Until Midnight (& Sometimes Later)

I picked up this fabric today. The plan is to turn it into a skirt (from Truly Victorian pattern TV290) for a special event coming up in July.

Last night I had an epiphany. I was working on (struggling really) with my work-in-progress, which is late in one direction and pushing deadline in another, and suddenly words starting flowing. This was a strongly outlined story–which suddenly went off in different directions as the characters just started, well, doing things on their own. Other writers talk about their characters taking on a life of their own, but its never happened to me before.

Now I routinely write movie reviews over at buzzymag, and I can crank out 400 words on just about any film with no problem (although I do take notes in the theater). My first fiction story was published in May 2011, and I’ve written book reviews and cat articles for various magazines over the years.

Yesterday I had a 2000+ word day. I didn’t want to stop to go to sleep.

I feel like a writer now. For real.

Over at buzzymag, there’s a new review of Galactic Creatures, the first anthology published under the Sparkito Press imprint of Dark Quest Books. Kudos to C.J. Henderson, Alex Shvartsman, John French, and Bernie Mojzes, whose stories were specifically praised.

Cover of Galactic Creatures~art by Pyracantha

Here’s my Worldcon schedule. I’m arriving Wednesday evening, and leaving Monday evening, so they’ll be lots of time to socialize. I hope to meet lots of online friends IRL, and to meet up with, well, everyone!

My Schedule:

THURSDAY, 30 August
McCormick
3:00pm
Hall or Competition Costume
[Panelists: Kevin Roche (M), Aurora Celeste, David M. Stein, Elektra Hammond]
How do I determine if a costume is a competition costume or a hall costume?

MONDAY, 3 September
Grand Ballroom B
10:30am
Steampunk and Cosplaying: Boon, Threat, or Menace?
[Panelists: Kevin Roche (M), Elektra Hammond, Leigh Ann Hildebrand, Richard Dutcher, Sarah Hans]
Everybody’s seen the steampunk and cosplaying enthusiasts who’ve become a major part of SF conventions and fandom in general; is this new rise of organized costumers a benefit to SF fandom, or is it just a ephemeral trend that won’t amount to anything permanent?

And there you have it.

I’ve gotten my final Confluence schedule–they’ve added another panel on Sunday. I still don’t know what some of these panels are about. And there are no moderators specified as yet–I suppose we’ll end up using some of the time-honored methods for choosing such: last arrival at the panel, person sitting in the center, etc. Should be fun.

SATURDAY
1:00pm in Oak
Keeping Within the Constraints
[Panelists: Cat Faber, Seanan McGuire, James Daniel Ross, Elektra Hammond]
Comment: Oh boy–a panel with GOH Seanan McGuire. And I’ll get to see Dan (who is in both my anthologies, In an Iron Cage: The Magic of Steampunk & Galactic Creatures. I haven’t met Cat yet, but I know she’s a filker, and I look forward to meeting her, also.

10:00pm in Oak
Sins Are Refreshed : Frank Discussions, Erotic Readings and Naughty Jokes
[Panelists: KT Pinto, Elektra Hammond, Kevin M Hayes]
Comment: I’ll be reading something written by Bernie Mojzes, caterpillar erotica from an Alice in Wonderland-themed collection. Find out why caterpillars are the new cephalopods. Thank you Bernie!! I’ll also be setting the mood with some single malt–come by and have a drink with us.

SUNDAY
noon in Oak
Thank Heaven for Little Subs
[Panelists: Danielle Ackely-McPhail, Larry Ivkovich, Elektra Hammond, Jeff Young]
Comment: I’m not sure if this panel is on sub-genres or small press–everyone on the panel has published with small press at one point or another. Hopefully we’ll find out before the panel starts . . . .

1:00pm in Oak
Geek Culture versus Geek Generation
[Panelists: Paul Melko, David Barr Kirtley, Christopher Pisano, Elektra Hammond]
Comment: This is the panel that was just added. Sounds interesting!

Hope I see a bunch of folks at Confluence–it’s always a fun convention!

