Scarlet Letters

The science fiction world lost another great one tonight, as Victor Milan left us. Pneumonia as a complication of myeloma. Dammit. Active since the late 1970s, Vic has  an impressive bibliography  under his own and several other names in a career spanning more than 90 books and 43 years. Winner of the Prometheus Award, Vic divided his time between media tie-ins and original fiction, writing both Star Trek  and dinosaurs, romance and BattleTech. In his own words, he was a cowboy, semi-pro actor, a radio DJ, pizza deliverer, tech support, and oh yeah, a writer. For some reason, I have no problem imagining Vic as a cowboy, and a much harder time imagining him as a pizza boy. He was well-known as a gracious and passionate writer, a gentleman of the first order. He lived in Albuquerque, but returned to our region every year as the perennial emcee of the Archon masquerade - a role he has held as long as I can remember. Faced with cosplay of all kinds and skits both terri...

In case you hadn't noticed, this blog is on semi-hiatus. Not that I don't enjoy sharing the menfolk's shenanigans and my latest rants, but there's a lot of things up in the air right now and I need to focus for a bit. However, the Fall Deathmarch must stomp on! Each year I say I'm not going to do this to myself, and each year I give in. Coming up: • St. Louis SPJ Student Boot Camp, Edwardsville, Ill. Sept. 23 (journalism) • Archon, Collinsville, Ill. Sept. 29-Oct. 1 (books and art/Literary Underworld) • Imaginarium, Louisville, Ky. Oct. 6-8  (books and art/Literary Underworld) • Leclaire Parkfest, Edwardsville, Ill. Oct. 15 (books and art) • journalismSTL, St. Louis, Mo. Oct. 23 (journalism) • Heartland Book Festival, Cape Girardeau, Mo. Oct. 28 (tent. - books) • St. Louis Indie Book Fair, St. Louis, Mo. Nov. 3-4 (books) • Contraception, Kansas City, Mo. Nov. 10-12  (books and art/Literary Underworld) • Edwardsville (Ill.) Winter Market, Dec. 2 (...

Oh, just pick a state, willya... I greet you from a lovely bed and breakfast in Charlestown, Indiana. It's a charming mansion with many rooms decorated in a comfortable, Victorian-inspired style, a billiards and music room downstairs and lovely gardens, at least what I could see when I arrived after dark. So far I approve. The only downside of the room: No desk, and I neglected to charge the laptop, so I can't work at the nifty writing-desk in the hall. Therefore I have the laptop balanced on my knees in the Victorian contour chair so I can write this blog. The things I do for you people. Today was supposed to be a leisurely drive to the Louisville, Ky. area to explore the area before the marketing symposium for writers at Karen's Book Barn , the store hosting me and many other authors this weekend. Of course, I got hit with about five errands to run "on my way out of town," no less than two minor crises, and got twenty minutes away from home before ...

So let's recap, friends and neighbors: This weekend: • I have a signing at Maeva's in Alton on Friday night - " Writers of the Riverbend ." • On Saturday, I work for Ye Olde Newspaper. • On Sunday, I am running a fundraiser at Pottery Hollow for the Relay for Life team. This requires baked goods, as treats were promised to the people coming to paint things. I might be able to get away with cookies and punch. • Meanwhile Boy goes through his Ordeal for the Order of the Arrow. Next weekend: • I am doing a signing in Louisville, Ky. I am leaving on Thursday so I can do some photography on Friday before the signing on Saturday. • But as soon as the signing is over Saturday, I have to book it back to Illinois. Because... • Sunday is the 175th anniversary of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church . I am responsible for the coffee hour baked goods. And coffee hour is, as we all know, the eighth sacrament of the Episcopal Church. • Therefore all baking must be done...

Hey look, I still have a blog! The Fall Deathmarch Tour ate me. I was going to blog about New Orleans, and Memphis, and Louisville, and Dupo, and all the other places I've traveled for the last six weeks. (One of those things is closer than the others.) About searching for non-spicy non-seafood on Bourbon Street, trying to find our way out of Louisville in the middle of a marathon, my first photography award, and getting censored by Facebook. Somehow none of that got written down... In the meantime, have these. JIM: Trying to read Emerson. I want to die. ME: Why? JIM: Boooooooorrrrriiiinnnnngggg! ME: You mean complex. Multifaceted. Challenging. JIM: Boooooooorrrrriiiinnnnngggg! ME: Stimulating. Formidable. Demanding. JIM: Boooooooorrrrriiiinnnnngggg! Long overstuffed windbaggery! ME: I'm not sure windbaggery is a word. JIM: It is now. ME: I'm pretty sure you're not just allowed to make up your own words, English major. JIM: Yes I can. CHARACTER 1: Yo...

