Kelly McCullough's Blog, page 70

Free Words Tuesday

New Mouse fiction on my LJ: Mouse 6!

Novelists' Blogs

How weird (wyrd?), we don't seem to be listed here.

Friday Cat Blogging Reckless Abandon Edition

This little pink piggy stayed home and slept–zzzzzzzzz



But I'm ready for my nap!



Love me!



Looks like she ate whoever was using that laptop.

MarsCON Schedule (Morehouse)

In case local folks are in attendance this weekend, here's where and when you can find me. (Note: I'm going to be late to my first panel on Saturday, but I've alerted the Marscon/Kruschenko's folks)

Saturday, March 5:

11:00-11:45 AM--Krushenko's/Concierge (Room 1332)
Panel: Vampires: Why They Die in the Daylight and Don't Sparkle
DJ Vlad, mod.; Lyda Morehouse

Noon-12:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars/Taylor (2nd Floor)
Broad Universe Rapidfire Readings
Catherine Lundoff, host; Lyda Morehouse, Kathryn Sullivan, Anna Waltz

2:00-2:45 PM--Krushenko's
Panel: MARVELVERSE from the Civil War to the Heroic Age
Lyda Morehouse, mod.; Roy C. Booth, Eric M. Heideman

4:00-4:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars
Panel: Writing and Getting Read: Finding an Audience
Anna Waltz, mod.; Rob Balder, Lyda Morehouse

9:00-9:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars
Panel: Cops and Gumshoes in Fairyland
Rick Gellman, mod.; Lyda Morehouse

Sunday, March 6

10:0-10:45 AM--Krushenko's
Panel: Alternate Sherlocks
Eric M. Heideman, mod.; Cynthia Booth, Lyda Morehouse

11:00-11:45 AM--Krushenko's
Panel: The Future is Seriously Dark for 16 Year Olds
Lyda Morehouse, mod.; S.N. Arly, Naomi Kritzer

Marscon

I am on two panels at Marscon, both this coming Saturday: 2 pm and 6 pm. However, Patrick is down with pneumonia plus something else, maybe a really ugly cold, and I am coming down with a cold, maybe his. It's possible I won't make Marscon.

Marscon

I'm going to be at Marscon this weekend -- if you want to track me down, here's where to look:

Friday
4:00-4:45 PM--Krushenko's/Concierge (Room 1332)
Panel: Magic in Science Fiction
Stargate's ancient technology, Star Trek?s Heisenberg compensator and Doctor Who's TARDIS. What are some of the ways in which sci-fi uses magic as a surrogate for science, passing it off as either too advanced or too commonplace in-universe to spend time explaining? Why not simply write the story around accepted understandings of physics instead? Does the use of magical Doctor Who science help or hurt the story? Share your questions, ideas and preferences with a panel of creatives who work in this area.
Rob Callahan, mod.; Lois McMaster Bujold, Naomi Kritzer


9:00-9:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars/Taylor (2nd Floor)
Panel: Magic in Children's Literature
From folk and fairy tales through Alice, Oz, Narnia, the Meg Murray adventures, Patricia C. Wrede, and beyond.
Rick Gellman, mod.; S.N. Arly, Naomi Kritzer

Saturday

6:00-6:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars
Panel: The Woods are Lovely
How do we create modern fairytales and myths? How do we tap into the primal emotions of fairytales in a modern era?
Michael Merriam, mod.; PMF Johnson, Naomi Kritzer

Sunday, March 6

11:00-11:45 AM--Krushenko's
Panel: The Future is Seriously Dark for 16 Year Olds
What's up with all the science fiction YA books set in dystopias? From Scott Westerfield?s Uglies to Suzanne Collins? Hunger Games (even the final Harry Potter book, to some extent), there are a surprising amount of very dark futures that are topping the bestseller lists.
Lyda Morehouse, mod.; S.N. Arly, Naomi Kritzer

2:00-2:45 PM--Krushenko's
Panel: Writing in a Series: Harmonies and Discords
Writers who have done multiple novels or stories about continuing characters and/or a linked world share their experiences, positive and negative, and their advice to aspiring series writers.
Michael Merriam, mod.; Lois McMaster Bujold, Naomi Kritzer

I will also have my daughters in tow for much of the weekend. (Molly for most of it, Kiera for part of it.) Molly's favorite things at the con are Steam Century and gaming, so if I'm not actually scheduled for anything ... there's a good chance that's where I'll be.

The Best Thing on the Internet

I ♥ Julia Yu's Goodnight Dune.

Mouse Tuesday

I'm committing fiction over on my LJ.

As I'm one of those people who takes great comfort in working during stressful periods, I actually wrote this little section while waiting for the cardiologist to tell us what was going on with my partner's "failed" stress test.

I was thinking about this as I wrote it, because mood affects writing. I suspect this scene would have be a lot scarier, if I wasn't already overloaded on that particular emotion. I don't buy into the myth that you have to be in the right "mood" to write, but I *do* think that where you are emotionally creeps into what you write.

See if you agree.

Friday Cat Blogging Now With Bonus Critters

I hate you. That is all.



Halp I'z bein carried off!



What do you mean, vampire cat?



I wuvez you zis much!



Duuuuuuude!



Worship me or I will destroy you



Lola: Dog of the North!

Kids and Writing

Just want to note that, while there are a lot of panels out there in the SF/F community about the struggle of writing with kids, there are some bonuses too. Mason is sitting across from me at the Coffee Grounds reading the advance review copy of ALMOST FINAL CURTAIN giggling. This is his third time through (and he tells me it's not his favorite. He still likes ALMOST TO DIE FOR better.)

Also, last night as I was trying to write while watching TV (a bad idea, btw,) he poked his head in a couple of times to read over my shoulder. He kept asking me, excitedly, what was happening and what would be coming next.

I know that it's a little like having your mom like your writing, but it's still cool. And some days, it's enormously satisfying to live with one of my greatest fans.