"Tell Gilgamesh I'm Sorry"

Finished up the second story in my Rebuild series, "Tell Gilgamesh I'm Sorry" and subbed it today. After final edits and tweaks - wherein it contracted another 200 words - it finished up at just over 5,800 words.

As I mentioned before, the first draft of the third story in this series, "Snow Globe" (original working title "She Melted in My Arms) is done. It was read at ConDFW.

Have to find find time for two other genre-related projects, a book proposal to foist on a publisher I met at ConDFW, and a continuing education class proposal I want to run by the local community college. This is also an outgrowth of ConDFW, from some of the work I did for the panel on "Escape from the Slush Pile".

The plots thicken

Didn't actually do any genre writing this week, but that's because I spent a lot of time revising some outlines. "Tell Gilgamesh I'm Sorry" and "Snow Globe" are so close to being finished that I need a few more stories ready to enter the production line very quickly. My best guess is that "Davis Ex Machina" and "Going After Bozo" may be next in this line-up.

Blurbs set for "Music for Four Hands"

Spoke to both Joe Lansdale and Howard Waldrop yesterday, they've both agreed to blurb "Music for Four Hands". Called Selina and told her, she'll send them a copy so they can check it out. Ed Morris is happier than a pig in poop.

Panels at ConDFW

My panels at ConDFW went very well. My first, at 10 a.m. Saturday, was on the subject of how to get started writing. It was the first panel I moderated. I was joined by Ciara Gold, Lee Martinez and Dusty Rainbolt. We all had great anecdotes and information for the audience, and I think they enjoyed it and learned a lot.

Between that panel and my next one, at 3 p.m., I ran up to Plano, to a shopping mall, and picked up a skirt from Talbots that Patricia had ordered. I caught lunch across the street at a Wendy's.

The 3 p.m. panel on Philip K. Dick only consisted of myself, Guest of Honor Tim Powers and Robert Stikmanz. Tim had a lot of first-hand information on Dick - having known him personally from 1972 to 1982 - and Robert also had some interesting information. This was also enjoyable for the audience.

That evening - thanks to some help via cell phone from my brother - I found a Middle Eastern restaurant that I used to visit when I lived in Dallas County, called The Tasty Greek on Belt Line Road in Addison between Webb Chapel and Josey Lane. I shanghaied Bill Ledbetter.

I ate a large appetizer platter and a gyro, while Bill had a gyro platter. The food was great, and Bill agreed. The proprietor said he recognized me and asked me where I had been. I moved from Dallas County nine years ago, so it is quite possible I may not have been there since 2002.

On Sunday morning at 11 a.m. I moderated the panel on Escaping from the Slush Pile. I was joined by Ciara Gold again, Jaye Wells, Selina Rosen and O.M. Grey. Both Ciara and I brought handouts for the audience, and we all had great advice and example for the audience. I think they really got a lot out of it.

Back from ConDFW

I returned from ConDFW yesterday. Things went very well, perhaps better than I would have expected.

I got off at the time I wanted. I picked up the rental car and was on the highway by 3:15 p.m. Friday. I arrived at the Crowne Plaza by 5:30 and very quickly ran into Keith West, Bill Ledbetter, Sam Taylor, Michelle Muenzler and Brad and Sue Sinor.

I brought some books with me and left copies of "Texas & Other Planets" with Zane Melder of Edge Books and Willie Siros in the dealers room.

Two of the first people I met were David and Mary Gray, of the Buzz Blaster radio workshop fame. David said they have decided, with the number of venues that publish s-f shrinking by the day, if not the hour, that they are starting up their own web zine to give folks another place to publish.

I promised them I would submit a story, which I have already done. The ezine will start in April and publish four stories in four issues per year. It is called Four Star Stories. The web page is already up, go check it out.

Opening ceremonies were at 8 p.m. One interesting thing happened during the opening ceremonies, when the con committee announced they were having a fundraising silent auction. Someone's uncle died and left them an enormous collection of memorabilia - most of it apparently being science fiction. The con committee was selling it off.

Two of the movie posters were not genre-related, though; both the one for "Apocalypse Now" and "The Blues Brothers" were signed by the cast.

