Using Local Settings in Works of Horror

I will be joining authors Daniel G. Keohane (Solomon's Grave) and Tracy Carbone (The Man of Mystery Hill) for a reading, signing, anda panel discussion on using local settings in their works of horror. (My novels are set in a thinly-disguised Framingham, Boston, and Brighton, Massachusetts.)


This event is for the West Boylston (Massachusetts) Arts Foundation, which is celebrating Edgar Allan Poe's birthday.

All are welcome, and attendance is free.

For directions, visit www.beamanlibrary.org/directions.html


Learn more about the WBAF at www.wbaf.org/.

Staying on track with writing

During my writing session this morning, I discovered a few things I didn't know about Microsoft Word 2007:

To hide text, select it and then press Ctrl-Shift-h.
Hidden text isn't counted in word count.

That's good news for me because it means that I can write myself notes at the beginning of each scene, make the text hidden, and still have a good idea of how many words I've actually got.

YES!

Panels at Albacon - Update

Albacon begins this Friday and I've been so busy with other things that I didn't get a chance to update my blog regarding the panels. I've dropped out of one and joined another, and was added to another one I didn't know about. I'm really pleased with the programming. All of it sounds fun, interesting, and worthwhile.

Albacon is being held
October 8-10, 2010 at the Best Western Sovereign Hotel, 1228 Western Ave., Albany, NY 12203

Registration is still open and there are still rooms available at $86/night, single or double occupancy. (A sign of the economy, I guess.) There is also a FREE shuttle from the airport, train, or bus station. See http://www.albacon.org/hotel.php for details on getting the rate and the shuttle.


Here's my schedule as it stands now, with a short description of the panels and a list of the panelists.

Friday

4 pm
Promotion on a Low Budget

What are the secrets to promotion that doesn't break the bank, but gets your name out there where it matters.

Alexandre, Price (M), Johnson, Kempe, Westfield



Saturday

12 noon
Vampires: Sparkling or Bloody?

Vampires: rotting corpses who feed on human vitality or dreamy sparkly beautiful mopey demi-gods? Discuss.
Arthen, Crowley, Darvill, Kessler (M), Pinto, Westfield


1 pm
Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Reading

Arthen, Kempe, Laity, Rogow, Westfield


2pm
eBooks and eReaders

Ebooks are outselling hardcovers: the future is here! What're the best ereaders--and can you sign them somehow?
D'Arc, Kempe, S Miller, Roman, (M) Westfield


11 pm
Steamy Romance Reading

The stories don't have to be scorching, but it helps! This is a 18+ event. Attendees will have the chance to win some swag thanks to Authors After Dark.
Alexandre, Arthen, Crowley, D'Arc, Darvill, Jamison, Kempe, Lynne, Marlowe, Price, Westfield

Mentioned on the Out of the Coffin podcast

About a week and a half ago, I was listening to Epsiode 61 of the Out of the Coffin podcast on the way to work. Shortly after the intro, I heard host Dan Shaurette say, "I just finished reading Darksome Thirst by Morven Westfield" - he loved it!

Talk about a way to start the day! Writing can be such a struggle sometimes, but those little moments when someone praises your work, when someone gets it, those moments are priceless.

Panels at Albacon

I just saw a preliminary list of the panels for Albacon, being held October 8-10, 2010 in Albany, New York.

I'm going to be participating in the following panels/events. This schedule is still subject to change, but if it changes, I'll post a correction here.

Friday, noon
Paranormal Romance: the Hottest Genre

Friday, 5 pm
General Signing with Workshop Authors

Saturday, noon
Vampires: Sparkling or Bloody?

Saturday, 1 pm
Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Reading

Update: I've just agreed to another panel, which should be exciting:

Saturday, 2 pm
eBooks and eReaders

Book Review: Dead to the World, by Charlaine Harris

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another good, rollicking Stackhouse mystery. This book in the series features Eric more than Bill, so if you're an Eric fan, you'll love it. (Count me in that category.)

As a writer who has witch and Wiccan characters in my own novels, I love the way Harris portrays witches and Wiccans in hers. There are good, there are bad, and in her world, witches and Wiccans are different. As someone with a bad memory and a long time between books, I love the way Harris gently fills in backstory. Though she's probably doing it for new readers, I've found it immensely helpful.

If you're just familiar with the True Blood TV series, you should read the books, too. One does not spoil the other. They combine to give a rich view of the happenings in Bon Temps.

Book Review: Dracula the Undead, by Dacre Stoker

Dracula the Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I've been a Dracula fan since the early Hammer films. I've also read Bram Stoker's book, so it's not just that I'm in love with the film presentations.

I actually listened to the audio version, but I'm putting my review on a book version because my comments aren't on the audio. The audio (from Audible) is, as with all the Audible productions I've listened to so far, excellent. The voice talent is fantastic and the production is clear and professional. So, no problem there.

I had no problem with the story taking liberties with the plot lines (Mina actually was in love with Dracula). Some of the anachronisms of vampire lore jerked me out of the story for a second, but only a second. For example, modern vampire lore uses the adjective preternatural a lot, a term I don't remember hearing pre-Anne Rice. It might have been in Stoker's original and I just don't remember it, but when I hear that term, I think of post-Rice vampires. That sin can be forgiven, though; I myself use it in my novels, whose vampires are more Dark Shadows era than Rice era.

I had no problem with the tone of the book. It was deliciously old-fashioned, much like the original Stoker. That, I felt, was a strong point.

The plotting, though, had too many stretches. Dacre Stoker tied in Jack the Ripper and Elizabeth Bathory into the Dracula story, which could have worked, but I think there were just too many plot irons in the fire. When the time came to wrap them up at the end, it seemed a little rushed just because there was so much to wrap up.

Your experience reading it as opposed to listening to it might differ. When reading, one pauses and mulls things over more, I find. Yes, I can pause my iPod, but I find that I don't. I don't know why; certainly when reading a physical book, I will stop and look away from the page to savor a scene or to remember the foreshadowing of certain plots. For some reason, though, I don't do that when listening.

Still, I found it enjoyable, and worth a read for any Dracula afficianado.

Podcast Episode Posted

I just posted a short episode of Vampires, Witches, and Geeks on www.vampireswitchesandgeeks.com

This episode contains news and announcements.

Online Author Conference

Now this should be fun -- CoyoteCon is a completely online conference for authors! Not only are there no travel costs associated with this conference, there are no costs, either! That's right, free. (You do have to register, though, because space is limited.)

The conference runs May 1-31, 2010, though most of the events happen on the weekends.

Gotta love this error message :-)

Got this error message on my iPod Touch when I tried to look at I Can Has Cheeseburger while not connected to the net:

No Can Has Cheezburger.
No can find cheezburger. Did kitteh unplug network?

Found a picture of it on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahkitj/3847189427/

I just love it when programmers are allowed to use humor in error messages!

Broad Universe at Borders, Shrewsbury, MA 3/6/2010

Join local members of Broad Universe today to celebrate National Women's History Month with an introduction to some of the greatest women writers of science fiction, fantasy and horror. Broad Universe is a non-profit international organization with the primary goal of promoting science fiction, fantasy, and horror written by women.

Join them for short presentations and rapid-fire readings. All events are free and open to the public.


March 6, 2010, 1 pm

Note: Elaine Isaak sprained her ankle and won't be able to present on James Tiptree, Jr. today.

Borders
476 Boston Turnpike
Shrewsbury, MA 01545

Jennifer Pelland -- Octavia Butler
Trisha Wooldridge -- Madeleine L'Engle
Pheobe Wray -- Connie Willis
Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert -- Marge Piercy

March is National Women's History Month

From the National Women's History Project web site:

"The overarching theme for March 2010 is Writing Women Back into History. In 2010, in celebration of our 30th Anniversary, we will be highlighting themes from previous years. Each of these past themes recognizes a different aspect of women’s achievements, from ecology to art, and from sports to politics."

Local members of Broad Universe, a non-profit international organization with the primary goal of promoting science fiction, fantasy, and horror written by women, will celebrate National Women's History Month with an introduction to some of the greatest women writers of science fiction, fantasy and horror.

Join them for short presentations and rapid-fire readings. All events are free and open to the public.


