Alex Gordon's Blog, page 16

My ConFusion Schedule!

Looks like it will be fun. Moderating twice, which is a newish experience for me, but good in that it makes me think of topics and questions in advance:

Kristine Smith

Reading: Amal El-Mohtar, Cherie Priest, Kristine Smith

Authors read from current or forthcoming works

Saturday

1:00 PM

Saugatuck

Amal El-Mohtar, Cherie Priest, Kristine Smith

Kristine Smith

Autograph Session (5 PM)

Come meet your favorite authors, artists and musicians and have them sign things! (Please limit your signing requests to 3 items per person.)

Saturday

5:00 PM

St. Clair

Sarah Bauer, Tobias Buckell, James S.A. Corey, J.C. Daniels/Shiloh Walker, Brandon Draga, Max Gladstone, Joe Hill, Jim C. Hines, Emmy Jackson, Elise Kova, Merrie Haskell, Mallory O’Meara, Andrea Phillips, Diana Rowland, John Scalzi, Kristine Smith, Ferrett Steinmetz, James L. Sutter, Vanessa Ricci-Thode, Mary G. Thompson, Patrick S. Tomlinson, Gregory Wilson

Kristine Smith

What’s Your Favorite Apocalypse?

A discussion on scientific advances that might tip the world towards an apocalypse.

Saturday

7:00 PM

Keewenaw

Kristine Smith (M), Andrew Zimmerman Jones, Julie Lesnik, Anthony W. Eichenlaub

Kristine Smith

Blurring the Lines

Genre is sometimes described as little more than arbitrary marketing categories, but readers and writers often define themselves by their preferred genre. What makes a genre distinct, and what happens when those distinctions are imported into another genre? Is it just a crossover, or an illustration that the distinctions are arbitrary?

Sunday

10:00 AM

Keweenaw

Brandon Black (M), Jackie Morgan, Cherie Priest, Jason Sanford, Kristine Smith Jason Sizemore

Kristine Smith

Rail Guns, Power Armor and Killer Robots

How close are we to the military technology heralded in SciFi books? Experts will talk about what is on the horizon.

Sunday

12:00 PM

Keweenaw

Kristine Smith (M), Karen Corbeil, Tobias Buckell, Kameron Hurley

Things of Beauty, Blank Forever

A few years ago, while I attended my first C2E2 comics convention, I made the mistake of wandering through the dealers’ room. I was able to withstand the temptations of the cool clothing, books, and collectibles. I avoided the posters, and the original artwork.

But then I passed a leatherworks booth, and stopped. So many lovely things. I wound up buying a rustic shoulder bag in a rich cognac shade. I also bought a notebook. Whip-stitched, ruddy brown, with an ornate hook-and-eye closure and paper that appeared handmade.

I’ve never written in it. Every so often, I page through it, and ponder the possibility of using it. But I fear spoiling those roughened silk-like pages with scraps of dialogue that will likely never be used, or notes that will never be formed into a story. I would want anything I wrote in that notebook to stand the test of time. I would want it to mean something.

 

Moleskine* notebooks. I know folks who buy them by the pack and use them to the exclusion of all others. Some time ago I splurged on a three-pack, which rested unopened on a bookshelf until one day I finally tore off the cellophane. I use one of the notebooks as a mileage log, but the other two remain unused. Blank. Clean.

Cheap notebooks, on the other hand, get filled up pretty regularly. They’re the medium that holds so many messages, the story notes, lists, doodles. Maybe it’s because they’reinexpensive, so I don’t mind filling them with words that may never go anywhere else. Maybe it’s because the pages are often removable, so that at any given time, I can tear out all the used ones, and have a clean notebook again. Another fresh start.

 

 

Still, I like to think that someday, I will grab a pen and make that first mark in one of those special notebooks. They say that you can’t enjoy a new car until it sustains that first ding or scratch. Only then does it become something that you can sit in comfortably and drive. Maybe after I write that first line or sketch that first flower, they will become like any other notebook. A tool, nicer than some, but a tool just the same.

Do you own something that you love but have never used? If so, do you think you’ll always keep it pristine, or will you finally wear it, or use it, or make that first indelible mark?

*I confess that the name puts me off. In my mind, I delete the ‘e’, which leaves me with the odd notion that the covers are made from mole pelts.

