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

Happy Groundhog Day

To those outside the United States, the media coverage of Punxsutawney Phil must seem a little absurd. Why do they disturb this poor member of the Marmot family every year on February 2? "According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring." (From http://www.groundhog.org/about/)

Though some consider this a modern event made just for media, the origins go way back. According to the history page on Phil's web site, weather predictions on this day were common, though they didn't disturb poor Phil to do it.

So aside from wondering what the groundhogs who live next to our house will see tomorrow, what have I been up to? Well, for one thing, I'm actually keeping a New Year's resolution! Yup, I promised myself that I would polish up some old short stories and send them out. (I also want to write some new ones, but I won't go so far as to *promise* myself to do that, LOL!) Will let you know how that goes. I sent two out this week.

Speaking of letting you know, in my last post, I asked that if you liked The Old Power Returns, to cast your vote at

http://www.critters.org/predpoll/novelh.shtml

I haven't heard back, but I don't think I made the top 10. I left it too late to notify people. I'll let you know how I did when I see the final results posted.

That's all I've been up to so far, but I've got a lot in store the next few months. Boskone, Lunacon, conBust, WisCon, and Necon, and a number of small signings that haven't firmed up yet. I'll be updating my Appearances page as soon as details are nailed down.

That's it for now. Stay warm, and may your Groundhog Day be dark and rainy, which, if I'm interpreting things correctly, means I'm wishing you no more winter!

Morven








That's it for now. Stay warm!

Morven

Vote for Morven!

DEADLINE JANUARY 15, 2008

No, no, don't worry. I'm not going to try to give Hillary a run for
her money. The race I'm running in is not presidential, though I
wouldn't guarantee that it's not political (grin).

There's an online poll called the Preditors and Editors Readers' Poll
where you vote for your favorite novel published in the previous year.

It's well underway -- it ends the 15th -- and I've just been told that
someone has voted for my book!

If you liked The Old Power Returns, please go and cast your vote at

http://www.critters.org/predpoll/novelh.shtml

(It's in the Horror category.)

Thanks!
Morven

Interview in Paper Dragon Ink

Hope you're staying warm and dry. We've had quite a bit of cold and snow up here in the northeast. Yesterday I saw two cars spun out on two different highways while trying to make it home after the latest storm. :-(

Want some good news for a change? I've been interviewed in the December 2007 issue of Pandora's Gate, published by Paper Dragon Ink, "an online publishing company dedicated to providing entertainment and resources for creative independents with coverage of movies, novels, comic books, games and music." You can read the interview on page 3 at

http://www.paperdragonink.com/december07issue.pdf

Not a bad interview, if I say so myself. It covers the usual -- my two vampire novels (Darksome Thirst and The Old Power Returns), but also a little bit on writing. The magazine is laid out in landscape mode, with photos and illustrations on the right-hand side, a very pleasing layout for this magazine.

In addition to interviews with Jim Balent, Michelle St. Martin, Anastasia Rabiyah, Wendy Potter, and artist Niki Browning, this edition contains an introduction to the SCA by Jennifer Rhea. Check it out.

Morven

The Witches' Almanac

My one-page non-fiction article on crystal balls made it into the 2008-2009 edition of The Witches' Almanac. If you see the almanac in a book store, you've got to take a look: it's absolutely beautiful. Artist Ogmios MacMerlin did a fantastic job of design, layout, and execution. He picked a very pleasing, but eerie, color palette, which just happens to go with the color palette of my latest book, The Old Power Returns.

The article ("Crystal Balls: Visions in Smoke") is on page 26.

Signing at Some Enchanted Evening, Saturday, Sept 8, 2007

It's been a busy summer, so busy that I've been behind in blogging. I don't know how people manage to blog everyday. I suppose it's like exercising, or writing, or flossing your teeth: You get into the habit and just do it. But that's the problem: I'm so busy doing the other stuff that I don't have time to blog! Whatever. I'm just not a creature of habit. I do it when I can.

Without further excuses, here's my recap of a book signing that I did at Some Enchanted Evening's 10th annual Psychic Faire, held in Spencer, MA.

This was the second time I've signed at their Psychic Faire, but the first time at their new location, an elegant old Victorian, which is just gorgeous. Is it the building itself or the fact that proprietor Diane Haynes is such a fabulous artist and decorator? I think it's the latter!

The building retains one of the features of old Victorians -- smaller separate rooms -- and each room is filled with beautiful, often shiny, things. I shared a room with candles, art, and tee shirts. Glass cases of pewter and porcelain figurines hugged the walls. Behind my signing table was a display tree on which dragon ornaments hung tantalizingly. I managed to avoid spending my earnings on the dragon ornaments, but fell prey to Diane's artwork, which you can see on
http://www.someenchantedevening.us/paganartworkbydiane.htm

I bought a print of Cloak Room (4015), which I love for its colors and humor. Humor is evident in another one of her works, Pit Stop (4017), which I found only in the notecard size. I also bought Magickal Cabinet (4021) and am thinking of framing the trio and hanging them together in my writing nook.

Many people showed up for the Faire, and a lot of them stopped by my signing table to talk as they waited for their reading, which made it fun. Nothing's worse than being an author alone at a table twiddling your thumbs, so having people stop by and chat was a relief.

It was a great day, marred only by the fact that when I left, I was too dumb to let out the hot air from my car before I drove away or at least roll down all the windows for the first few miles.

Yes, I have air conditioning, but the car had been sitting closed up, in the heat (mid-90s), and in the short hour it took to drive home, the AC couldn't cool down the car enough. When I got home, I was hot. Really hot. I was still hot at 11 pm, even though by then I had taken a cool shower, had held cold cloths to my face and neck a few times, had drunk ice water, and had been sitting in air conditioning for hours. Next time I'll know to let the hot air out of the car first!

Interviewed on WitchCrafting Podcast

A few weeks ago I accompanied a friend to a signing where podcaster Karagan of The WitchCrafting Podcast was doing interviews. He turned the mike on me and has just posted the episode on his site. I'm very pleased with the results. You can listen to it or download it at

www.twango.com/media/witchcrafting.witchcrafting

For more information on Karagan and his podcasts, visit his site at

http://witchcrafting.blogspot.com/

Enthusiastically recommended!

My latest novel, The Old Power Returns, was reviewed favorably by The Midwest Book Review (http://www.midwestbookreview.com/).

They're well-respected and their reviews are published on CDs that librarians use for acquiring books. That's probably not as important for fiction as it is for non-fiction, but it shows how important a review this is.

The review is online now, in their August 2007 Small Press Bookwatch at
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/sbw/aug_07.htm#fant

Here's what they had to say. Look at that last sentence!

"Set in the modern day, The Old Power Returns is a fantasy-horror novel about a group of Wiccans who must combine their powers and talents to confront a murderous vampiric menace. A dark saga of ancient hunger and the women who fought against it - or fell victim to it, The Old Power Returns seizes the reader's attention and does not let go until the final page. Enthusiastically recommended especially for fans of vampire stories."

Did you see that? "Enthusiastically recommended"!

I'm doing the happy dance!

Morven