Kyell Gold's Blog, page 19

Furry Migration Coming Up!

As part of the “Kyell Never Sleeps” summer of 2014, I will be leaving in eight days for the lovely northern prairies of Minnesota. Well, specifically the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, where a first-year convention called “Furry Migration” is taking place. I am thrilled to be a Guest of Honor for the very first con, as I know several of the con staff and am sure they’re doing a lovely job–at least, what I’ve seen has been very organized and professional. It’s a nice time to be up in Minnesota as the mosquitoes are all packing up for the winter but the frost giants haven’t returned from the south yet. So if you’re in the area, come join me! I will be doing a reading, a panel on how gay the furry fandom is (spoiler: very), and some other writing panels. Also I will likely be hanging out in public spaces a lot or signing books at the Sofawolf table–the Sofawolf guys are also Guests of Honor, our second gig together in a month.

The fun starts next Friday, the 12th, so come by and join us!

Uncovered E-Book On Sale Everywhere (Soon)

I’ve just posted “Uncovered” to the NOOK store, Google Play, and Kobo, so it should appear there soon. It’s already on sale on Amazon, iTunes, and of course on baddogbooks.com.

Just a notice that if you can’t see it yet, it’s coming soon.

I Missed You Guys

I am back from Europe, and by “back” I mean “attending a wedding in Dallas, Texas.” Anyway, I’ve already recapped EuroFurence and not much has happened since then. I saw that Michael Sam was cut and that most people realize that it was for football reasons, so nobody is making a big deal about it. Here’s hoping he catches on with another team somewhere–I have to think that someone with his reported work ethic will find a place to play, in the CFL (Peter King reported that Montreal had their eye on him) if not the NFL.

While I was in Europe, the comic I did with Keovi for Erika Moen’s “Oh Joy Sex Toy” site got picked up by Upworthy and then the Huffington Post, so that was cool. All that comic-related stuff seems to hit when I’m out of the country; I was in India when the comic was released. Thanks to everyone who tweeted and mailed about it (I got an adorable e-mail from a mom who wanted to know how to support her fifteen-year-old furry son, and you guys all tweeted helpful responses which she appreciated). As of yet, no six-figure offers to turn it into a screenplay have materialized, but Kio, Erika, Matt, and I are keeping fingers crossed.

Football season is nearly upon us! *wag*

And I am, of course, writing. “Black Angel” is about halfway done; hope to finish up by the end of September. I have a couple con-related story projects to do this fall, and hopefully in the next month or so I will be announcing a story-related project that you can participate in! (If you are guessing that it is Patreon-related, you are very astute. Have a chocolate.) Also Kit and I are going to buckle down and seriously figure out this Firebirds jersey thing, so keep an eye out for that.

As always, if you want to make sure to be up to date on the latest news about stories, read exclusive excerpts of upcoming work, and get monthly writing tips, you can sign up for my Google Groups newsletter. Once a month, no spam, just fox.

Eurofurence Quick Recap

Kit and I haven’t been to Eurofurence in six years, but we’d heard that it remained as good as we remembered it. We are delighted to report that two thousand attendees and a new hotel did nothing to dampen the joy and enthusiasm of this convention.

I’ve already blogged about the shows, but I will say that Sardyuon’s performance was fantastic in person and the fox was a lovely, congenial presence around the con. Same goes for Fox Amoore, who transported an audience with a full play-through of his album “Come Find Me.” (Disclaimer: Fox is a friend and I wrote some liner notes for the album. It’s still terrific.) And the Pawpet Show was, as always, a fantastic spectacle, even if it started a couple hours late.

I did a lot of panels for people and enjoyed them all. Brer and Ursula and I sat and told some “Tales From The Road,” which we had trouble ending on time because “that reminds me of one more thing!” I did a couple readings and talked publishing with Brer and then he and I ran a writing workshop that went very well. This was something I’d created just for EF and I think I will have to bring it to other cons now.

I signed some books and had many fun and interesting talks with people I’d just met. I caught up with friends and had lots of time to relax, and EF even did me the honor of incorporating me into their theme for the year. More about that in my newsletter, I think.

After the con, Kit and I took a boat ride around Berlin, which was beautiful, and explored the city with a few post-con stragglers: Brer and Alo of Sofawolf and Lucky and Skuff Coyotes. We had a nice walk and saw a little bit of history: a nice way to close down the con.

Eurofurence has a great social vibe, and the new hotel has a big lobby perfect for gathering. It was full of furries and fursuits most of the time (EF had something like 900 suits in their parade/photo) and always felt fun, relaxed, and comfortable. As Ferris Bueller once said, if you have the means, I highly recommend it.