Superstitions

See a penny

I don’t believe that I am particularly superstitious. On a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 being “not in the least” and 100 the score of your average major league baseball player on a hot streak of wins/at-bats, I doubt I crack the low end of the scale. I don’t think twice about walking under ladders. I love black cats—years ago, one crossed my path when I was on my way to take a linear algebra exam, which I aced. Friday the 13th is just another day.

Pick it up

I’ve broken mirrors, spilled salt, and opened umbrellas indoors, all without a second thought. But there’s one superstition that has settled in several years ago, unpacked its bags, and made itself at home. When I see a penny on the ground, I pick it up. Usually.

All daylong

My only condition is that the penny has to be face-up. At one time I heard or read that if it’s tail-side up, all the luck has run out. So if it’s heads, it’s mine. Tails, and I pass it by.

I don’t know why this became my quirk. Rational Me knows that it makes no sense, that the existence and orientation of a stray zinc coin washed with copper can have no influence on my life. I understand that existence is one uncertainty after another, and the need to quell the fear that this can inspire, to seek order in a disordered world, can lead me to find meaning in meaningless events.

You’ll have good luck

From this point on, maybe I’ll start doing what some variations of the story behind the superstition describe, and turn over the pennies that are tails-side up so that someone else to have the luck. I could also dig more deeply into the history of this and other superstitions and use the information in stories.

And I will probably continue to collect pennies I find in the street. As long as they’re face-up.

If you’re curious, here’s an article with short histories of common Western superstitions, and one with more information about the penny legend.

(This post also appeared over at the BookView Café blog)

Unexpected Art, or Things Seen While Wandering

I’m a walker. At home, I take my dog, Gaby, for long morning jaunts through the neighborhoods or nearby state park. When I travel, I try to make time to wander. I take ghost tours, which are great ways to learn the history of an area as well as local legends and scandals. I window-shop. And sometimes, I stumble upon unexpected art.

A couple of years ago, during a visit to New York, I spotted these images. I’m pretty sure I was walking through the West Village when I came upon Liberty Lou Reed. Phone Guy turned up nearer the Meatpacking District; I also spotted his brother decorating a nearby sidewalk.

This past May, I took a research trip to Park City, Utah. Originally a mining town, it’s known now as a ski resort and the site of the Sundance Film Festival. One evening, I signed up for a ghost tour, and in addition to locations of long ago murders and mayhem, our small group also visited a few alleyways to see graffiti left by Banksy, the UK artist. These works were set off with frames and protective shielding, but according to our guide, at least one piece was painted over by folks who didn’t want graffiti on their building no matter how famous the artist.

I don’t expect to find unexpected art close to home, so during a recent walk along a park trail, I was surprised to find these images stuck to a sign. When I got home, I searched for Smallest_Giant online, and found several sites on which folks had posted drawings and photos of images, including the very same daydreaming fox and cat that I had spotted.

I thought it was neat that the same images that I saw had been viewed and photographed by others, and that there are places online where these bits of whimsy can be displayed.

Slowly but surely….

I’ve felt pulled in all directions these last few weeks. I start one thing, and three others clamor for attention. So the goals for next few weeks are to settle down, focus on writing, finish dealing with the leaves, add a few more batches of soup/stew/something to the deep freeze…

…and that’s too many things to plan. I know I should focus on work and let the chores fall where they may. It’s the never-ending battle between the immediate sense of accomplishment I feel when I do something around the house and the mix of emotions related to writing: accomplishment, but also aggravation, that feeling of wandering lost in the woods because one word after the other–what’s up with that?

Meatloaf is simpler.

My reissued light fantasy stories, Continuing Education and 8 rms., full bsmt., are now available at Amazon as well as BookView Café.

Upcoming contest! From 7-14 November, you can enter for a chance to win ebooks of GIDEON and over 30 other thrillers AND a Kindle Fire. I will post the link as soon as the contest goes live.

No hard freeze yet in far NE Illinois, which means I still have flowers. The mums have faded and the hibiscus are losing their leaves. But the begonias in the planter are still plugging along despite nights in the 40s and squirrels digging holes in the soft dirt.

Autumn Begonias

It’s nice to see shots of pink and white and leafy greenery amid all the warm shades, the yellow, orange and brown. I’m going to miss them when they’re gone.

‘Tis the season, so pumpkin spice is everywhere. I’m not a fan of the flavor in coffee and tea, but I do like pumpkin pie. So when I found a recipe for baked oatmeal with pumpkin, I decided to give it a shot. I used regular milk instead of almond milk, whole wheat flour instead of white whole wheat, added extra spices, and used pecans instead of walnuts. Imagine not-too-sweet pumpkin pie. A good way to start a chilly day. Definitely a keeper.

