Where I’ve Been

I know I’ve been quiet lately. I know I’m way behind on returning phone calls and emails. I know you’ve heard it all before. Still, this has been one of the busiest, craziest months I’ve had in years.

At the end of March, I was invited to attend Blue Heaven, a week-long novel workshop conducted out on Kelley’s Island in Ohio. I had about three days to upload the first 50 pages of Above World to the group. (I took five.) I was working record amounts of time at the office during this time, including at least one day per weekend. I scrambled to finish Above World  by working during stolen lunches and late into the night. I skipped a lot of kung fu and stopped playing World of Warcraft. I uploaded the novel… only a few days late.

And then Wiscon attacked!

I managed to spend a few hours creating a flier for our reading (thanks to amazing artwork by Kat Beyer), and managed to spend a few more hours editing and practicing my piece for the reading. We snagged an unfortunate early Sunday morning slot, but had a great turnout.  I read with Kat Beyer, Catherine Morrison, Sarah Prineas, and Heather Shaw. Not only are they fabulous writers, but they’re dynamic and charismatic readers, too. It was a real honor to be a part of that group.

The rest of Wiscon is sadly a blur. I know I went to great parties, shared great meals and conversations, and spent as much time as possible with beloved friends. But the Stomach Bug That Ate Wiscon got to me Sunday night, and the ensuing misery has wiped a lot of the more pleasant memories from my mind. I’m sure they’ll come back, but for now, I’m a wee bit happy to put this year’s Wiscon behind me.

Wiscon led to several sick days during which I was supposed to be helping my company prepare for Book Expo America. As soon as I was well enough to eat and walk, I was living at the office again. BEA was fantastic. My eyes were wide the whole time, my bags perpetually stuffed with free books. It was an amusement park for book-lovers. I even clapped my hands with glee on more than one occasion.

Still, I was a little bit sad that I wasn’t attending BEA under different circumstances. It was difficult to see the lines of people at the autographing tables and not feel a bit wistful. I missed seeing all the writer community folks except for the Small Beer Press entourage. Some day I want to go to BEA as a writer, not an exhibitor.

BEA ended on Sunday, and now I’m frantically finishing critiques for Blue Heaven. I fly out on Saturday morning for about eight days. I don’t know what to expect. I’m sure the other 11 people in attendance will help me fix my novel. I’m sure I’ll learn oodles and oodles about the craft and business of novel writing. I’m sure I’ll have a good time. But seriously? If I can just steal a little sleep and spend just a few hours relaxing, it will all be worth it.

Craziest. Month. Evar.