Monday, Monday

Nothing like a freezing cold Monday morning to make you wish that your day job understood the concept of holidays and three day weekends.

Had great time with guests this weekend. Watched the extended edition of The Chronicles of Riddick, and then Starship Troopers because it was that kind of night.

Finished reading Hammered. Really enjoyed the story, and am now eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series. Available June 28th, for those who were wondering.

Now reading The Farscape Companion books for seasons 1 through 4. And finally getting around to Tinker by Wen Spencer, which I'd picked up after Christmas.

Also getting ready for Arisia this weekend. I have a special fondness for Arisia because this was the second con I went to as a "pro" and the first where I was invited to be a panelist. Plus it's in Boston, which means great food and perhaps squeezing in a trip to Finale restaurant (http://www.finaledesserts.com/) for luscious desserts.

If you're heading to Arisia, be sure to say "Hi!" Here's my schedule for the weekend:

Friday 7PM - Farscape Forever
Saturday 4PM - The Creative Brain
Saturday 5PM - The End, now what?
Sunday 1PM - Torturing Characters for Fun and Profit

If I'm not in a panel, I'm probably in the dealer's room or the bar :-)

And now back to the salt mines.

Good things happen

Hooray for Joshua!

Joshua Palmatier has accepted an offer from DAW for a three book series, the first of which is entitled "The Skewed Throne."

It's great to see a friend succeed.  I've known Josh for over three years now, and commiserated with him over the inevitable stages of a writer's life-- sending out queries, hunting for an agent, and dealing with rejections.  Josh kept on writing, and when one novel didn't sell, he went on to write another.  And then started a new project.  Perseverance paid off, and after finding an agent last spring, she negotiated a nice deal for him with DAW.

As longtime members of the Hard Lemonade Science Fiction Society, we naturally went out to celebrate with dinner and drinks.  I'm really glad that we were able to do this.  There's nothing quite like being able to share your success with other writers, people who understand just how hard it is to get published.  Friends you see at cons and correspond with over the internet are great, but sometimes there is no substitute for a local buddy, especially if they're willing to pick up the check :-)    

More details on the books will be made available on Josh's website, which we will badger him into creating.  And try to entice him into the realm of LiveJournals, although since he's finishing his thesis this semester we may give him a break.   

In the meantime, congratulations again and best wishes for his success.