thejoyofpash

I met Summer Glau yesterday, and that's not even the most awesome thing that happened.
My darling man often volunteers at Dragon Con and works with the guests (you know, like Stan Lee). Each time he returns from his yearly Atlanta adventures, he has stories and autographed pictures (saying things like, "Thank you" and "You're amazing"). Apparently the Battlestar Galactica cast gives good backrubs. He is an excellent handler. He makes sure everyone has all the food, water, and potty breaks they need. He is skilled at deflecting the creepy fans. He is, in short, fantastic, and Summer Glau asked for him personally for the Dallas Comic Con this year.
I discovered that the people who publish Gearhearts, Antarctic Press, would also be at the Dallas Comic Con. So I sent a few emails asking if they wanted some company at the table. They said yes and I had Saturday off, so I went. I hope I was an effective booth babe. I know I had a lot of fun, and Doug seemed to have a good time, too.
So I met Summer Glau. She is a wonderful human being, sweet and friendly even when she's starving. I got to watch her with her fans, and she was all kindness and smiles. Also, she was delighted to meet me (apparently my sweetie talks about me a lot) and she told him I was beautiful. That made my forever. I managed not to squeal and faint, but it was hard. Also, she has an awesome sister. We shared pet pictures. Summer Glau thinks my cats are gorgeous and adorable (they are). Her sister has the cutest little mutt. He loves getting his picture taken, so he's making eyes at the camera in all his photos. He's a tawny color with perky ears and a playful doggy smile. Also, he looks great in puppy sweaters. Possibly he was a model or a dandy in a past life.
Remember how I said that wasn't the coolest thing that happened yesterday? Antarctic Press expressed interest in having me write for them. And they said they loved the Lucky K. Holliday stories featured in Gearhearts. The way they tell it, Steampunk sells for them like mad. They can't put out titles fast enough. They have about a gazillion talented artists, so they have no shortage of superlative art pieces (seriously, the detail in the Girls of Steampunk books is drool-worthy), but they want more with story. *I* am excellent at providing story. Fate? YES.

This month has sped by in a whirlwind of words, skirts, and cake. I had friends visit from San Diego for the first couple weeks, and everybody had an amazing time. Especially me, because they produced lots of baked goods while I was at work. I think my friends may be kitchen elves. We went to Scarborough Renaissance Festival, which was amazing, as usual. Much dressing up and merriment was had by all.

The weekend after they left, I was absconded with by a pair of friends who took me jewelry shopping. I discovered that I look wonderful in garnets. Of course, I had not the funds to purchase them, but my beloved man-person did! Imagine my delight when he presented me with a little silver box full of garnet necklace and bracelet! And then later, he ninja-ed a ring out from under my nose. I'd put it on hold with the shop, and when I went back, it was gone. I immediately suspected something was afoot. And it was! It's now my favorite ring ever, and it's red and silver and amazing. I love my beloved man-person!

In other news, AAAAAAAAAH! Aetherfest is coming up this next weekend. Not ready! Not ready! Too fast! Too fast! Slow down! I'm interviewing an author, and I plan to vend my poetic services. I'm going to sell Steampunk Haiku. Why? Because I can and I'm broke and what if something goes wrong with the magazines we intend to sell? Here's one I wrote last night:

Night vision goggles.
Tesla cannons in our hands.
Here, kitty, kitty!

In other news, I almost have a book about mermaids. I've just got to write the last big battle sequence and I'll need beta readers. Yay!

I am learning to knit. Or, I have learned to knit. I have not yet learned to purl or do anything more complicated than knit. I have been delighted to learn that I don't suck. My bank account has not been delighted, because my first instinct when I want to learn something new is to buy books on the subject. Several of them. At once. And then also yarn (because you can't knit without yarn). And then a place to put the yarn. Which is already too small. I also plan to learn to crochet, because I love the afghans in my parents' house made by my great grandmother. I want to learn to make those.

Why fiber arts? It's something productive to do while working out story problems. Stuck on just how a fight scene needs to go? Knit for a while and mull it over. Debating whether to bring in a character now, later, or never? Pick up the needles. It's better than vacantly staring at cute kitty pictures on the internet, and I get sweaters out of the deal. I like sweaters. I also like kitty pictures, but you can't wear a kitty picture.

In other news, mermaids. I am having a remarkable run of productivity on this mermaid novel. So far, it does not have a name. I am pleased by my steady progress. Also, I enjoy researching bizarre stuff. For instance, last week I investigated edible fish species and discovered a ranged weapon that would work in the ocean.

