Scarlet Letters

Due to extensive conflicts with next Wednesday's chat, I am moving it to Thursday, June 5, 7-9 p.m. CST. Thank you!

I put together a "Tragedy" playlist, specifically for a few short stories I have cooking. God, I love horror. Hey, don't blame me. Between HOUSE, SUPERNATURAL and a half-dozen other season finales this week, I'm drowning in grief and misery. It's been a blast. Why are you looking at me like that? 1. "Fatal Tragedy," Dream Theater 2. "Soldier's Child," Three Pints Gone 3. "Bad Moon Rising," Creedence Clearwater Revival 4. "Hello," Evanescence 5. "Learn to Be Lonely," Minnie Driver 6. "Your Eyes," RENT 7. "Green Fields of France," Three Pints Gone 8. "Man's Road," America 9. "One More Day," Diamond Rio 10. "Beautiful Goodbye," Amanda Marshall 11. "I'll Be There," Escape Club 12. "Let Me Fall," Josh Groban 13. "Who Wants to Live Forever," Queen 14. "So Close," Jon McLaughlin 15. "To Where You Are," Josh Grob...

It's been a while since we did one of these, and I will (hopefully) have stuff to announce. WHO: You! WHAT: A friendly chat WHEN: 7-9 p.m. CST Wednesday, May 28 WHERE: The Wilderness Chat Room* WHY: Because! Also, I will be giving away a few prizes. Please drop by! We always have a good time in the chatroom. * Instructions for the Wilderness Chat Room are found on my web site, at the bottom of the News page.

Dear friends: I am happy to announce a new contest to benefit the Relay for Life campaign. Anna Genoese , former editor for Tor Books, has offered her editorial services as a prize. She will give a complete evaluation of the first 100 pages of the winner's manuscript free of charge. For you writers, this is a fantastic prize worth $300. Here's how you enter: Donate to Relay for Life. I will get notification of all donors by name. For every $5 you donate, you'll get one entry in the contest. On June 9, the winner will be chosen by my nine-year-old son pulling the name out of a hat. I will announce the winner on both my blogs and my YahooGroup and put you in touch with Anna. I am very grateful to Anna for her offer, and I'd like to thank her publicly here for her generosity. To say nothing of the fact that this is a very important cause. Stop and think how many people you know who have been touched by cancer. Your money will make a real difference. Donate now! And thank...

I must publicly thank my good friend and fellow author, Shane Moore , for letting me crash a fan dinner tonight. Shane had a signing at Hometown Comics today in Edwardsville, and seeing as it was only a block and a half away from the Mayfest where I was selling baked goods for the American Cancer Society, I walked over to say hello. Shane, of course, can move two boxes of books at events where I'd be lucky to sell ten, but that's because Shane is a born promoter and natural salesman. It's scary to watch him work. Shane and fellow author Jon Klement were kind enough to invite me along to a post-signing fan dinner this evening. So I cleaned myself up, grabbed the boy and a box of books and showed up. Who knew Shane had such a lovely singing voice? ;) Setting aside the musical stylings of Mr. Moore, it was a lovely evening, and not just because I sold a few books. Shane does a convention a month, and I have goals of doing the same, but never quite seem to manage them. But i...