C. L. Norman

This week a friend invited me to walk Badger Mountain with her three times a week.  I took her up on that invitation. I’ve been wanting to start exercising more and maybe tone some of my extra weight into leaner muscle. At the very least, I would like to be able to walk a few blocks without getting winded.

This morning was my second day up the mountain. The first day I barely made it past the switchbacks at the start of the trail before my breathing sounded like a squeaky locomotive and I turned back. Today I made it much further but still did not make it anywhere near the top.

Shown here is a picture from the point I stopped and turned back. I fully expect it to be even more beautiful from the actual top but for now, this was a view worth walking for. I’ll try again on Friday and we’ll see if I can make it to the top.

        

This is my third year at MisCon and it just keeps getting better. This year’s guest of honor was Carol Berg. I am a huge fan, especially of the Transformation books (if you haven’t read them, go now and get them, they are awesome!). Imagine my delight when I discovered that she was one of the four professionals assigned to critique my submission in the writer’s workshop. As my daughter would say, OMG!!!

The other three professionals assigned to my group were S. A. Bolich, Parris ja Young, and Andrea Howe. All four started off their critiques by complaining that they wanted to read more and that they were sad that the word limit kept them from reading the whole story. So very flattering. The things they pointed out that needed improving were spot on or were gateways into ideas for improving and adding depth to my story.

The people at the convention are friendly and fun. I am finding it easier and easier to work my way past my shyness there. I’ve been going to my local con for almost 20 years and I still have trouble talking to anyone there.

Sunday night, I went to Whedonverse Trivia hosted by the Seattle Browncoats. Our team was composed of mostly Buffy the Vampire Slayer ‘experts’ and when the questions became Buffy-heavy our team won (barely). Had so much fun with that but now I am home and re-watching Dollhouse to expand my knowledge base for the next round of trivia.

Pictures from the car on the way to Missoula, MT. Beautiful scenery south of Spokane and west of Missoula.

Pictures from our room. The water ran high everywhere we went.

I’ve been wanting to find out what ‘filking’ was for several cons now. This convention I finally went to a session and then another and I had a blast. Here you can see the gang singing a filk song called JLA to the tune of YMCA. Talk about having a ball.

        

Do you want to know where I’ll be this weekend? At the awesome MisCon in Missoula, MT. I’ll be in the writers workshop and hanging out in various panels on related subjects. Come say ‘hi’.

This is my third year. I’m still a relative noob but everyone is very friendly and it has quickly become my favorite con.

        

Today at con went at a much slower pace than the previous three days. I went to three readings: James C. Glass, Harry Turtledove, and Patricia Briggs. All of their stories were very enjoyable and yet all very different.

I also had the very unique experience of my husband introducing himself as MY spouse, like folks would know me by name over him. It was very flattering and maybe a hint of things to come?

The drive back alternated between heavy grey clouds darkening the roads and torrential rain bouncing off of it. About an hour away from home we had the wondrous opportunity to see a bright double rainbow arcing across the sky. It was very beautiful and a good way to end the trip.

To sum up, I highly recommend this con for SF/Fantasy fans and writers. It is small but well-run. Friendly and educational. You should come next year.

        

Instead of my regular Sunday Week in Review post, I am going to give you another Con report. Specifically, Day 3 of MisCon here in Missoula, MT.

This day is the weirdest in my experience. Pros and guests are getting worn out and there is still another day to go. There is a lot more giggling and a lot more lost trains of thought. In other words if you can stay awake to enjoy it, it is the most fun.

That said, I have a bit of a rant to make. Today we had the follow-up to the Writers Workshop yesterday. I heard a lot of submitters dismiss everything the pros had said because “They didn’t understand what I was trying to do” or even worse “He didn’t understand because he’s a man.” If I wasn’t as shy as I am, I would have piped in as agreeing with the pros but I didn’t really want to start an argument. It really bothered me that these folks who had paid to be in this workshop were completely closed off to being taught just because the feedback they heard wasn’t exactly as they wanted it. I am not saying they should rush to change everything the pros pointed out, but they should be at least considering and mulling over the comments and only reject them then. /rant off

I spent the last half of that talking with John Dalmas who had sat himself down next to me. He is a fascinating gentleman with a lot of experience in the field of writing SF/Fantasy. I enjoyed that part of it thoroughly.

I enjoyed the readings of M. J. Engh and James C. Glass today. Their stories they shared were entertaining and, especially during M. J.’s (who had primarily pros at her reading), educational.

The final panel titled “Beyond Vampires” was very amusing. They argued and discussed. They were very passionate about genre trends and why the current trends exist. Also this is the first time I had seen one of Patricia Briggs’ fans come in dressed up. I wish I had a picture but this one had on a Mercy costume, complete with a heavy wrench hanging from her belt and tattoos painted on her arms. The only thing that would have made the costume better would have been the tattoo at the base of her back and if the wrench hadn’t been so shiny silver.

Tomorrow is the last day of the con. I am glad it is almost over. I am in desperate need of some writing time after all the positive experiences I’ve had here.

        

Day two of the con opened with snoring in triplicate.  So I was up early and out of the room. I caught up with my fellow writing workshop group mates and my email. Speaking of which I know I am not suppose to really enumerate my rejections but I got one today that was very personalized and made the rest of the day pass in a rosy glow. Also it has me planning my next short story so I can submit again very soon.

Harry Turtledove and M. J. Engh were the authors who critiqued my story and while I was very excited to hear all the good things they had to say about my submission, I was even more grateful to hear the criticisms they had on punctuation, word choice, and dialogue tags. These were the kinds of things I was hoping for. They won’t help me with just this story, they will help me with all of my writing.