Each year, I swear I'm not going to do this to myself anymore. I keep swearing.... No Dragoncon for me this year, and at the moment, I do not have any Atlanta stops planned. If there seems to be sufficient interest, I may plan a bungee stop in the spring tour, but in the meantime, I hope my Atlanta fans have an awesome Dragoncon! Buy lots of books! Sept. 9-11: Memphis, Tenn. on personal business, but am happy to meet with anyone for books or art! Deadline for ordering is Sept. 8. Sept. 17-21: New Orleans, La. for the Excellence in Journalism conference , at which I am honored to represent the St. Louis Pro chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists as president and delegate. A reminder to the STLSPJ crew: if you have any opinions you wish to express on the issues we will debate at EIJ, please contact me in advance. I'll be traveling via Memphis in case anyone wants to meet up. Sept. 25: Back home. Booked to moderate/host the St. Louis Society of Professional Jo...

Supposedly it's Happy Marriage Week. And there's this "Love Your Spouse" thing circulating where you post nice pictures of your spouse for a week. This is not my strong suit. If each couple has one that is the romantic, he's elected. Fortunately he is also exceedingly patient, and I do try. So here goes: Day One. I can't for the life of me remember which convention or signing this was. One of many halls where we set up the folding tables and lined up the books. Someone was taking photos of the authors, and we posed together. It could be last year; it could be four years ago. It's not this year; he's still got the dashing goatee instead of the Riker beard he's currently sporting. My hair is a wreck, but so what else is new? Though technically Jim and I met many years ago, briefly introduced by a mutual friend, we re-met years later when Jim first went on the book tour and we kept ending up at the same events. Books made us into Us, ...

There's a piece going around the internet that is about 85 percent really good advice. So at first, I hesitated to say what bothered me about it. Here, read it. It's good stuff. " How Not to Sell Books at an Event ." I'll wait. If I had a dollar for every beginning author I've seen with one solitary copy of his book resting on a bare table... I always have at least one backup tablecloth in my bag, sometimes more. I have been known to offer them on loan to cloth-less authors, and every single time that author came back at the end of the day to say, "Wow, that really made a difference! I'm going to pick up some of these." Note to authors: Remnant sales at fabric stores. Get an eight-foot length because you never know the size of the table you'll get. Horror authors can pick up nifty patterns in the post-Halloween sales. Other questions I am often asked: Where did I get that great folding rack? Store Supply Warehouse , folks. If you'...

Day Five of the Virtual Tour In Which Elizabeth Doesn't Have to Split Cab Fare With Strangers. Courtesy of the fine folks at  Seventh Star Press  and Tomorrow Comes Media, I'm doing a blog tour and interview blitz this week. Today's batch includes a lovely review and another interview - aren't you people sick of me yet? Highlight of the review from Bee's Knees: "Donald is one of those writers that paints such a vivid painting of her world, I can see myself walking the streets of Memphis watching the nightlife unfold in front of me." And if you're wondering what the snarky taglines above are talking about, here is a link to my ongoing feud with American Airlines: Escape From Orlando . Add your own Snake Plissken jokes. I apologize, con-prep ate me and I missed a day. Posts to date: • Interview with Elizabeth Donald , hosted by Deal Sharing Aunt • Review of Nocturne Infernum by Bee's Knees Review • Interview with Elizabeth Donald , hos...

Day Three of the Virtual Tour In Which Elizabeth Never Gets Stranded in Chicago. Courtesy of the fine folks at  Seventh Star Press  and Tomorrow Comes Media, I'm doing a blog tour and interview blitz this week. Thanks to everyone who came to the live chat tonight! Much fun was had, plus the trivia contest and there may have been some Glenfiddich involved. Maybe. Posts to date: • It's No Good to Anybody In Your Head , hosted by Shells Interviews •  Writer Wednesday Interview , hosted by Book in the Bag •  In Defense of Horror , hosted by  The Den of Debauchery •  The Eroticism of the Vampire , hosted by  Beauty in Ruins The blog tour is linked and coordinated at  Tomorrow Comes Media . Naturally, this whole thing is intended to promote  Nocturne Infernum.  What's that? Good lord, you really haven't been reading this blog, or my endless blatherings in social media.  Nocturne Infernum  is the compilation of all th...

