Ran to B&N at lunch for my semi-regular dose of Sci-Fi mag and other genre mags, and spotted NaomiNovik‘s Her Majesty’s Dragon on the “new releases” dump at the front of the store. I got my copy already, what are you waiting for?

Still pimping Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell and Covenants by Lorna Freeman. I’m halfway through Lorna’s 2nd book (The King’s Own) and am not wanting to finish it because then I’ll be done and there are no more yet!! EEEEE!!! /bookpanic

The weather is awesomely beautiful – high 60s and not a cloud in the sky. I was tempted to not return to work after the lunch outing. But alas, I’m still here. Saturday is our staff retreat, which means working, but it should be productive.

Watched House last night – my reaction? Pretty much the same as all of you – OMGWTFGAYERTHANAGAYTHING! ‘Nuff said.

Did not watch Lost or Veronica Mars, those will be tonight. Thank goodness for the DVR.

Tomorrow I go to a new doc for the sinusy stuff. If I like this clinic, I plan to transfer all my gyn records over to them. These folks are a women’s clinic that does primary care work and gyn. I like the idea of a one-stop shop.

Trying to plan out my nearly!midnight panel for Malice Domestic – the title: Things That Go Bump In The Night – not sure of who’s accepted the invite to be on the panel, but we’ve invited any of the attendees that have written paranormal/supernatural elements into their mysteries. I’m wracking my brain for ideas for what we’ll actually do – maybe readings? I’m drawing blanks. Discuss the seductive aspects of horror? Why is the supernatural sexy?

My “official” panel is the following morning at 10:00 a.m. – Crossing Genre: Is there a bridge that allows passage from one genre to another? – My co-panelists include Carole Nelson Douglas, Barbara Hambly, Lillian Stewart Carl and Lois Greiman. I’m not running this show, but I did offer up some ideas to our moderator, who is a good friend. I did a similar panel at ConDor a few weeks ago and shamelessly stole some of the questions we discussed. ::g::

May brings BEA – and I’m an official exhibitor – working the MWA/Sisters in Crime booth. I’m psyched, as I’ve never attended this event. So if any of you author types are there – stop by the MWA booth and say “Hi”.

Just after BEA, I’m off to Mayhem in the Midlands – my favorite small con (<200 people). This years GOH is Laura Lippman.

a VERY VERY happy birthday to theamusedone – I am just as much a fan of his as he is of me. ::g::

Thanks ever so much for all the wonderful goodies you keep sending my way.

Many hugs, lots of love.

At 8:30 this a.m., I mailed off my request for release and a waiver of release to my soon-to-be-former publisher, Quiet Storm.

The shite has hit the proverbial rotating blades.

As of yesterday, he’s turned off his fax machine. Several (and by that I mean at least 8 or 10) QS authors have mailed, e-mailed and/or FedEx’d requests for release (following a post by Clint himself last week that he’d gladly release authors). Several others tried to fax their stuff – some were successful, until about 1:00 p.m. yesterday, the fax was operational. It wasn’t until someone else tried that the fax was disconnected.

To date, only 1 person has received a reply and a release from the contract and release of rights.

AFAIK, he’s not accepting snail mail that requires a signature. I sent 2 copies – one certified with return receipt and a 2nd one without the receipt requirement (per my attorney’s suggestion).

At the very least, proof of sending and proof of delivery, along with a printout of his email agreement to release any QS author and return all rights should mean that I’m free (or soon will be) from Quiet Storm. It’s a great weight lifted. I’ve done something positive, even though that means my novel and the 2 anthologies will soon be unavailable. The anthology group is working separately to get those rights back, plus the $3000 or the complete book order.

The sad part about that is the fact that in the 2nd anthology (the one I co-edited) – there are FOUR stories of the five total Agatha Award nominees. None of the booksellers that will be at Malice Domestic can get anyone to respond to their pleas for books to sell. I seriously do not get it.