March 6, 2010, 1 pm

Borders
476 Boston Turnpike
Shrewsbury, MA 01545

Jennifer Pelland -- Octavia Butler
Trisha Wooldridge -- Madeleine L'Engle
Elaine Isaak -- James Tiptree, Jr.
Pheobe Wray -- Connie Willis
Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert -- Marge Piercy


March 13, 2010, 7 pm

Toadstool Bookshop
Lorden Plaza
586 Nashua Street
Milford, NH 03055

Jennifer Pelland -- Octavia Butler
Trisha Wooldridge -- Madeleine L'Engle
Elaine Isaak -- James Tiptree, Jr.
Pheobe Wray -- Connie Willis


March 18, 2010, 6:30 pm

Jacob Edwards Library
236 Main Street
Southbridge, MA 01550

Trisha Wooldridge -- Madeleine L'Engle
Pheobe Wray -- Connie Willis

Podcast interview with author & witch Dorothy Morrison

I posted the first part of my podcast interview with author & witch Dorothy Morrison a couple of days ago. We had a lot of fun doing it, too.

If you're not familiar with Dorothy, here's some background info.

Dorothy Morrison is the author of over a dozen non-fiction books on paganism and Wicca including

Everyday Magic
The Craft: A Witch's Book of Shadows
Magical Needlework
Utterly Wicked

With Kristen Madden, she co-wrote Dancing the Goddess Incarnate and is the creator of The Whimsical Tarot.

In the first half of the interview, I talked to Dorothy about storytelling, her first novel (Lucinda's Web), and the woes and wackiness of book touring.

A native Texan, Dorothy lives in Virginia with her husband.

Massachusetts residents: Don't forget to vote on Tuesday.

There's a special election to vote for the replacement for the late Senator Ted Kennedy. Whether you're for Coakley or Brown, vote. Apparently this election will be close.

Podcasting Pioneer Tee Morris Suffers Family Loss

As you know, I have a podcast. It isn't a major production and it isn't one of the top podcasts on iTunes, but it is a podcast, I do have listeners, and I've done it all myself. Well, mostly.

One year for Christmas I asked hubby for a book on podcasting called Podcasting for Dummies. One of the authors was Tee Morris, who, I later discovered, was the first podcaster to podcast a novel. The book was immensely helpful, and I began to listen to one of Tee's podcasts, The Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy. He's always seemed like a genuine, helpful guy.

Yesterday his wife died from complications of the flu, leaving behind Tee and a 7-year-old daughter. It’s so hard to believe that a man who was so giving would have something so precious taken from him.

One of his friends, fellow author Philipa (Pip) Ballantine has set up a ChipIn fund to raise money to cover their immediate expenses and to set up a fund for his daughter, who his listeners know as Sonic Boom. If you'd like to contribute, click the widget below or look him up on ChipIn.

Lynda Hilburn Reads

Just posted a new podcast up on www.vampireswitchesandgeeks.com. Linda Hilburn, author of The Vampire Shrink, reads from Dark Harvest. This is the second book in her Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist series.

This reading was recorded June 11, 2009. I've had a really busy summer and recorded way too many interviews around the same time. I just got carried away because it was so fascinating listening to these authors talk about their vampires, how their vampires were made, and what could kill them. I still have two more interviews, with readings, to post. Look for those after the new year.

Adrenaline Rush

I am thankful

... that I was looking straight ahead and not in my rearview mirror or down at my speedometer.

... that the speed limit on that section of road was not 65.

... that I have lived in this area long enough now to know that the whitetails around here usually don't travel alone.

... that I just had my brakes redone a couple of weeks ago.

... that I had enough tread left on my tires to come to a screeching halt when I saw deer 2 and 3.

... that there was no one behind me when I did.

... that all EIGHT deer made it across the road, just a couple of feet in front of my bumper...

It's beginning to smell a lot like zombies...

Those of you who know me know that I don't really care for Christmas because of all the stress.

So, what in the WORLD would make me hum Christmas carols before Thanksgiving?

Answer: This new book I heard about on Pod of Horror #57!

Check it out:
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies


Oh, yeah. Earworm. Definitely earworm.

"I saw mommy chewing Santa Claus..."

Lynda Hilburn, author of The Vampire Shrink

Just posted: Interview with Lynda Hilburn, author of the Kismet Knight, Vampire Psychologist series which includes The Vampire Shrink and Dark Harvest.

Poor Lynda. We actually recorded this interview way back in June 11, 2009, but then vacation and an over-full schedule of appearances and signings made my podcast post-production worse. I think I had one or two I still needed to produce when I interviewed hers, which didn't help.

I had forgotten how interesting the interview was and how much fun we had! It was a real pleasure to listen to it again as I cleaned up the sound. Hope you enjoy it. In addition to being a paranormal romance writer, Lynda makes her living as a licensed psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, professional psychic/tarot reader, university instructor, and workshop presenter. Makes for a good combination!

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In the United States, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You can find out more information at http://nbcam.org/

If you'd like to fund a free mammogram for someone in need, visit this site and click the button for free mammograms:

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com

Thanks!

Saturday at Rock n'Shock

I joined fellow New England Horror Writers (NEHW) at Rock N'Shock, which is being held at the DCU Convention Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester, MA 01608.

NEHW has a table in the vending area, which is an experience in itself: DVDs, posters, original art, makeup, masks, magazines, and books packed into a convention hall. Unlike your normal business or industry convention, though, the color palette here was dark and rich. No corporate greys and blues here. This convention was rich reds, various hues and saturations of black, and various colors and shades of putrification, punctuated with, of course, the traditional bright orange of Halloween.

Yesterday I was at the table from 3-7 pm. Today I'll be there from 1-6 pm.

Podcast back

My "Vampires, Witches, and Geeks" podcast is back. There was a technical problem at the hosting site. I don't know what it was or if it was computer-related or a natural disaster in the area, but they're back now.

This, of course, brings up the question about what I'd do if they hadn't come back up. I'm very satisfied with my experience at Podbean.com (this is the first outage I've been aware of in over a year), so I'd definitely try to hang tight and hope they'd come back online soon. If it looked like it was going to be a long time, I'd move my files over to a temporary site and redirect listeners there.

And now I'm off to get ready for Rock n'Shock in Worcester.

Rock N'Shock

Rock N' Shock (Oct 16-18, 2009)

I'll be joining fellow New England Horror Writers (NEHW) at Rock N'Shock, which is being held at the DCU Convention Center, 50 Foster St., Worcester, MA 01608.

I'll be at the NEHW table Sat 3-7 pm and Sun 1-6 pm.

October: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In the United States, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You can find out more information at http://nbcam.org/, which also has links to articles for those affected by breast cancer, including how to read a pathology report, where to find support, and how to stay informed.

If you'd like to fund a free mammogram for someone in need, visit the Breast Cancer site and click the button for free mammograms:

www.thebreastcancersite.com

Live Interview on BlogTalk Radio

Live Interview on BlogTalk Radio (Sunday, Sept 27, 2009), 4:00 Eastern Time.

This should be fun... gulp! Host Karagan is going to interview me LIVE on his popular Witchtalk show.

He's had some really interesting guests: Gothic magician/vampire Vlad (Interview with a Vampire - Interviewing Vlad), Vinnie Russo (Sicilian Witchcraft - with Rev. Vincent Russo), Oberon Zell Ravenheart (The Ways of the Wizard - a conversation with Oberon Zell Ravenheart), Christopher Penczak (The Temple of Witchcraft - an interview with Christopher Penczak), Raven and Stephanie Grimassi (Ways of the Strega - a conversation with Raven and Stephanie Grimassi), and more -- all since June of this year! Those are hard acts to follow, but I know Karagan is a warm and gracious host, so it should be fine.

Karagan is a Witch and also a professional trained actor and director. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, his journey into Witchcraft and Wicca began 15 years ago (in Portugal). He now lives in Salem, Massachusetts.

If you happen to listen to the show live and want to call in, the number is (718) 664-9228.

If you can't listen to it live, you can listen to the recorded episode later at www.blogtalkradio.com/witchtalk

Hope to hear some friendly voices asking me about vampires, the witches in my novel, and anything geeky -- honest!

Podcast Interview with Margaret Carter

I just posted a new episode of my podcast, Vampires, Witches, and Geeks:
VWnG019 Interview with Margaret Carter

Margaret’s first vampire book was published in 1970 and she’s had a rich and prolific career since then, including both fiction and non-fiction. Her works span multiple formats; comprising short stories, novelettes, and novels. Her most-recent work is an erotic paranormal romance novelette, “Lion’s Bower,” published in May 2009 by Ellora’s Cave.

New England Authors Event in Charlton

I'll be participating in a multi-author event on September 6, 2009 (Labor Day weekend) from 7-10 PM in Charlton, MA

It's part of Charlton's Old Home Day celebration and features 12 authors who write mainstream, literary, and genre fiction. Charlton Library, 40 Main Street, Charlton, MA 01507

I'll have copies of my two vampire novels, Darksome Thirst and The Old Power Returns. Stop by and say hello!

For more appearances, check out my Events page.

This weekend at Pi-Con

I'm going to be a busy person this weekend...

