About to head out to a coffee shop to grade (surprise surprise). Will write and revise tonight. Third bloggy video in a row, I know, but don’t you worry. This weekend I’ll write about (gasp) writing. Really. I promise.

In the meantime, I leave you with the dudes that have put a smile on my face every day this week. Watch the video all the way through–you won’t be disappointed, even if you normally despise Christmas carols.

In the DVD player: I Am Legend

On my coffee table to read: Daryl Gregory’s The Devil’s Alphabet and Celine’s Journey to the End of the Night.

Now that’s all great stuff (well, the books at least–we’ll see about the movie). But for Thanksgiving break, I think some humor might be in order, so my thanks to Chris Roberson, who tweeted about this sweet little video.

Fun video for all of you who’ve just recently had your first book or two published, or if you’re about to have a book published. Oh hell, if you’re even dreaming of some day having a novel grace the shelves of Barnes and Noble, you’ll like this. Or at least empathize. Or maybe cringe. You decide:

Found this at Lisa Katzenberger’s site. 

I try to think of the universe as having a sense of humor (for those who have not known me long, please see When the Universe Steals Your Keys as an example).

But cremation? Right before Thanksgiving? (which, by the way, isn’t looking so good since all of my bestest friends are going out of town–it might be me and a Hungry Jack dinner come next Thursday).  

But just look at the pretty flowers on the border, and what nice bullet points about how my future death can have “less impact on the environment.” Squee!  Can’t wait to see what other lovely cards I get this holiday season.

My flash fiction piece, “In the Beginning,” will appear in the second catalogue for Embrace!, one of the lastest exhibitions at the Denver Art Museum. Christoph Heinrich, director of the DAM, asked if  I would write a short story to complement Christian Hahn’s work.

It was very exciting to be involved in a major exhibit, and getting to meet most of the Embrace! artists last night at a party, including Christian, was even more of a treat.  His work is playful and haunting, and resonated with my own concerns about the environment.

This was my second adventurous journey into the art/fiction world. Earlier this summer, Beate Engl asked me to write a story to go along with her installation, The Blob–Nothing Can Stop It! Through her art, Engl wants to critically analyze ”the spaces marked for art and the expansion of a globalized art industry.” I wrote “Unleashed Beauty,” a tale about an aging artist who discovers a new kind of paint to be used for his land sculptures, with disastrous consequences.

I would love the opportunity to do more of this kind of work. To interact with artists and their creations in such a dynamic way is beyond anything I ever imagined when I set out to write. Double woot for the day!

The heading above should give you an idea of what to expect when attending the World Fantasy Convention, held in San Jose this year. Tis was my first time at this convention, and I went based on the never-ending enthusiasm and encouragement of two of my favorite con peeps who I hung out with at Armadillicon: Chris Roberson (talented writer and editor extraordinaire) and John Picacio (stunning artist and illustrator).

Now, I didn’t go to the con with any agenda (meet so and so, get this editor to notice you, etc). Since my first novel hasn’t sold yet, and I’m working on the second, and have just entered into the short fiction arena, I felt I had no wares to peddle so to speak. I went to go make friends and have a good time. And that, I think, is the magic of WFC.

It is, really, a giant reunion party for writers, publishers, and editors. You start your day in the bar and pretty much stay there, only venturing to the other floors for a few readings, perhaps a panel or two. Maybe you go outside to feel sunlight on your skin or find a place for dinner. But these are vampiric folk; the parties start around 6 or 7 or 8–it’s all a blur now–and continued on till 3ish or 4ish or 5ish, depending on your constitution and state of sobriety. I usually lasted till about 1 or 1:30 before wandering back to my room, exhausted and giddy from all socializing. Below is a short breakdown of said days, since I know you’re just dying for details.

Day 1 (Wed): Escaping Denver Octoblizzard

CU Boulder canceled school at 2 p.m. I wasn’t planning to fly out till Thursday morning, but I was so nervous about being trapped in Denver that I rushed home, packed, and changed my flight to 6:30 that night. We didn’t end up taking off till around 8:30, but hey, I was just happy the plane, after a long de-icing, got on that runway. I arrive in the Fairmont Hotel around 11:30. I go up to my room, deposit my bags, fluff my hair, dab on a little lip gloss, and go back down to the bar. You can sleep when your dead, right?

There I meet old friend Rani Graff, who introduces me to his publishing partner Gili Bar-Hillel and Bill Willingham, creator of the Fables comic book series (and much more). We hang out for about an hour. Poor Gili has just flown in from Tel Aviv the day before, I believe, and nods off during our conversations. We are saddened to see waitress giving last call somewhere around 12:30. Bill warns the lass that come tomorrow, the bar would be overrun with con folk until the wee hours of the morn. The waitress smiles nicely and nods, not understanding  the chaos that is about to descend upon her people.

