July? Where the hell'd you go?

The nursery is painted, furnished, and outfitted pretty much with every Huggie and HandiWipe known to man. The kid has more (and better) clothes than the wife and I combined. There are car seats, high chairs, teething rings and stuffed animals galore. It's 100 degrees outside and Michi is just about over the "Gee, this being pregnant thing is pretty neat" thing, which is punctuated every time the kid kicks her in the ribs. I've started to get the looks that say "This is all your fault, bastard."

August is gonna be fun.

Anyway, there was still some progress on the writing front this month:

• Summon the Thunder - Book is out and seems to be doing well. I'm about halfway through a set of annotations for the book, which I'll post to the site here shortly.
  
  
• Things Fall Apart - Mere Anarchy: Book 1 - Received galley proof pages from editor Keith DeCandido, and we returned our final corrections on July 13th. The e-Book is expected to go live sometime around the middle of August. I've also created a guide page for the entire mini-series.
  
  
• "First, Do No Harm" - for the Constellations anthology. Returned galley corrections to the editor on May 12th. This one is a done deal until it shows up in stores!
  
  
• Corps of Engineers #1: Turn the Page - Manuscript delivered to the editor on June 19th. Received editorial feedback and revisions were completed, and now we're awaiting licensor approval.
  
  
• Age of the Empress: The Reign of Sato I - for Star Trek: Mirror Universe - Glass Empires. A novel of approximately 50,000 words, with Kevin and I assisting former Enterprise staff writer/producer Mike Sussman with the writing. Manuscript delivered to the editor on July 24th, and we've already received preliminary feedback. Cover art is now available for your viewing pleasure on the book's page. The novel will share space with a TOS story by Dave Mack and a TNG tale by Greg Cox.
  
  
• Original SF short story - For an open-call anthology. Story sent to editor on January 23rd. Waiting to see if it's accepted or rejected.
  
  
• Original SF short story - For an open-call anthology. Story sent to editor on July 30th. Waiting to see if it's accepted or rejected.
  
  
• Original short story - Outlined and a partial draft is complete. The next item on my list of things to do. Trying to get a few of these lingering short story ideas out of the way before the baby shows up....
  
  
• Original SF short story - I've outlined the first short story based in the "universe" of The Last World War. This is one is second on my aforementioned list. More info to come as I move forward on it.
  
  
• Counterstrike: The Last World War, Book II - Proposal is still in limbo.
  
  
• Trek novel solo project - Awaiting editor feedback on proposal.
  
  
• Trek novel project with Kevin - Awaiting editor feedback on proposal.
  
  
• Tie-in project with Kevin - Kevin has created a third version of this proposal, and is still waiting on me to get off my ass and work on it myself.
  
  
• Trek tie-in project - Nothing much more than a hare-brained idea at this point, I've nevertheless written a five-page proposal for it. Not sure if it ever will see the light of day, but I figure it's good for giving the editor a laugh.
  
  
• Two articles for Star Trek Communicator magazine with Kevin - These are still on hold pending word on direction of the magazine. Last word I got was that it would be late 2006 or early 2007 before anything would happen.
  
  
• Non-fiction/non-genre article (or series of articles) for local/regional magazine or newspaper - Still hanging in limbo. No market for it, so the fire's not really there to write it at the moment.
  
  

Sunday. The last day of the con. Things are winding down. The crowd is smaller, maybe even a little more mellow.

Sure. As mellow as 80,000 people in a contained space can be.

Our first activity of the day was our book signing on behalf of the California Browncoats, a Firefly/Serenity fan organization hosting a charity fundraiser, with proceeds from the book sales going to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation. This is a fantastic group of folks, and the plethora of Browncoats coming past the table were generous with their donations as well as their tolerance for a couple of Trek hacks encroaching on their turf.

Highlight of the Day: None other than Kevin J. Anderson hanging out at the table for a few minutes, pimping us to passers by. Yeah, that's right...that Kevin J. Anderson. You know what? Run out and buy one of everything he's ever written. Go on, do it right now. I'll wait.