Pi-Con (August 21-23, 2009) - I'll be moderating and participating in a number of panels at Pi-Con, "An Event for Geeks, Nerds, and Dorks" in Enfield, CT, not far from where they usually hold it in Springfield, MA.

Sat 1:00 pm – Not All Vampires Sparkle
Sat 7:00 pm – Autograph session
Sat 8:00 pm – Tech Tools for Writers (Moderator)
Sun 10:00 am – Podcasting 101 (Moderator)
Sun 11:00 am – Podcasting Demo (Moderator)
Sun 1:00 pm – Reading

For details, see http://www.pi-con.org/programming.php

Mary Shelley's Birthday Celebration

(or "My Dates with Frankie")

Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, would be turning 212 on August 30 if she were alive today. If you're a fan of Frankenstein's monster (this person surely seems to be) or a fan of the mother of horror, come celebrate with us.

Mary Shelley's Birthday Celebration
(August 27-30, 2009)

Join New England women writers from the international organization, Broad Universe, as they honor the 212th anniversary of Mary Shelley's birth. Learn about the amazing life and work of a woman whose vision reached far ahead of her time. Hear the truth about the original "mad scientist" and his creation.

• Thursday, August 27th, 6:30 - 8:00
  Jacob Edwards Library, 236 Main Street, Southbridge, MA 01550
  http://www.jacobedwardslibrary.org/
  Vampire fiction writers Inanna Arthen and Morven Westfield and SF/Fantasy author Trisha J. Wooldridge
  
  
• Saturday, August 29th, 10:00 AM to noon
  Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St, Nashua, NH 03060-3475
  http://www.nashua.lib.nh.us
  Vampire fiction writer Morven Westfield and SF/Fantasy authors Elaine Isaak, Phoebe Wray, Trisha J. Wooldridge and Julie Andrews
  
  
• Saturday, August 29th, 2:00 to 4:00
  Toadstool Books, Lorden Plaza, Milford, NH 03055
  http://www.toadbooks.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp
  Vampire fiction writers Inanna Arthen and Morven Westfield and SF/Fantasy authors Elaine Isaak, Phoebe Wray, Trisha J. Wooldridge, Justine Graykin and Julie Andrews
  
  
• Sunday, August 30th, noon - 2:00
  Pandemonium Books & Games, 4 Pleasant Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
  http://www.pandemoniumbooks.com/
  Vampire fiction writers Inanna Arthen and Morven Westfield, past Nebula Award nominee Jennifer Pelland, and SF/Fantasy authors Elaine Isaak, Phoebe Wray, Trisha J. Wooldridge and Julie Andrews
  
  
• Sunday, August 30th, 4:00 - 6:00
  Back Pages Books, 289 Moody Street, Waltham, MA 02453
  http://www.backpagesbooks.com/
  Vampire fiction writers Inanna Arthen and Morven Westfield, past Nebula Award nominee Jennifer Pelland, and SF/Fantasy authors Elaine Isaak, Phoebe Wray, Trisha J. Wooldridge and Julie Andrews

Celebrate Frankenstein's Mother

Members of the BroadUniverse are conspiring to locally celebrate the birthday of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, who was born August 30, 1797.

A number of events in the New England area are being planned. Come hear about Mary Shelley, hear her works read, and eat Frankenstein cookies!

The first one up is in Southbridge, Massachusetts. I'll post the information for the rest as the dates become firm.


Thursday, Aug 27, 2009, 6:30-8:00 PM

Jacob Edwards Library, 236 Main Street, Southbridge, MA 01550. Authors Trisha Wooldridge, Inanna Arthen, and Morven Westfield. Trisha J. Wooldridge, author, journalist and educator, will offer brief talks about Shelley's themes and influence. Arthen and Westfield will also contribute to the evening's events.

Available in Kindle format

Did I mention that both of my books, Darksome Thirst and The Old Power Returns are available from Amazon in Kindle format? They're pretty inexpensive now, too. Apparently Darksome Thirst has been available for a while, but the publisher had some technical problems with The Old Power Returns.

Personally I'd love a Kindle, but I have to drive to my day job, which makes reading during the commute impossible. Lately I've been listening to audiobooks. I just finished listening to Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris, part of the Sookie Stackhouse series. The reader, Johanna Parker, is really, really good. Though her voice and characterization are slightly different from Anna Paquin's portrayal on True Blood, it's still not enough to jar you. I watch True Blood faithfully and still enjoy listening to the audiobooks on the drive into work.

Cornelia Amiri Reads from Her Work

I just posted the second part of the interview with author Cornelia Amiri, where she reads a selection from her novel, A Fine Cauldron of Fish*, and from her short story “Vampire Dancer," which appeared in Sleeping With the Undead. Cornelia's web site is at www.myspace.com/CelticRomanceQueen



* Don't you just love that title?

Interview with Cornelia Amiri

I just finished a podcast interview with author Cornlia Amiri, who writes a different type of vampire novel featuring vampiric fey!

Within the next week I'll be posting the second half of the podcast, where she reads from some of her material, but right now I have to get ready to run off to Readercon.

Here's the description of the episode. Don't worry if you don't have an MP3 player; you can go to www.vampireswitchesandgeeks.com and listen to it right there.

"Author Cornelia Amiri draws on her love of history and fifteen years of research on the ancient Celts to write tales of long swords, hot heroes, and warrior women. Ms. Amiri is the author of seven Celtic/Romance books: Queen of Kings, A Fine Cauldron of Fish, Druid Quest, The Fox Prince, Vixen Princess, Danger is Sweet, and One Heart One Way. She has short stories in two anthologies, “Dead End Job” in A Death in Texas and “Vampire Dancer” in Sleeping With the Undead. Visit her web site at www.myspace.com/CelticRomanceQueen"

Sunday, Wiscon 33, Part 2

Sunday May 24th, 2009, continued

"Media vs. Book Fandom"
Ariel Franklin-Hudson (m), Constance Callahan, Sigrid J. Ellis, Jacqueline A. Gross, Michael D. Thomas

The description read: "Do you know what Paul Gross arms are? Has anything ever harshed your squee? How do SF/F print and media fandoms get along? Is there a generational difference? Gender differences? Race differences? Vocabulary differences? Do people tend to participate in both, or only one or the other? What does each fandom think of the other? Where do comics fans fit in? And what about those crazy bandom people?"

I wasn't sure what to expect, but even then, it wasn't what I expected. That said, I found it incredibly interesting. I was particularly interested in how print and media fandoms get along, and what I learned is that they're not exclusionary; most agreed they were both. (I wonder if they'd say that at a media con; I expect print fandom to also watch media, but I'm not sure it works the other way around.)

One thing that struck me while listening to it is that many of the "classic" SF/F/H that I hear about at cons, which are often before my time, are *WAY* before the time of the younger fan. Is it still relevant to them? Is my feminist protagonist not believable to them because they didn't face the battles she did? Is it like me reading an novel from the twenties or something?



After the panels and dinner, there were parties, parties, parties. The Belly Dancing Party (Woodrow "asim" Hill, Jenn Pelland) was experiential, which was fun. I joined in for a little bit of circle dancing, preferring to sit out the belly dancing. The Fancy Dress Party just meant that there were a lot of people in the party room wearing fancy dress and looking terribly overheated (some outfits were steampunk and layered), but it was beautiful to look at. I wandered from room to room, talking occasionally, but mostly having a good time wandering from room to room. For one thing, the breeze from walking kept me cooler ;-)

I went to bed at a decent hour, not wanting to be out of it for the panel I would be leading early the next morning.

Sunday, Wiscon 33, Part 1

Sunday May 24th, 2009 - Part 1

Did I really miss all the morning panels? Yes, and it wasn't because I slept late. I'm a member of Broad Universe and one of the things we do at many conventions is to have a dealer's table. We sell books by members, talk about the purpose of the organization, but also serve as a useful stopping point for other Broad Universe members. It's always nice sitting there behind the books, reading the names of the members who stop by to say hello. Broad Universe is an international organization with the primary goal of promoting science fiction, fantasy, and horror written by women. Some of the members who stop by are writers, educators, and publishers, but some are just curious readers.

So, on Sunday morning I spent some time volunteering at the table, then took off and had some lunch before hitting the panels.


"The Care and Feeding of Your Vampire"
Fred Schepartz (m), Alex Bledsoe, Suzy Charnas, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Jordan Castillo Price

Being a huge vampire fan, I was really eager to attend this one. The moderator was Fred Schepartz, author of Vampire Cabbie (set in Madison, no less!). Panelists included Alex Bledsoe (author of Blood Groove), Suzy Charnas (author of the highly regarded The Vampire Tapestries), Alaya Dawn Johnson (author of a forthcoming 1920s vampire novel), and Jordan Castillo Price (author of the PsyCop novels). [An editorial note here: All of these authors have other wrting credits, but I noted only the vampire ones because that's what the panel is about.]

