I’m off in about 30 minutes to the airport and World Fantasy Convention 2007. Hoping to meet up with Jeanne Stein later today and perhaps other earlybirds. (The conference starts tomorrow).

Everyone have a happy and safe Samhain/Hallowe’en!!

Wow, the last thing I posted anything of substance (besides, yay, SGA Season 5!) was nearly two weeks ago. Time flies and all that!

October has been quieter at work, but busier on the writing biz side. I had signing practically every weekend, with a conference thrown in for fun. Dying to Write 2 was absolutely fabulous! Organized in part by beledibabe, the panels were fascinating an instructive, useful to aspiring published writers and to the already published. I attended 4 sessions about everything from short story writing to how to motivate your writing (by the wonderful stevekelner). The lunchtime keynote speech by Laura Lippman was both inspiring and motivating in itself, Steve’s panel (directly after lunch) took Laura’s wonderful advice (dream it to be it) and expanded on the reasoning behind it. (If you’re a writer and haven’t yet bought/read Steve’s book, Motivate Your Writing, please do so. Getting to hear him speak was the icing. I also got to have lunch with my publisher, John Betancourt. He was there presenting a panel on editing yourself, which I skipped, because I wanted to go to Steve’s panel. Got to see the paperback of Dances With Werewolves, just out from Juno.

Sunday, I signed at the Borders Express at National Airport. The day manager, Saul, was fabulous and the store did a bang up job, posting signs, creating displays and setting up a lovely table for me (with a comfy chair!) right in front of a set of elevators. I sold a few books, talked to a great many people and enjoyed it immensely.

Wednesday a.m., I’m off to World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, NY. where I’ll get to rub elbows with some fabulous folks, including Charlaine Harris, Toni L.P. Kelner, allaboutm_e, Jeff Mariotte, Chris Golden, Jeanne Stein, my wonderful editor Paula Guran, and editor-in-chief Sean Wallace (a.k.a. oldcharliebrown). I’m hoping to get to meet Lois McMaster Bujold and am still a-squee about paneling with Paul Cornell. There’s a ton of other authors on the member list that I hope to run into, including suricattus, truepenny and matociquala – I’m thinking there may not be enough hours in the weekend!!

Of geekish things, I just got my copy of Leopard and hope to install it on Nameless (the laptop) tonight. I think that the Priscilla (iMac) install may have to wait until I get back. I still have LOADS of packing to do tonight and tomorrow since I have to be at the airport by 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday. I’m so not ready in that respect.

Okay, now all of a sudden, it’s 1:00 p.m. – seriously, where is all this time going?

Gakked from sheafrotherdon

Link to Variety article

OMG, I am dancing with joy!! This is going to make my day great, no matter what else happens.

I have once again confirmed my belief…no, my conviction, that chickwriter trying to drive in DC is doomed to get lost and end up in some skanky part of town.

How Chickwriter Avoided Dying on the Streets and Lived to Sign Books

ganked from tx_tart because this totally sounded like fun

For the first five people that reply to me and re-post thischallenge, I will send you something. It might be something I’ve made,or something cool from my hidden stash, it might be a mix CD, or arubber duck, a book I think you will enjoy, or something else that isawesome. Whatever it is, I promise that I will get it to you in 365days or fewer. The only thing you need to do in order to participate isto be one of the first five to reply to this, AND post this very samething on YOUR LiveJournal – cause it’s fun to give people stuff.

I have no idea what the something is, and I know that it will probably be way sooner than 365 days.

ETA: I *will* ship internationally.

First off, a HUGE thanks to those of you that squeed along with me about my 2nd place in the Fantasy Bestseller listing on Fictionwise. It’s such an amazing and wonderful thing!!

Secondly, Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize – DUDE!!

Thirdly, I have my program assignment for World Fantasy:
FRIDAY, 3 PM. City Center C
The Varieties of Ghostly Experience. Other forms of the returning dead: zombies, vampires, dancing skeletons, and more exotic varieties, literary and folkloristic.
Paul Cornell, Esther Friesner, Maria Lima, Jennifer Swabach

Should be interesting.

If you’re attending WFC, let me know in comments or via email and we can make plans to have a drink or something.

Fourthly, I finally put photos up from my iPhone of Q’s visit a few weeks ago. Yeah, I know, I’m a total slacker. Photos are thumbnailed, so dial up friendly. Just click through for the larger one. (the other photo pages linked from this one are work related, but feel free to peruse).

Fifthly, John’s Grill in San Francisco is a cool, nifty place. Established in 1908, it’s the home of the Maltese Falcon. Beth M, Sarah and I ate there on Monday night for the now-traditional closing night feast of oysters (raw, on the half-shell) and steak. Of course, there was also dessert.

Sixthly, I FAIL at fandom. What with returning from the trip, and life, the universe and everything. I totally FORGOT that yesterday was Thursday, so I missed watching Supernatural. ::facepalm:: I’m sure my DVR caught it. In fact, I saw the record light come on and wondered what it was I was recording, but never clued in. D’oh!! I have saved all my f’list commentary to my memories so I can go back and read after I watch.

Seventhly, House, how I love thee…at least how House loves Wilson. Hee!

Almost lastly – for those of you who enjoyed Blood Ties, the new episodes start tongiht on Lifetime. It’s also available as a free download from iTunes.

In conclusion: FRIDAY!!!

ETA: OMFG, I *just* realized that Paul Cornell, who is on my panel, is THE Paul Cornell, Doctor Who writer!! Holy freaking cow! ::fans self::

So I’m back from San Francisco and still trying to deal with jet lag this a.m. as I prep to go to work.

I check my email and find the Juno Books newsletter.

Holy crap, kids, Matters of the Blood is NUMBER TWO on the Fictionwise fantasy bestseller list…right behind naominovik. DUDES! (I’d check out the link soon, if I were you, because I’m not sure how long that’s going to last).

I’m extremely tired, but this totally makes up for it.

Still way behind on LJ and on pretty much anything else. I did catch last week’s Heroes last night, but not much else at this point.

Off to work in a few.

San Francisco in the fall: Fleet Week, sailors, gardens, tea, hills, traffic, crazy streets, fabulous food and so much more.

In which chickwriter sees the Blue Angels, sailors, the Golden Gate Bridge, has tea in a Russian-named tea house, eats ramen noodles in Japantown, and looks for Barbary Lane–not necessarily in that order.

A quick but heartfelt drive by birthday greetings to two of my favorite people:

reginagiraffe and shayheyred

You both make the world more fun!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

No, NOT that kind of ‘ho….sheesh!

Off to San Francisco in the wee hours of the a.m. for a work trip and back on Tuesday.

I’ve watched the Supernatural episode, because it’s highly unlikely I’ll still be awake, since I have to get up at 4:00 a.m. There was lots of squee involved.

AND
casting spoilers below cut