Mojo Joe is coming

Back in April, the Humanities program at Northeast Texas Community College (NTCC) here in Mount Pleasant held a film program on four consecutive Thursdays. The science fiction films were offered as part of an extra credit program. It was a very successful project. I helped by introducing and offering what I knew about "Fahrenheit 451", which was the program April 16.

They are doing it again in October, this time with horror films. I will be doing the honors for "Alien" on Oct. 22. East Texas's own Joe Lansdale will be here the final week, on Oct. 29, for a showing of his own "Bubba Ho-Tep".

I was the one who suggested Mojo Joe back in April; I'm glad they asked him and I'm glad he's coming. I've also invited Joe for dinner; I plan to bake a lasagna. He says he'll be coming with daughter Kasey

Back in the groove

Sat down and got back in the swing of things last night with the fiction writing, banged out a little 700-word flash. I had an idea that worked out to just that length, and I think I said as much as needed to be said. Nice way to get back in the saddle. I don't think I've written anything original since before ArmadillonCon.

Had the day off, spent time doing a few chores around the house. While puttering in the storage shed I found the original of my father's discharge from the Italian Army in 1952. It includes vital information on his birth.

Sweet 16

Dropped another two stories into slush piles today, one to Not One of Us (which I have subbed before) and The Future Fire (which I haven't). The Future Fire is planning a Feminist-themed issue, and I thought my story "Like Mother" might be a fit.

That brings the total number of stories in slush piles currently at 16, one of my higher numbers of late.

Nearing the goal post

The latest word is that "Fantastic Texas" is among the next four books to be prepared by Wilder Publications, so hopefully we should have a release date in a few weeks.

Bought a second car recently, a 1983 Chevrolet Celebrity in an auction that was seized by a local sheriff's department. Sales price: $100. Got a new battery and a tune-up, and it's inspected and running on the road. At its age I won't drive it long distances, but I've used it around town and began driving it to and from work. Total cost, including registration and new title: $536.

More pubs

Bewildering Stories will be publishing my story "Twilight on the Finger Lakes" on Dec. 14. I don't think I've sent them a story in about three or four years, but I thought this one might be a good match. It's an alternate history where O. Henry lives long enough to mentor a young Rod Serling, who lives long enough to mentor another author (In reality, both Henry and Serling died at anout 50).

Thanks to Ed Morris for successfully peddling one of our collaborations to a new outfit, Black Matrix Publishing. They will be publishing "Stairway to Heaven" in a magazine called Encounters in January 2010. This is a story where I did the first draft and then Ed came in.

The Ones to Watch (yet again)

Adrian Simmons worked on the third annual installment of The Ones to Watch feature this past spring, but it hasn't been printed yet this year (it was printed during the spring of 2007 and 2008). A combination of factors have led to the delay.

He says it should finally run in IROSF in a month or two, and sent out the questions again, in case the participants wanted to revise them. I didn't bother to reference my previous answers, I just wrote up new ones from scratch.

Although I enjoy writing the s-f and fantasy, and I enjoy if other people like my stuff, I really feel I don't take it as seriously as a lot of my colleagues. If I had a forced choice, between working as a journalist and a fiction writer, I'd drop the fiction writing in a heartbeat. Maybe my opinion will change as I improve as a writer; honestly, I think I'm a good writer with great moments and stretches, but I'm not a consistently great writer.

More from FenCon

That photo of Howard and myself a couple of posts ago was taken by chum Keith West, like I said, after Howard’s FenCon reading Sunday. I thought it would be nice since my collection “Fantastic Texas” is going to be published soon, and Howard wrote the intro – a photo of us together at the time.
That is NOT Howard Waldrop in the photo with today’s post, that’s Rhonda Eudaly Simpson, as a Redhead of the Apocalypse, at the entrance to the Dealer’s Room. This was an interesting moment; that little girl and her mom had just walked in, and when the kiddo saw Rhonda – bunny slippers, scythe, and all – she jumped back and up against mommy, whom I think you can tell was a bit startled by the effect.
A bystander said, “Rhonda, you scared the kid!”
I said, “Well, Rhonda, you’d scare me!”