomorrow, if I get bandwidth while traveling. And next week I get to put my head down and focus on DEVIL'S WEST #2. Am I psyched about that? You have no idea.

Feline Updatery:  Two people now who've seen the Kitten in recent days have literally leaned back in surprise and said "he's gotten big!"  Yeah, I guess he has - his tail now looks normal compared to his body length, rather than extra-long, and I'm pretty sure his tail didn't shrink....  18 months old, and he's a lean, clean purring machine, who has gotten into the habit of sleeping with me at night, although he's still not much of a cuddler, otherwise.  That's all right, there's really only room for CatofSize on my lap, anyway.  And he's showing no signs of giving that space up, even when he's cranky from being ill...

(we're still waiting on his most recent bloodwork before panic/relief)

And that's all the news I'm allowed to print....

been this "oh what the hell" before a trip. We have tickets, we have a flat. We have vague plans.

More than that, we have not.

I may have become blase about traveling to places where I speak the local language (more or less).

And I haven't started packing yet. I pulled out both suitcases last night, and tried to convince myself that yes I could fit a week's worth of clothing, including dress-up for the banquet, in a carry-in case. I'm probably not kidding anyone.


(kitten-of-Thursday on the larger case)


We leave tomorrow.  I probably should get a move on...


(at least the cat-and-flatsitter's engaged and triple-checked.  I deal with the important things)


and a reminder to London locals and folk in-transit to WFC - I'm signing at Forbidden Planet Wednesday evening.  Be there, or have a note from the coroner as to why you missed it...

The revised, polished, hopefully flawless PACK OF LIES (PSI#2) has gone off to madame editrix, not to be seen again until copyedits. 1 revision down, 2 revisions and a whole new book, plus 3 novellas and a short story to go...
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My final comment regarding MA's election will be to quote my sister's 1st post this morning:

"I'm planning on becoming a pain in our new Senator's butt. You want to represent me, you're gonna damn well hear about MY interests, boyo."
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Meanwhile, I am amused/bemused to note that WFC 2010 still has neither an on-line registration form not their hotel rates up on the website (9 months before the convention) but WFC2011 has both on-line registration and detailed hotel information up, as well as a preliminary programming sheet, and just announced their toastmaster via their facebook page.

I don't know about y'all, I like being able to budget for the year's travel before we're halfway through the first quarter of that year.

[kudos also to WFC2011, who has their committee members listed and mail-enabled.]
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And now I have to drag myself and my bandaged toe to the gym...

WFC photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23974478@N07/sets/72157608700457066/
(best viewed with 'detail' for the captions)

[scarlettina? Seattle photos are up, too]


and a minor vent: please to be making invoice envelope same size as invoice. 'k? Thank you.

Back on the pony, everyone.

I did not have a good time in Calgary airport, but am settled once again in Seattle,fed and cozy and decompressing off the WFC chaos. It was, all told, a very good convention (despite some off notes and utter exhaustion), with useful meetings and story-developments, and very good to see a number of friends who have been too-long from the scene (and even better to hear about some of the very excellent stuff they're writing),

And speaking of writing and good reports, found this in my in-box, from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:

Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy Edited by Dana Stabenow. Ace, $14 paper (320p) ISBN 978-0-441-01637-2

This follow-up to Powers of Detection (2006) breaks no new ground, but offers 12 stories with enough well-paced variety to keep readers happy. In Charlaine Harris’s notable Sookie Stackhouse tale, “Lucky,” one insurance agent’s good luck makes him a target. A “resurrected” Humphrey Bogart is murdered in Carole Nelson Douglas’s “Bogieman” while Santa Claus investigates the murder of an elf in John Straley’s “Weight of the World.” On the lighter side, a divorcée gets used to a menagerie of ghostly housemates in Sharon Shinn’s “The House of Seven Spirits” and a young woman confronts a cave dragon turned loan shark to solve her father’s disappearance in Laura Anne Gilman’s “Illumination.” Strong tales outnumber the weaker ones by a considerable margin and will satisfy fans of both genres. (Dec.)