Day 2 (Thur):

I meet a former student of mine, Zan, for breakfast. Tis was wonderful catching up with her and finding out her plans for grad school. We walk around San Jose for a little while, enjoying the sunshine, before I head back into the hotel.  I hang out in bar (suprise) with Gili, Rani, Bill, and am introduced to Joe Morrissey, senior designer at Paragon Studios. We go to lunch and discuss narrative in gaming and whether James Joyce is a genius writer or intellectual prick, amongst other things.

I walk around the rest of day, see con buddy Jon Picacio, buy his super cool book. Meet the Borderlands Books folk  Alan Beatts and Jude Feldman. I run into another friend, Joseph McDermott (affectionately known at Bad Ducky on AW). We hug, share stories.  More trips to the bar. The parties start around 8. I approach Bernard Goodman of Tachyon Publications, thinking he is Daryl Gregory. Happy accident; Bernie and I get to talking academics. There are some new books coming out that they need teacher’s guides for (I had met Jill Roberts earlier that day who gave me a copy of The New Weird, by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer). Woot! We talk for a while, then I head back down to the bar.  Sometime around midnight, I meet a very dapper Jeremy Lassen, of Night Shade Books. We head back up to the parties.

Day 3 (Fri):

By this point, I relish the quiet walk in the mornings to Peet’s Coffee for a latte and a cinnamon bun. It’s the only alone time in my day before the madness begins. But oh such madness! In the elevator I run into Brian Evenson, formerly a creative writing professor at DU when I was a grad student there. Later I see him in the  Genre fiction and The Library of America panel, sitting there with Peter Straub, Tim Powers, S. T. Joshi, and Gary K Wolfe. Pretty damn cool. 

Later, I meet Liz Argall, an Aussie comics writer living in the US.  She introduces me to the effervescent Kat Sparks, who, upon learning that I that I teach the rhetorics of the grotesque,  introduces me to Deborah Biancotti. She promises to introduce me to Anna Tambour at some point (and thus begins a quest that lasts for much of the con).

I walk around some more, realize that I somehow missed lunch. A dinner posse forms: me,  Armadillocon buddy Sanford Allen, John and Traci Picacio, new friends Jess Nevins, Jennifer Heddle, Joe McCabe, his lovely wife Sophia Quach (amazing photographer and MA art history student).  After dinner Joe, Sophia, Jess, Jennifer and I head out for some FroYo. There we have great debates about who is the  hotter superwoman–Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman or Julie Newmar’s Catwoman. At a certain point, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl make it into the conversation. 

We head back to the hotel and wander up to massive autograph signing. I’ve never seen such a thing. Hundreds of authors sitting at tables, ready to sign. I immediately think of a junior high dance, where people are just hanging around, waiting to be asked out onto the dance floor. I’ve brought no books to be signed (although I have some up in my bedroom). Shamed by such guilty laziness, I leave the room and begin to wander the party floor. The night goes on and on and ends with Alison Baker making sidecars for everyone in the giant bathroom while Jeremy Lassen whoops it up.

Day 4 (Sat)

My old DU friend Alex Irvine has made it to the con, and I meet him and Ted Chiang for some lunch. We talk about agents, publishing, film options. I secretly resolve to find all of Ted’s short stories and begin reading them as soon as I get home. It’s a grand time catching up with Alex–’tis been 10 years since we’ve seen each other.

Alex introduces me to classy hipster Fleetwood Robbins, editor at Wizards of the Coast. End up at Mezacal for dinner with those two and John Klima , Chris Schleup,  Mark Teppo, Daryl Gregory, Adam Rakunas, Alex’s brother-in-law, and another friend. I eat the grasshopper bits they pass around, but refuse to touch the chorizo I ordered in its linked-ball form. Massive margaritas. I drink only half of mine in the hopes that I can walk back to the hotel in a straight line.

It’s Halloween, so there are many steampunk lads and lasses milling about on the party floor.  Alan Deniro decides to go psycho Western. I meet more people than I can remember.  Thank God the clock rolls back an hour tonight. God knows, I could use it.

Sunday (last day):

No! I don’t want this all to end! Spend some time chatting with Matt Sturges. Skip the awards banquet to have a quick lunch with fellow Coloradoan David Boop, and then hang a bit with Jennifer Heddle. Cool gal. We go up to see the awards ceremony–so wanted John K, Daryl G, and John P. to win in their respective categories.  Sigh. 

Best WF Awards moment: Seeing Chris Roberson throw up his arms like he had just done a triple twist dismount when introduced.

Then it was hugs and goodbye. My student Zan is wonderful enough to give me and pal Sanford Allen a ride to the airport. We make it just in time. On the plane ride back I sit across from Carol Berg, whom I briefly saw at the con, but didn’t have any time to really talk to. There’s no talking now–she’s already at work on another manuscript. I hate flying, so lean back and keep my eyes closed the entire way.

I come home to a very happy pup. There is con detox–trying to catch up on sleep, grading, eating healthy food again. There’s a stack of books on my coffee table. Guess it’s time to crack one of them open and start reading.