The last weekend of July will find me once again at one of my favorite conventions, Confluence, with some of my favorite folks–the members of Parsec, the Pittsburgh-area Science Fiction club. I’ve just gotten my preliminary schedule, I’m looking forward to more information on what some of these panels are:

SATURDAY
1:00pm in Oak
Keeping Within the Constraints
[Panelists: Cat Faber (F), Seanan McGuire, James Daniel Ross, Elektra Hammond]

10:00pm in Oak
Sex Panel: Erotic Readings and Naughty Jokes
[Panelists: KT Pinto, Elektra Hammond, Kevin M Hayes]
I’ll be reading something written by Bernie Mojzes, probably caterpillar erotica, from an Alice in Wonderland-themed collection. Thank you Bernie!!

SUNDAY
noon in Oak
Thank Heaven for Little Subs
[Panelists: Danielle Ackely-McPhail, Larry Ivkovich, Elektra Hammond, Jeff Young]

New York Times Bestselling authors Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill have an amazing new book called Dead Reckoning. It’s fast-paced, fun, and well-written–everything I’ve come to expect from these ladies over the years. My review is up at buzzymag.com.

Here is an excerpt:
Yet another entry in the subgenre of zombie steampunk westerns.

This is the story of three young people, Jett Gallatin, [Honoria] Gibbons, and White Fox, brought together by circumstances . . .

If you love it, and you want more, I also recommend The Last Ride of the Iron Cowboy by James Daniel Ross, a novella in the same subgenre . . .

There is a very nice review of In an Iron Cage: The Magic of Steampunk over at SF Reader.

They take the time to say something nice about each and every story, and they really “got” what we were trying to do with the anthology.

I’ve been working under deadline to finish up a project (which has now gone to press), so I have a lot of news to share. Watch the skies!

Last night we indulged ourselves a bit and headed into Philly to ring in the New Year with the Philly area steampunks at Dorian’s Parlor. We seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time downtown on Broad Street–just before Christmas we were at the Academy of Music to see the Philadelphia Ballet perform the Nutcracker, last night at the Doubletree for Dorian’s, and Friday night we’ll be back at the Academy of Music for the touring company of Hair.

Dorian’s was a little different this time around. Different for us, because Dark Quest Books wasn’t there promoting a book launch. And the event was a bit different this go ’round, because New Year’s Eve featured two hours of open bar, a champagne toast at midnight, and a full dinner buffet instead of the usual snacks and two drinks included with the cost of admission. Of course, the price of admission was a bit higher . . . but we weren’t scrambling to eat dinner before we heading into Philly for the evening. And the dinner buffet was tasty!

The evening was MC’d by G.D. (Geoff) Faulkson, and the entertainment was lovely, although a bit sparse. It started with Mike Lunapiena, The Wandering Cellist. Mike plays everything from movie/TV themes to hard rock (Stairway to Heaven!) to traditional tunes. He’s exceptionally entertaining, and a nice fellow to boot. His music is available online, and he has some fun videos up on youtube to give you some idea of how interesting a cellist can be if he puts his mind to it.

Most of the rest of the night was occupied by the musical offerings of DJ Dave Ghoul, spinning tunes while we ate, drank and made merry. At midnight, everyone joined in a champagne toast, courtesy of Hugh Casey, photographer extraordinaire.

Just after midnight, we began 2012 with the highlight of the evening’s entertainment: Professor Elemental. The professor is a hip-hop artist from the UK–a steampunk rapper. He’s very engaging, spontaneous and a tremendous amount of fun. His performance was high energy, unique, and funny. He is just splendid!

We also had a successful evening’s shopping and browsing at the wonderful vendors. I am the proud owner of my first underbust corset (which I ended up wearing most of the evening), courtesy of Thomas Willeford of Brute Force Leather. There was beautiful jewelry and gemstones to gawk at from Kirsten Houseknecht at the Fabric Dragon, while Nikki Cohen was there showing off (and selling!) the beautiful corsets and garments of Mayfair Moon, Hugh Casey was taking beautifully posed pictures in front of an absolutely awesome library backdrop, and both of the musical guests for the evening (The Wandering Cellist and Professor Elemental)were selling CDs.

