Radio Freefall - for free!

The inestimable Matt Jarpe is holding a contest to get a free copy of his first book, Radio Freefall.

I would enter myself, as you know I'm just a man ho for free books, but I have a copy I won the old fashioned way - by winning it in a silent auction at WFC.

So go forth and win.

Polls Are Closed!

It's about 9pm and results are available, yet.

For anybody who really cares, here are the results from my last election. That was an actual contested race (3 seats open, 4 people running). It was also a contest for mayor. At 172 votes I wasn't exactly blazing a trail, but I also was only in the Village for 3 years.

This year my tally will be less. How do I know this? Well, when I got back into the Village to cast my vote it was about 6PM. At that time I was ballot number 119. Yeah, just a fewer amount of voters turned out this time. Well, one there really is no contest (3 people are up for 3 seats). Add to that that today is the first bad weather day this year. Low voter turn out.

When the results are in, you'll be able to see them from the links right here.

VOTE FOR ME!

Today is election day. I'm on the ballot for Orwell Village. Don't forget to go out and vote.

Given the emails I had for the village when I got into work, I don't know if I'm going to vote for me, but I don't think I have a choice.

Snow!

Yes, Jim, we now have snow here in NE Ohio. It probably won't stick (and it really wasn't on more than roofs and cars). But there were the pellets of snow (first lake effect snows come as pellets).

Also, in puppy news, apparently the puppy likes being outdoors. This is good news as we've been trying to figure out how to have her indoors. So now a dog house purchase will probably be in our future. I did make a crude shelter for her out of some hay bales we had with a tarp thrown over the top.

World Fantasy and the Whatever

Meeting everybody at WFC was just a mind blowing experience. You all are very neat and cool.

I spent about a half hour talking with George Scithers when I just wanted to thank him for his personalized rejection letters. Sat with Jay Lake and Elizabeth Bear for ten minutes (I didn't contribute much to the conversation). I was able to talk with a boat load of authors; some I knew, some I didn't, some I should have been reading (sorry about that L. E. Modesitt, I really do want to read your stuff).

And there were about eleven or fourteen people who asked me if I was the Steve that posts on the Whatever. Yes I am. I recognized some of your names, but not all of them. Thanks for saying hi, though. It freaks me out a little (so that's why I kind of hesitated each time). I mean, I'm still there to play fanboy to the writers and editors, so when it happens to me, it's a little disconcerning. When you're at these cons, there's lots of badge checking. When you see someone you look to their badge to grab their name. I'm not good at that. But yeah, you guys and gals zoom me. It's a serious rush to have that happen.

But I do have to make clear some things about me.

One, I'm horrible with remembering names. Seriously. I blew that section of my mind out with NutriSweet. Before I tried diet pops, I was pretty good with names. Afterward I have to work very hard to remember them (the people from the first night, I wrote their names down on scraps of paper, I didn't have the opportunity on the other days). But I never forget a face. So walking around places like WFC is an experience, I know many of the people walking around having seen them all before. The people I've talked with I know I've talked with them (I can remember most details about those I meet). It's just not remembering names.

Two, I blew some of my hearing out playing in marching band, orchestra, jazz band, and my own rock band. My HS marching band (GlenOak, under Roger Hall) was small, but we outplayed bands twice our size. We were very loud (controlled sound, not blatty). The "cocktail party effect" (where you can focus in on one person talking in a crowd) doesn't work for me. So when I'm in a crowd, hearing someone even if they're right next to me is very hard. I sometimes go by reading lips.

Anyway, you all were great. I hope to see you all again real soon.

Homecomming

Made it home in one piece, mostly. Didn't get to say good-bye to most people.

However my wife had several surprises for me. First, she had taken down the Halloween decorations. The second was waiting in the garage for me.



Bette found her playing in traffic in downtown Orwell Saturday morning. We've called the police, no missing report. We'll put up flyers to see if anybody knows her. Then we're deciding if we're going to keep her.

Cha cha cha Changes

Well, the clocks have changed over, but I haven't. Although dead tired and stark awake and getting a slow start to the day.

And it maybe the paranoia but I think I was an awful bore last night at the party. I blame the demon rum from Friday night. I hope I didn't kill anybody with conversational deadening skills.

So today, must pack back up, take my duffle full of books, load up the car, and drive with Karl back to Ohio. It's gonna be a long day.

WFC Saturday

Met way too many people to remember at the Tor Party. You all were excellent and I'm sorry I was such a bore. As you can see, it's only midnight, and I hit pumpkinville about an hour ago, but kept on trying to keep going. I wasn't successful. 'nough said.

Too much to write about as I'm falling asleep. Tomorrow is the long ride home (about 7 hours).

Won Matt Jarpe's Radio Freefall but didn't win The Coyote Road in the PK Dick Silent Auction. I would put in a bid for the Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet but I think the bidding is above my comfort level at this point. But that action doesn't close until tomorrow, so I still might.

Anyway, time for sleep. Glad I took Monday off. I think I'll sleep until I have to get up to take my car for the 60,000 mile checkup.

Should say I met Jay Lake and Elizabeth Bear, who are wonderful people and allowed me to sit for ten minutes with them as they waited to go to dinner.

WFC Friday

OMG, what a day. And I've been a little shy (yes, I know, you can't imagine it). So I haven't gone up to everybody I wanted to.

Hung out at the parties more tonight, had a great time. I'm so tired, I'm going to forgo linking, sorry. I might put them in tomorrow.

