Hey, I know the notice is late, but I’m heading over to McMenamin’s Barley Mill tonight around 8:00. Come by! 

1629 S.E. Hawthorne

I just finished a short story which I’d love having a reader or two look over before I send it out. It is 4800 words of science-fiction. It’s in a password protected post, but it’s a new password. Drop me a line and I’ll tell ya.

I was never one of those girls who fell in love with horses. For one thing, on our part of New Oregon they were largely impractical animals. Most of the countryside consisted of forests attached to sheer hills and you wanted something with a little more clinging ability. So from the time I was, well, from the time I can remember I wanted a teddy bear spider more than I wanted to breathe.

The problem is that teddy bear spiders were not cheap, especially not for a pioneer family trying to make a go of it.

Mom and Dad had moved us out of Brothertown in the first wave of expansion, to take advantage of the homesteading act. Our new place was way out on the eastern side of the Oltion mountains where Dad had found this natural level patch about halfway up a forested ridge, so we got sunshine all year round, except for the weeks in spring and autumn when the rings’ shadow passed over us. Our simple extruded concrete house had nothing going for it except a view of the valley, which faced due south to where the rings were like a giant arch in the sky. Even as a twelve-year old, angry at being taken away from our livewalls in town to this dead structure, I fell in love with the wild beauty of the trees clinging to the sheer faces of the valley walls.

SF writer, Rick Novy, pointed out that Ralan is having a fundraiser and has only raised 14% of his goal, half-way through the drive. Come on folks, we can do better than that.

We all use Ralan.com because he has pretty much every market listed.

Rick suggests:

1) Make a 10 euro donation (the paypal site takes care of the details).
2) Help me to spread the word on the blogosphere. Let’s show Ralan the thanks he deserves for all he does for us.

Will you help out?

I took Sean Markey and Beth Wodzinski over to Powell’s before their flight out yesterday.

I love Powell’s, City of Books. It’s one of the major draws to Portland — not just that we’ve got a giant bookstore, but that we’ve got the sort of literate culture that requires the giant store. In the science-fiction and fantasy section, there’s this column, signed by SF & F authors who visit. Inspired by Cherie Priest’s visit, I wandered up to the SF desk and said, “Hi, I’m the Campbell Award winner for this year. Could I sign the column?”

This was cool because:
a) This is the first time I’ve introduced myself that way and it was sort of like playing dressup.
b) I didn’t have to explain anything else. His eyes sort of lit up, he congratulated me, and grabbed the key.
c) My name is on the column at Powell’s! Like I’m a real author and everything!

I know, it’s ridiculous that it has that effect on me, but holy cow! Do you know how many times I’ve looked at the names on there and marveled?

Sean was very accommodating and took photos for me. Look! You can see him in the reflection on the column.

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I’m in the airport in Cincinatti waiting for my connection to Portland.  I’ll spend the day in town and then head down to Lincoln City for a writing workshop hosted by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch.  Their guest instructor is Sheila Williams.  As you might imagine, I’m excited about this.

Even more exciting, I’ll get to see lots of old friends.

The workshop rules say that we can’t blog about it while there, so expect scanty entries from me until at least Monday.  I’ll be in Portland until the 18th and then back to NYC.  At the moment, my plan is to do a get-together at one of the McMennamins once I have a better idea of my post-workshop schedule.  I’ll keep you posted.