July is over

The crazy month of July is over and I'm finally unpacking. And unpacking. And unpacking. And doing laundry... It started with the Readercon convention the first weekend of July, followed by a trip to the west coast for my husband's cousin's wedding the following weekend, followed closely by the Necon convention the third weekend, and wrapping up with my annual camping trip with friends the last weekend. It rained heavily one of the days and off and on the rest, which means that unpacking involved making sure that everything was dry before I put it away for the season. It also meant cleaning off mud splatters and wet leaves, a step I get to skip when it *doesn't* rain.

Oh, and somewhere in the middle of that crazy month, I had a birthday. I got the latest Harry Potter book from hubby, but haven't had the chance to read it yet. I thought I'd start it a few nights ago, but realized that I didn't remember enough of the details of the previous volumes to get the most out of this all-important last book. I don't really have time, though, to go back to the first book and re-read.

Where could I find a quick cheat sheet on the books? A Google search for sites with synopses of the books yielded quite a few hits. The following one isn't exactly what I was looking for, but it sure is amusing:

http://www.booklore.co.uk/Authors/RowlingJK/HarryPotterSynopsis.htm


Going further down the list, I found the site I was looking for. This site is rich with synopses, trivia, and other facts.

http://www.hp-lexicon.org/about/books/books-hp.html

It's *so* complete that it will take me a few days to get through the synopsis of each book, but I'm so glad I found it. Not only is it a good reference for the Harry Potter books, but it gives me an idea of how I might organize my notes for my next novel. (And it makes me feel MUCH better about having as many characters as I do and having the occasional odd name!) In the next novel, I'll be picking up some loose threads from each of the previous novels. I'll also be introducing a new character or two. Writing a synopsis where I list not only characters who are introduced, but characters who are *mentioned* should be quite helpful.

So, what's up next? I'll be accompanying Harvest Shadows author Jimahl di Fiosa on some of his events, minding the table and selling books (mine, too), but the next major events aren't until October and November.

Rock N'Shock (Oct 13, 2007)
I'll be attending if HWA/NE has a booth there. I don't have confirmation on that yet.

World Fantasy Convention 2007 (Nov 2-4, 2007)
Will be attending and participating in the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading and selling my books at their booth there. If you're going, stop by the booth. They have an excellent selection of books by members and you get to meet the members who volunteer at the book. If you support women authors in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, consider joining -- even men and non-writers can join, but if you're female and a writer, you'll enjoy the side benefit of being able to sell your books at their table.

Well, time's a-wasting. More later.

Morven

A busy July

July was an excruciatingly busy month. I guess it's good to be busy, and it was somewhat fun doing all the travel and events, but it made the month go by too quickly and now I'm facing that dreaded time of year -- the end of summer.

Some years, though, I don't find I dread it. I actually like the crisp autumn weather. This time I think I'm going to, though, because it just went by too fast.

Besides traveling and promoting the new book (The Old Power Returns), I've been doing a lot of blogging and socializing. I've sort of allowed myself the summer off to meet, greet, and connect. Come fall and winter, I'll start writing again.

I got a MySpace account and although I'm not too fond of the interface, I'm definitely loving the way it allows me to find and connect to other authors. Y'know, it's funny how one hears that the vampire sub-genre is dead, but then sees so many people who list that as an interest, and so many writers. I've stumbled across writers like Karen Koehler and a film called Bloodsucka Jones...

So many blogs to visit, and so little time!

Later,
Morven

Readercon, Necon, World Fantasy, and others

The summer is filling up fast. In July, I have something booked every weekend, whether it's a convention (or two) or a trip or a camping event.

I've been so busy with other things that I haven't updated my web site yet, so I thought I'd post the info here.

Calendar events

Readercon 18 (July 6-8, 2007)
Friday night at 8 pm I'll be participating in the Broad Universe Rapid-fire Reading. It you're not doing anything, stop by and hear readings from me and other members of Broad Universe. On Saturday and Sunday, you can find me from time to time at the Broad Universe table in the dealer's room, selling and signing copies of my new novel, THE OLD POWER RETURNS.

Broad Universe is an international organization with the primary goal of promoting science fiction, fantasy, and horror written by women. Readercon is an annual convention that centers on the writers, editors, critics, and readers of written science fiction, fantasy, and the wider realm of imaginative literature that involves some element of the fantastic. For more info, visit

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Necon 27 (July 19-22, 2007) +++
On Friday, I'll be signing copies of my new book, The Old Power Returns. For more information on Necon, see www.campnecon.com

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Rock N'Shock (Oct 13, 2007)
Tentative plans to attend. If HWA/NE has booth there, I'll be at the booth.

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World Fantasy Convention 2007 (Nov 2-4, 2007)
Will be attending, and If Broad Universe has a booth there, I'll be at the booth signing copies of THE OLD POWER RETURNS.

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Boskone 45 (Feb 15-17, 2008)
So far the only plans I have are to attend. Watch this spot for info as it develops. Boskone, a regional Science Fiction convention focusing on literature, art, music, and gaming and covering horror and fantasy genres as well. For more info, visit www.nesfa.org/boskone

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WisCon 32 (May 23-26, 2008)
So far the only plans I have are to attend, but I'm sure I'll be busy with the other members of Broad Universe. WisCon is the first and foremost feminist science fiction convention in the world, with offerings ranging from science fiction to fantasy to horror to non-fiction. For more info, visit www.wiscon.info

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