Day Two of the Virtual Tour In Which Elizabeth Doesn't Have to Bag Her Shampoo. I could get used to this. Courtesy of the fine folks at  Seventh Star Press  and Tomorrow Comes Media, I'm doing a blog tour and interview blitz this week. Today's post is below: •  In Defense of Horror , hosted by  The Den of Debauchery •  The Eroticism of the Vampire , hosted by  Beauty in Ruins The entire blog tour plan is linked and coordinated at  Tomorrow Comes Media . Coming tomorrow: an interview and another blog post! And at 8 p.m. CDT, I will be in  the Literary Underworld Tavern chatroom  to talk about the book, take your questions and maybe give away some prizes! Naturally, this whole thing is intended to promote  Nocturne Infernum.  What's that? Good lord, you really haven't been reading this blog, or my endless blatherings in social media.  Nocturne Infernum  is the compilation of all three  Nocturne  books,...

This is my favorite kind of book tour: the kind where I don't have to pack anything. Courtesy of the fine folks at Seventh Star Press and Tomorrow Comes Media, I'm doing a blog tour and interview blitz this week. Today's post is below: • The Eroticism of the Vampire , hosted by Beauty in Ruins So be prepared to see much of this information posted and re-posted all week, with my apologies, except not really. It's all part of my evil plan for world domination. Muahahahaha. The entire blog tour plan is linked and coordinated at Tomorrow Comes Media . I will repost this list each evening with the links to the various content, and additional content on this blog as well. At 8 p.m. CST Wednesday, I will be in the Literary Underworld Tavern chatroom to talk about the book, take your questions and maybe give away some prizes! Links will be posted here Wednesday morning. Naturally, the whole thing is intended to promote Nocturne Infernum.  What's that? Good...

Two time zones, three airports, four hours' sleep and five cabs in a 27-hour marathon brought me home today. Yesterday. I think. I no longer remember what time zone I'm in or where I'm supposed to be, and this is posting tomorrow morning anyway. I stepped off the plane and went right back to work, and I am so tired I'm surprised this afternoon's story is in English. For those who followed my misadventures on Twitter, I am going to hold off on narrating the insanity that was my return from Florida until I know how the story ends. Suffice to say it was the worst transportation mess I've ever been in, and hopefully ever will be. My brain is still trapped at baggage claim in Chicago and my energy is stuck in a kiosk in Orlando, so I will hold off on anything more substantive until they catch up. I will report on the amazing Excellence in Journalism conference, which I cannot recommend more highly to any journalist in our field; on the delights of seeing Florid...

Home again, for slightly more than 48 hours this time. Dragoncon was a pile of fun with very few sour notes, and despite the utter insanity of trying to get in and out of Hotlanta with 85,000 of my closest friends, I had a wonderful time. I am not going to try to list all the people who were awesome this weekend, because I will inevitably leave someone out. I will note that Keith, Wrenn, Meredith and Heather were the best of roomies; it was always a party in our room. It was delightful to see old friends, meet new ones, and share the good words with all the terrific people in the panels. I am always grateful and honored to be among Dragoncon's guests, and the show never disappoints. (Boy enjoyed all the cosplay pictures, by the way. And he is squeeing all over his vintage-style Captain America poster. It's possible I raised a geek.) In case you missed it: The Daily Dragon  did an interview with me , and I also participated in an author roundtable discussion on tradit...

Actually, you stand a pretty good chance of finding me this year. Due to postal shenanigans, my name didn't go out in time for me to snag panels, so I'm a late addition. My panel schedule is pretty light. Does that mean I might actually get to attend a panel I'm not on? Shush with the crazytalk. Thursday: Traveling to Nashville. Hi, y'all. Friday: Traveling to Atlanta. - Panel: "And That's the Truth!" on building a career with nonfiction. 2:30 p.m. Hyatt Embassy. Saturday: Atlanta. - Panel: "For Survival: Four Days Later" on basic survival techniques once you've lived past the initial Big Whatever. 4 p.m. Westin Chastain. Sunday: Atlanta. - Panel: "Developing Characters Who Come Alive," and I'm the moderator. Eeeek. Someone gimme questions! 2:30 p.m. Hyatt Embassy. - Reading: Whatever I decide. Any suggestions? Offering a free limited-edition chapbook of Gethsemane  while supplies last. 5:30 p.m. Hyatt Vinings, to be...