I really liked this panel, maybe because it's the type of thing I'm trying to do with my podcast*: That is, to ask other writers about their vampires and vampire universes, what inspired them, and why they made the choices they did. Most of the time I just sat there enthralled (pun!), but I did manage to scratch out a few notes.

When Suzy Charnas wrote The Vampire Tapestries (published 1980/81), she was writing it against the erotic undertone in most vampire stories (I think this might have been around the time of Anne Rice -- I keep forgetting when Rice's books became popular, even though that subject came up in a recent podcast!) Her vampire Wayland is not actually human, but a different species. He has learned to act like humans to survive. Since then she's written other vamps, including comic vamps.

Fred Schepartz's vampire is 1000 years old and [relatively recently] lost all his money in a stock market crash, so now he's driving cab in Madison to earn a living. (Don't ya love it?)

Alex Bledsoe's vampire was staked in Wales in 1915, but is freed in Memphis. Was woken in the 70s.

Alaya Dawn Johnson's novel is really "an immigrant novel." (I think Stoker's was, too, wasn't it? Or at least the fear of "other" was a metaphor for the fear of foreigners, right?)

They talked about whether their vamps could change into things (like mist -- Fred's can), how the sun affects them (Alex's can go out in sunlight), and much more. I really enjoyed this panel.


*My vampire podcast is Vampires, Witches, and Geeks

Saturday, WisCon 33

Saturday May 23rd, 2009

Sat in for a few minutes on the "So You Want to be Published" panel. Always good to keep abreast of trends. Wait. Didn't I blog this already? I'm sure I did. Ah, yes, I did! I am *not* losing it! I blogged it on LiveJournal before I made the decision to blog everything on Blogspot and point there. Oh, well. I'll copy it in here so that I have everything in one place.


"So You Want to be Published"
Liz L. Gorinsky (m), Lori Devoti, Ann Leckie, Jack McDevitt, Jordan Castillo Price

Attended two panels in the morning, one on getting published, the other on Book View Cafe. Yes, just about every con I attend has a panel on being published, but it's interesting to hear different viewpoints and to keep an eye on industry changes. Besides, occasionally you hear something phrased just a little differently that makes a point so much more poignant. For example, we all know that a cover letter for a submission should be professional, interesting, and without grammatical error because it represents you and your writing ability. One panelist, though, phrased it in a way that really drives home how important it is. She said, "It sets up an expectation in the editor's mind." In other words, if your cover letter is only mediocre, but the editor decides to read a page of your submission anyway, the editor starts reading with the bias that the writing is probably going to be mediocre, too.


"Book View Cafe: A New Venture in Online Publishing"
Nancy Jane Moore (m), Sylvia Kelso, Madeleine Robins, Jennifer K. Stevenson

Very interesting project by some very talented women. I'll let the site speak for itself: http://www.bookviewcafe.com/ I registered while attending the panel. (Don't you just love free WiFi?)

Speaking of talented women, I met Catherine Lundoff, who I had interviewed for Vampires, Witches, and Geeks. She and her partner are absolutely wonderful (darn, I forgot to congratulate them in person on their upcoming nuptuals) , of course (I expected no less). One of their friends, S. N. Arly, is going to be on the panel I'm moderating on Monday morning and it was nice to meet her ahead of time.

Took a turn at the Broad Universe table, where I met author Larrissa Niec, who was also volunteering at the table. We had a lot of people stopping by between panels. WisCon has this wonderful schedule where there's usually a 15-minute break between panels. It gives you time to go to the toilet or make a quick stop at a vendor or information table.


"Treatment of Aging in Science Fiction"
Eleanor A. Arnason (m), Gerri Balter, Richard J. Chwedyk, Magenta Griffith, Diana Sherman

This was an thought-provoking one. Many of the characters in SF are young, robust. What roles do older people play in SF and Fantasy? Author Eleanor Arnason suggested we should start writing older characters and show them with the signs of aging (like arthritis).


"Witches and Wizards: Gender and Power in Portrayals of Magic"
Sarah G. Micklem (m), Gerri Balter, Melodie Bolt, Beverly Friend, Victoria Janssen

Interesting examination of how the two are portrayed differently in fiction. Beverly Friend had a great handout which reminded me of the old feminist flyers of the 70s that compared how women are perceived differently from men when doing the same action. (Example: A woman instructs an employee to do something. She's bossy. A man does the same thing. He's a leader. Or something like that.)

Here's an example from Friend's handout: Witch: usually old and ugly (wart on nose, stooped). Wizard: Usually old and imposing (tall, erect, bearded). Witch: Robe often shabby or torn. Wizard: Robe often regal and embroidered.



After that panel ended, I visited the party floor and flitted from room to room, sometimes seeing people I knew and other times striking up conversations with panelists who had impressed me or absolute strangers. I felt more at ease than I did last year, my first year at the convention. WisCon has a panel for first-time attendees, but I missed it both years. Maybe next year I can make it ;-)

Edited on 6/4/09 to add panelist names.

Friday, WisCon 33

Friday May. 22nd, 2009

I thought I'd have plenty of time to blog in the evening, but last night I got busy sorting out things I'd need for today's events and today I've spent the time getting ready for this evening's events :-)

For lunch I wandered down State St and got a Gyro from Parthenon Gyros, It was excellent, but HUGE! Now I'm ready for a nap ;-) BUT, nap I can't because I've got plenty to do to prepare for tonight's opening ceremonies (I'm participating in a skit) and the Broad Universe reading at 10:30 pm. After that, I'll be ready to crash, I'm sure.

After lunch, attended the first event of the convention, The Gathering. I'm sure I'm not going to do it much justice in my description, but it's such a fun thing that I've got to try.

Basically the convention takes over two ballrooms of the hotel and throughout this large "room" they have stations where different events are happening. For example, at one station someone was doing face painting, at another someone was doing tarot card readings, at another there was a book sale to benefit the convention. People were sitting around a table making necklaces for their namebadges, someone was giving an intro to shapenote singing, and members of the Interstitial Arts Foundation were serving up delicious cookies, coffee, and tea. There was much, much more, but those are the ones I saw and remember off the top of my head.

The big draw is the the clothing giveaway. Con-goers drop off cool clothing they no longer want and other con-goers rummage through them. It's like a rummage sale without exchanging money! I brought five pieces of clothing that I thought would appeal to the WisCon crowd: two shirts made by Deva Lifewear, a nice summer dress that never looked right on me, a denim vest, and a wonderfully funky tee-shirt someone gave me as a joke that says "Queen of the F****** Universe. Any questions?" Needless to say, the shirt got snapped up right away.

Last year was the first year that I attended WisCon and I didn't really get into the spirit of the Gathering. I wandered on the periphery, thinking, "This is nice," but not really being affected by it. ThAis year, feeling more a part of WisCon because I know what to expect, I enjoyed it more. Of course it helps that I now know and recognize more people, but I think it just helps that I've acclimated to the con.

I managed to drop in on the Mod Squad panel for just bit. If they offer it again next year and you're considering being on a panel, go. It's part of their continuing education of panel moderators, an effort I appreciated. I've been to very few really bad panels, but there were a few that could have used better moderating, and this panel gave a lot of insight on how to do just that.

At 4:30 I had to meet other members of Broad Universe for a rehearsal. We were doing the opening skit and I played the part of The Bee. (Yeah, those who know my phobias can stop laughing now. The cosmos *does* have a sick sense of humor!) I think I overplayed my part and I was so nervous I forgot to look at the audience, but everyone had a good time nonetheless.

Unfortunately, I missed "Norovirus and You: Responses to WisCholera 2008," which sounded really interesting. It was to be a debriefing session that also described what steps they were taking to prevent more of the same. They worked really hard on food safety and general health precautions over the weekend, but as people have stated repeatedly, any time you have nearly 1,000 people from all over the country (and a few from outside) converging in one spot and closely interacting, you're bound to have contagion. As I type this, I'm dabbing my nose from a serious head cold, but I'm not complaining. It could have been norovirus again or swine flu. I think they did an excellent job of education and containment.

Broad Universe always does what they call a "Rapid-fire Reading" at WisCon. It's not that we read so fast, but that each reader has a very short period of time to read a brief selection from her work. This time, for example, I think it was just under 5 minutes. I read a short selection from my first book, DARKSOME THIRST, one in which the vampire Frederick has an ill-begotten rendezvous with his latest squeeze, Susie. It was well-received, and I think I did well, but once again, *I was too nervous to look at the audience!* I don't know why. Yes, I'm naturally shy, but usually once I'm onstage I'm a ham. I had rehearsed, but maybe not enough. Maybe it's because it was so far away from home? Who knows. Something to work on.

