Shevacon and Inspiration Strikes!

So...as always, I return from a convention excited and energized about writing.   Of course, it would be helpful if I had my thumbdrive with me...but I'm sending myself emails so I suppose that is close enough.

I attended Shevacon in Roanoke, VA as a guest this past weekend.  James has a good review of the con at his blog here.  The only addition I'd have is that if you only have 1 guest on the panel...cancel it and put something else in its place.

For example, I was scheduled to be the only person on a panel about Steampunk costuming at 3pm on Saturday.  The room was quite full and I would have been in a full panic if not for the wonderful Janine Spendlove, who was kind enough to not only step in and help me talk about costuming but also distracted the Geeklet who wanted to be part of the panel too.   (Note to self: if Geeklet wants to be part of a panel - need to get her better costuming!) However, I would have been utterly terrified to speak in front of such a crowd if she hadn't been there.  Particularly on a subject that I am only passingly familiar with.

I also sat on a very good panel about new authors with Betty Cross and Robin Sullivan. Robin, as a small press publisher, gave lots of good advice on contracts and the pros/cons of traditional vs Self vs Small Press publishing. I will eventually have to make that decision but I'm not quite there yet.

Otherwise, the con was quite fun.  Didn't know a lot of people other than Janine, the Zahns, Allen Wold and Todd Lacey of the 501st/Mercs but still managed to have a pretty good time.  The programming/guest staff were all very nice and incredibly understanding when we had to run out early Sunday morning to beat the snow!   The Geeklet had a blast coloring in the art room.  I wish every con did that!  Though next time, I'll carry my laptop and let her color while I write!

Con being over, I've got about 2 weeks before Stellarcon where James & I will be Fan GOH's.  I'm not sure how much "writing" panels I will be on but I'm still hoping to get some writing inspiration from the con.   I'd also like to get to 50,000 words over the next two weeks so I'm putting that as my goal for before Stellarcon. 

I also got some good ideas/thoughts on promotion...though I don't know if I'm brave enough to start using twitter!  ::shivers::

In other news...beautiful new book cover for Spells and Swashbucklers is up on my website.

Of course, outside of a chance to promote my stories, the best thing about cons is feeling energized and creative about writing.  I've already got more questions and ideas around the Mystery and have some thoughts on a prequel/2 sequels.  So now it's a matter of getting my Butt in Chair! 

~T

I'm old enough not to care too much /About what you think of me
But I'm young enough to remember the future/And the way things ought to be
~Rush, Cut to the Chase

PS:  Did anyone catch the Kevin J Anderson is writing the story to go with Rush's Clockwork Angels?  So can't wait!

Back to about Writing

So I am faced with an interesting conundrum in my novel.  As I wrote the story, the medical examiner was a women.  Then I started reading and doing my research.  First off, it would have been a coroner in the Victorian time period.  Second, women were just beginning to come into their own as nurses and certainly were rare as doctors.

So...now I am trying to decide do I go the "easy way out" and make the coroner a man?  Or do I keep my female and explain/show somewhere that she is rare, frequently challenged and has to fight for respect? 

On one hand, I certainly like the idea of a strong woman coroner (being a huge fan of Rizzoli and Isles), however, I don't know that I want to add the complication of another woman in a typically male dominated field.   The Heroine is a courier and owns her own business, which is definitely unusual enough.

On the third hand (!?), it's alternate history, I've already made tweaks to history and had things created earlier than they really were...so would it break the "suspension of disbelief" if I had a woman in a typically male dominated field for that time period?

It's an interesting challenge that I'll have to play with.   If I keep her, it could provide an interesting subplot within the overall story.

It's not as if this barricade/Blocks the only road
It's not as if you're all alone/In wanting to explode
~Rush, The Pass