I also went to All Con on St. Patrick's day. I had the day off, and I LOVE conventions. I learned about roller derby, got in trouble for droid smuggling, drooled over beautiful goggles, had my cards read, hung out with friends, talked about cats, was a damsel in distress, and kidnaped an author for dinner. A good time all around, and I learned that it's possible to roller skate in a corset (Trigger Mortis, I think I may be in love with you).

What's that? I have a blog and I haven't posted to it in over two months? No, that's silly! Wait... you're right. Sorry.

I've just been plugging along, working and writing. I was reminded of an old mermaid concept by a terrible screenplay my sister sent me. I was just amazed by the lack of thought the writer had put into their world-building. They didn't take into account ANY of the ways in which the sea is different from land. So I started thinking about mermaids. I've always been fascinated by the ocean, and I started a mermaid story back in high school. I've dusted it off and looked at it a few times since then, but this time I started polishing. And researching. And plotting. And world-building. A fellow author thinks I may have a three book series here.

Speaking of fellow authors, this last weekend was ConDFW. Guess where I was. It was eleven different shades of awesome.

I had the chance to interview Cherie Priest, the author of Boneshaker and other fantastic works. Nothing I've read by her has been less than incredible. I love her style. AND I got to hang out with her! The con kept her busy, but she still had time to eat, so we went grabbed some nourishment together.

ConDFW seems to be a big writer convention. I hung out with lots of local and semi-local authors. Much entertaining and bizarre conversation was had. Lots of cute kitty pictures were shared. Many delightful story ideas were spawned (which is an inevitability with writers of any sort, especially when you put 2 or more in the same room). I babbled about the magazine to anyone who would listen, and apparently I was charming. Which is much better than being obnoxious.

And the panels! ConDFW had some fantastic programming. I had to choose between a panel on Ragnarok and a panel on airships at one point. I went with the airships. There was also a panel on disasters in space. I learned that fire in zero gravity is round.

I met several new people and they didn't run away screaming, so I think I made new friends. Yay, writer friends! I love writer friends. Writers all notice different details and generally have a wide range of obscure interests and odd areas of expertise. We all (including Cherie Priest, she was on this panel) tend to be easily distracted by research, facebook, and shiny objects. And cookies. There were amazing snickerdoodles.

This was the first time payday hit right before a con. This was not as dangerous as one might imagine, because I generally spend like a Capricorn, which is to say, not at all. I was ecstatic that I could actually afford to buy books and support my talented friends! I also finally found goggles I loved and could afford. The lenses are green!

I have just returned from a jaunt down to Galveston for Dickens on the Strand. It was awesome! Even when it was raining, it was awesome!

The event itself is similar to a Renaissance Faire in that there are street performers, vendors, and people in historical costume. But of course it's entirely different. Galveston blocks of several blocks of their historic downtown area and vendors selling foods and drinks and crafts and clothing items put up tents and set up shop. There are stages which feature shows of carnival acts and musicians, plays and displays. On almost every corner stands a choir or a handbell chorus or a hammered dulcimer of a fiddle player. Out of temporary food booths cul enticing smells of funnel cake or falafel, fried chicken or spiced wine. I tried fried alligator on a stick. I did not like it. I tried sasaparilla at a booth featuring historical sodas. It was delicious.

I made all sorts of new friends. I finally met part of the Airship Isabella and the . My friends and Steampunk colleagues keep telling me stories about them and now I actually know who they are.

Ditto the Marquis of Vaudeville (a Dallas band made of awesome and talent). Everyone kept telling me "Toby is awesome." Toby is the one with the microphone and the singing. I finally met him! We shared cookies and he gave me a taco. He really IS awesome. And I'm not just saying that because he liked my story in the magazine, either.

I mixed business with pleasure a little as I took the opportunity to interview O. M. Grey. The article which I have not yet written is slated to appear in issue 3 of Gearhearts. We had a lovely time, then went for milkshakes and lattes at an ice cream parlor that was much more than just an average ice cream parlor.

I was abducted by the parade. This keeps happening to me - people I have just met drag me into parades all the time. I guess I'm just the type? This time it was the hilarious Mr. Saturday and Sixpence the Mime. They're really fun people and what little I've seen of their act is awesome.

I should here mention the bed race. Imagine the oddest thing you've ever seen. Now imagine four people pushing a decorated bed down the street with a fifth clinging to the mattress for dear life. I've heard this was an actual Victorian pastime. I love it!