I went to bed not long after the reading broke up at 11:45. It had been a long day, and the fact that my home time zone was one hour later must have contributed.

Arrived at Wiscon 33

Thursday May. 21st, 2009 at 10:13 PM

Arrived in Madison around 3 today. It had been hot on the plane and the airport, and the street outside was no different. What happened to the 70-73 temps I thought I saw on the weather forecast? I do *not* consider 79+ low 70s! I was sweating in my jeans and black long-sleeved shirt.

Heard someone call my name as I exited the airport. It was [info]jenwrites, who had also just arrived. Nice to see a familiar face.

Checked in at the Inn at the Park and then walked to the Concourse, where WisCon is actually being held. Had dinner with fellow Motherboard members of [info]broaduniverse and then hit the registration table when it opened at 7. I've registered and have my badge. I'm now official ;-)

I have a breakfast meeting tomorrow morning, so I'm off to bed now (10 pm).

Interview with Tate Hallaway

I should be packing for WisCon, but I wanted to get my podcasts out before I go. I just posted another episode of my Vampires, Witches, and Geeks podcast. It's a reading that author Tate Hallaway did as a companion piece to the interview I did with her earlier.

Here is the information for both the interview and the reading.

VWnG015 Interview with Author Tate Hallaway
• May 5th, 2009

A Scorpio with a Leo Rising, Tate Hallaway is an amateur astrologer and practicing Witch. Dead if I Do, her new book in her romantic vampire series, is being released May 5, 2009.

Listen to this episode to find out how to win the first book in Tate’s series, Tall, Dark, & Dead. (Due to the cost of postage, offer valid in the United States only. Sorry!)


Tate Hallaway Reads from Dead if I Do
• May 17th, 2009

Author Tate Hallaway reads from her latest novel, Dead if I Do, which came out in May 2009. You think you had problems when your parents met your fiance? Think again as you enjoy this reading from Tate’s latest novel.

Visit her web site at www.tatehallaway.com. For her science fiction alter ego, visit www.lydamorehouse.com.

Interview with Gail Z Martin

Sometime earlier this year I got this great idea to interview a group of female authors who wrote vampire fiction. I didn't really think through how much work it would be to edit and publish all these podcasts, but I'm glad I didn't because I probably wouldn't have!

Seriously, though, it's usually *me* that needs the editing. I ramble on, trying to say something intelligent or trying to make the author feel at ease and then when I listen to it later, I realize it doesn't really contribute anything to the episode, so I have to edit it out. I try to keep my episodes around 30 minutes or less so that people can listen to them during short breaks.

In April, I interviewed author Gail Z Martin, who also did a short reading from her book in the next episode.

VWnG014 Interview with Author Gail Z. Martin
• April 19th, 2009

Gail Z. Martin is the author of The Summoner, The Blood King, and Dark Haven in The Chronicles of The Necromancer series. Book Four, Dark Lady’s Chosen, makes its international debut in early 2010.

Gail discovered her passion for science fiction, fantasy and ghost stories in elementary school. The first story she wrote—at age five—was about a vampire. Her favorite TV show as a preschooler was Dark Shadows. At age 14, she decided to become a writer. She enjoys attending science fiction/fantasy conventions, Renaissance fairs and living history sites.

For book updates, tour information and contact details, visit www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com. Gail is also the host of the Ghost in the Machine Fantasy Podcast, and you can find her on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

Gail Z Martin Reads from Dark Haven
• May 2nd, 2009

Author Gail Z Martin reads from her latest novel, Dark Haven, which came out in February 2009.

WisCon 33

Going to WisCon this year?

I'll be participating in the Broad Universe rapid-fire reading, where eleven members read from their work, an assortment of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. I'll also be leading a panel called "Tech Tools for Writers" (see description below).

If you're at the convention, stop in. Here are the details, including room info.

Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading

Fri 10:30 - 11:59PM Assembly
Nancy Moore, J. Kathleen Cheney, Tina Connolly, Lori Devoti, Moondancer Drake, Gwynne Garfinkle, Kimberley Long-Ewing, Larissa N. Niec, Kathryn Sullivan, Katherine Mankiller, Morven Westfield, Phoebe Wray

Tech Tools for Writers (moderator)

Mon 8:30 - 9:59AM Senate A
Morven Westfield, Kelly Jones, S. N. Arly, Caroline Stevermer, Alex Wilson

Are you still writing out your manuscripts long–hand, or are you one of those fearless warriors who's using the latest and greatest mind–mapping tool? For some of us, only index cards will do for the outlining phase, whereas others swear by spreadsheets. In this panel, writers will discuss some of the tools they use to maximize the time they have for writing.

The SignOut
Mon 11:30AM - 1:00PM Capitol/Wisconsin
Authors sit around at tables and sign books and chat with readers. Lots of fun because there are so many of us.
Great chance to say goodbye before we all hop on planes or jump in cars and go home.

Multi-Author Signing in Northborough, MA

There's a new bookstore a few towns over and one of my fellow Broads (member of Broad Universe) has arranged a group book signing for us there.

Group signings are always more fun -- the authors get to see their author friends and the audience gets to hear a variety of styles and stories. This event should be even more so as we'll be reading selections of science fiction, fantasy, and horror that includes dystopian universes, magical kingdoms, vampires, and bad-@#$ faeries!

Authors Elaine Isaak, Jennifer Pelland,Trish Wooldridge, Justine Graykin, Phoebe Wray, and I will be reading.


Friday, May 8, 2009
6:00pm - 9:00pm

Jeannie's Book Emporium
299 West Main Street, #4
Northborough, MA 01532

Jeannie's is a new independent book store in the area. Come check it out!

Another podcast in the can

I just published another episode of Vampires, Witches, and Geeks, my podcast of the same. In this one, I announce the winners of my contest to guess my character Alicia's astrological signs. Check it out. You'll be surprised.

The episode also contains:

News items on Dark Shadows, True Blood fan podcast, and Angel star Andy Hallett.
A short commentary on the Twilight film.
Geek talk.
Past & upcoming events.
Info on upcoming episodes.

Happy International Women's Day

International Women's Day (IWD) is "IWD is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future." It was first celebrated in 1911.

The early years of IWD were often centered around campaigning for the right of women to vote, something that many of us in the modern industrialized world take for granted.

Generic update

Well, Boskone was good. The weather wasn't bad, so the drive in was fine. Sure, it was cold, but this is New England and it's winter.

I attended a lot of panels this time. Twilight was mentioned twice in panel descriptions and it seems a lot of people are concerned about the messages that it gives young adults. Some fear that Edward is too controlling, while others just think it's creepy that he watches her sleep and that she constantly risks her life for him. Someone compared him to Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights so I've checked out the book on CD from the library to refresh my memory. It will give me something to listen to on the way to the day job, especially now that I finished the second book in the Twilight series.

After Boskone, I started work on the next episode of my podcast. I interviewed accomplished author and editor Catherine Lundoff, whose collection, Night’s Kiss: Lesbian Erotica, has just been released by Lethe Press, talks with me about her vampire stories. It was interesting and fun; Catherine is great to talk to. We had a good laugh about zombies. You'll have to listen to figure that one out ;-)

I suppose I should get back to work on getting my tax info together. If you're interested in the podcast interview with Catherine, go to www.vampireswitchesandgeeks.com

Boskone this weekend

Knock on wood, no snow storms predicted for this weekend's trek into Boskone. Sure, it's going to be below freezing, but we'll be indoors and it seems that it was much colder just a few weeks ago.

Hope to see some of you there. I'm horrible at remembering faces, so don't be insulted if I sneak a peek at your name tag before returning your welcoming hello. Oh, yeah, and I have to remind myself that it's OKAY to look at people's chests at conventions because that's where the name tags usually are ;-)

I won't be doing any readings or panels at this one, but watch for me at the Broad Universe table in the huckster's room (vending area). Broad Universe is is an international organization with the primary goal of promoting science fiction, fantasy, and horror written by women. "Anyone excited about that project is welcome to join us" -- that is, you don't have to be a writer, an artist, an editor, poet, or other contributor to join us. You just have to like (and support) the idea that women can -- and do -- make worthy contributions to these genres. So, stop by. We sell books, sign up new members, and chat about the field.

Upcoming events for 2009

I thought that this year I'd not go to as many conventions and just stay home and write. Yup, I really thought that. Then I started looking at each one and I always had a reason why I'd make an exception for just this one. Boskone, Conbust, Readercon, Pi-Con, and Necon are all under two hours' drive. How could I say no to those? And WisCon, besides being unique in that it's feminist, is where Broad Universe has its roots. I just couldn't say no to that.