We’ve been struggling to find something to do for New Year’s since we relocated. For many years, we just invited a crowd of twelve to twenty folks over for an Indian-themed buffet dinner (that took three or so days to cook), followed by a “bad” film or two. We got to share My Best Friend is a Vampire, Phantom of the Paradise, Terminator 2, and other better or lesser known gems with a group of friends, hesitating briefly at midnight for a champagne toast. But the usual crowd gradually moved away, had children, and eventually we shifted to a select group going out to dinner at our favorite restaurant (Lemon Grass) in Syracuse, who did a special New Year’s Eve menu.

Perhaps we’ve finally found someplace we can be happy ringing in the new year here in Delaware . . . .

Arcane Society: The Looking Glass Trilogy: In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz (1/2/11)
Midnight Cravings: A collection of Six Sexy Bites by Michele Hauf, Karen Whiddon, Lori Devoti, Anna Leonard, Vivi Anna and Bonnie Vanak (1/5/11)
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (1/7/11)
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George (1/7/11)
Demontech: Get Her Back by David Sherman (1/12/11)
The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett (1/8/11)
Women of the Otherworld: Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong (1/8/11)
Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria by Carolly Erickson (1/10/11)
Angel: After the Fall, volume 1 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch (1/11/11)
Angel: After the Fall, volume 2: First Night by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch (1/12/11)
Angel: After the Fall, volume 3 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch (1/13/11)
Angel: After the Fall, volume 4 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch (1/17/11)
The Edge: Living on the Edge by Shannon K. Butcher (1/17/11)
Angel: Aftermath, volume 5 by Kelley Armstrong (1/18/11)
Dark and Stormy Knights edited by P.N. Elrod (1/18/11)
The Walker Papers: Demon Hunts by C.E. Murphy (/1/2111)
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 1~January/February/March 2011 issue (1/23/11)
Needlecraft Mystery: Buttons and Bones by Monica Ferris (1/24/11)
Truthseeker by C.E. Murphy (1/25/11)
Mageverse: Master of Smoke by Angela Knight (1/27/11)
Virginia Edition: Letters I by Robert Heinlein & John W. Campbell (1/31/11)
The Literary Handyman by Danielle Ackley-McPhail (2/3/11)
Bengals Illustrated vol 5 no 1~January/February/March 2011 issue (2/5/11)
Jane Yellowrock: Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter (2/5/11)
Cat in the Stacks: Murder Past Due by Miranda James (2/12/11)
The Others: Born to be Wild by Christine Warren (2/14/11)
The Others: Prince Charming Doesn’t Live Here by Christine Warren (2/16/11)
Day of the Dragon by Rebecca York (2/18/11)
V.I. Warshawski: Hardball by Sara Paretsky (2/19/11)
V.I. Warshawski: Body Work by Sara Paretsky (2/23/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 2~February/March 2011 issue (2/24/11)
The Theory of Cat Gravity by Robin Wood (2/28/11)
Modesty Blaise: Cry Wolf by Peter O’Donnell (3/1/11)
Son of Dracula by Victor Ambrus (3/1/11)
A Diversity of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey, Richard Woods and John Howe (3/2/11)
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt: Rutland Place by Anne Perry (3/5/11)
Victoria Square: A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett (3/5/11)
Fangs for the Mammaries edited by Esther Friesner (3/8/11)
Gideon Crew: Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (3/11/11)
Letters II by Robert Heinlein (3/13/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 3~April/May 2011 issue (3/18/11)
Simon Canderous: Dead Waters by Anton Strout (3/25/11)
The Naming of Kinzel (ebook) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (3/28/11)
PSI: Pack of Lies by Laura Ann Gilman (3/30/11)
Girl Genius: Agatha H. and the Airship City by Phil and Kaja Foglio (4/4/11)
Betsy Taylor: Undead and Unfinished by MaryJanice Davidson (4/8/11)
The God Engines by John Scalzi (4/10/11)
Tales of the Amazing Conroy: The Amazing Conroy: Buffalito Contingency by Lawrence M Schoen (4/12/11)
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 2~April/May/June 2011 issue (4/14/11)