 

Re-release day!

 

Two light, sweet fantasy short story reprints, “Continuing Education” and “8 rms full bsmt“, are now on sale. They will be sold exclusively at Book View Café through the month of October, and are available in both epub and mobi formats. After that, they’ll go wide wherever e-shorts are sold.

 

 

Contests galore (and even more)!

October will be a busy month for contests and sales.

GIDEON is one of 25 ebooks you can enter to win at the Ultimate Horror Book and Prize Giveaway. Two lucky winners will get the ebooks, while one Grand Prize winner gets all the ebooks and a collection of classic horror novels along with matching Funko Pop figures. The contest runs through October 30th, with the winner to be chosen on Halloween.
CODE OF CONDUCT is one of more than 35 SF ebooks one lucky person can win, along with a Kindle Fire to read them on. Contest runs until 10/10. Enter here.
The first four Jani Kilian novels (CODE OF CONDUCT, RULES OF CONFLICT, LAW OF SURVIVAL, CONTACT IMMINENT) are being offered as a $9.99 bundle over at Book View Café. Sale end 10/11.
The ebook editions of GIDEON and JERICHO are on sale at all the usual outlets. GIDEON can be had for $3.99, JERICHO for $4.99. I don’t know how long the lower prices will be in effect, so grab them now.
And finally, on 10/4, a couple of my light, sweet fantasy short stories go on sale at Book View Café. They will be sold there exclusively through October, after which they’ll be available at Amazon and other outlets that sell short stories.

Flowers, wild and tame

At the state park, ’tis the season of yellow, mostly. Asters of various types. including a ton of goldenrod. I tried to identify some of the plants , but I tend to photograph the flowers and ignore the leaves and stems, and sometimes the leaves and stems are important.

A type of rosinweed, I think.

Most of these plants are very tall–5-6 feet or more–and bursting with blooms. I know they’re shedding pollen like mad, but they’re still pretty.

I think this is camphorweed

 

These little guys were growing on the beach, in the shelter of some driftwood. Pretty sure they are rough blazing star, which should grow 2-3 feet high…unless they are struggling for purchase on a stretch of rocky sand.

rough blazing star, a type of liatris

a close-up of one of the rough blazing stars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, more asters. Could be frost asters, which sounds lovely. Or fleabane, which, not so much. They’re growing amid a tangle of grapevines, of which we have a lot around here.

frost aster or fleabane

 

And that’s the wildflower report for the month. Here at the old homestead, the hardy hibiscus are blooming nicely, and still attracting bees and hummingbirds.

the hummingbirds’ fave hibiscus

The bees like this one

this one’s winding down

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The begonias are giving it a last shot–whites have been blooming for most of the summer, but the magentas and pinks struggle in the planter, which is very well-shaded. So far, a few magentas have bloomed, and one or two pinks look like they still have some life left. Fingers crossed that they have a chance to bloom before the chill sets in.

begonias

The hydrangeas in the shady sideyard are still blooming. The Annabelle stays white, while the Limelight starts whitish, then changes to pale lime. IIRC, last year’s flowers faded to pale pink, so I still have some color to look forward to.

annabelle

limelight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hardy mums that I planted last fall are starting to open. Two bright yellows and a brick red or burnt orange–I won’t know until buds open completely. In the past, I had stuck mums in the planter, then dug them up after the frost killed them. Last year, Julie Czerneda suggested I plant them before the frost, so I did. Three of five plants survived, and look about ready to explode with flowers.

“Get thee to a mummery!”

And that’s it for flowers for now. I’m surprised that I still have so many plants still going strong. I’m glad–I’ll miss them come the chill.

 

Worldcon highlights

So, I arrived home midafternoon last Monday with plans to post all about the convention from Day 1. Then dawned that realization that the scratchy throat I had attributed to allergies was actually a post-con cold come early. Over the next few days, I went from achy/sneezy/cranky/exhausted to “please don’t let this be like the cold I caught at C2E2” to, finally, head fulla sludge but overall okay. I then spent the next several days catching up on all the house and business things that didn’t get done while I was sick.

Which is why I haven’t posted about the con yet.

Later on, as I pulled details together, I realized that a day-by-day description is best posted day-by-day. Too many details getting lost in the mix.  So, highlights. I decided to stick with highlights.

