Number Two Down - And Plenty More To Come.

So the weekend was spent in the city in fellowship with others of a like mind. Well done and congratulations to the organisers, volunteers and chairs.

It was great to either meet for the first time or catch up with Felicity Dowker (various short stories) Narrelle M. Harris (The Opposite of Life ), Paul Haines (A Slice of Life), Christian Tamblyn (Dragon of the Second Moon) and many, many others.


Cat Sparks was there too, and I was able to spend a lot of time talking to her. She was even lovelier in person than I had expected her to be and she offered me lots of fantastic advice on writing. I can't speak for other genres, but in speculative fiction it's wonderful that writers of all abilities and levels of success celebrate, share and support each other. Speaking of which, congratulations to Cat on finding an agent and the impending publication of your collected short stories.

My friend came along with me, solely as a result of conversations we had shortly after Continuum 5. This was his first con, and on the way he confessed some misgivings. He was concerned that he was there under false pretences, as he's more of a 'horror' fan than a 'Sci-Fi' fan. How did he cope? Well, he's gone and signed up for both Continuum 7 and Worldcon (Aussiecon 4) - which is great news for me as I've just saved some money on booking hotel accomodations by sharing with him.

And then to top it all off, I came home to some great writing news.  Nothing I can share yet, but something that's re-energised me and my words just when I needed it.

So, I'll see you at Aussiecon, right?

Future Tense, Past Relaxed.

I've had such a good time over the holidays that I'm quite chilled and almost ready to return to work, but I've also been very busy and away from home (and computers) a bit. I think I even missed a blog entry last week.

And I haven't yet mentioned Continuum 6.

Usually held in August, it's been pulled forward to late February so as to not compete with Aussiecon 4. Last year I was at Continuum 5, and had an absolute ball. So much so that I immediately signed up for this one. And then convinced a friend to sign up as well.

This year's theme is Future Tense, with guests of honour Mark Pesce (futurist writer, virtual reality pioneer) and Kim Westwood (author).  Should be a great time, although I have no real idea how people are going to dress up for the ball.  Last year the theme was steampunk, which worked very well. This year - robots? Nutrient tanks?  Whatever it is, it'll be fun. And it'll be great to catch up with some fellow writers again.

Speaking of which - I've had another nibble on one of my stories.  Can't really say much more (no, it's not sold) except I received very positive comments on it. I was getting a little despondent, but it was the momentum I needed to get writing this week and to re-edit a piece I'd written and send it off to an American market. Had to switch some of those pesky little Australianisms. Funnily enough, it's still very obviously an Australian story, it's just that Mum is now Mom, and a few other changes to words like that.

So, will we see you at Continuum 6?  Hope so.

The Year Of The...

Ok, apart from all the excitement of the whole European trip and catching up with my in-laws, I have a number of great events coming up that I'm very excited about.

Next week, for example, I'm off to see The Angels. I'm a long time fan - 30 years plus - but it was only last year that I first saw Doc Neeson live, and only a year before that I saw The Angels (minus Doc) for the first time.  I'm thrilled they've worked through their differences and combined their powers for goodness and niceness instead of evil.  And they still rock!

Then in February it's AC/DC.  Very cool. Early next year I also have tickets for Wilco (an amazing band that I've seen several times now and can't wait to see again), The Pixies (who I also saw last year and loved), Ross Noble (a funny, funny guy that I've seen several times) - and I'm sure there's someone else - but I can't remember right now.

I was looking forward to going away for some astronomy with friends, but circumstances have prevented that recently.  But early next year I'll drag out my much under-utilised telescope and head off for a weekend of observing. Of course it's the company that makes the night so enjoyable, so the SEDNA gang will also have to be there.

And then there's Continuum 6 and Aussicon 4 - both next year. As much fandom and SF as one could hope for.

Yes, next year is shaping up as a fabulous one.  And although there have been a few occurrences this year I'd rather forget, it's been a great year in so many ways too.

2010 - Arthur C. Clarke decided it's "the year we make contact", the Chinese call it "the year of the tiger". I should declare it to be "the year of the writer" and change up a gear. In fact, I'm deciding here and now it's "the year things start to happen".

I'll have to get onto one of my weird friends and find out what she thinks the year has in store for me. She's always guided me right, you know.