Here's what I've got for upcoming events so far. I'm not doing any panels or readings for Boskone or Conbust. I don't know what I'll do for the others, though I do know I'll be participating in a Broad Universe board meeting just before WisCon starts.

Boskone 46 (February 13-15, 2009)
Conbust (March 28-30, 2009)
WisCon 33 (May 22-25, 2009)
Readercon 20 (July 9-12, 2009)
Necon 29 (July 16-19, 2009)
Pi-Con (August 21-23, 2009)

Interview with Spirit Communicator Jimahl di Fiosa

I don't know why it took so long to get this podcast online... No, actually I do.

I recorded my interview with spirit communicator and fellow author Jimahl di Fiosa back in September, but I had a previous interview to post. That should have bumped him to October, but I had a "news" podcast to produce and, let's face it, October is a fairly busy month for authors who write about vampires and witches.

In November, I had NaNoWriMo. Writing an average of 1,667 words a day left no time for audio production, which pushed things into December, the dreaded holiday season.

So, with apologies to Jimahl, whose latest book Talk to Me: When the Dead Speak to the Living came out in October 2008, I give you his interview at http://www.vampireswitchesandgeeks.com/

Morven

Canceling Jan 11 event at Bay State Paranormal Center

The weather service is forecasting 4-8" of snow in the area. Rather than risk the safety of attendees, I'm canceling my appearance, but hope to be able to schedule a future date.

My apologies for the late notice, but I wanted to wait to see if the storm would pass us by.

Reading, signing, and discussion January 11

Okay, so you've had your fill of fruitcake and eggnog and you're ready to get back to the real, uh, fantasy world. What better way than to spend an hour or so talking vampires, witches, and geeks?

On Sunday, January 11, 2009, at 2:30 pm, I'll be at

Bay State Paranormal Center
20 Broadway
Taunton, MA 02780
1-508-880-8696

I'll be be giving a brief talk and a reading from THE OLD POWER RETURNS, my second novel in the series of vampires, witches, and geeks.

Also appearing that day is my good friend Jimahl di Fiosa, who will be reading from and talking about his new book "Talk to Me: When the Dead Speak to the Living" (for more info, see www.jimahldifiosa.com).

If you're in the area, stop on by.

Guess Alicia's Sun Sign

Are you one of those people who can just "tell" when someone's a Leo (or some other sign)? Yes? Then you're going to love this contest.

Alicia Anderson is the protagonist in Darksome Thirst and The Old Power Returns. She's about to start learning more about astrology as part of her general training in the occult sciences, which she's undertaking to help her in her battle against a particularly troublesome vampire. Can you guess her sign from her characterization in the novels?

First Prize

Guess her Sun, Moon, and Rising signs and win your choice of a Crystal Wheel or Floral Horoscope from Dikki-Jo Mullen.

Dikki-Jo is a nationally noted astrologer and spiritual counselor who has authored manynationally published articles. Her feature items and detailed astrology forecasts appear in The Witches' Almanac and Dell Horoscope publications, available in fine book stores everywhere.

Second Prize

Guess any two signs (sun/moon, moon/rising, and so on) and win a signed copy of the yet unpublished book three in the Alicia Anderson series and a copy of the 2009-2010 Witches' Almanac, in which my article on crystal balls appears.

You have until midnight Eastern Standard Time February 28, 2009 to post your entries. For full details, see the Contest Entry Page at

http://www.morvenwestfield.com/contest200901.shtml

I finished NaNoWriMo with 50,216 words!

The term that they use is "win"; that is, you win NaNoWriMo if you complete 50,000 words on your novel by November 30. I dunno why, but I prefer to use the verb to finish, as in "I finished NaNoWriMo" and that I did indeed do!

This is only half the battle. I'll let the novel "cool" over the month of December while I catch up on things I let go in November. Then sometime in January I'll start whipping this novel into shape as Book Three (no title yet) of my vampires, witches, and geeks series featuring Alicia Anderson and the vampire Wesley.

Still Slogging Away

I made this same text blog on my podcast page. Since people usually subscribe to just the audio feed from that page, they might miss it, so I'm repeating it here.

NaNoWriMo 2008 Progress

I’m still slogging through my manuscript for book three in my vampire series. I had hoped to have a solid outline before I started so that I could just dig in and write sequentially, but I was so busy with appearances in September and October that I didn’t get to it.

When November 1 came, and NaNoWriMo started, I had to just dive in and hope for the best. The first week went well as I wrote the scenes for each returning character and started filling in the background information for the new characters, some mortal and some vampiric.

Then I hit a slump the second week, which I hear is pretty common and felt very similar to the sophomore slump of writing your second book — heck, someone even referred to it as the sophomore slump! I started worrying that the book was crap, that I hadn’t done enough planning, and that I should just give it up for now. But, if you never start writing, you won’t finish, and I finally convinced myself that now is just a good a time as any.

So, I’m still plugging away at the new vampire novel, and if you want to see my progress, go to my home page and look at the word count at the very top of the page.

As soon as I hit my 50,000 words, I’m going to work on the next podcast, the promised interview with Dan and Michelle from Out of the Coffin, and go into more details on the contest I’m running.

Morven

Reading and Signing at Bay State Paranormal

Saturday, November 08, 2008
Bay State Paranormal Center
20 Broadway, Taunton, MA 02780

At 3:15 pm, I'll give a short talk and a brief reading from my current book, The Old Power Returns, and tell you a little bit about the third book, which I'm working on now. For more info, see www.paranormal-events.info or www.myspace.com/mugshotlizzie

After that, I climb back into my hole, trying to write 1,667 words a day for NaNoWriMo 2008.

Happy November!

NaNoWriMo -- First day results

1,706 words this morning! Yay! I'm going to try to get ahead of the game this weekend, but I've also got to take down the Halloween decorations and put them away.

Still, I'm happy with my first-day start.

Happy NaNoWriMo!

Morven

Happy Halloween

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe Halloween and, if you celebrate it, a blessed Samhain.

I've just posted another podcast episode of Vampires, Witches, and Geeks. That's going to be it for a few weeks because starting tomorrow, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo, where I'll be pushing to get a 50,000-word draft of my next novel in just one month. Yup. One month. That's 1,667 words a day.

Wish me luck!

Morven

Remember: October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In the United States, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You can find out more information at http://nbcam.org/

If you'd like to fund a free mammogram for someone in need, visit this site and click the button for free mammograms:

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com

New Interview Posted

I had great fun interviewing Karagan, podcaster and witch, on my "Vampires, Witches, and Geeks" podcast. He also gave me a short sample of one of his chants to post with the podcast.

You don't need an iPod to listen to a podcast, but if you have an iPod (or any other MP3 player), you can certainly subscribe and/or download it directly.

Check it out at podcast.morvenwestfield.com.

To listen to it from the web, just click the speaker icon.
To subscribe to it, click one of the buttons on the right.

I'm still very new to podcasting, so I'm still learning, but I think this one came out fairly well. Of course, it helps that Karagan has a wonderful, rich voice and wasn't shy over the phone!

Morven

Is nothing uncontroversial these days?

It seems like a good deal: Go to this web site (The Breast Cancer Site) and click the button that says "Click to Give Free Mammograms". The site is a good site, the cause is worthy, and October is Breast Cancer Month.

So what's the controversy? Some people feel that the radiation from the mammogram itself causes problems. That could be true, but right now it's the best tool we have for finding breast cancer in its early stage.

Weigh the dangers and decide for yourself. Personally, I'm gonna click. Often. My sibling's girlfriend just finished treatment. I have other friends who have fought the battle. And my mother died from breast cancer when I was still in grade school.

I get yearly mammograms because I'm at risk. I'd like to see other women have that choice.

Morven

Radio Free Bliss Re-Posted

The files for the podcast are okay now and re-posted. Ah, the joys of podcasting! ;-) I remember doing that a few times myself, and I've posted less than ten episodes!

Can't wait to listen to the episode!


Morven

P.S. The podcast is at http://radiofreebliss.ksaugustin.com/

Radio Free Bliss, part 2

If you're trying to download or listen to the Radio Free Bliss podcast and can't, don't worry. It's not you. I think there's a problem with the files.

I've emailed Kaz, but as I said, she's 12 hours ahead, so I don't expect to hear from her for at least another 7 hours. I'll let you know when the problem's fixed.

In the meantime, if you've been successful at downloading or listening to the files, let me know.

Morven

Morven on Radio Free Bliss

I've been interviewed for Radio Free Bliss, which is a show "about writers and what drives them... Radio Free Bliss is an MP3 file that you can listen to at this website, download to your own machine, or even store on your MP3 player for listening to later."