The signing was followed by a panel about Pocket Books' Star Trek publishing program. Moderated by Andy Mangels and featuring Pocket editors Marco Palmieri and Margaret Clark as well as fellow authors Jeff Ayers, Kirsten Beyer, Peter David, Mike Sussman, Kevin and me, and David R. George III, the panel was well attended and the audience lively. Lots of great questions and interaction made for a fun hour that passed all too quickly.

Last panel of the day was "How to Break Into Sci-Fi Writing." Moderated by Dr. Joseph Di Lella, I sat alongside fellow Strange New Worlds alums Cathy Pike, Frederick Kim, Geoff Thorne and David Schibi, we hosted a packed room and spent the hour answering all manner of questions from folks looking to make that first pro sale. I have to admit that I'm always a bit nervous during panels like this, as I'm still rather gun shy about my status as a "professional" writer. The last thing I want to do is offer a piece of bum advice, or present myself as some sort of expert on this stuff. I just try to offer the best info that's been passed to me by more-experienced writers who took the time to answer my questions. Otherwise, my outlook on this whole thing is pretty simple: If I can sell a story, anybody should be able to do so, as well. Just takes the necessary amount of time and work to do it, is all.

That, along with far too much money spent on stuff and far too much swag stuffed into my suitcase for the trip home, ended my first Comic-con. What a friggin' blast.

Kevin and I actually spent the morning working on revisions to the Mirror Universe story before heading back to the con around lunchtime. Had lunch with Kirsten Beyer, and ended up spending a good portion of the afternoon chewing the fat with her before heading over to do our signing at the Pocket Books booth. Before we actually got started, I finally got to meet Nancy Holder, a writer whose work I enjoy and someone I'd been hoping to run into during the weekend.

I don't know how many copies of Summon the Thunder the good Pocket folks had on hand, but there wasn't a copy to be had when it was all said and done. A nice, steady stream of interested and gracious folks kept on coming well after the hour was up. Among the numerous people I was able to talk to:

Annette Vogel - one half of my favorite con duo. She and her friend Jani Fleet have been coming out to see us at Starfest and Shore Leave since we started attending those cons, and it was a treat to see her again today. Jani, if you're reading this, you were missed!

Geoff Thorne - friend and fellow Trek writer, who actually was there to promote his new comic, The Red Line. Visit his site and check out his stuff. Do it now.

Brian Wiser - one of the good people responsible for Done the Impossible, the first-rate documentary about Firefly and Serenity. Visit their site, check out the film on DVD. Do that now, too.

Along with more visits from AlpineMaps and foravalon from the TrekBBS as well as a whole host of new friends.

Highlight of My Day, and in the running for Highlight of My Weekend: While dropping in on Geoff Thorne where he was promoting his comic, I was in turn greeted by a guy who introduced himself and told me he was a fan of our work. Turns out it was Robert Meyer Burnett, he of Free Enterprise fame (among other things, of course, including his recent work chronicling the production of Superman Returns for the film's eventual DVD release). Now, I gotta tell you, I'm a big fan of FE, given that it is so obviously a labor of love from two die hard Trek fans, so this particular handshake and casual chat was quite a rush for me.

After the day's activities were complete, it was out for dinner with the Pocket editors, Kevin, Jeff Ayers, and artist John Picacio, who recently provided the stunning cover artwork for David George's forthcoming Star Trek trilogy Crucible.

Yep. Another good day.

Holy freakin' Moley, this is a huge con!

Only half-way through, and I'm already tired, but it's been a blast so far. Thursday was rather uneventful, as we arrived after lunch and really only scratched the surface of what the place had to offer. Spent much time at the Pocket Books booth, of course, hanging out with the editors, author Jeff Ayers, as well as all the nice folks who stopped by the booth to check things out.

Friday was more active, with a great Trek panel called: "Star Trek: Year 41 and Counting." Folks from all walks of life in the "behind-the-scenes" world of Trek were on the panel: Sandy Stone from www.startrek.com, Mike and Denise Okuda, Paula Block and John Van Citters from CBS Licensing (the kind people who approve all of the Trek fiction, among countless other things), Luis Reyes from TokyoPop (who's overseeing the forthcoming Trek Manga project), and Pocket editors Margaret Clark and Marco Palmieri. Moderated by Andy Mangels and attended by a huge room full of interested onlookers, the panel was an engaging discussion about all the great stuff happening in the Trek universe. Anybody who says Trek's dead just isn't paying attention.