The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Joan Aiken (4/16/11)
Goblin Tales by Jim C. Hines (4/16/11)
Green Rider: Blackveil by Kristen Britain (4/19/11)
Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi (4/21/11)
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi (4/23/11)
Old Man’s War: The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi (4/25/11)
Bengals Illustrated vol 5 no 2~April/May/June 2011 issue (4/27/11)
Old Man’s War: The Last Colony by John Scalzi (4/27/11)
The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi (5/1/11)
Old Man’s War: Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi (5/7/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (5/13/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (5/24/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 4~June/July 2011 issue (5/30/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin (6/2/11)
Dragon Precinct: Unicorn Precinct by Keith DeCandido (6/3/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin (6/10/11)
Truthseeker: Wayfinder by C.E. Murphy (6/12/11)
The Hollows: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison (6/14/11)
Mercy Thompson: River Marked by Patricia Briggs (6/17/11)
Parasol Protectorate: Heartless by Gail Carriger (6/21/11)
Midnight Louie: Cat in an Ultramarine Scheme by Carole Nelson Douglas (6/21/11)
Kate Daniels: Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews (6/24/11)
Southern Vampires: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (6/25/11)
Liaden Universe: Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (6/26/11)
Spellcast by Barbara Ashford (6/27/11)
The Morganville Vampires: Bite Club by Rachel Caine (6/28/11)
Cat in the Stacks: Classified as Murder by Miranda James (6/29/11)
The Lincoln Lawyer: The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly (7/1/11)
Bengals Illustrated vol 5 no 3~July/August/September 2011 issue (7/4/11)
The Walker Papers: Spirit Dances by C.E. Murphy (7/5/11)
Booktown Mysteries: Sentenced to Death by Lorna Barrett (7/6/11)
Death’s Excellent Vacation edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner (7/9/11)
Pillow Talk by Freya North (7/16/11)
Pure Hate by Wrath James White (7/16/11)
Double Vision by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (7/17/11)
Arcane Society: The Looking Glass Trilogy: Quicksilver by Amanda Quick (7/20/11)
Knosses West: Beyond the Vision of Dreams by Stella and Audra Price (ebook) (7/20/11)
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 3~July/August/September 2011 issue (7/21/11)
Kitty Norville: Kitty’s Big Trouble by Carrie Vaughn (8/2/11)
Dresden Files: Ghost Story by Jim Butcher (8/11/11)
Myth & Magic: Mercy Burns by Keri Arthur (8/14/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 5~August/September 2011 issue (8/18/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin (8/25/11)
Chastain & Morris Investigation: Sympathy for the Devil by Justin Gustainis (8/28/11)
Women of the Otherworld: Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong (8/30/11)
Occult Crimes Investigation: Hard Spell by Justin Gustainis (9/5/11)
Women of the Otherworld: Becoming by Kelley Armstrong & Angilram (9/25/11)
Agent Pendergast: Cold Vengence by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (9/28/11)
The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging (10/3/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 6~October/November 2011 issue (10/17/11)
Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in American by Nathan J. Winograd (10/30/11)
Cucurbital 2 edited by Lawrence M. Schoen (11/2/11)
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 4~October/November/December 2011 issue (11/7/11)
Blood Work [graphic novel] by Kim Harrison (11/9/11)
Bengals Illustrated vol 1 no 4~October/November/December 2011 issue (11/13/11)
Sentinel Wars: Blood Hunt by Shannon K. Butcher (11/28/11)
The Edge: Razor’s Edge by Shannon K. Butcher (11/29/11)
Collegium Chronicles: Changes by Mercedes Lackey (12/8/11)
Dragonrider’s of Pern: Dragon’s Time by Todd McCaffrey and Anne McCaffrey (12/12/11)
The Edge: Fate’s Edge by Ilona Andrews (12/15/11)
Marla Mason: Grim Tides by Tim Pratt (12/19/11)
PSI: Tricks of the Trade by Laura Ann Gilman (12/24/11)
Harry Bosch: The Drop by Michael Connelly (12/28/11)