News

This summer I took part in ApolloCon, June 17-19; Denvention, the World Science Fiction Convention in Denver, August 6-10; and ArmadilloCon, August 15-17. Great conventions all!

My fantasy story "Grass Lion "appears in the February-April 2008 issue of Sorcerous Signals.

In 2008 I'm the Vice President of The Final Twist, which is the Houston chapter of Sisters in Crime, the world-wide organization of women mystery writers, editors, librarians and readers.

My story "The Mortification of the Flesh" appears in the anthology Horrors Beyond 2 - Stories of Strange Creations just out from Elder Signs Press.

Hurricane Moon news

Hurricane Moon gets good reviews on the websites of The National Space Society and The Washington Post. I like the Post calling my book overall "a resonant achievement." In the January/February 2008 issue of Analog, Tom Easton writes a favorable review with the comment, "... an unusually character and relationship-focused novel for SF."

To my great delight, I'm hearing from readers who like Hurricane Moon. They include science fiction readers and others who usually read mainstream, fantasy, romance, or mystery. So on October 19 I appeared at Houston's mystery bookstore Murder by the Book, along with other writers in The Final Twist. That's the local chapter of Sisters in Crime - and a wonderful writers' group.

Copies of Hurricane Moon have been shipped to bookstores. And to me. And it's wonderful to hold a copy of my novel in the form it was always meant to have. After years of being notes, sketches, Word documents, printouts with comments scribbled in all colors of ink; notebooks and binders with the MSS formatted and printed out for friends to read; the final draft boxed up to go to my agent in the mail; a digital MSS e-mailed to the editor and then sent to the publisher on CD's; the copy edited manuscript, electronic galleys in PDF, and Xeroxed galleys, now finally, simply, it's a book. The first three chapters are online at Pyr.

Don D'Ammassa reviews Hurricane Moon on his Critical Mass website, and has nice things to say. Including this: "Extremely well written, tightly plotted, full of that old fashioned sense of wonder about the universe." It's a very good feeling when a reviewer seems to have read the same book that the writer intended to write. There are a lot of reasons why it doesn't always pan out that way - but how wonderful when it does.

Hurricane Moon got an excellent review in Publisher's Weekly (scroll to the SF/Fantasy/Horror section).

Take a look at Hurricane Moon's wonderful, complete cover painting by Brian W. Dow.  Go to http://pyrsf.blogspot.com/2006/10/for-your-viewing-pleasure-hurricane.html.

Other news

• I had a hometown book signing in COLUMBUS,GEORGIA on Saturday, January 5 at the Waldenbooks in Peachtree Mall.
  
  
• Houston Writers Festival. Writers were the main attraction on November 17 at the Galleria Barnes and Noble in Houston. In the course of the day there were 20 writers and poets in the store. It was a joy to meet some interesting readers - and the other writers!
  
  
• On Sunday August 19, I did a signing at the St. Steven's Episcopal Church Havens Community Center in Houston. This event happened thanks to the generous enthusiasm of several fellow parishioners. They even procured floral arrangements color-coordinated with the cover of the book.
  
  
• I was a program participant at Conestoga July 20-22, the North American Science Fiction Convention in St. Louis August 2-5, and ArmadilloCon in Austin August 10-11, and enjoyed these fine conventions very much indeed.
  
  
• Hurricane Moon is in bookstores now, and also available at Amazon.com
  
  
• Horrors!
  The anthology Horrors Beyond II includes my short story "The Mortification of the Flesh."
  
  
• Hurricane Moon
  My novel Hurricane Moon will be published by Pyr in 2007 with wonderful cover art by Brian W. Dow.
  
  
• Witherspin
  My novelette Witherspin appeared in the July/August 2006 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine. This tale happens in the far future science fiction novel of the same title. After a LONG period of revisioning, I've completed the novel, and I thank Eileen, Kris, Mary, Matt, Kathi, Bethe, John, Melissa, Lee, Valerie, and Joshua, for your critique and encouragement!
  
  
• The April 2006 issue of Analog included my Fact article "The Shape of Wings to Come." It was wonderful fun researching and writing this one about the future of soaring flight.
  
  
• California Dreams
  My article about the 2005 Soaring Society of America Convention appeared in the April issue of Soaring magazine. See an exerpt California Dreams: The 2005 SSA Convention
  
  
• Genesis Picking up the Pieces
  I had a short article in the Soundings column of the December 2004 / January 2005 issue of Air & Space / Smithsonian magazine. "Picking up the Pieces" tells how NASA's Genesis solar wind sample return mission was saved by the Johnson Space Center curatorial team after Genesis crashed in the Utah desert.
  
  
• Engines of our Ingenuity
  "Houston's Engine of Ingenuity" appeared in the Spring 2004 issue of the University of Houston's Collegium Magazine. I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing the remarkable Dr. John Lienhard, creator and voice of The Engines of our Ingenuity, the Public Radio show about technology. Engines originates at KUHF on the UH campus.
  
  
• Ounce of Prevention
  My article "Ounce of Prevention" appeared in the May 2004 issue of Soaring Magazine. This article concerns the surprisingly exciting topic of glider preventive maintenance.
  
  
• Ethical Dilemma: Can Ethics Be Taught?
  I interviewed the Dean of the UH Law School and faculty in Business and Philosophy for the Spring 2003 issue of the University of Houston's Collegium Magazine.
  
  
• SFWA Statement of Support for Space Exploration February 2003