That’s Us In The Spotlight

I don’t often get to see stage shows at furry cons. Between working dealer tables and doing panels, it’s often impossible to get free for enough time. So it was really a pleasure at EF to be able to see Sardyuon’s performance, Fox Amoore’s concert, and the Pawpet Show. The EF staff very kindly reserved spots for the GOHs, which I think they thought of as just sparing us the queue and ensuring good seats. That would be enough of a benefit, really, but it meant much more to me. All the shows were wonderful and I had a terrific time, and it got me thinking about one of the best parts of the fandom.

We talk often about how we create our own content, how the fandom is all our creativity, not based (mostly) on other canonical works. The corollary to that is that the people who create and perform the things we love–they’re all furries too. Sardyuon was dancing at many parties here; Fox Amoore hung out at the bar before and after his show just talking to fans; the creators and performers of the Pawpet Show are in large part the staff of EF and other attendees. You can meet any one of them during the con (though a couple of the staff members are scarce and others you would only meet if you were in trouble).

There’s a similar *sort* of atmosphere at WorldCon, but although the authors walk around with the fans, the really big celebrities stay mostly apart. If George R.R. Martin walks through a con space, he quickly gets mobbed. And the creations are mostly literary. The path to stardom is just through writing. If you can’t write but like to read, you will always be a fan.

At furry cons, anything you can do to entertain might draw a crowd. Most everyone in fursuit is a performer on some level. You might be able to organize projects and run conventions (and con staffs deserve a lot of love–give one a paw-shake or hug and a thank you at the next con you attend). You might make music or tell stories. Uncle Kage and I started attending conventions around the same time. He told stories in the lobby of the hotel when he could find space, to crowds of a dozen. Now he fills auditoriums.

The point, as always, is that our fandom is awesome. The people we have and the talent that exists and that is coming up through the fandom is amazing. And the best part is that we all get to do the thing we love.

So whatever you want to do, keep doing it: art, writing, storytelling, comedy, fursuiting, dance, music, gadgetry, con-running, clothing making, brewing, cooking…and one day hopefully I’ll get to come to a con and congratulate you on your success.

We all know how to whistle

I’m in an airport for some undefined time, and Lauren Bacall’s death was just announced over airport CNN. One of my fans tweeted that it reminded him of Lee’s Lauren Bacollie in OOP, so you guys are getting this, typed on my phone.

—–

I see it on the news in the hotel lobby as we’re eating dinner. It doesn’t mean anything to the other guys, of course. It wouldn’t mean anything to me if not for Lee. So I call him from the room once dinner’s over.

“Hi, handsome. What’s up?”

“Did you see? Lauren Bacollie died.”

He pauses long enough that I know it’s the first time he’s hearing it. “No, I’ve been in meetings all day. Still in one, actually.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not more important than you.”

We’re silent again, and then I say, “I don’t even know what she was doing these last many years. But I liked the movies you made me watch.”

“I know.” He’s slightly distracted, or maybe thinking, like I am, about how people pass out of your life. Not that we knew her at all, though Lee once talked about writing to tell her he’d used her voice to seduce me.

And on cue, he says, “You okay, handsome?” And he says it in her voice, like he hasn’t done for years.

“Yeah.” I smile, because of the memories, but all the same there’s loss, too. “I don’t know why I called. It’s silly.”

“It’s not silly.” That he says immediately. “In a small way, she was part of our history.”

“I guess so.” I force a chuckle. “I never get too worked up about celebrity deaths. I just wanted to talk to you.”

“I’m glad you did. But you know, the parts of her she left us are still with us. They’re not gone. That goes for anyone. As long as we can still say,” and he does the voice again, “‘just put your lips together and blow,’ we remember her.”

I smile. “Thanks. I’m glad she’s part of our history.”

“There’s a reason I picked her voice to sound sexy.”

“Uh-huh.” I grin, stretching out. “I don’t think it’s fair that only you get to say that line.”

“Well, tiger,” he breathes into the phone, “practice for this weekend.”

We hang up and I lie back and think. Death is sometimes scary and often sad, and it makes us reach out for the ones we love, even when it happens to someone we only know through movies. It reminds us of the people who are important, spurs us to make sure that we, too, leave something worthwhile behind.

“You know how to whistle, don’t you?” I try. It sounds terrible, but I smile anyway.

LonCon 3 Schedule (Hi London furs!)

