davidlevine | 8/20/05: Home again, home again

Well, we're back from the Worldcon and Chester, Liverpool, and London afterwards. Had a great time. Proper trip report is forthcoming. We gave out a new issue of Bento at the con, and it will be in the mail soon to those who weren't there.

I did not win the Aeon Award, though everyone involved made sure to tell me just how close the competition was between my story and the winner. Oh well. At least the story will be published in Albedo One, some time before the end of this year.

Upon my return I found a surprise in my mailbox: author copies of the October 2005 Realms of Fantasy, including my story "The Ecology of Faerie" with an excellent illustration by artist Andrea Wicklund. I hadn't known when this story was going to be published. I also surprised to find, upon reading the printed story, that it actually gave me chills. It was written back in 2002, spent a couple of years at markets with very long response times, and I never got galleys for it, so I hadn't read it in years. I'm very pleased with it.

I also got a couple of rejections, and news that another story had gotten lost in the slush pile and was only now, five months later, being sent to the editor (an editor reknowned for taking a long time to decide). Oh well. One of the rejected stories has already gone back in the mail. The other... it's been to all of the pro markets I can think of that might be appropriate for it, and it's been a near-miss at just about all of them. I feel strongly about this story and want it to succeed. I may take a hard look at the editors' comments, rewrite it (possibly with a different main character), and send it out again to the same markets.

I really should write a new story or two too, and revise some of the ones that have never been submitted.

One other bit of news is that I have decided to attend World Fantasy Con rather than OryCon this year. It was a hard, hard choice (I'm really going to miss a lot of the OryCon people, including Kate) but by then I expect that I will have either a sold novel to publicize or a rejected novel to resubmit, and the people I should talk to in either case will all be there (including my agent).

Oh, and my infected toe cleared up within the first couple of days of the trip. Thanks to all who expressed their concern (and raspberries to those who suggested amputation).

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Chester! That's where

calimac's brother's bride-to-be lives. Calimac will be traveling there in April to be best man in his brother's wedding. I will probably not be joining them because he needs to be there at least a week in advance for fittings for the tux and everything. I'm not likely to have enough vacation time and money to go, and I definitely don't want to travel from the left coast to Britain alone.

I liked Chester a lot. It's small and quaint, with lots of medieval and mock-medieval buildings and even a real Roman ruin (currently undergoing archaeology, with the work going on in full public view). Some very nice restaurants, too. It's also only half an hour by train from Liverpool, which has many fine museums as well as more Beatles tat than you can shake a drumstick at.

Thanks for reminding me to check the website. Unfortunately I am scheduled to be at a convent art retreat that weekend! (not that I am a pro that particularly could use the membership, to take care of business.) It would be nice to see people tho -- I might lurk around a bit when I get back on the Sunday.

Lovely illustration on the story BTW. Congratulations!

Glad to see you "on the air" again - it was so-o-o-o-o-o good seeing you guys again, you and

kateyule are definitely on my "really miss you" list.

Thanks for the writerly updates, they are inspirational even when not really great news.

Crazy(and the proof is still nurturing that writer's dream)Soph

It was wonderful to see you again too! I have been insanely busy since returning home, so I haven't been keeping up with LJ much. I hope to have the rest of my trip report posted this weekend.

Hugs!

Delighted to hear you've made The Right Choice. (Moi, biased? Of course not.) Send a note to program2005@worldfantasy.org if you're interested in sitting on a panel, so Lisa and I officially know that, OK?

In other news, because it will amuse you even more than most of my friends: I got so thoroughly exasperated, during several gorgeous breezy days in the Orkneys and then several delightful breezier days in the Highlands, with the way those front strands have never ever grown long enough to tuck properly into a braid or clip, that a few days ago I cut myself bangs. Just a nice fringe above my eyes, that doesn't blow all over everywhere when I'm trying to enjoy the scenery or avoid traffic. So far, I like it, but now that we're home (just, tonight) I'm going to make an appointment and have my stylist tidy me up. Still keeping away from staplers, though.

Yes, I'm interested in participating in programming. I'll drop you a note as soon as I have my plane tickets (this weekend, I hope). I will probably be arriving Friday afternoon and departing some time Sunday.

I think my motto for the week is "industrial staplers are not a hair care product."

Of course they're not, those big'uns are only really useful to Siegfried & Roy, or perhaps Dolly Parton and other big-hair country stars. The temptation is from the itty bitty pocket models (http://www.samsclub.com/eclub/main_shopping.jsp?mt=a&n=0&coe=0&oidPath=0%3A-23541%3A-42532%3A-43110%3A-43127%3A-43129%3A894049), that even come in nifty colors and could be mistaken for hair clips.

Be strong.

Thinkhow good your toe would look mounted on a block of timber though.

8/20/05: Home again, home again

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