Category Archives: Blog

Frolicon 2011 Schedule

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I’ll be a guest at Frolicon this weekend (yep, back-to-back conventions right after session; scheduling is so not my forte) and saw that the 2011 panel schedule was now up on their website. I’m scheduled for these Think Track panels:

  • “Ask a Writer” – What do you want to know about how writers do what they do? With Trinity, Stacia Kane, Shakir Rahsaan, and Nikita. Fri (4/22) 11AM-12:30PM, Boardroom.
  • “The Next Big Thing: Trends and Trendiness” – What trends and fads are in genre-land. With Shakir Rahsaan, Cherie Priest, and Stacia Kane. Fri (4/22) 4:15-5:45PM, Boardroom.
  • “YA: Not just for kids anymore” – Anyone who thinks books for “young adults” are tame and boring, doesn’t know anything about the genre. With Trinity, Lord Cailleach, and Cecilia Tan. Sat (4/23) 4:15-5:45PM, Frankfurt

Hope to see folks there!

JordanCon, Roof Repairs, and Post-Session Peace

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JordanCon was fabulous! It was extremely well run, with an amazingly on-the-ball and dedicated staff. It was, hands down, one of the best organized and conducted small conventions I’ve been to, and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in Robert Jordan’s work or SF/F literature in general.

Although I wish I’d been in better shape for it. I was all but dead on my feet, particularly on Friday, but also throughout the weekend in general, thanks to the rigors of last week’s session. Thankfully, Jana Oliver and David B. Coe were there to cover for me. In addition to being brilliant writers, they were both incredibly nice and forbearing, and also prepared, insightful, and articulate for our panels—all the things I wasn’t.

But now the legislative session is done, and the atmosphere in my office is totally different: quiet and peaceful and soothing. Ahhh. Going to try to catch up on all the back-burnered to-do items that have been piling up in my intray.

Unfortunately, topping that list by necessity is house repairs. The weekend storms seem to have done some damage to our roof. We had a leak on Friday night. It was only a bit of dripping—not a waterfall of destruction or anything dire like that—but it’s something that we need to take care of before it gets worse. I’m a bit anxious at how much that’s going to end up costing us. Ugh.

Day 40: Sine Die 2011 – Stumbling-Bone-Tired-Stupid and Spastic

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Made it to the final day of the 2011 legislative session. I’m stumbling-bone-tired-stupid and spastic-euphoric by turns, but I only have to make it through today. Got my bunny slippers ready and my purple editing pen in hand. Happy Sine Die.

On a related note, I have done zero prep for Jordancon, which starts tomorrow. Gah.

Haven’t been able to get much writing done this week—and nothing at all yesterday, which greatly irks me. Spent my non-legislative-editing time compiling records and figuring the numbers on my writing income for taxes. But IRS notwithstanding, it’s been a far more prolific session, writing-wise, than I would’ve dreamed.

48.1K words down on Dragon Queller, with 43.2K of those words written since session began:

48118 / 85000 words. 57% done!

Of course, I’m half-expecting my productivity to drop to nil once I have leisure and relaxation to contend with, for the cosmos does lurv its little ironies.

JordonCon Schedule & Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest Now Out in Hungarian in April’s Galaktika

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The director of JordanCon sent out the 2011 schedule grid. I’ll be doing:

  • “Writing for the Younger Crowd” Fri (4/15) 4PM, Azalea Rm (with Jana Oliver).
  • “The [Writing] Industry” Fri (4/15) 5:30PM, Azalea Rm (with Jana Oliver and David Coe)
  • Book Signing, Sat (4/16) 1PM, Camellia Rm
  • “Crafting the Perfect Villain” Sun (4/17) 10AM, Azalea Rm (with David Coe)

Hope to see folks there!

And the Hungarian reprint of “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast” is now out in the April issue (#253) of Galaktika: Continue reading →

Biba Jibun Now Out in Apex Magazine

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In one of the shortest lead times between sale and publication that I’ve ever seen, “Biba Jibun” is now out in the April issue (#23) of Apex Magazine!

