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.