Culture Shock

Okay. So I’m back at work and it’s a bit like hitting a brick wall. Ow!!! I mean really ow! My modest goal is trying to look at one scene a day, and I managed to keep that up for exactly one day. Yesterday the great whale of errands swallowed me!

But this too will pass. I work from 8-4 for about a month, and then the semester starts, and strangely enough, things will get a lot better.

This weekend we have visitors from Minneapolis and Guardians of the Galaxy. I’m going to start running a game which I think will help me brainstorm for my books, and so I’m excited about that.

So, next week, I’ll get that Mists of Avalon auction up and running. Stay tuned. Have a great weekend.

And That’s a Wrap…

Tomorrow I return to work. My summer vacation is over, as is my time as a full time writer.

I did manage to get a rough draft of my novel done, and I have started draft 2, which for me is usually where things get very detailed. Currently I have one novel, one novella, and five short stories making the rounds. We’ve done all right this summer.

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You will hear more often from me now that I’m back at work.

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So, before the end of the week, I’ll get started on that RAINN auction regarding Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon. Hey, if you have a friend named Catherine who doesn’t mind what MZB did to her kids, this will be a perfect opportunity for you or that friend to make a donation to RAINN and get a personalized autograph. Or maybe your friend will want to bury the book. Whatever.

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Thank you, summer. You were very, very good to me. Especially Convergence, the Ren Fest, and Detcon. Very good. I’ll miss you.

Wiscon?

Oh Wiscon, how could you? You were the darling of my convention season, with your feminist emphasis, your stout writer’s track, your concern for multiple viewpoints, and your thoughtful programming. Have we just been living a lie?

I don’t understand what’s happening with your decision regarding Jim Frenkel. Because it seems so unlike you to put the needs of one harasser against the constituents of the convention.

Listen, I’m not going to go over my arguments again. Instead, I’m just going to link to the same post I put up for Readercon a couple of years back. Just change the appropriate personage titles and con titles, and we’re good to go.

The issue, dearest Wiscon, is that you must protect your constituency. You’re opening yourself up for legal action, should Frenkel harass someone on your watch. You are not equipped to evaluate psychological reform. AND, unlike the case of Readercon’s harasser Walling, Frenkel was fired from his job for harassment. If anything, your case is less ambiguous than the Readercon case, yet they took the stronger action.

You know I can’t come to the con now, right? I can’t come because of where I come from, and what I stand for. I can’t back your decision to say that’s it’s okay for a known harasser to come back based on arbitrary decisions you are not equipped to make professionally. You’re letting us down, Wiscon.

What’s sad is that you’re going to take a membership hit. Wiscon, you are supposed to provide the safe spaces. I shouldn’t have to be talking to you as a collective body about the issue of harassment. It’s a no brainer at a feminist convention. Right? Right?

Dammit. Wrong.

Give me some reason to come back next year, Wiscon. Grow a spine. Be what you pretend you are.

Otherwise, I will be writing you for a refund of my membership and my dessert salon ticket. Because you’re no longer a con I want to attend.

Detcon 1/Nasfic 11

I didn’t realize that I hadn’t posted Detcon on my appearance page until yesterday. In the freakin’ nick of time, because I’m off to Detroit this weekend!

If you’re looking for me at Detcon, the current picture to your right shows you what I more or less look like these days. Heck, on Saturday, I’ll be wearing that very sweater! I’d be happy to arrange some sort of hook-up in advance around scheduled appearances.

As to scheduled appearances, you can see me do the following things at the following times:

Reading at 11 am on Friday in Joliet A with Laura Bickle and James Door. This is the first official use of my apparent author name, Cath Schaff-Stump, in a program book. 🙂

Writing Humor and Comedy in SFF at 1 pm on Friday in Ambassador Salon 2. Moderator Elektra Hammond. Other miscreants? Jim C. Hines, Oz Wilson Jr., Sam Morgan and Cath Schaff-Stump. We talk about-um- writing humor and comedy in SFF. If it’s not a funny panel, we’re doing it wrong.

DINNER with Codex peeps at Volt at 4:30. Only telling you about this one, not because you want to watch me eat dinner, but because if you’re looking for face time, I’m blocked here.

The Bad Guys at 6 pm on Saturday in Mackinac West. Moderator Christie Meierz. Partipating also: Grant Carrington, Keith D. Young, Harry Campion (aka M.H. Mead), Sam Morgan and Cath Schaff-Stump. We talk about writing villains and great villains we admire that other people have written.

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So, will I see you there? My plans are pretty loose, and I’d be happy to hang out. I arrive Thursday around 2 pm (much depends on Joe Biden, I understand) and the last chance you’ll have to see me is Scalzi’s 80s Dance, because I leave for Iowa at dark o’thirty Sunday morning.

See you all soon!

Listing for Later

I made it home from Convergence where I had a very good time. There were many good panels, great social events, and much fun to be had. I will write more.

I thought that I would write down a list of a few things I want to get out when I get back to blogging more regularly.

1. Author process interviews (one out, send more out).
2. Mission Impossible post on Bernard Collier.
3. Weight and wellness catch up (currently 36 weeks).
4. Writing information and updates.
5. Books and movie reviews.
6. Mists of Avalon RAINN auction.

Number six is number one. But first I must get through the lockup this week. You have until Thursday to donate, if you’re interested.

Back to the novel, then.

Summer Surprises of the Not So Great Kind

We slog on with our writing, but life seems to be keen on throwing us a few curve balls. Here they are.

Strike 1: An old friend’s wife died of meningitis. In five short days, he was a widower. We were stunned by this, and even though we hadn’t seen him for some years, we took the time to drive out last week to Omaha and back on Thursday. We wanted to show support. Turns out there was some sort of cosmic purpose. He hid in our car on the way back from the cemetery to talk to us about his loss. We were glad to be of some small assistance, and hope that he will call on us for help when he needs it. He is now getting one last step-daughter through her last year of high school.

Strike 2: Global warming struck ugly and hard last night. We had a VERY scary storm with torrential rains and winds. We were lucky. There weren’t too many branches down in our yard, and we only got about 8 inches of water in our basement. Yes, we do have a sump pump, but the power went out for about six hours, so that kind of kept it from working. Today has been a full day of sawing, hauling, and watching water drain. Right now my house is open so that musty smell? Downstairs. Gotta let it air out, however. Dampness under your home is never a good idea.

I’m really hoping for no strike 3. I would like to think that my allergy to buffalo gnats (you missed that. We had buffalo gnats early June, and I am sensitive to them. You know me, the sensitive artist.) were strike one, and just like Dr. Who, this is the strikes I have listed above are off number because Steven Moffat revised this while I wasn’t looking.

Okay, so it’s been a long day with all the chores. I think we’re off the hook tonight for most things but drooling.

If someone could come up with a way to control the weather, I’d be okay with that.