After the panel, it was back to the Pocket booth for our first signing. Along with Mike Sussman, Kevin and I signed oversized postcards bearing the cover art for Glass Empires. We'd actually only met Mike in person just the night before, and getting a chance to hang out with him and talk for a bit was something I'd been looking forward to doing. While we were there we met up with TrekBBS members AlpineMaps, foravalon, and Ronald Held. Also caught up with fellow writers Kirsten Beyer and Kelly Cairo as well as their respective spouses.

And along the way throughout the day, we perused the main con floor, spent too much money, carted too much stuff back to the room, etc.

If I had to sum the day into a single word, that word would be:



"Dope."

Today's the day Kevin and I head out for San Diego and our first ever Comic-con! To say I'm jazzed about this event would be a monstrous understatement. We're hoping to make the most of the time we'll have out there, to say nothing of having a heck of a good time. Reports from the con as I'm able!

In other news, Julio Angel Ortiz has written up his review of Summon the Thunder for his review/interview site, The Next Chamber. Many thanks to Julio!

Pilfered from Keith Decandido's blog:


How Will I Die Quiz

You will die at the age of 65

You will die in a nude hang gliding accident

Find out how you will die
at
Quizopolis.com

Just as the prophets foretold....

Jackie Bundy has posted her most gracious review of Summon the Thunder for the TrekNation website. Many thanks to Jackie!

In related news, eReader.com now has the book, available in their proprietary format for Palm PDAs and related gadgets. No word on when the book will be widely available in MS Reader or Adobe formats.

Editor Keith DeCandido has posted the cover art for all six installments of the Star Trek: Mere Anarchy e-Book mini-series on his blog. Go check 'em out!

The first installment, Things Fall Apart by Kevin and myself, is due for e-Publication in August. Book 2, The Centre Cannot Hold by Mike W. Barr, will be out in September, followed by Shadows of the Indignant by Dave Galanter in October. After a three-month break, during which the newly "relaunched" Star Trek: Corps of Engineers series will see its "debut," the mini-series will return in February 2007 with The Darkness Drops Again by Christopher Bennett, followed in March by The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Howie Weinstein and Its Hour Come Round by Margaret Wander Bonanno in April.

Can't wait!

In other news, Julio Angel Ortiz has offered a new review of Distant Early Warning for his website, The Next Chamber, where he frequently reviews books and interviews authors. Many thanks to Julio!

Score another one for progress.

Happy to report that Kevin and I handed in our final edits to the page proofs for Things Fall Apart, the first installment of the six e-Book Mere Anarchy mini-series that is part of Pocket Books' 40th anniversary Star Trek celebration.

Elsewhere, Mike W. Barr and Dave Galanter are doubtless performing similar editing functions on their own manuscripts, and Christopher Bennett, Howie Weinstein, and Margaret Wander Bonanno are busy writing their installments.

If what I've seen so far is any indication (not counting our own pithy contribution), these stories are going to kick respectable boo-tay, if I do say so myself.

Now, all we have to do is finish the Mirror Universe book, and we're home free.

I was asked last night if I had access to the cover art for the second Mirror Universe book, Obsidian Alliances, which will feature a New Frontier story by Peter David, a Voyager story by Keith DeCandido, and a Deep Space Nine tale by newcomer Sarah Shaw. Though I didn't have it in my possession, Keith has posted it on his LiveJournal:

Obsidian Alliances cover art

Enjoy!

Between a lack of internet access over the weekend and a lack of functioning brain cells in the immediate aftermath of the convention, I'm only just now getting a chance to post thoughts on this year's Shore Leave con.

Long story short: The entire weekend was a blast.

Long story somewhat longer: As always, it's a treat to meet up with friends I only get to see in person once a year, be they fellow writer-folk, friends I've made via assorted online mediums or who simply have befriended us after meeting us at cons like this. It's also fun to finally be able to put faces to names you've seen uncounted times on message boards, and doubly-so when you find out the people behind the online monikers are just as interesting as their online personas would have you believe.