I have really got to stop doing this to myself. I am too old to run around the country like this. First, I must offer my regrets to the fine folks at River City Comic Expo in Little Rock. There will be many fine guests there this weekend, so please show up and visit with them! So that kicks me off at Dragoncon , where some postal shenanigans unfortunately delayed my official confirmation and thus my panel schedule is pretty light. At the moment, all I know about are panels on the Writers Track at 2:30 pm. Friday and Sunday, an Apocalypse Rising panel at 4 pm. Saturday, and my reading will be at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. More panels may be added in the future, and I will offer chocolate and a free limited-edition chapbook to attendees at the reading on Sunday. Naturally, a limited presence means less opportunity to sell books, especially in a zoo like Dragoncon among 65,000 of my closest friends. But I will be there, and I'm bringing the new book as well as some older titles and out...

With Hypericon behind us, we enter a two-month lull in touring. I'm going to pretend that means I will be able to catch up the LitUnd inventory and bookkeeping, redesign LiteraryUnderworld.com and port to a new vendor, edit two books in the queue and finish rewriting Banshee's Run as I manage Julnawrimo next month . Pause for laughter. All those things have to be done before Labor Day, however, because I've been accepted at Dragoncon again and thus I will wend my way to Atlanta in September. That kicks off one of the most grueling schedules I've ever set for myself. First it's Dragoncon for the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta. I'm a solo act at that one. Then I go back home - for two days. Then it's off to Louisville, Ky. for Imaginarium, the second weekend in September. This will likely be a Literary Underworld event, with the usual cast of characters and the Traveling Bar (of Doom). Then back home, for three days. I fly to Florida that Thursday ...

It does take more than money to make me happy. But the sales from this weekend in Nashville go a long way. I'm not going to disclose numbers. But I will say that the gross sales figures from this weekend are within shouting distance of our gross sales from Midsouthcon, one of our highest-selling conventions.  Why is this shocking? Midsouthcon has more than 2,000 attendees. Hypericon had maybe 200.  Those guys rock. My authors were happy. The staff was happy. And the Literary Underworld Traveling Bar was well-stocked.  (This show's most popular items were an awesome maple bourbon provided by Underlord Stephen Zimmer and the famous apple pie moonshine provided by Michael Farnette. Yum.) It takes more than sales. It takes good friends, colleagues in the small-press trenches and intelligent conversation that goes beyond debates about the Heisenberg Compensator to the reflections of popular culture in the world around us. It's always worth the lost sleep. ...

After a long day of medical nonsense, I got to relax with my writer pals at Eville Writers. And a puppy. Here, have a gratuitous puppy picture. Said puppy is a service dog being trained by awesome writer and Literary Underlord Cole Gibsen . I warned her that if she didn't bring me fresh stock to take to Nashville this weekend, I was going to send Jimmy to her house and mug her for books. If you have any fondness for YA fantasy and kickass writing, you should check out Cole. We seriously cannot keep her titles in stock. And we have the new one, which will be up on the LitUnd site before the weekend. She's amazing and her work is really on the upswing. Topics of conversation included the usual: state of the industry, self-pub vs. trad pub, recent signings, upcoming conventions, marketing your book and Julnawrimo. Yeah, I guess I'm going to do Julnawrimo again. I'm doing a rewrite on a previously-written project, because I am still not happy with it and since i...

For the record, brain, it was not very polite of you to come up with the title and two-thirds of the plot to the next Nocturne  novel at church today. Especially since we're obligated to about three more projects before we could possibly get to that one. It's gonna be kickass, though. ---- Day two of Waiting for Dreamhost. Something like Waiting for Godot; when something goes wrong with my website, they respond instantly, and sometimes I can even get a live chat for help. When something goes wrong with the webstore, I must post in the forum and wait for a reply. It's been more than 24 hours and no response. If I call them, the price is $99. Waiting. Waiting... Let's make bets! ---- Boy: Are we doing anything Tuesday? Me: *parabola-mouth* Boy: What? Oh. Oh my God. Me: *supersniffle* Boy: It's your birthday Tuesday, isn't it. Me: *pout* Boy: I may have to do some shuffling. I forgot. Me: For the record, that's the last time you get a free pass...