My story "Skin Flute" is now up at Fishnet. Though the site is only erotic fiction (i.e. no naughty pictures), you should really only head over there if you are over 18, though I can't really do anything about it if you're not. So I guess all I can say is read the story responsibly. Again, Mom and Dad, you might want to stay away.

***

This year's Trinoc*con was even more disorganized than last year (which is saying something), though there were some good bits. I was included in the program book this time, as was Janet. I got to hang out with Jamie, Andreas, and Luna throughout the con. Six people came to my reading Saturday night, though one guy left halfway through; I read a scene from "Don't Blink" and all of "Hair." We sold two copies of Four Seasons, one off the dealer's table and one by hand. A good number of the flyers I made up for the foodie antho were snatched off of the freebie table. The "Promise and Perils of DIY Publishing" panel was well-attended, and the audience asked lots of questions (my fellow panelists were a magazine publisher, a novelist, and a comics publisher). Janet sold one original painting, one matted print, and three unmatted prints, and received the award for Best Professional Artist in the Art Show. For an early birthday present, I bought Janet a signed copy of the first UK edition of Terry Pratchett's Night Watch, where the original painting by Rembrandt is reproduced on the back cover.

These kind of made up for the fact that I didn't know what panels I was on until I got there Friday afternoon, they left off the names of people who were on panels so you were going to them without knowing who would be at the front of the room, the moderators were also unknown and some of the panels devolved into endless discussion that had nothing to do with the topic, the rooms were kept just a degree or two above absolute zero, downtown Durham basically shuts down on the weekend so you have to drive if you want to get to a decent restaurant, the lunch table sold out of sandwiches after twenty minutes and didn't restock until 2:30, the dealer's room was not terribly impressive, and the con suite's maximum capacity seemed to be twelve people. Dan Reid told me that he will be the literary chair next year, since he only had a peripheral role this year, and I really hope he whips those folks into shape. It's years like this, and the convention's growing tendency to turn into a gaming con, that are the cause of a lot of people staying away.

***

Inspired by Jay Lake's Story Words, I've started a word-a-day journal where I pick a word and write a (very) brief story about it. This is mostly to get my fingers going in the morning, to get the creative juices flowing, so that I at least write every day. I've turned off the comments there, since it's mostly for me, but if you're interested, it's called Mythologism and I try to update it every day.

Due to a few sleepless nights lately, I haven't been able to keep to a writing schedule, but I'm honestly going to try again. There are a bunch of projects on my plate, and I really need to get some of them finished before classes start again in a few weeks. Unfortunately, lately, the time when I've gotten the jones to write has been in the evening when many local coffee shops are closing or are already closed. I've just needed to change locales in order to write recently, to get out of the apartment and settle in a new scenery.

***

Janet and I headed over to Bond Park yesterday and took a nice walk through the woods. At one point we passed by a swampy area with a loud bullfrog clearly not happy about us being there. He croaked and we answered back. When we got back to the lake area, we only stayed a few minutes; the total lack of a breeze and high humidity made it a bit difficult to breathe, and the air felt stagnant and damp. Even the ducks were subdued and non-responsive, lolling around on the banks of the lake, struggling to move.

***

We watched some of the Democratic National Convention on tv last night, and I was again astounded at what a great public speaker Bill Clinton is. No matter what you feel about him, it's hard to deny his orating skills.

Now Reading:
The Troika by Stepan Chapman

Stories Out to Publishers:
6

Books Read This Year:
39

Zines/Graphic Novels/Fiction Mags Read This Year:
24