So the editors and the contributors of both anthologies created a Web site, and we posted the four nominated stories, since there’s fat chance of anyone snagging a copy. I’m so proud of this antho and so very happy that four of our stories made the Agatha short list.

I’ll be sending my own nominated story from the previous anthology – but will wait until after Malice so these folks can garner the well-deserved spotlight.

At this point, I’m trying to figure out if I should try to re-sell Matters.

I’m over the ennui and want to move forward, whether with Matters and that series, or with a new series. Thing is, I *like* the Matters characters and world and want to do more there, so I may just work more in this universe and maybe slant more towards romance than mystery as I said before.

For a lovely post about saying stupid things in public – go read this by alg.

In light of that, I thought about whether or not I should make this a public post. I decided that I would, mostly because I’m saying nothing that I haven’t said to my publisher in writing directly, in e-mail, or over the phone. He’s broken faith and breached the contract six ways to Sunday. I am sad that it had to end this way, as when I first met him, he was doing an amazing job. Businesses fail all the time, the main thing I’m upset about is the constant lying and long stretches (up to 2 or 3 months) of utter silence on his part – totally incommunicado.

In any case – time to move on and look to the future.

A very happy happy day to the lovely and extremely talented kassrachel – whom I met in person 1 year ago at beledibabe‘s for bagels, bonding and fannish egg dyeing.

Smooches and many many hugs to you!!!

I have a definite love/hate relationship with spring. On the one hand…ooh, shiny/pretty/warm. On the other: OMGWTFPOLLEN! I’m not technically allergic to anything, just have overactive sinuses. Yeah, well, wtfever.

I spent a good part of last week/this weekend trying to breathe. I use plain saline spray, some decongestant tablets and try to avoid the nasal sprays that work great, but eventually (in a couple days) rebound and make it worse. Sometimes, I cave, because sleeping without breathing just so doesn’t work.

Because I was out of sorts due to the stupid sinuses, I spent the weekend lazing about, reading and vegging, and totally AFK. It was refreshing in a way, and utterly self-indulgent.

Book recs:
Covenants by Lorna Freeman – loaned my copy to beledibabe who also enjoyed it.
Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell – pimped to me by PH at Mysterious Galaxy, who’s convinced it’s the next big thing. I’ll have to agree. Really excellent book. If you want a preview, you can download it here. Tobias was kind enough to send me some promotional magnets that I’m passing out at work.

Publisher update:
He’s finally surfaced, after two and a half months. Long story, yadda yadda, he’s been away, etc. ad nauseum. Same old excuses. He’s offered to let authors out of their contracts and give them their rights back. My letter should be going to him this week. Now to start all over. Sigh. I don’t know whether to try to market something new, or try to re-sell Matters, which was #5 bestseller for them and has garnered a bit of a following. I don’t even know if an agent or publisher would be willing to look at something that’s already been done by a small press. I think maybe, since I’ve heard of others who’ve done this. I’m semi-considering working on another book entirely, more straightforward paranormal romance than mystery. In any case, I’m stepping back a little now to re-think my next steps. (I just became a member of Romance Writers of America – a group highly motivated in seeing their members succeed.

I’m really really behind on LJ, plan to catch up over the week, but if there’s anything happening, I’d love to know about it.

My con report – only 1 week later…

ConDor 2006

My friend and fellow author Susan McBride posts on an interesting topic in today’s Book Tarts. Evidently, there is a new and rather exclusive club in Dallas for “the Beautiful People” – literally. If you’re not beautiful, per their criteria, you don’t get in.

Along the same note, I was perusing the Librarians’ Internet Index today (I get the RSS feed), and saw this fascinating exhibit about body modification.

So, the age old question remains? What is beauty? Yes, most definitely it’s in the eye of the beholder, but what qualifies the folks in Dallas, or in any other culture for that matter, as judges? For me, beauty encompasses a great many things, not the least of which is personality. If someone is not traditionally pretty/handsome, but their very demeanor sparkles, that immediately puts them into the “beautiful” category. Same in reverse. Plus, anyone who’s had enough cosmetic facial reconstruction to resemble a store mannequin automatically isn’t beautiful to me – in fact, it’s way on the creepy scale.

