Distractions

Interesting complications at home. To start: It rained all last week.

All week.

Never stopped.

Not a thunderstorm. A steady pelting rain.

Things got humid and damp. Inside the house. Inside the car. Everywhere.

Even though our house is on a hill, the ground became saturated. Thursday one of the two outdoor a/c units died. Ants had swarmed it trying to find higher ground, and it short-circuited.

Repairman cleaned out the ants.

Yesterday we realized the carpets in the guest bedrooms were wet. The drain for the a/c unit in the wall was clogged.

I don't know if the two things are related, but we will have to call a plumber for the drain.

Needless to say, no writing done recently.

Back from FenCon

I had a great time at FenCon this weekend. Here is a photo of a highlight, me and Howard Waldrop after Howard had his reading Sunday afternoon.

My panel schedule was very accommodating of my work schedule. My panels Friday and Saturday were in the evening, so I could work during the day as per normal. That required that Friday I drive into Dallas, attend panels, and then drive back to Mount Pleasant, but it wasn't so bad.

My first panel at 9 p.m. Friday, on Femme Fatales, gave me the opportunity to meet GOH Lois McMaster Bujold. Old chum Brad Sinor was on that one, along with Julia Mandala and Melanie Fletcher.

Right afterwards at 10 p.m. came the panel on Plan 9 and Bad Movies. This was probably the most fun, for the panelists as well as the audience. I was the moderator, but Keith Candido (the artist GOH), Lee Martinez and Teddy Harvia provided a lot of the spark.

I drove back to Mount Pleasant (arriving at 1:30 a.m.) went to work Saturday and dove back out in time to make the 7 p.m. panel on Southern Fandom, moderated by Warren Buff, the Fan GOH. It gave me an opportunity to meet Alan Jackson. I was joined by old chum Lee Martindale.

Spent time visiting in the bar and in a few suites, and drove out to Oak Cliff to crash with mother-in-law. Got a good night's sleep.

Walked into the hotel Sunday and ran right into Howard in the bar; we were shortly joined by Alan Jackson. Now that was a conversation!

Attended Howard's reading at 1 p.m. He read excerpts from "The Moon World". It was tons of fun, and it was great to see Howard doing and feeling so well, then as well as throughout the convention.

Panel at 2 p.m. was on Self Promotion. Picked up a lot of good tips from Selena Rosen, Rachel Caine, Rie Rose, Shanna Swendson and Pat Blair. Attendance was still very good, although the con was winding down. In fact, all the panels were well attended.

Pat Blair is a relative newcomer who retired as a journalist; journalism is not that common a background for a s-f and/or fantasy writer.

Drove back home, arrived in Mount Pleasant at 6 p.m. Got another good night's sleep, and was back at work today.

Getting ready for Fencon

This coming weekend, just clearing the decks.

Weather has been miserable the past two days, a steady soaking rain. Today was the first day I pulled on a cardigan; I think I survived another Texas summer.

My schedule for FenCon

FenCon is next weekend in Dallas, and I got my line-up of panels a few days ago. The panels are very accommodating of my work schedule - my sessions Friday and Saturday are at night, so I can keep my regular routine at work. I will leave work Friday, head into Dallas, drive back lat that night, and then head back after work Saturday. I will stay overnight Saturday at my mother-in-law's - maybe Patricia will come with me - and I will be back in Mount Pleasant Sunday evening.

Here is my line-up:

Friday 9 p.m. "I'm Not Bad,I'm Just Written that Way: The Femme Fatale in Literature".

This will be in the Trinity III room, moderated by Julie Mandala. Other panelists will include Brad Sinor, Lois McMaster Bujold, Mark Finn and Melanie Fletcher.

Friday 10 p.m. "Plan Nine from Outer Space and 50 Years of Bad Movies."

This will be in the Addison Lecture Hall; I'm the moderator. I will be joined by A. Lee Martinez, Keith Candidio, Caroline Fulbright and Teddy Harvia.

Saturday 7 p.m. "Southern Fandom".

This will be in Trinity III, moderated by Warren Buff. Other panelists will be Allan Jackson, Lee Martindale, A. Jackson and T. Morris.

Sunday 2 p.m. "Self-Promotion for Writers".

This will be in the Addison Lecture Hall, moderated by Shanna Swendson. Other panelists will be Rachel Caine, Selena Rosen, Rie Sheridan Rose and P. Blair.

They gave me a 10 a.m. slot Saturday for a reading, but I'll skip that; otherwise I'd take a day off from work for that one thing.

Hope to see you there!

Collaborative efforts

Because of recovering from this bout of carpal tunnel, I've not done any writing for a few weeks. I have, however, invested some time working on genre-related chores.

Ed Morris and I have collaborated on a few stories - two which have seen the light of day, "Off the Hook" which was published in Dark Recesses in Dec. 2007, and "Acroscaphe" which was published in Planetary Stories in Dec. 2008. There's another three we've worked on together, but I haven't had luck so far, so I mailed Ed my sheets out of my submissions log and turned them over for his fresh input.

Of these five stories, "Off the Hook" is the only one where Ed started and I finished; in these other cases, the first draft was mine, which is why I took the lead in submitting.

I expect Ed will bring a fresh perspective; I think some of these stories have some real potential, especially "Uncle Gumball Saves the World".

"Off the Hook" I recall as a picture perfect collaboration; Ed had a good central idea; I took a look, saw things he didn't, and slapped it all into shape. It's one of the stories I'm the most proud of.

Good news

Looks like I've finally recovered from that pinched nerve in my left hand. Adding plain aspirin to the anti-inflammatory drug I was taking seemed to have done the trick. My left forefinger feels almost normal - doesn't hurt any more, and I have almost 100 percent mobility back.

Being a two-finger typist didn't help the problem, and also - well, you've heard the expression about sticking out like a sore thumb? While the finger was numb, it got banged and jammed a few times because of being out of alignment with the other fingers. Something as simple as grabbing the steering wheel of the car became painful when you smash your finger into the wheel as the rest of your hand glides by.

I was able to keep up with work at the office, but I haven't done any writing at home recently.

I have to work some Monday to get a paper out on the streets, but the office is closed for business and we'll go home as soon as the presses roll, so I'll have most of the day off.

Slow recovery

Still slowly recovering from aggravating the carpal tunnel. No writing going on. I'm wondering whether I suffered permanent nerve damage to my left index finger.