During the opening ceremonies, I sat in the front row between Brad Foster, and Mark Finn - who happens to own the local movie show in Vernon, Texas. Mark started to drool when he saw both posters, but especially the one for "The Blues Brothers". He looked up at the large poster and read off the signed names in amazement;

"John Belushi!"
"Dan Ackroyd!"
"Ray Charles!"
"Aretha Franklin!"
"Oh-my-God James m********** Brown!"

I have this small idiosyncrasy that when I laugh uncontrollably my knees buckle, and I laughed so hard I pitched forward and fell onto my hands and knees onto the floor. I got back up as quickly as I could, but I still laughed for ten minutes.

Finn later commented on his Facebook page: "I nearly killed Lou Antonelli by invoking the power of James Brown. Haaiioow!"

People who saw me keel over thought something was wrong or my chair had been pushed. It's not the first time this has happened; I fell out my chair laughing at a joke James Hogan told at ArmadilloCon in 2009.

The number of guests and attendees was definitely up from last year, when the event came on the heels of a nasty ice storm. Jack McDevitt, who was the Guest of Honor, couldn't make it because the Atlanta airport was shut down. He came this year, and I was able to talk to him as well as this year's GOH, Tim Powers. I was on a panel with Powers. though not with McDevitt, who still remembered me from the Nebulas in 2007. We talked in the dealers room, and he opined that "Texas & Other Planets" is a great title for a collection.

Finalized schedule for ConDFW

Here's my complete schedule of panels and signings this weekend in Dallas

Saturday:
Panel Room 1 – Warwick
10 am – Pieces of a Puzzle – How to Start Anything!
Panelists: Lou Antonelli (M), C. Dean Anderson, Ciara Gold, A. Lee Martinez, Dusty Rainbolt
A kernel of an idea, a fascinating hero, a breathtaking landscape – each requires something to spark the process of writing. How do you find the corner piece in the puzzle that starts the domino effect? Our panelists give suggestions and personal experiences.

Panel Room 3 – Canterbury
3pm – The World of Philip K. Dick (or How I Came to Love the Future)
Panelists: Tim Powers (M), Robert Stikmanz, Lou Antonelli
One of the most inspirational novelists of the last century, Philip K. Dick has left a lasting impression on the Science Fiction genre. Led by our Guest of Honor, Tim Powers, we explore the legacy he has left behind, from his writing, to the movies, to current science fiction, and beyond!

Sunday:
Panel Room 4 – Churchill
11am - Escape from the Slush Pile
Panelists: Lou Antonelli (M), Ciara Gold, Jaye Wells, Selina Rosen, Richard Weber, O. M. Grey
As the number of hopeful writers increase, the number of submissions increase. Piles upon piles of stories overwhelm every publisher and editor, and they have to make decisions on what makes it, and what is tossed in the slush pile. Our esteemed panelists discuss how to avoid being buried in the pile, and the mistakes to look out for.

Signing
Reading Room – Surrey (2nd Floor)
1pm – T. M. Hunter, Lou Antonelli

Panel Room 2 – Manchester
2pm - Interstellar Archeology: The Debunking
Panelists: Lee Martindale (M), Angeline Hawkes, Lou Antonelli, Scott Cupp, Chris Donahue
The second of two panels where we inflict discover startling artifacts of OBVIOUS alien origin. Our experts tell us how wrong the previous esteemed panelists were! Last year, Sunday’s panel thoroughly debunked Friday’s experts. Come see if the same holds true
this year!

The hotel is Crowne Plaza Suites
7800 Alpha Road
Dallas, Tx. 75240

I have prepared a handout for the panel on escaping the slush pile for the first 30 people who attend.

Anyone who attends my reading will eligible for random drawing to receive a copy of "Fantastic Texas".

Another story sold

I received word that a small new magazine called Shadow Gate will publish my short story "Hopscotch and Hottentots". That's two sales in two days. The first issue of Shadow Gate will be published in April. The only other time I've had a story in the first issue of a magazine was with "Stairway to Heaven" with Ed Morris, which ran in the first issue of Encounters in 2009 (and which will be reprinted in "Music for Four Hands", forthcoming from Yard Dog Press). So "Hopscotch" will mark the first time I've had a solo effort in the debut issue of a magazine.

This will be the 52nd story I've had published since 2003.