Of course, her show is a podcast, but she makes it very clear that you don't need an iPod or other portable MP3 player to listen to it. All you need is your computer. Using any internet browser (for example, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and others), visit the following link and scroll down to find "September 2008::Morven Westfield":

http://radiofreebliss.ksaugustin.com/

Doing the interview was a lot of fun. At one point in the beginning, I kept tripping over the pronunciation of "enamored," which is one of those words that I always read correctly (en-am-ored), but sometimes say incorrectly (en-amore'd). She was extremely gracious, laughing and offering to look in her thesaurus for a word that I *could* pronounce.

The Skype connection was exceptionally clear, even though she was thousands of miles away. Yup, thousands. Her time zone was twelve hours ahead of mine! When I phoned her at 9:00 on a Sunday morning, it was 9:00 Sunday *evening* for her.

Isn't technology amazing? Working with it every day, I sometimes take it for granted, but sometimes it just amazes me how far we've come in just my lifetime. When I was in high school, for example, no one had home computers -- there weren't any -- so using computers to make a phone call over the internet wasn't possible, or at least not for anyone but computer network pioneers.

More on technology later.


Morven

P.S. I'm doing a lot of traveling in the New England area this fall. See http://www.morvenwestfield.com/signings.shtml for a list of events.

Appearances on Panels at Necon, Pi-Con

July and August will be busy this year. I'll be attending Necon, a small convention in Bristol, Rhode Island, from July 17-20, and then attending Pi-Con, a new convention (for me) in Springfield, MA from Aug 22-24. At both conventions I'll be participating in panels.

At Necon, on Sunday morning at 10:00, I'll be one of the panelists on SELLING YOUR SOUL: Book promotion in the modern world. (Don't you just love the title?) From bookmarks to book trailers, store signings to podcasts; what really gets you noticed? Nate Kenyon (moderator), P.D. Cacek, Matt Schwartz, Darrell Schweitzer, Morven Westfield, Lynne Hansen

At Pi-Con, I'll be on three panels: -- Oops. That wasn't a finalized schedule yet. So, hold off and I'll post the final one when I see it here. I guess I jumped the gun.




Hope to see some of you there.

Morven

New podcast online

I just posted my third episode of Vampires, Witches, and Geeks, my little podcast about the same.

This one is a big improvement over the other two. I've added theme music and I've actually interviewed someone. I've still got sooooooooo much to learn about this technology, especially when I'm assembling pieces like the podcast intro, the show intro, an interview, the outro (yeah, they call it that!), and the music that fades out at the end. I think I still sound a little stiff, too.

You're probably wondering why you should even bother to listen, huh? ;-O Well, for one thing, it's not that bad, and for another, my guest, writer/publisher/vampire researcher Inanna Arthen says some fascinating things about vampires.

Take a listen, and let me know what you think.

If you'd prefer to give your comments privately, use the contact form on http://www.morvenwestfield.com/contact.shtml.

Closer to book three...

Now I don't have to cower when I go to Necon* at the end of next week and someone asks me, "So, Morven. Whatcha been up to? Working on your next novel yet?"

One of the things that's kept me from getting going with novel number three is that I need to get my head around what already happened in the first two books, what plot threads I left hanging, who's still alive, and so on.

Somewhere I heard/read about the concept of a "story bible" where one keeps all this info. Sure, I had a character/entity database and my notes on plots, and some chapter synopses, but I didn't have it all in one place. And so I embarked on creating a "Story Guide."

Last week I finished entering all the information for DARKSOME THIRST.


Next: Do the same for my second book, THE OLD POWER RETURNS.


Morven

* Necon is a convention I'll be attending. For more on where I'll be this summer, see http://www.morvenwestfield.com/signings.shtml.

Hey, what's your sign?

Writers should know their characters well, so well that even if you, the reader, never know the character's favorite color or least-favorite food, the author does. So well that the author knows not only the character's age, but probably even his or her astrology sign.

As I started working on my third novel in the series, it occurred to me that I need to know my main character's astrological sign, not just because I should know my character that well, but because she's going to be studying up on the psychic sciences in her quest to understand the forces that are set against her.

But she's a composite character, made up of different people or aspects of people I've known. How could I possibly figure this out?

I found the perfect solution: Internationally-known astrologer Dikki Jo Mullen, who is the house astrologer for The Witches' Almanac, did her chart!

Dikki Jo's detailed astrology forecasts also appear Dell Horoscope publications. She is the author of four books including the recently published KOO HOLLIE AND THE CORN GODDESS CHRONICLE, "a metaphysical allegory and adventure story which doubles as a textbook about astrology, ghost hunting and much more." She teaches classes in Tarot, Ghost Hunting and Paranormal Investigation, Astrology, Tea leaf Reading and Crystal Gazing, Native American spirituality and Runes, among other subjects.

You can't imagine how exciting it was to see my main character, Alicia's, chart. Dikki Jo sent not just a chart, but a full interpretation and a beautiful hand-done poster of the chart.

So what sign IS Alicia? I can't tell you! I'm going to have a contest for readers to guess! I just have to figure out the details. Stay tuned...

June is Book Reviewing Month

Just got this post from a book reviewer/author and fellow "Broad" (member of Broad Universe). Sounds interesting and useful...


June is 'Book Reviewing' month at Blogcritics Magazine!

To promote the release of The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, co-author Mayra Calvani will be interviewing 15+ reviewers and review editors during the month of June. Learn all about the business of book reviewing and what's in the mind of some of the most popular reviewers on the internet today. Some of the guests will include: Alex Moore from ForeWord Magazine, James Cox from Midwest Book Review, Irene Watson from Reader Views, Andrea Sisco from Armchair Interviews, Magdalena Ball from The Compulsive Reader, Sharyn McGinty from In The Library Reviews, Lea Schizas from Muse Book Reviews, Linda Baldwin from Road to Romance, Hilary Williamson from Book Loons, Judy Clark from Mostly Fiction, and many others!

To see the complete lineup, visit: The Slippery Book Review Blog.

Between June 1st and June 30th, stop by Blogcritics and leave a comment under the reviewer interviews for a chance to win a Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tour (coordinated by book marketing guru Dorothy Thompson), OR, as an alternative to a non-author winner, a $50 B&N gift certificate!

Good news

The signing at Pandemonium was fun, and as a side benefit, they're now carrying both Darksome Thirst and The Old Power Returns. So, if you're looking for a bricks-and-mortar store in Cambridge, MA that sells my books, try Pandemonium. (And tell Tyler I said hi!)

Another place that will be carrying my books is the online bookstore Horror Mall. I don't see the books listed yet, but this is a very new development, so I'm not surprised.

Also "not listed yet" is the Kindle version of The Old Power Returns. The Kindle version of Darksome Thirst has been available for a couple of months, but TOPR was held back due to some formatting problems.

And if that isn't good news enough, I'm going to be interviewed in July for a podcast and one of my short stories will appear in an anthology! I'll publish details on both as soon as I have confirmation of dates and things.

Gotta run. I need to start packing for WisCon. Woo hoo!

Morven's appearances in May

May is always fairly busy for me. There's always something to do (or ignore) around the outside of the house. It seems that people in New England start coming out of hibernation right about now and start having get-togethers, and events open up in general.

Here are two events I'm participating in in May.

Signing at Pandemonium Books (May 10, 2008)
Cambridge, MA
2:00 pm
I'll be signing books at Pandemonium Books and Games, 4 Pleasant St., Cambridge, MA 02139, with fellow members of New England Horror Writers. Authors include me, Inanna Arthen (Mortal Touch), Scott Goudsward (Trailer Trash, Shadows Over New England), Henry P. Gravelle (Ten Wide), Nate Kenyon (Bloodstone), Alisa M. Libby (The Blood Confession), L.L.Soares (Best of Horrorfind 2, Right House on the Left), and Jennifer Yarter-Polmatier (The Madness Within).

Founded in 1989, Pandemonium has been a Cambridge institution for almost two decades and has been the Boston area's premier source of science fiction, fantasy, and supernatural. For more information, visit their web site at www.pandemoniumbooks.com.

---

WisCon 32 (May 23-26, 2008)
Madison, Wisconsin
I'll be doing a short ("rapid-fire") reading with Broad Universe on Saturday at 1, in Assembly. At other times during the convention, I'll be taking my turn at staffing the Broad Universe table in the dealer's room. 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 on the convention, visit www.wiscon.info.

For more info on Broad Universe, see www.broaduniverse.org.

Morven Podcasts

I’ve done a number of public readings of my vampire novels Darksome Thirst and The Old Power Returns. I always try to record my own reading so I can listen to it later to see what I need to improve upon. I always hoped I could get one good "take" to put on my web, just for fun, and because people often ask me if the reading is available online.