What's exciting to see are the people I've met at other cons--some of those in other parts of the country--who show up here. Shore Leave has been around a long, long time, and I have to believe one of the key reasons for that is the dedication of fans who travel from all over to attend.

It was a busy weekend, starting Friday night. Beginning the festivities was the now-annual "Pocket Books Preview," whereby the editors tease us with hints into the publication schedule for the coming 12-18 months or so. With the latter half of 2006 being dominated with Pocket's celebration of the original Star Trek's 40th anniversary, 2007 will see similar attention paid to the 20th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Several books as well as a short story anthology and a 6 e-Book mini-series were all announced.

Other highlights included The Good That Men Do, the first novel in the anticipated Enterprise "Re-Launch," initiative, with new books designed to carry events past those chronicled in the series finale episode. A new Vanguard book, Reap the Whirlwind, was announced as coming next summer, and written by David Mack, who of course wrote the series' first installment, Harbinger.

That one's gonna rock.

The "Mirror Universe" paperbacks, due out in March and April 2007, drew some attention, as well. Two trade paperbacks, each containing three short novels:


Glass Empires, featuring:
Enterprise, by Mike Sussman, with me and Kevin
Star Trek, by David Mack
Star Trek: The Next Generation, by Greg Cox

Obsidian Alliances, featuring:
Star Trek: New Frontier, by Peter David
Star Trek: Voyager, by Keith R.A. DeCandido
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, by Sarah Shaw

(individual story titles haven't been finalized).


Also unveiled was the cover art for both books. I only have the art for Glass Empires available, but here it is:





Other items of note: "First, Do No Harm," our short story for the forthcoming Star Trek: Constellations anthology, will also be included as a bonus in the pages of TokyoPop's new Star Trek Manga project, coming in mid-September.

Afterward, the "Meet the Pros" party, with all of the writer guests assembled for book signings, kicked things into high gear. Summon the Thunder was in abundance, and the early buzz we're hearing on the book is that readers are liking it. Certainly can't complain about that. It was my first time meeting the quiet, stately force of nature that is Margaret Wander Bonanno, something I'd been hoping to do for years. As I told her when she autographed my copy of Strangers from the Sky, I'd been waiting 20 years to get it signed. Fanboy Achievement #1 for the weekend accomplished. #2 came a few minutes later, when Howie Weinstein autographed my copy of his script for "The Pirates of Orion," which he wrote way back in the Before Time for the animated Star Trek series.

Saturday was a blur of panels and other assorted activity, beginning early at breakfast with Kevin, editor Keith DeCandido, along with fellow Star Trek: Mere Anarchy contributors Christopher Bennett, and the aforementioned Howie and Margaret. The intent was to gather and discuss any pertinent points of interest to Christopher, Howie, and Margaret, as they are writing the three books which comprise the latter half of the series. The discussion only served to remind me that the series is in excellent hands, and how lucky I am to be involved with it.

Oh, and on top of everything else, Keith dropped galley pages for Mere Anarchy, Book One: Things Fall Apart into my lap as well as Kevin's, giving us reading material for the flight home. Sweet!

The panels were fun, covering such topics as the Mere Anarchy series, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Star Trek Pocket Books-style, and pondering the question of whether Star Trek fiction had gone too far. The consensus on that last one--arrived at after an hour filled with entertaining and thought-provoking discussion from the panelists as well as the audience--was that we had not.

Sunday was only slightly less busy. A Star Trek: S.C.E./Corps of Engineers panel was well attended, as was what turned out to be my favorite panel of the weekend: "The Future of Star Trek". Hosted by Allyn Gibson and including writers Terri Osborne, Bob Greenberger, Howie Weinstein (along with Kevin and myself), we had an animated, engaging discussion with the audience on where Trek might be going in coming months. The audience was top notch and as into the discussion as we were, and if anyone wants to know why Trek has endured these many years, they need to look no farther than the representative slice of fandom sitting in that room on that day. Those folks made that hour one of the highlights of my weekend.

And, as always, the thing was over far too soon. Can't wait for next year!