There was Steampunk everywhere at Dickens. The Airship Isabella even performed a Steampunk Christmas Carol. Steampunk even had its own parade and its own square of vendors. It seemed like people enjoyed it, which totally warms the cockles of my heart.

But my favorite part was stopping for dinner with my grandmother on the way back home. Because my grandmother is wonderful.

Sorry for the long blog science. I got distracted. I was writing. Also reading. Read the fantastic Avalon Revisited by O. M. Grey, and I may or may not have a giant crush on her now. I met her at a photoshoot for Gearhearts and then again a couple nights later at the Masquerade Ball, and she was the sweetest person EVER.

In other news, I found this nifty contest for Feminist Flash. It offers money for short feminist fiction/poetry posted to one's blog. Behold! Feminist poetry.



She Is Not A Toy

She is NOT a toy
A pinafored porcelain doll in her mother’s high heels
With wide O eyes and a
Bud of a mouth touched
With pilfered chocolate.

She is NOT a toy
Clumsily fencing
With a blunt wooden blade,
Trying on logic meant for old people.

She is NOT a toy
Full of tears to be spewed
In abject misery
Because dessert is not now
And he hit her.

She is NOT a toy
Planning grandiose pranks
That tumble down harmless
Like kittens in the sunshine.

She is not a toy.
These shoes fit her.
Her blade is sharp.
With it, she seduced blood and liked its poetry
And the symmetry of
Calm boiled rage, not exploded,
But pressed tight to form the blade
Whose clever bite never heals.

Respect her revenge.
She is not a toy.

This is an entry for the Mookychick FEMINIST FLASH FICTION competition. Enter now.

Ok, that should contain a link to the contest. If not (because I stink at technology) here the link is again. I hope. The Link

Skybourne put my voiceover in a youtube video advertisement for the Masquerade Ball. I wrote it and voiced it. And now I'm on the internet! I famous. :-)

The Video

In other news, Friday I interview a real live author that I've never met before. She seems really nice, so I'm certain we'll have a great time. Doesn't stop me from being nervous, though! The idea is for the interview to appear in the second issue of Gearhearts Steampunk Glamor Revue. Yes, that is a legit Victorian spelling of Glamor and also Revue. Weird, right?

In other other news, I had a novel that was sitting on the back burner ambush me and demand my attention. Projects are rather like cats, I've discovered. If they wish for attention, they will get in the way and sit on your keyboard and claw your leg until they have attention.

My friend in charge of the upcoming Steampunk convention Skybourne (October 2012. Dallas, TX) called me last night. What he said was, "I've just gotten out of a very interesting meeting... Would you be willing to write a radio spot for Skybourne?"

Furthermore, he told me the people he was meeting with wanted ME to do the voice for the radio spot. They (and I really have no idea who they are) saw me playing my airship gambler character in a rules video for AKon a couple years ago, and they really liked the way she sounded. So now Lucky K. Holliday is the voice of Skybourne? I can totally live with that.

I sent him 3 possible radio spots this morning.

In other news, I've been writing words and weaving them into fantastic universes, doing photoshoots with a friend (came up with a totally awesome fairy outfit which may go to Texas Renaissance Festival with me), and day jobbing. (Half Price Books is going to have a Labor Day Weekend Sale where everything is 20% off, by the way.)

In an effort to build buzz for the Gearhearts magazine, I created a Facebook fan page for it. People in Dublin, Ireland are liking the fan page. They have found the preview and are reading the preview, and they are liking the fan page. In Ireland.

The preview, by the way, looks like this:


And is in a comic that looks like this:


Yes, I DID just figure out how to include pictures. Yes, I DO suck at technology. Yes, this IS a huge accomplishment for me.

The preview, by the way, is available in comic stores all over the country (and apparently also in DUBLIN, IRELAND) and is sold out at several shops around the metroplex.

Meanwhile, life continues and I still don't like onions.

So I'm officially a co-editor for Gearhearts. And it's really happening. There will be an actual issue of it in December. And what's more, I will actually get paid for it! It's in the contract, which I am suddenly responsible for writing. And I also made a facebook fan page for the magazine. I have power all of a sudden. o.0

And I've also become involved in the online publicity for a Steampunk convention. Wow. The founder made me an admin on the facebook fanpage and gave me access to the twitter account. The twitter is @skybournecon

Shameless plug: The convention will be in Dallas in October 2012. I will be heavily involved in content writing and now publicity. Oh, and there will be an event featuring the Marquise of Vaudeville in a flight museum in early October. Yes. A Steampunk event in a flight museum. Could that get any cooler?