Contents:
Original Fiction
“Biba Jibun”
by Eugie Foster

“The Eater”
by Michael J. Deluca

Reprints
“The Button Bin”
by Mike Allen (Originally published by Helix: Speculative Fiction Quarterly in 2007)

“Ghosts of New York”
by Jennifer Pelland (Originally published in the anthology Dark Faith by Apex Publications in 2010)

Poetry
“Thirteen Principles of Faith”
by Rose Lemberg

Nonfiction
“An Introductory Guide to the Nebula Awards”
by Michael A. Burstein
Continue reading →

Nebula Deadline and Milestone Reached on Dragon Queller: 40,000 words

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Just a quick reminder that the deadline to cast your ballot for the Nebulas is this Wednesday! Vote, yo!

Reached a milestone on Dragon Queller: the illusive 40K-words mark. It is now, officially, a novel-length work. Creeping up to the halfway mark, too. At this rate, I ought to hit that before the end of session. Maybe. Hopefully.

Chugga-chugga.

40040 / 85000 words. 47% done!

Day 34: Princess and the Golden Fish Part 4 Now Out and Biba Jibun Slated for April

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It promises to be a frazzling week. The legislature is in session every day. Then they’re taking all next week off for spring break *insert eye rolling* before coming back to finish the last two days. Urg.

In better news: heard from Jason Sizemore that “Biba Jibun” is slated for the April issue of Apex. Sweet!

Also, got my contrib. copies of the April issue of Cricket with part 4, the conclusion of “The Princess and the Golden Fish” in it:
Continue reading →

Day 32: Biba Jibun Sold to Apex and Article Reprint

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Day 32 and I’m still hanging in there…mostly by my fingernails. This almost-in-the-homestretch-but-not-quite part of the legislative session is when my nerves, sense of humor, and patience start getting frayed and frazzled. But the tunnel has a light, and I’m speeding toward it. Calmblueocean.

Writing Updates:
As I tweeted yesterday, I sold my short story “Biba Jibun” to Apex Magazine! Absolutely thrilled to have another story of mine published by these fine folks. Getting that “we want it” note from Jason Sizemore totally made my day.

I also had reprinted my “A Writer’s Resolution: I Will Submit” article in the March/April 2011 issue of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators New England newsletter, The NEWS.

And I managed another 1,400 words on Dragon Queller:

37704 / 85000 words. 44% done!

I’ve hit a bridge section that I’m not sure what to do with. I know what happens after it, but I’m uncertain how to get there from the scene I just completed. I’ve been writing this linearly thus far, and I’d like to try to keep doing that; I think it results in less cutting down the editing road. But I don’t want to just spin my wheels on a bridge scene either. Going to do a bit of an editing pass on a couple chapters and see if that joggles or jump-starts anything. Otherwise, we’re wrinkling the damn line.

Writers for Relief 3 and Crossover Day

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The fabulous Davey Beauchamp, in the tradition of Writers for Relief 1 to Benefit the Survivors of Katrina and Writers for Relief 2 to benefit the Bay Area Food Bank, is putting together a third volume of his Writers for Relief charity anthologies, this one to benefit the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. He invited me to submit a story, and I’m delighted to say that “The Snow Woman’s Daughter” will be appearing in Writers for Relief 3.

Davey is the king of big hearts. I’m so glad he’s doing this and that I can be a part of it.

In other news, today is Day 30 of the 2011 legislative session, Crossover Day. It’s not even noon, I’ve edited a slew of rush amendments, and my brain hurts. Gonna be a loooong day.

Still plugging away on Dragon Queller. 5.5K new words in the last week. Average daily word count: 800.

Shiny progress bar:

36,296 / 85,000 words. 43% done!

Day 26: The Day Job is Totally Kicking My Ass…But I’m Still Writing

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The 2011 Legislative Session is being a tricksy thing. Started out deceptively mild, but it’s shifted into full gear and is now thrashing my ass. Weekends and late nights galore.

This week looks to be pretty hellish. All the legislators are scrambling to get their bills introduced before Day 30, Crossover Day–when bills have to pass at least one chamber or be dropped–coming up next Wednesday.

Put aside the novel last week to work on another writing project, but just fired that baby off (it’s still in the glint-in-the-eye stage, so I can’t say more about it). Now getting ready to pick Dragon Queller back up. Overall, words-per-day dropping to less than 500, but the important thing is to keep chugging away. Right? Right??

Gah.