I started posting several times per day, but kept on getting interupted. So much to do. Finally got to say high to a lot of people, especially at the book singing. I got to tell Ellen Datlow that she was the person who sent me my first rejection letter. If you all think you've had a bad rejection letter, my first one basically said, "Thanks for submitting to Omni Online. As of February we have decided to close the magazine. We are returning your story unread. Good luck."

Yeah, get over that. Your story was such a stinkeroo, we closed up shop and went home. Yeah, now that's a rejection.

I said hi to Jay Lake. He knew my name from my sometime blog commenting (excellent person he is). Thanked Tamora Pierce for her book recommendations for my wife that she kindly gave me at Confluence (which, although she did add her books in, she didn't start there, and her book selections form her own published works made sense, very classy woman). Said hi to David Hartwell. Let him know that my writing had progressed from the time we first talked and he said, "Your writing probably (stinks) right now." He was playing the odds. Tried to say hi to Patrick Nielsen Hayden, but that man is quick on his feet, I tell ya. There was a panel to honor Bette Ballentine. I came in late, found a seat near the front, and then looked around at the people sitting around me. I was WAY out of my league. I'm glad I went, Bette was a hoot and a half (and overly modest). And just sitting in that room with those people was a personal rush. I don't even know where to begin listing them all. Look at the membership list and pick out all the big names and you pretty much have the packed room audience.

So tired, must get sleep.

Did I mention however long ago that Camille also sold another poem. I must have. If I didn't, congrats Camille. right now I'm feeling all fanboyish and wondering how I've gotten to know these amazing people I have the temerity to hang out with.

Other cool things at World Fantasy

So, this morning I went down for the first panels, and stack in boxes under a homemade sign saying, ""Free Books, these Arrived after the bags were packed" (or something like that) were copies of Jay Lake's Trial of Flowers (trade paperback).

Also, best line from first panel, "I fell bad when the ghost are having a better time than I am." - Daniel Olsen

Another Sale for Mer!

All around hoopy frood and multiple language raconteur ("qua?" "quoi?" thanks Mer) Mer Haskell has sold story to Electric Velocipede. If you don't know either (Mer or EV) you should really check them out, and go tell Mer how great this is. Mer, you rock!

World Fantasy Fever Dreams

Well, I called the hotel and asked if they had free wifi access. Sure enough, they have access all over the place, and it's all free.

So, I said to my wife, it seems to me like I'm looking for a reason not to take my laptop with me. She agreed and said that I would be over-hyper worried about it. And then made a snarkey comment about my obessesive compulsiveness.

Here I am at World Fantasy with my laptop. Ha. Ha. Ha.

"And is it excellent," I can hear you all ask. "It most certainly damn is," is my response.

And it is. I can't talk too much about the surrounding town, except for a almost futile hunt for dinner. The town has a very "walk around and shop" feel to the main throughfare with a "dangerous bar off the beaten path" feel to the side-streets. We eventually settled on a pizza shop that turned out to be decent, but I ordered something way too spicy. Well, I was trying things.

Then my friend Leaf (whom I am sharing the room with) and I came back to the hotel for the ice cream social where I had a rootbeer and goggled the BNA's roaming around. Obviously Leaf and I don't rank as several people took a look at our names and turned around before saying hi (oh well, I didn't recognize their names either, and they should probably read Tobias Buckells "Getting Past Being Joe Blow Neopro"). Ah well. Ran into Josh and Sam down there. Met a few other people.

Then I went to Mary Turzillo's reading. Mary is an excellent writer, BTW. I really feel honored that I know her and I get to talk to her on a regular basis. Mary read from her story about a smilodon, which I've heard before but it keeps on getting better every time I hear it.

Then I went to the party called "Zombies Need Brains." Excellent. There's something delicious about a party that has free beer and books for sale. Also, there's excellent people at this party. First off is Amy, who I keep forgetting her name (sorry about that), but then she doesn't have a name tag on. Amy was very gracious about me being an idiot because she doesn't know me and my sense of humor. Sorry, Amy. I think I carried a joke too far.

Then, as I'm looking for the paperback of SC (Sam) Butler's first book, Reiffen's Choice, I get introduced to a pacel of other writers and editors. Including Matt Jarpe, author of Radio Freefall. Ian Tregillis, whom I am told is an excellent person that we can expect great things from. From what little I've talked to him I believe that. I can't find a website or blgo for him, but here's a story from Trabuco Road of his. Then there was Catherine Cheek, who is a recent graduate of Clarion. I didn't get to talk to Catherine, but she pointed at me while talking to Ian, and I was standing right next to them. So I think I've met her, or something like that. She also seems to be a very interesting person. And last by not least I ended up taking with Matt Jarpe and John Joseph Adams (aka, the Slushgod, maybe you've heard of him). How psyched am I at this moment? BTW, all these and more (I'm sure I'm forgetting people, like the name of the person who registered me in who is the programmer for Marcon).

I've also seen people in the hallways. Big Name people. It's excellent. But right now I've been zombified. And I think it's time for bed. The curse of having a job that starts at 7am and has an hour's commute. Add in the creaping crud from my wife's job and the slight sickness from last weekend. Yes, the eyes are droppy, and the typing is going down hill.

Oh, before I forget, for World Fantasy, as a part of the "welcome gifts" they gave cookies and a duffle bag with books (not filled with books, but a goodly amount). My BNA book inside, Joe Hill's 20th Century Ghosts. How cool is that. I did a little geek victory war dance. This was the book my wife badgered people about last Xmas because I asked for it. I put it on my list as I saw the new NA Edition was out. And now I have a copy! Woohoo!