The rest of the day was spent in and out of panels dealing in Space and Time for Writers, Arguing about Punctuation, and Writers of the Future. The Writers of the Future panel was given by James Glass, a former winner of the contest. He gave us the six day workshop the winners get in miniature. He had some very relevant things to say to where I am currently at in my writing career and reinforced some things I had heard a few but not many other authors address before.

I’m having fun here. Hope you are having fun where you are.

        

After getting all the kids off to school we set off on a five hour tour  (a five hour tour). The van acted as part boat as we traveled east in the rain that went from barely a drizzle to a torrent of water and back to a drizzle again as we journeyed along.

Arriving in Missoula, we swiftly and expertly made our way to the convention site and hotel (helped by the fact we were old hands at this seeing as how we had been here once before) and shivering (the men weren’t, I was as I am a sissy cold girl) entered the hotel. Inside near the front desk I quickly espied Patricia Briggs and M. J. Engh in a cosy chat in the dining room and waved in a self conscious kind of way.

In the dealer’s room I finally picked up a copy of Deby Fredericks’ Necromancer Bones. I’ve been looking for it for a while and it was the only I saw displayed and it’s mine, all mine I tell you!

First event we attended was the “Meet Harry Turtledove” panel and as always it is a treat to hear about an author’s beginning and the early steps in their journey to becoming a household name (at least in houses with geeks like us in them). Afterwords I went to the Writer’s Meet and Greet for the workshop tomorrow and had a lot of laughs and heard some tips on what software is used by various writers.

Dinner at the Stone of Accord followed with a big Huckleberry Bomb for dessert and then back to our room to rest up for the big events the next two days.

Now I am off to read the workshop entries from the others in my group and make ready to have my writing torn apart. I can’t wait.

        

If I had a passport and transport to these places and could take my family with me, I’d pack  my bags tonight. These are five fantastical locations I’d like to visit for the holidays. They hold warmth and family and togetherness.

1. Faldor’s Farm in Sendaria: In David Eddings‘ Pawn of Prophecy Garion and his Aunt Pol sit down for a feast at Erastide with all the workers and families on the farm. This place is always ‘home’ for Garion throughout the series and the warmth felt during this scene is one of my favorites. That and the many purposes this scene serves. It shows the relationship between Garion and Aunt Pol and Durnik. It introduces the villain. The fly lands in the ointment here. Hints of Garion’s identity are introduced here. I wouldn’t mind a place at their table this season.
2. The Forest Moon of Endor: Who could resist the furry teddy bears? I know I can’t. These guys really know how to throw a party. Bonfires, storytelling, and good food and music. A holiday party to thoroughly enjoy, these Ewoks would throw. Count me in.
3. Allanmere: Anne Logston‘s Shadow books are set in this city. Elves and humans live side by side and Shadow has friends all over the city. The city is a cultural hub with exotic people and rulers. Friendly folks and diverse shops abound. A holiday here would be a treat.
4. The Cheysuli Camp in Homana: In Jennifer Roberson’s Cheysuli books, the native people live in nomadic camps that have a real sense of community. Their customs and powers would be very neat to observe. If allowed in to their community, the loyalty and cooperation they have with each other would be great to be a part of, even if only for a few days.
5. Adam’s House: This place exists not far from my current location in a parallel universe discovered by Patricia Briggs in her Mercy Thompson books. I’d like to find the ticket to that dimension so that I could spin by Adam’s house, if I could find a way to get him to accept me around his pack. They also know how to have a party and they are very tolerant of differences. Being a part of the pack for a day or two, watching Mercy and Adam dance around each other, and seeing magic in my home town would be a totally awesome way to spend the holidays.

How ’bout you? Where would you go for the holidays if you had a genie to grant you a wish that would send you there?

        

Yesterday, I found myself choking up as Star Wars: Legacy Revealed ended on the History Channel. I asked my crybaby self what in the world would make you cry at a documentary about Star Wars. The answer I came up with had everything to do with why I love the movie so much.

When I was a little girl (don’t most Why I love Star Wars stories start when they were young?) one of my favorite days of the year was the day that Star Wars aired on TV. This was before cable so it only happened once a year. And it was before we even thought about owning a VCR player. It was magic.

This night was a holiday for the family. Everyone would gather around the TV, anywhere from two to five siblings, Mom and Dad, and we would watch Star Wars.

My favorite part then had Luke swinging across the retracted walkway with Leia in his arms. He was a prince and she was the princess. It was very romantic. Of course after I saw the other two movies and learned they were siblings it lost some of its luster. But then, when I was starry eyed, sitting in the darkened living room, repaired TV from Goodwill flickering with wonderous images, I loved that part of the movie.

The family also use to go to the Drive-In all the time. I don’t think we ever saw Star Wars when we went (I was little more than 3 years old when it was released and my memories of those times are fuzzy) but I did see something very cool at the concession stand one night. One image that remains with me still. Darth Vader standing next to the payphone, bucket of popcorn in his gloved hand, staring down the passersby. He was the first celebrity I ever saw in person and I remain in awe of him to this day.

The above picture was taken in Victoria, BC in 2007. I had never been there before and it was my first trip out of the country. Darth Vader playing the violin was the first street performer I saw. And he played my instrument. I played the violin for all through junior high and high school and I could tell, Darth Vader had talent.

Tomorrow night, I hope to spot another Darth Vader, stalking the streets, seeking treats. And if I start sobbing at the sight, don’t mind me. I am just remembering nights spent with the family, together, in front of the TV.