Sunday, June 28, 2015

Greater Los Angeles Writers' Conference

A marvellous day at the Greater Los Angeles Writers' Conference with so many other exceptional authors. So glad to know I am not the only one who never intended to write a series but found the characters had other ideas. Equally glad to know I am not the only author whose characters have lives of their own.
I am so excited to find out what wonderful things await to be discovered at Westercon in San Diego, Califprnia next weekend!

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Westercon

Looking over the initial programming grid for Westercon over the July 4th weekend, it seems I have four interesting panels (two on Saturday, two on Sunday) and an autograph session on Sunday. The panels vary from Shakespeare's influence on Science Fiction and Fantasy to the role of Mythology in SF & F, with discussions on religion and building a mythology for a fictional world. These are topics which are very close to my heart, and I am really looking forward to being on these panels. Hope to see you there, in San Diego, California at the the Town and Country Resort Hotel and Convention Center.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Post-Wondercon Reflections

To be fair, I probably should have stayed home.  I had a massive asthma attack on Thirsday (and asthma is something new to me) and was told I also had pneumonia.  But it was Wondercon,  I had promised to be there for a book signing, and I wasn't contagious so armed with 2 different kinds of antibiotics, 2 oral inhalers and one nasal inhaler I climbed aboard my trusty mini-TARDIS (as I have named my new blue Celebrity scooter) and headed for the wilds of Anaheim and the delightful madness that conventions are made of.

Wondercon was its usual kaleidoscope of costumes, from three young ladies who looked as though they had stepped out of the opening sequence of Indiana Jones 2 (the recreation of Kate Capshaw's dress was so good I kept waiting to hear "Anything Goes" in Mandarin) to characters fro, old Twilight Zone episodes, to various Avengers.  The most recreated costumes were the TARDIS and Harley Quinn, followed by Captain America and various incarnations of The Doctor.  I didn't get to see any of the panels, but I was interviewed by Gene Turnbow of Krypton Radio.  I have been told the interview will be up on You-Tube shortly

Afterward I headed over to California Adventure to catch the new Frozen show, which was delightful.  Being a Disney Annual Passholder has its benefits.  The Parks are only a few blocks away from the Anaheim Convention Center and were very lightly attended yesterday, so with a Fast Pass I had only a half an hour to wait till I saw the show, and then, exhausted, went home and collapsed.

Today I catch up on what the DVR recorded yesterday, notably the return of "Outlander".  Of course I'm a fan!

Friday, March 20, 2015

Wondercon 2015

I just received confirmation that I will be signing copies of my latest novel "Raven's Daughter" and both the Glastonbury Chronicles and Tales of the Dearg-Sidhe series at Wondercon in Anaheim, California this coming April 4 (Saturday) from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Greater Los Angeles Writers' Society (GLAWS) booth.  Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

In The Mired Bog of History

Did I ever mention that the historical research on Richard II has been bogging me down? It is like trying to swim in the La Brea Tar Pits. There are reasons for Dubhghall to visit this time period, compelling reasons of which I was unaware until I saw David Tennant play the role in Shakespeare's play in the Fall of 2013. I don't know if it was the direction, the acting, the play itself or a combination of all of them, but sitting 6th row centre in Stratford Upon Avon for that magnificent production was electrifying, and there was one brief instant almost at the end when I felt...I knew...that this was where I had to focus.
The research has been laborious and it is not over. One of the books is in 6 point type, which even with my glasses is hard to read. And of course this particular book is not available on Kindle, so I can't make the type any bigger.
So bear with me. There will be another in the Tales of the Dearg-Sidhe series. I promise. It's just taking longer than I had expected. At one point I was so bogged down that I was ecstatic to find my lost manuscript of "Raven's Daughter" (presumed lost since 1995 in a computer crash, but a copy was unearthed by my husband last summer on one of his old computers) and I finished that and Pendraig Publishing released it. If things bog down any further I may have to switch gears again and finish yet another partial novel which is sitting in my Dropbox, taunting me.
As for The Glastonbury Chronicles...will there be more? I had come to a satisfying ending with "The Barley and the Rose", but every now and then the characters reawaken in my head and start muttering about it not being over yet. There is the deck of Tarot cards awaiting an illustrator. The book part is all done, but I paint with words, not brushes. Someone else needs to take it on from here. Anyone out there?