After Jay Lake won the Best New Writer Campbell in 2004, he decided that award winners should receive something else along with the “cheese board,” and that all nominees deserved something to commemorate their nominations. Now I am working from memory and wasn’t one of the principles, so I may be getting things out of order, but as I recall he started working with a Portland designer to craft a pin, but became ill before all the details could be finalized.

But other folks had taken charge of matters. Fast-forward to this past ConFusion, when John Scalzi asked if I was going to be at Worldcon. Because pins were being distributed and mine was on the list.

Fast-forward once more to Worldcon, Saturday, the Dealers Room. As I helped at the BookView Café table, a gentleman arrived bearing a small box bearing the label Springtime Creations, which he presented to me. I opened it, and lo, a star shone forth! Just like the star on the Campbell Wikipedia page! I stuck it to my badge, where it stayed for the rest of the con. Now it rests in the official convention jewelry bag.

Campbell pen-nib pin

I missed out on the Campbell tiara, but I’m very glad to have received the pin. Thanks, John.

Speaking of the BookView Café table, here it is:

The BVC table at Creators Alley

 

Many thanks to Dave Smeds, Leah Cutter, and her husband Blaze Ward for helping out. Folks stopped by, and we talked about books. It was a good experience, and lessons were learned that can be applied to future displays.

Art. I ran into Scott Zrubek at the Art Show, and he made it a point to show me Vincent Villafranca’s display. It was pretty amazing–the skeletal rider on horseback took my breath away. I have no more space on my walls for any more paintings, but I did decide I could find room on a shelf for one of Villafranca’s Hugo-nauts, and made a bid. I didn’t have time to follow up, though, and felt pretty sure that I would lose out. But Sunday morning rolled around, and I took a short break from my stint at the SFWA table and checked the bid sheets and hey!

little reading hugo-naut

 

Panels went well. Science Fiction That Inspired Scientists was a challenge because it was my first time moderating a Worldcon panel. But I prepped questions ahead of time–what SF first inspired you? What tech or project would you love to work on now?–and things moved along. Great panelists, and a fun experience. My last panel of the con, A.K.A Why a Pen Name? was sort of funny because there was a room change that didn’t get communicated. So Toni Kelner and I met in the new room, while Teddy Harvia held a one-person panel in the old one.

I wonder if we talked about the same things at the same time? Spooky panel action at a distance.

I think this was my favorite Worldcon. Low-key, but busy. Saw lots of old friends and acquaintances, and made new ones. Ate KC BBQ. Stayed in a cool hotel, the Hotel Phillips, an Art Deco place built in 1931. I wish it hadn’t been undergoing renovations at the time–the restaurant was closed, and there were no good spots to meet friends. But what I could see of the place, I liked. I’d like to visit again after all the work is done.

detail from one of the marble columns

the mural on my floor

looking up toward the mezzanine

 

 

 

Worldcon schedule

I received my final schedule for Midamericon II. No reading or kaffeeklatsch, but some cool-looking panels and a SFWA signing. 

Thursday Aug 18, 2016, 12:00PM

Extreme, but Workable Societies 1 hour | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, Kansas City Convention Center, 2208

Steven H Silver | Chris Phillips (Flash Fiction Online) | Ms Kristine Smith | Mr. Jared Shurin | Nina Niskanen

2:00PM

Genre Shows You Should Be Watching But Probably Aren’t 1 hour | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM, Kansas City Convention Center, 2207 , Priscilla Olson | Max Gladstone | Ginjer Buchanan | Don Sakers | Ms Kristine Smith

Saturday Aug 20, 2016, 5:00PM

Science Fiction That Inspired Scientists 1 hour | 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Kansas City Convention Center, 2206

Ms Kristine Smith | Dr. Ronald Taylor | Dr Dominick D’Aunno | Dr Helen Pennington | Mel. White

Sunday Aug 21, 2016, 10:00AM

SFWA Autographing: Kristine Smith 50 minutes | 10:00 AM -10:50 AM, Kansas City Convention Center, SFWA Table

3:00PM

A.K.A Why a Pen Name? 1 hour | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM, Kansas City Convention Center, 3501H

Toni L. P. Kelner | Ms Kristine Smith | Teddy Harvia

Also, BookView Café will have a Creators Table in the Dealers Room on Saturday. Stop by and pick up a ribbon for your badge (while supplies last) and learn about some great books (we will always have those).

Less than two weeks to go….