Hey, if you are interested in my LonCon 3 schedule, it is mostly under my other name, and you can find that if you know where to look for it. Of particular interest may be the launch of an anthology I’m in, “Kaleidoscope,” on Friday at 13:30 in the Book Launch section of the Library in the Fan Village. I might be doing a short reading from my story there and copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. Also tea and biscuits!

On Saturday at 18:00 in Capital Suite 13, I will be on the “Furry Fandom: It’s Not What You Think” panel along with some other awesome furries, so if you miss the Friday event, you can catch me at that one.

Looking forward to seeing you Londoners around there, and maybe if you’re not coming to the con, we can get together somewhere around the ExCel Centre on Saturday or Sunday…

Relationship Advice From The Internet

So I’m doing story research–this character had a previous relationship and I was trying to think of all the things he might look back on when thinking about how he’d screwed it up. Having run through all MY mistakes, I checked the web for “stupid things I did in a relationship,” and this article came up first, along with a bunch of stuff from Dr. Laura that I have no intention of clicking on. I got a couple things that were useful from the article, but parts of it amused and annoyed me too much not to share.

Mainly it’s because the article opens its list by saying, “Many of these things are rather simple — some may even say “stupid” — mistakes that could have been easily avoided.” So I’m thinking, great, like picking the wrong shirt to go with those slacks? Nope, the first entry on the list is: Affairs.

Cheating is a “simple mistake.” An affair is a planned relationship outside your marriage. It is a complicated, long-term arrangement that may (depending on your partner and relationship) not even be a mistake.

Then there’s Moving. Also generally something people put a lot of thought into. Most couples who have to move apart do understand that it puts stress on the relationship.

What else you got, list? Oh, here’s one. Relying on Chemicals.

Sure, if one of the partners gets hooked on drugs, I can see–wait, what? “When you are first attracted to a person, your brain releases a cocktail of “feel-good” chemicals. As you continue to date your partner, your brain begins to gradually release fewer chemicals. After about two years, you may begin to feel the “chemistry” between you and your partner fading away.”

Okay, everyone. Make sure you avoid the simple mistake of having brain chemistry.

And then the last one: Violence.

Yes, obviously you should never use violence toward your partner. Never ever. But did you know… “Violence is a serious problem that can lead to more than just the demise of your relationship; it can land you in jail.”

You know, also I understand it could hurt another human being. But hey, that’s just a “simple mistake” that could easily be avoided.

I think the only things on the list that I would say are actually “simple mistakes” are the Personal Criticism and Contempt entries, and even the list admits that they’re basically the same thing. Don’t trivialize the other things, which are often symptomatic of long-term issues in a relationship (or the result of difficult choices, as “Moving”), by calling them simple or stupid mistakes.

Uncovered E-book On Sale! (longer post)

In case you don’t have a Twitter or happened not to be looking between midnight and midnight-thirty Central Time last night, or this morning around 7 am Pacific time, you might have missed that the Uncovered e-book is on sale at baddogbooks.com! The link is -> http://baddogbooks.com/?product=uncov...

Per what is becoming my usual policy, the book will be only on BDB for the first month of its release before it goes to all the other stores. This is because BDB is a cool store and I want to encourage people to buy from them, and also (full disclosure) they offered me an incentive to have the exclusive time. The people who run it are good folk and furry folk, so if you buy from them, your money is largely staying in the fandom (less the amount that goes to payment processors, which can someone get on starting a furry bank already? thanks guys).

Anyway, if you ONLY have Amazon gift cards or iTunes credit or whatever, the book will be there September 1. If you need help getting your MOBI file to your Kindle, check with your Kindle tech support.

Coyotl Award Nominations

Hey, I promised more on this and here it is! The C(accented o)yotl Awards are back and holding a retroactive award for 2012. I have a book thing nominated: “Silver Circle,” my werewolf book, is on the slate for Best Novel. Here is where you can go vote if you are a FWG member: http://coyotlawards.org/2014/07/16/we...

The Coyotls, if you’re not familiar with them, are intended to be the Nebula to the Ursa Major’s Hugo award. They are only open to the Furry Writers Guild members, but anyone may nominate any work and the awards are given by popular vote of the membership.

The deadline for voting–and for nominating for 2013, in case you’re inclined to nominate “Divisions” or “Sibling Rivalry” (from “What Happens Next”) or one of your favorite works not by me, like the wonderful “God of Clay”–is August 8th. Whoever you vote for, get the vote out!

Note that while I have declined to participate further in the Ursa Major Awards, the Coyotls have only been around for a year, technically (though that year was two years ago), so I’m pleased to accept these nominations. I won one of the inaugural Coyotls for “Science Friction,” though I must also admit that there were no other nominees for “Best Mature Novella.”