I’m not being facetious, PC or anything other than genuine here. To me, external beauty is a compilation of factors, not anything to do with societal norms. I’ve always been this way. That said, I do have a marked preference for cleanliness – the best personality, prettiest face in the world won’t overcome filth – greasy unkempt hair and moldy teeth are so not attractive.

In my book, a Felicity Huffman or a Callum Keith Rennie win out over a Barbie/Ken clone any day. So, in fact, will Camryn Manheim and Robbie Coltrane. I’m not denying the pretty, b/c I can be as shallow as the next person, ogling Angelina, Claudia Black, Paul Gross, etc., but also in those cases, none of these folks are shallow and brainless.

I wonder how many of the Dallas “beautiful people” have a happy life? Or, is being shallow and concerned only with fitting in to an unreal expectation enough? What scares me is what happens to their families, their husbands/wives/children, if they’re not beautiful enough? (Yeah, I get that this club is primarily for singles – but hey, so, if you’re that “beautiful”, does this mean you need to hang out here to get a date?).

Your thoughts?

BTW – it’s International Women’s Day – so, even more interesting that I found this today.

Just got home from ConDor in San Diego. Had a blast with cousin allaboutm_e and untamed_sylph and the MG Minion…ehr, ahem, well, PH, that is.

Am totally beat, as my plane left SD at 6:30 a.m., then I had a 3 hour layover in Chicago. Got home about 7:00 p.m.

No idea how far behind I am on LJ – I wasn’t online for 4 days. I’m sure someone will let me know what I’ve missed. ::g::

I got some really cool stuff, (art, a fun toy and a photo, which I hope to scan and show off) – bheerfan, I’ll bring it in to work – you’ll appreciate it.

Oh yeah, and there were books to buy. Because, they were there and I *had* to. ::g::

More of a con report when I actually have a brain.

Welcome to the first day of March, which is nothing like the eleventh of March, but we’ll leave that day to Leslie Nielsen.

Things that have amused me today:
Sarah Weinman’s post about some other post re: author’s dress codes

Jon Jordan of Crimespree Magazine put in his .02

Me, I’m all atwitter, I must now unpack and repack my suitcase for ConDor, because, horrors! I forgot the pantyhose…Uhm. No.

As I replied to Jon’s post, I’m of the SJ Rozan school of dress. Black on black, with blue jeans as an accent. I do, however, tend to skew my dress to the audience. At a mystery con banquet, I dress in my nice black slacks and/or my fab black velvet pants/jacket. If I’m presenting at a panel, I go for the black jeans and some sort of jacket, usually over a plain black tee. At an SF/F con, I pull out the fannish t’s to wear under the overshirt. At a fannish con, it’s all about the comfort, dude, because I’m so not the fashion maven. I fail at dress-up, always have. There was a brief, if insane moment in the late 70s, while in college that I went for the hair/makeup thing. It didn’t last long AT all. I was into sensible shoes before the Robin Williams/Billy Crystal riff.

Seriously, trying to standardize what writers should wear just makes me want to laugh. Because slaves to corporate “business casual” type wear: not so much. Part of what makes us tick is creativity and individuality – whether it’s feather boas and glittery shoes or my Joss Whedon is My Master Now t-shirt. It all goes.

In other news:

• Work is still beyond busy. I’ve not made it home earlier than 8:00 any night this week or last. It’s a good kind of busy, mostly, but still.
• I’m off to San Diego on Friday a.m. at the unbelievable hour of half-past not!dawn (e.g., 6:27 a.m.) – of the good, I get into SD at 12:45 and then it’s party, paneling and hanging with my SF/F homies. My return flight on Monday is at the same ungodly hour, but I’m back home at a reasonable time and can nap.
• I’m not taking Blanche to SD, so I’ll be offline for four days. This is almost inconceivable, but I’m trying to travel light.