This past weekend I decided it would probably be quicker and better to just re-record one of them. Sadly, you don't get the audience reaction with an in-home reading, but you do get a cleaner recording.

I've put the first reading up as a podcast on http://morvenwestfield.podbean.com/.

I'm going to record some other ones at home, but will also try to get some decent live recordings to put up there, too. It's really fun to hear audience reaction, especially when I read some of the sections that involve the character named Frederick.

This first one is short, just under 10 minutes. What have you got to lose? Check it out ;-)

Morven

Lunacon 2008: Part 3 (Reading with the Broads)

How could I forget to mention this? On Saturday night, I participated in a "rapid-fire reading" with other members of Broad Universe.

I always enjoy participating, as I might have said before, because I get to listen to the others' readings while I wait for my turn. This time, just because of where I was sitting, I was the last to read, so I got to hear some interesting readings.

First up was April Gray, reading from her very funny, "I'll love ya forever, but..." story of a woman whose husband shambles back from the grave -- and onto the white shag carpet.

Phoebe Wray read a selection from her just-released novel Jemma7729, a story of the future where an independent spirit rebels against a controlling State. In Phoebe's reading, Jemma sees the stars in the sky at night, stars she had been led to believe didn't exist anymore.

Racheline Maltese, whose Harry Potter trivia book was released in November, read next. (At this point I was starting to get jittery because I was up next, so I forgot to write down the name of what she read -- will get that info and update this later. Sorry, Racheline!)

Finally it was my turn. I read a scene from The Old Power Returns in which Frederick, the vampire, has promised his girlfriend that he'll go bowling with her and decides to practice. Bowling? A vampire? Yup! It's both funny and touching and I enjoy reading it. I tried to record my reading, as I did another time I read it. One of these days I'll listen to the two recordings and try to get at least a short excerpt posted.

Well, time to start winding down for bed. Hope you all have a good weekend,

Morven

Lunacon 2008: Part 2 (The "Escher Hilton")

Joe Mahew says, in Lunacon Report, "For those unfamiliar with the Rye Lunacon’s Town [sic] hotel, it earned its nickname, ’Escher Hilton,’ with its convoluted, eccentric building design in which one needs a native guide to get from one point to another. Finding anything there for the first time is a sort of built-in adventure game. "

I first heard someone call it the Escher Hilton when I almost bumped into her in the halls, not looking where I was walking because I was too intent on trying to figure out where the heck I was. "Sorry, but this hotel really confuses me," I said. "They don’t call it the ’Escher Hilton’ for nothing," she replied.

It’s not just that walking straight down the hall of the fourth floor and down a few steps gets you suddenly on the SEVENTH floor that was the problem. I can handle the fact that floors 1-4 on one side are called 5-8 on the other. And I could get used to the fact that the lobby on one side is on floor 2, but on the other side it’s floor 7. But the layout is not the usual rectangle of a modern hotel. And even if it were, it’s always days before I can figure out how to get around a normal hotel. It’s hard to explain, but there were angles and shifts and the map had such small print that it was hard to read in the soft lighting of the spacious halls.

But, hey, it’s not the hotel’s fault that I’m directionally challenged. Eventually it started to make some sense, but only some. I guess the good part about it was that I was too afraid of getting lost going to the Con Suite that I didn’t make many trips, which cut down on my snacking

But it also meant that I wasn’t able to make a quick stop at the dealer’s room between panels. I had hoped that I could slip out of each panel a little early, run to the dealer’s room, relieve Phoebe at the Broad Universe table, and meet and greet for 10-15 minutes at the end of each hour. I figured that if panels ended 5 minutes before the hour, I could leave 5-10 minutes before that and not miss too much. But because I couldn’t get the hang of the layout until the last day, and because a lot of the panels ran close to the end (or interested me so much I forgot to leave early), I didn’t make it.

Unfortunately that meant I missed the woman who bought The Old Power Returns! According to the woman minding the table at the time, the woman said she knew me from a long time ago, which makes me doubly sad I missed her! So, if you were that person, please contact me here or go to the contact section of my web site.

Morven

Lunacon 2008: Part 1 (Heat and Panels)

Lunacon was HOT! Yeah, really, really hot. I mean it.

Even if hubby told me beforehand that he read a review of the hotel that said it tended to have air conditioning problems, I wouldn't have taken much notice. After all, this is March, and it's still technically -- and evidently -- winter. So, had I heard, I would have just forgotten it. And maybe I did. There's a good chance that he mentioned it and I totally discarded what I considered to be irrelevant info. And, of course, I didn't pack a tee shirt or short-sleeved shirt -- after all, this is WINTER, oil prices are high, and I thought I lived in an environmentally-aware part of the country. Maybe the Rye Hilton is in another universe?

But enough about the hotel. How about the con? I attended a some great panels, ate some great gnocci in a nearby restaurant, and picked up some good books.

I've never seen so many choices for panels! Okay, so I really haven't been to that many cons, but this con certainly had the most panels and most diversity of panels that I've seen so far. Hubby was even able to find a few he found interesting. Writer Dan Robichaud from www.horrorreader.com was on a couple of good panels, including "The Carpetbaggers" (a discussion on why some genre terms aren't used in literary circles) and other differences between the two worlds, and "Gaming on the Dark Side," a panel I thought I'd have no interest in since I don't game, but which held hubby and I rapt. Also on those two panels was Adam Nakama, soft-spoken, but always with something interesting to say. I met Adam on the ride to Lunacon when we both bummed a ride from Dan and Trista because our significant others wouldn't be able to get away until late. (Speaking of interesting programming, Adam taught Tango on Saturday, but I was just getting lunch about then.)

Rosemary Edghill moderated a great panel called "Fantastic Females," a discussion of writers who wrote strong female characters in their fiction. More than one panelist and audience member mentioned that they used to read boys' adventure stories as a child because the ones with female characters just weren't interesting. Rosemary herself writes strong, believable characters and it was a pleasure to hear her thoughts and knowledge on the subject.

Jeanne Cavelos, fellow New England Horror Writer and HWA member, and director of the Odyssey Fantasy workshop, also contributed much to that panel. I caught her on an earlier panel, "Horror in the Escher Hilton," which I found interesting, especially the very brief discussion on torture porn's place in horror, and some insights that Jeanne and another panelist had on "The Blair WItch Project." (I'm one of those people who couldn't understand what the fuss was about. Now I'm wondering that if I had read their website first, would I have had a different experience?)

And finally I got to meet fellow HWA author Jonathan Maberry, but, darn, I forgot to get a copy of his Vampire Universe! Jonathan and urban fantasy author Mark del Franco were on a panel on "Social Networking for Writers" and not only did I get some good tips, but got to hear a lot of interesting related chatter on writing in general.

Whew. Gotta stop here. There's lots more to tell, including what, exactly, is the "Escher Hilton," but I'll have to hold that until later.

Morven

Rapid-fire reading at Boskone 45

I just got email that I'll be participating in a "rapid-fire reading" with other members of Broad Universe at Boskone 45 this Friday, February 15, sometime between 9 and 10 p.m.

In a rapid-fire reading, a number of different authors read from their work, the length of time dependent on the number of readers. I don't know the order yet, but I know that I'll be reading sometime during our hour-long time slot.

I'm not sure yet whether I'll read from The Old Power Returns or whether I'll read from one of the short stories I've been working on. I guess it depends on the time allotted. We'll just have to keep it a surprise, eh?

Boskone is 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

This year it's being held at the Westin Waterfront, 25 Summer St., Boston, MA 02210.

So, if you're there and bored around 9 p.m., check us out! I don't know the room location, but I'm sure that it'll be posted or that someone at Information will know.

Results of Preditors and Editors Readers' Poll

Results of the Vote

The results for the latest Preditors and Editors Readers' Poll are out! Go here to see them:

http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/votenovelhor07.htm

Although my vampire novel The Old Power Returns didn't make it into the Top 10, it did make it into the top 25, coming in at number 15. Back in 2003, my first novel, Darksome Thirst, tied for tenth place, so it's not as good, but I'm still pleased.

A couple of author pals also made the list. Inanna's Arthen's Mortal Touch (Vampires of New England) also made a good showing, coming out in the top 25 (number 23), which is encouraging since it's another vampire novel (and an excellent one at that, I might add).

Another treat was seeing The End of Desire: A Rowan Gant Investigation (Miranda Trilogy) by M. R. Sellars hit number 2! Way to go, Murv!

Thanks to everyone for your support. That support is what keeps me going when I think I'm just too tired to keep this up or when I get into one of those funks where I believe that I must be deluding myself when I think I can string two words together.

Sniff!

Morven

Links

Inanna Arthen's web site

M. R. Sellars' web site