I have a sweet little horror story called, “Director’s Cut.” I thought Brutarian might be the market for this one, so I sent it off last week. Wish me luck!
Young Writers’ Convention
Next weekend marks the 2007 Calgary Young Writers’ Conference. I’ll join approximately fifty other professionals connected with writing for young people, to offer sessions to youths aged ten to fourteen. Topics on writing fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama as well as on illustration will be offered, as well as a keynote session by Deborah Ellis. A book store and author signings will also be included for the 1200 attendees.
Rainforest Writers’ Retreat 2008
Fairwood Press’ Rainforest Retreat was a smashing success for the twenty-eight writers who met on the Olympic Peninsula near Seattle, on the weekend of March 22 – 25. Patrick and Honna Swensen were the perfect hosts, and guests Jay Lake and Barb and J.C. Hendee were a wealth of information and inspiration. Sessions included plotting the novel, synopses and, of course, readings by our guest authors. In addition, Susan Matthews ran a fascinating session on runes. However, the main reason to go was to get away from it all and write.
The location was perfect: beautiful, with no cell coverage, no internet and no sunshine. Over 77,000 words were written by the participants. And, when our fingers became too stiff from typing, there were communal meals and down time to get to know one another and swap stories about the writing business.
One of my big thrills was to meet David Levine, winner of the 2006 Hugo for best short story. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend.
Working With An Editor–Or Not!
A friend passed this on to me–watch! It’s good.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo1XFz0kac0&w=425&h=350]
Review!
Tangent Short Fiction Review had this to say:
“Paid in Full” by Susan Forest tells of two umÂ…bug farmers on another world, and the giant gnats which, depending on their kind (Dark/good or White/bad), lay eggs which are nourished by the aphids and then sold, or are the rogue and deadly variety which appear at dark and kill everything they can in their feeding frenzy. One of the farmers has hit hard times and asks a favor of the other, who is forever repaying the former for a long ago debt. But now the debt has been repaid in full, and the first farmer is still extremely ungrateful (his friend has just saved his life). The story is a lesson in learning when to let go of a debt repaid when one learns that one is being taken advantage of. The gnat/aphid symbiosis, and how the eventual product is processed for profit is entertaining, as is the scene of the night terror a swarm of the deadly, blood-sucking White gnats wreaks on the terrified farmers.