Should have posted this at the time, but thanks to Brian Hades, who took this photo of me with two Aurora Awards! Randy McCharles is the first person in history to have won in both a professional and fan category: Best Work, Short Form, and Fan Organizational. I was pleased and proud to be asked to accept the awards on his behalf.
Back to School
So, summer is over and I’m back to school. I love my work — I only wish I didn’t do sixty hours a week of it. And, this past weekend was a bit of a write-off because my car is a write-off. I didn’t post this earlier, but on the long weekend in August, a hail storm hit the quarter section where I was camping at a family reunion, and the back windshield of my car was smashed, as well as another window. The whole body is pockmarked, and even the front windshield was damaged, along with rear speakers, rear tail light, another window and an outside mirror. The shame is, the engine and frame, etc., all are fine, but the car will got to the wreckers anyway. So, I spent most of this weekend looking for a new car, instead of writing. Sigh.
But now I am working on a fantasy short story.
Ta-ta!
Great Sessions at ConVersion
Friday night kicked off with the IFWA talent show, ConVersion Cabaret. We had great acts — even Guest of Honor, Tanya Huff sang! The next morning, I was one of four judges for the Robin Herrington Memorial Short Story Contest, and all five of the finalists wrote marvellous stories, but top honours went to Erika Holt for a compelling fantasy story about a witch who loses her powers and is tempted to regain them by killing a street waif.
One of the best sessions I went to — at ANY convention — was one held Saturday afternoon with Tanya Huff, Rob Sawyer and Terry Brooks on the business of writing. Yes, the marketplace is tough, and one must always keep in mind that it is a commercial environment where the bottom line is the deciding factor. But despite the recession, people are getting published. The keys are: write the best damn story you can, and write for the market that loves you. Persist!
Here are pics:
Anna Bortolotto and Val King performing at ConVersion Cabaret on Friday night.
Katie Harse and Mike Gillett chatting about the day’s sessions at dinner.
Workshop with Rob was marvelous
The two days critiquing novel excerpts with Rob was, as always, fantastic. We had some really good writers with projects that I am sure will develop into fascinating books. We all got together for a barbecue at Robin Herrington’s parents’ house on the Wednesday evening and chatted until well into dark. Here’s a photo of Rob working with Val and Randy at the workshop. 
Wedding, Critiques and 2 New Story Ideas
My nephew’s wedding was wonderful and it was great to visit relatives out east. Finished the eleven critiques for the workshop tomorrow, and 5 critiques for the short story contest. And, I jotted notes for a science fiction short story and began a fantasy short story. So, got lots done, too!