Date: 2012-05-19 07:54 Subject: It would be wrong Security: Public

To poke my houseguest with a stick and wake him up? It's 8AM, so surely even the biggest of sluggards should be awake and about his business?

And yes, there's a part of me that can't help wondering how the woman who used to sleep till noon every chance she got has been transformed into someone who thinks 6AM is a perfectly reasonable time to start her day. But there's a larger part that's plotting how I can "accidentally" make enough noise to inspire my guest to arise and shine.

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Date: 2012-05-13 11:19 Subject: Religion fail Security: Public

This morning I went with a friend and her parents to church. As the congregation was singing "I have prepared rooms for you in my father's house, all are welcome," I poked my friend and exclaimed "AVENGERS MANSION!"

We agreed afterwards that if the church were to embrace robots and superheroes it might help their recruitment problems. Even I might be tempted to return to the fold.

Yesterday I finally got to see the new Avengers movie, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Afterwards we decided that what we need next is a Clint & Natasha movie. Actually I could just watch Clint all day long. And all night.....

Having fun visiting with Jennifer. Given my druthers, I'd love to be outside enjoying the lovely weather, but her Mom isn't particularly mobile, so we're taking things easy. Brunch this afternoon, which will undoubtedly be on the heavy side, then driving back home. Luckily I have the new Avengers soundtrack to keep me awake on the drive.

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Date: 2012-05-08 07:54 Subject: The next wave of computer crashes? Security: Public

Google received the first driverless license permit in Nevada. Yes, it's a self-driving car, no human required.

While I understand that most accidents are caused by human error, and I'm not entirely comfortable sharing the road with AuthenticHuman-SurfingWeb-TalkingOnPhone-LookingatGPSNavScreen-WhileDoing80mph, I can't help thinking about how often my computer freezes and crashes. Not to mention all those great GPS-aided accidents as drivers blindly follow GPS instructions to drive into lakes, down staricases, on closed roads, etc.

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Date: 2012-05-07 09:11 Subject: Avengers free weekend Security: Public Tags: bike

Alas one of the downsides of my new abode is the lack of decent movie theaters, which means that I won't get a chance to see the Avengers movie until next weekend.

I did get out on two good bike rides this weekend. The first was with friends who live a few towns over. It was right at the edge of being too cold to be out (50's, cloudy and windy) but we managed. Yesterday I left from here, and started off on one of the marked bike routes, then detoured for a bit to add extra mileage. When I'm cycling on my own I don't like to get too far from the house, so I need a ring ride, or multiple spokes. That way, in case of malfunction, at worst case I'm never more than 10-15 miles from the house.

I'm starting to relax on the new road bike. It's by far the most comfortable and stable road bike I've ridden. I need to get some decent miles on it in the next week or so, before I bring it back to the bike shop for the one month tuneup.

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Date: 2012-05-01 09:53 Subject: Kittens! Puppies! Wine and cookies! Security: Public Tags: signal boost

Now that I have your attention-- time is running out on Laura Anne Gilman's Miles to Go / Promises to Keep Kickstarter project. Follow the link to check it out.

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Date: 2012-04-23 08:42 Subject: The Creatures That Ate Portland (Maine) Security: Public

Well, maybe only a tiny portion of Old Port. But we did our best to eat (and drink) our way through the city, taking breaks for visits to museums and a little shopping. Some of us picked up books, others found a vinyl LP shop and handmade crafts.

The only flaw was that some places weren't open, or were only open limited hours because it's pre-season. But it definitely inspired me to want to go back, and the good news is that it's an easy drive from my new place.

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Date: 2012-04-13 16:02 Subject: Bicycle! Security: Public Tags: bike

Squee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Took the afternoon off from work, went to the bike shop, did a test ride, and after a brief wait while they made adjustments and added accessories, I'm now the proud owner of a new road bike.

I've been riding a hybrid since 1995. It's an amazingly reliable bike that will do anything. It just doesn't do it particularly quickly, so I decided I would invest in a road bike for longer rides, or when I want to take part in a group ride where everyone else is on road bikes.

