Ages Of Wonderful

I've been invited to submit to Julie Czerneda and Rob St. Martin's anthology, Ages of Wonder!

A special thanks to Jim C. Hines, who introduced me to Julie at Ad Astra 2007.

This is my first invite to an anthology and I think it's very cool. I just hope they'll be happy with my story. Cross your fingers.

In the meanwhile, I polished off another short story that needed, well, polishing. I've given it to Kathleen who does not hit me with a mace.

However, she keeps talking about a whip.

Yikes!

Until I get this story done for Ages of Wonder, I'm going to put the book on hold again. Not to worry, this shouldn't take more than a week. The story is already written, it just needs some heavy duty editing.



Mike

YIKES!!

So, I’m driving back from the market Friday afternoon with both kids in the minivan and approach a stop sign. I step on the brake and the damn thing goes right to the floorboard. Luckily the brakes worked at that point. I got the car home, and phoned the dealership and got the car in that night, hoping it might be something relatively cheap.

Well, $650 later I got my car back. Both brake cylinders gone and shoes, too.

Thank God for VISA!!

On the plus side I finished Chapter 23 over the weekend.

Mike

Still here

WoW! I guess I’ve been gone a long time. I have not been idol. I wrote a short story I’m going to send off to Writers of the Future. Hopefully I can con a friend of mine to crit it for me, first. Then I’ll give it to Kat for the ‘final word’. They say writers shouldn’t give their work to spouses for editorial comment. I agree, but for different reasons. She is cruel, heartless, and takes unhealthy pleasure in watching me blabber like a little child when she reads my stuff.

Of course in the end it only helps my work, but sheesh, is the mace really necessary?

Anyway, the story and March break put the book on hold. I should be getting back to that within a day or two.

I finished reading Jim C. Hines’s Goblin Quest, a tale told from the point of view of, well, a goblin. It’s funny as hell and I recommend it to anyone who has ever as much as brushed against a role-playing game.

That’s it for now. I’m still here, still alive, still writing.

Mike

Ad Astra Update

Well, I’ve finished my very first convention as a panelist and I have to say, I like sitting on this side of the table. Where else will you get to sit with GoH Cory Doctorow, as I did Friday night, and have him listen as if I knew what I are talking about--which I did of course, ahem.

That panel had me extremely nervous, but the one I should have really worried about was the Girl Ghosts. Only about five people showed up in the audience and it was evident that everyone knew more about the subject than me. In my defense, I did not know I would be on the panel till Friday night when I picked up my badge.

Oh well, live and learn.

Sunday was the best of the three days for me. I attended a panel on editing where I always learn at least something new. This time I learned to write sign like this:

NO TRESSPASSING

Not sure about the punctuation though. Hmmm.

Anyway, after that I was on the Writers of the Future panel and that was just loads of fun. Past Winner Alan James Gardner moderated. Robert Sawyer, who is a judge, also attended, as well as Jim C. Hines, another past winner. This year’s winners Steve Kotowych and Tony Pi rounded out the cast of characters. We had a good crowd and most seemed genuinely interested in the contest.

After that was an anthology book launch by Canadian author Julie Czerneda where Tony PI and I won prizes of many books. Very cool.

After that was my final panel on magazines vs. anthologies which went very well.

I had a great time, and now I had better get something published so I have a reason to go next year.

Got some pictures on the website. Someday I will figure out links with this thing.

Mike