Happy Links to Start October
Let’s start off the month with a bunch of happy links!
I had two new poems published this week:
– a YA poem with a magical take on bullying and abuse: “Obsidian” at Kaleidotrope
– a somewhat creepy steampunk poem called “The City” in Mythic Delirium
Then my poem “Sorry,” published earlier this year at Mobius Magazine, was nominated for Best of the Net.
Then there’s the cool miscellaneous stuff…
– a three minute on-camera interview with The Daily Quirk, recorded at San Diego Comic-Con
– Amy Sisson reviews my story from Nature, “Bread of Life,” and says nice things!
– I was name-dropped in the Functional Nerds Podcast at about the 34 minute mark. This tickles me to no end because of Patrick Hester talks about my cookies. Also, buy Fran Wilde’s book Updraft. It’s awesome.
Read MoreLinks to Start September
First of all, two reminders: I’m doing a booksigning at the Phoenix Metro Center Barnes & Noble on Saturday September 12th from 1-3pm. I’m also traveling to Houston on September 26th to team up with Chuck Wendig and Richard Kadrey for a signing! This is at Murder by the Book at 4:30pm. I bet there will be shenanigans.
When you were a kid, did you ever have issues with the floor turning to lava when the vacuum was turned on? I have a poem at Zetetic about this common childhood plight: “The Reason I Limp.”
Rhonda Parrish interviewed me about my story in B is for Broken.
Over at A Dribble of Ink, I’m listed in great company as A Foodie Fantasy Author.
I’m also listed as a Not-So-Invisible Ninja at Charles Stross’s Antipope site–because some daft guys still insist that there are no women writers in science fiction and fantasy. I don’t know how to explain their blindness, either. But then, I’m also mystified by people who can stay awake during baseball games.
My story from last year, “The Cartography of Shattered Trees,” is still getting attention along with other stories in the FAE anthology. Jorie Loves a Story has incredibly kind things to say.
Read MoreHear Me Speak
If you’re not able to attend my reading at WorldCon today, you can still hear my weird, raspy voice. I’m in the latest episode of the Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcast: The Wonders and Politics of Steampunk w/ Cherie Priest, Beth Cato, and Jaymee Goh.
It’s an interesting discussion. We talk about representation, whitewashing on covers, and some of the political issues around steampunk. There are a LOT of issues. We could have talked for hours on the subject, I’m sure, and as it is, the full broadcast is over an hour!
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If you want to read my words instead, I talk about some books I recently read and enjoyed over at the What Writers Read. Particular favorites: Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho and The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard.
Read MoreWorldCon/Sasquan: Once again, with feeling…
Tomorrow I journey northward to the land of Spokane wherein I will make merry through the weekend. I AM EXCITED. I had the time of my life at WorldCon in San Antonio two years ago, and now I have approximately a gazillion more writer friends AND I have two books out. Also, Spokane just plain looks like a nifty place and it has an incredible food scene downtown. I will also prowl the room parties at night, because I am the adventurous type of eater who is willing to try the Helsinki WorldCon Bid’s reindeer pate. I mean, heck. In San Antonio I drank a poutine martini. I live dangerously at WorldCon.
And yes, I am bringing cookies. Lemon Cornmeal Shortbread, to be exact. If you see me around the con, feel free to stop me and inquire about the cookie stash. I’ll be happy to share, but I imagine I will run out before the con ends. The one guaranteed place to find cookies is my Friday 3pm reading that I’m sharing with Tina Connolly. I’ll be reading excerpts from Clockwork Crown and my next novel Breath of Earth.
Here’s my official con schedule:
Thursday the 20th
Steampunk, Colonialism & Imperialism
11:00 AM to 11:45 AM (45 minutes)
Charles Stross Moderator , Arthur Chu , Leigh Ann Hildebrand , Warren Frey , Beth Cato
CC – Bays 111B
Autographing – Beth Cato
02:00 PM to 02:45 PM (45 minutes)
CC – Hall B
Friday the 21st
The Future of Food
12:00 PM to 12:45 PM (45 minutes)
Beth Cato , Fran Wilde , Lawrence M. Schoen , Scott Edelman , Amy Thomson Moderator
CC – Conference Theater 110
Reading – Beth Cato & Tina Connolly
Aug 21 03:00 PM to 03:30 PM (30 minutes)
CC – 304
My WorldCon/Sasquan Schedule
I’ll be in Spokane for WorldCon/Sasquan August 19th through 23rd! I had a blast at WorldCon in San Antonio two years ago, and I am super excited to attend this year! This time around, I have panels and other events, too.
Here’s where you can find me for sure:
Thursday the 20th
Steampunk, Colonialism & Imperialism
11:00 AM to 11:45 AM (45 minutes)
Charles Stross Moderator , Arthur Chu , Leigh Ann Hildebrand , Warren Frey , Beth Cato
CC – Bays 111B
Autographing – Beth Cato
02:00 PM to 02:45 PM (45 minutes)
CC – Hall B
Friday the 21st
The Future of Food
12:00 PM to 12:45 PM (45 minutes)
Beth Cato , Fran Wilde , Lawrence M. Schoen , Scott Edelman , Amy Thomson Moderator
CC – Conference Theater 110
Reading – Beth Cato & Tina Connolly
Aug 21 03:00 PM to 03:30 PM (30 minutes)
CC – 304
I survived San Diego Comic-Con
I was at San Diego Comic-Con all of one day and I am still recovering three days later. It’s that intense. That crazy.
I arrived at the convention center about 2pm on Thursday. I had a signing at the Harper Collins booth at 4pm, and I knew the intervening hours would be my best chance to wander the convention floor. So I did just that. I quickly found that the blockbuster media area was way too loud and crowded for my taste. I had to make a brief stop at the Square Enix booth, though. I was happy to see that Dragon Quest Heroes had a major presence and playable games, though I was indignant that the attached Square Enix store sold no Dragon Quest slimes. This didn’t surprise me. Sadly, it’s a snub that has dragged on for years. Slimes need love, dangit.
My signing at the booth was exciting. They pulled out a whole box of Clockwork Dagger books and handed them out to people. Of course, a lot of folks were there because, “Hey, free book!” but a few people had the book on their wishlist already and had made a point of showing up. THIS GAVE ME ALL THE HAPPY FEELINGS. Plus, Harper Collins shocked me by presenting Clockwork Crown fans! Holy moley, I had con swag!
That evening I went with friends into the Gaslamp District as we prowled for sustenance. I witnessed one of the crazy promotional events that Comic-Con is known for: a Sharknado parade.
Friday was my really cram-packed day. I dashed from a Harper Collins breakfast to my Romantic Adventure panel to the group signing afterward. The panel was great–good food for thought on world-building and romance and the nature of villains.
I sure loved the weather in San Diego. The convention center is right on the water, and the views are amazing! It was overcast at times, but the afternoons stayed sunny with the high in the 70s. Considering that the LOW is Arizona right now is the mid-80s… yeah. I enjoyed the coastal coolness.
Once the signing was done, I lingered a while longer to do an interview, and then it was time to head back to the airport! I had bought a Handbag of Holding from Think Geek for this trip because I knew I’d be at the con most of the time. It was really hard to pare down to the essentials, but the minimal space also made me picky about what I bought. Right before I left, I was offered two ARCs I couldn’t say no to, and at that point my purse was at about exploding point.
The whole experience was a blast. I’m sad that I left after just a day, but kind of relieved, too. It would have been nice to attend some panels other than my own. It would have been nifty to have some celebrity sightings, too.
There’s always next time, right?
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