The guys at Claremont Cycle Depot were great. They took the time to talk to me about what I wanted in a road bike, and helped me find one that I would be comfortable on. After the test ride, they made adjustments to things that I didn't know could be adjusted, like making the brake handles easier for me to grip since I have small hands. Unlike other road bikes I've ridden, I felt very stable and comfortable-. The new bike is a Specialized Dolce, which has the women's specific frame. Last time I bought a bike that wasn't even an option, but it makes a difference. On men's bikes I always felt as if I had to stretch too far to reach the handlebars, or if I could reach the handlebars, the seat had to be ridiculously high up. By contrast, my Dolce feels just right.

Can't wait to get our and ride this weekend!

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Date: 2012-04-08 09:34 Subject: My friends went to Norwescon and all I got was text messages Security: Public

And Facebook posts. And blog entries. And emails. All saying they were off having fun. Except for the friends who were at Eastercon having fun. And those friends who ditched cons for Bruce Springsteen concerts. Or who didn't go to cons but had Hugo nominations to liven up their weekends.

Meanwhile, I've been home, weeping bitter tears, gnashing my teeth as I labor at the day job. Luckily I have a one pound dark chocolate Easter bunny to console me.

Alas, cons this year are miserably timed for my current job, and it's not going to get any better. Both Worldcon and World Fantasy fall at the beginning of a month, when I'm not allowed time off from work. And sadly my plan to win the lottery jackpot and thus avoid pesky day job interference in my fun was foiled by my inexplicable failure to pick the winning numbers.

Luckily I still have (most of) bunny. And the internet. {hugs the internet}

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Date: 2012-03-31 09:56 Subject: For the road bikers out there Security: Public Tags: bike

Compact or triple crankset? Keep in mind that my bike maintenance skills are zero, so any time anything needs to be changed I'll be bringing it in to the bike shop.

(Yes, I'm thinking of buying my first road bike in the modern geologic era. I've been riding a hybrid since 1995.)

Riding in New Hampshire tends towards the hilly, if that makes a difference.

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Date: 2012-03-30 08:02 Subject: My people are a simple people Security: Public Tags: craft

Thanks to a friend who introduced us via email, I met up with two area sf&f writers last night. It was fun to hang out and talk shop, and the chosen venue of a local brewpub was ideal.

My people are a simple people-- we like to talk about writing, craft, what's going round the internets, the latest sci-fi movies, the endless submission/rejection/submit again game. And, oh, yes. Beer.

We found out that we'd all been at Boskone last month, and even had mutual friends there, but hadn't met up. Next time I go to a con, I'm wearing a shirt that says "New Hampshire resident" on both sides, to make it easier for fellow Granite Staters to spot me.

Hopefully we can do this again soon. Among the many things I miss about Binghamton is the loss of my local group of writers. The internet is a lifeline, cons are great fun, but there's nothing like being able to regularly meet face to face.

Now if I could only convince jpsorrow that he needs to move to a New England college town....

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Date: 2012-03-29 12:05 Subject: Random signal boosting Security: Public Tags: signal boost

Friends are doing cool things, including:

• Laura Anne Gilman is running A Cosa Nostradamus kickstart project to bring us Danny's story


• Juliet E. McKenna has released A Few Further Tales of Einarinn


• And don't forget to check out the Spirit of the Century: The Dinocalypse trilogy kickstarter project which looks well on it's way to being funded, which means C.E. Murphy will be writing a pulp fiction novel

This is just a sampling of the cool things going on from my friendslist. If I actually kept up with all the livejournal, dreamwidth, facebook, and twitter postings, I'm sure the list would be much longer :-)

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Date: 2012-03-18 18:27 Subject: Celebrating the green Security: Public

This weekend was devoted to celebrating the green. Today it was the green outdoors-- the unexpected blessing of a March day in New Hampshire where the weather was well into the 70s. Taking advantage of the good weather, I tried out the hiking trails around Boston Lot Lake which were muddy but (mostly) passable. Then I came home and opened up all of the windows in the place.

Yesterday was Saint Patrick's day, another kind of green. I lost my taste for noisy bars full of faux-Irish a long time ago, so instead I went over to a friends. She made Guinness beef stew and I brought over Irish soda bread. Some of her other guests thought serving sweet soda bread with beef stew was a tad odd, but if it was good enough for my Kerrywoman grandmother, it's good enough for me. Not to mention that leftover soda bread was perfect for breakfast.