I figure, if I'm one of the five-of-twelve singled out,they probably liked it, huh?:-)

(if by 'sleep in' you mean 'as late as the cats will wait to be fed')


Part 2 of Vineart #1 has been red-inked into submission. Also, I need to replace some Scotch. The two may or may not be connected. Still waiting on beta-responses, but since I owe a beta-response to someone else, I really can't gripe too much (it's coming! Today, I swear!)

Meanwhile, I suddenly realized that it's October (hey, how did that happen) and World Fantasy's coming up fast. I will be in Seattle beforehand [reminder to Seattle locals that I will be doing a reading/signing at University Bookstore Wednesday October 29 @ 7pm] and then up in Calgary Thursday through Sunday afternoon, and then back in Seattle on Monday. If you're going to be there, drop me a line and we can schedule an actual sit-down!

Mmm, WFC. They're either fabulous fun or deadly boring, and you never know which it's going to be until you've been there. But I haven't been out to Seattle in far too long, so that's all good....


Weekend Plans:

-- finish off beta-read and send it off
-- input redline changes to Vineart draft
-- Seattle/WFC planning
-- filing
-- hit pet store for various and sundry necessities
-- gym
-- movie
-- finish blog interview questions
-- order groceries
-- clean off dining room table so it can be used for its actual purpose by actual adults
-- send files to KEK before she kills me
-- update the Cosa Nostradamus on-line

"we're gonna need more coffee."

Part of the ongoing meandering WFC conversation this year seemed to be career paths -- what you have, what you want, what is ideal, etc. A lot of different paths were discussed, each one with its plusses and minuses, depending on circumstances and goals. The only conclusion reached was that everyone's got a Brighter!Shinier! person they have a shameful but totally understandable envy of/lust for their career.

(there was some very blunt discussion of what makes us go into 'why-not-me' meltdown, which is often not what you might think [aka money]. Writers, unlike actors or musicians, don't often get immediate feedback, especially from our end-consumers. This is inevitable, because a good story, no matter the form, often has a delayed reaction within the reader, and the percentage of readers sending fan mail is wee sma'. So the care we get from our agents and editors take on a perhaps unhealthy importance.... and that's why a good agent can be the difference between a good career and a healthy career.)

There isn't, btw, a "wrong" career path. I've seen a dozen different writers 'make it' a dozen different ways. It all depends on what you want, and what you can do, and what you can handle, in terms or productivity and what you produce. And yet, often we are green over the career path, not of someone who matches our abilities, but someone who is diametrically different. Curly hair vs straight hair, writ on paper.


I had the advantage, I guess, of being able to observe author careers firsthand for a decade before I stuck my toe in, so I knew what I wanted and how (theoretically) to do it. But theory and practice are miles and miles apart, especially in the arts. Again, a good agent comes into play here -- even with my observations and plans, I still rely on Greatest Agent Evah Jenn to knock me back into line when I get lost, and remind me when things yes, really are going well and to stop worrying. And while there's no way I can take my eye off the bottom line -- not even the Greatest Agent Evah can replace your own awareness -- it allows me to focus on the important stuff: getting what needs be done, done. And loving your own hair, however it needs to be styled.

geeky joy: Having Peter Straub walk up to me in the bar and say, with pleasure, "suri, you're here!

Just sayin....

Spent yesterday alternating between some freelance work, some sight re-seeing (found my old apartment, etc), and shmoozing at the convention. And dinner, oh yes. Doc's makes steaks the way they should be made -- simple, tender, and barely cooked. Oh the yum. Spent several hours in the bar with some unusual suspects, drinking very very good single malts and perfecting our new can't-miss money-maker -- the lipo-shark! Doctor approved! (okay, so it's F. Paul Wilson, he does have a medical degree and everything!) Look for the infomercial on a tv near you next month!

Today, there is paneling and meetings and more shmoozing, and hopefully some more work being accomplished (I just had something else drop in my lap yesterday with a very tight turnaround. wheee). And I may or may not go up to campus to see how much everything has changed. Still debating that.





And meanwhile, over in the Two Rivers Times, I am moderately misquoted during my interview with the reporter at the Springsteen concert at the Meadowlands (I said that I had hit every _tour_ since 1984) but hey, it's still a mention...