Having done my best to consume several person's worth of soda bread in the last twenty four hours, I now remember why I haven't made this in a while. I'll either need to lose the recipe, or get a bigger circle of friends to help devour the next batch.

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Date: 2012-03-11 08:36 Subject: They came, they talked, they sold tons of books Security: Public Tags: booksigning, modernfae

My thanks to Maria Perry of Flights of Fantasy bookstore in Albany and the folks of LASTSFA for hosting such a great booksigning yesterday. The room was packed, our three authors gave great readings, and Joshua and I talked about cage match wrestling the editorial process. At the end we signed stacks of books for customers, which is a lovely way to end any signing.

Alas, due to the long drive home, I couldn't stay for the dinner afterwards that LASTSFA hosted, but I'm sure they had a blast.

If you couldn't make it and would like a signed copy of THE MODERN FAE'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY, there were four or five copies left over, so you'll want to head over soon.

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Date: 2012-03-07 06:53 Subject: And may your first review be a good review Security: Public Tags: modernfae, reviews

First review spotted was from Richard Marcus on BLOGCRITICS.ORG. He had nice things to say about the individual stories, as well as saying this about the collection--

All of the stories were equally captivating. The editors have also done a good job in selecting stories that represent a cross section of the various types of fantasy story on offer today.

Which made my day, since that was exactly what we were trying for.

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Date: 2012-03-06 08:35 Subject: Best idea ever? Probably not... Security: Public Tags: modernfae

This morning MODERN FAE contributor April Steenburgh and I are debating whether Saturday's readings should be livened up beatnik style (drums, etc), or by interpretive dance. I doubt I could keep from cracking up long enough to pull off an interpretive dance of her story. But if I could, it would be awesome.

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Date: 2012-03-04 09:03 Subject: Surviving humanity Security: Public Tags: modernfae

THE MODERN FAE'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY has already been spotted at bookstores in the wild. The official release is on Tuesday, March 6th, and to celebrate there will be a release party at the George F. Johnson Library in Endicott, hosted by Joshua Palmatier and April Steenburgh.

I can't make the release party, but will be at Flights of Fantasy in Albany, NY on Saturday, March 10th, at 5PM, along with co-editor Joshua Palmatier, and contributors S.C. Butler, Susan Jett and April Steenburgh, who will each be reading excerpts from their stories and talking about being in the anthology. S.C. Butler is the author of the Stoneways trilogy who has worked with us before, while for Susan Jett and April Steenburgh, their appearance in MODERN FAE represents their first professional sale, so it will be interesting to hear their different perspectives on the experience. If you can't make the event, you can call the store to reserve a signed copy, or stop by after the event to pick one up.

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Date: 2012-02-20 08:02 Subject: Things that make my day Security: Public Tags: reviews

Seeing a great review for DEVLIN'S LUCK pop-up in my Google alerts. It's great to know that new readers are still discovering this story.

And it made a nice change from the other alerts, which were news of new pirate copies of my books that had cropped up on the web....

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Date: 2012-02-20 07:53 Subject: Free books Security: Public

Only a few days left to enter the CROSSING THE STREAMS contest, a multi-author giveaway. Prizes include a copy of the soon to be released MODERN FAE'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY. For details on how to enter see Joshua Palmatier's website.

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Date: 2012-02-18 09:36 Subject: It's a book! Security: Public Tags: modernfae

Last night I got to pet a copy of THE MODERN FAE'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY edited by the Olympic Drinking tag team of Palmatier and Bray. Those happy few who are lucky enough to be at Boskone can pick up a copy at Larry Smith's table in the dealer's room.

The rest of you can get your copies when it goes on sale on March 6th.

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Date: 2012-02-12 09:20 Subject: My Boskone schedule Security: Public Tags: boskone, modernfae

- Hang out with friends
- Check the dealer's room for all the new releases that I've missed
- Eat
- Drink
- Repeat

I'm attending Boskone this year, but because I was unsure of my schedule, I declined to be on any programming. And now I'm looking forward to a convention where I don't have commitments, and can just do the good parts-- go to panels that look interesting, and talk with friends about our shared passions.

Plus, of course, harassing partner-in-crime jpsorrow, who I haven't seen since he stopped by New Hampshire on his way to Arisia last month. With only a few weeks before THE MODERN FAE'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING HUMANITY hits the shelves, we must synch up our plans for world domination.

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