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July Wrap-Up & August Goals
While I had high hopes for finishing the first draft of Earth and Water in July, I’ll admit my track record for the past 2 years hasn’t been the best with these aspirations. Then the spouse went to Puerto Rico for work, and I decided last minute to take a week off and join him.…
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Con Report: Confluence 2023
According to my records, I had not attended Confluence in 5 whole years! (Even though they have been kind enough to repeatedly invite me back.) This year, the stars aligned, and I finally was able to make the trip out to Pittsburg for this fantastic event. Friday Since I didn’t have anything on my schedule…
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StokerCon 2023 Schedule
I was supposed to be at StokerCon in Denver in 2022, but unfortunately, it occurred less than 2 weeks after the only time I came down with a certain illness. Therefore, I’m thrilled to return this year for the first time since 2019 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I’m incredibly excited to see a lot of…
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Con Report: Farpoint 2023
Last weekend I attended Farpoint, a pop culture convention local to the Baltimore area, as a panelist and presenter on the writing and fandom tracks! As I explained to a handful of authors that I met for the first time during the event, I don’t generally attend conventions for the primary purpose of selling books.…
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Destination Research: Israel
In the past few years, I have participated in virtual panels on multiple topics for Con-Tinual: The Con That Never Ends. Yesterday, I also contributed to their weekly #DestinationResearch about my visit to Israel in October 2022. The content of those posts is included below, but if you’re interested in a great Facebook community with…
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Holiday Letter 2022
Welcome to my final* post of 2022! The blog will be quiet for the rest of the year because the spouse and I are once again hitting the high seas for a tropical holiday cruise with my extended family. We’re spending Christmas zip-lining in Honduras, and we’ll return to Maryland in time to spend New…
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October Wrap-Up & November Goals
October vanished in a whirlwind of trying to get everything done before leaving for my 10-day trip to Israel, then the vacation itself. Did I get everything done? Of course not. But I had a fantastic time meeting many family members from around the world and checking items off the bucket list, so it was…
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September Wrap-Up & October Goals
Another month passed in the blink of an eye, and as usual, my ambition outpaced my ability, but I’m still pretty satisfied with how September went. In another of the endless attempts to better wrangle the multiple goals I have every month, I took a cue from a fellow author and started to use the…
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FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention 2022 Schedule!
I’m finally returning to Salt Lake City this year! Spouse and I are flying in Thursday morning and leaving Sunday morning, so we’ll be around for all 3 days of the convention. I have a few panels and book signing slots, and most importantly, I’ll be back with my interactive alternate history presentation. FanX Salt…
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August Wrap-Up & September Goals
I have no idea how many words I wrote this month on the first draft of Steel Legacy, but I know I wrote the most important two: Trust me, I’m just as shocked as you are. As shown in the picture above, the final total for what is currently a total mess is 120,560 words.…
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May Wrap-Up & June Goals
I started May with all of the plans. Lots of writing while the spouse was away for work. Two conventions. Finally, some warm weather! I got exactly one of those things. Spouse came down with a cough the first weekend, and we discovered by the first Tuesday that both of us finally got the plague.…
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StokerCon 2022 Schedule [redacted]
Yesterday, I was super excited to tell you all about my upcoming trip to Denver for StokerCon! What you didn’t know, if you don’t follow me on social media, is that the spouse and I both finally caught COVID last week. We’re both vaccinated and boosted, but since the spouse is military, it was literally…
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StokerCon 2022 Schedule
Due to a series of fortuitous events, I will be attending StokerCon 2022 in Denver, Colorado, this week, from Thursday May 12 to Sunday May 15! However, for the first time in years, I am not attending a convention as a programming participant. (sad trombone noises) But JL! You are not a horror writer! I…
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September Wrap-Up & October Goals
Everyone should have a home away from home, and mine is apparently at my friends’ house near Atlanta, Georgia. Which means another road trip in the TARDIS! The spouse and I are down south again for few quiet days before a weekend at a fancy lakeside cabin with friends and board games (and alcohol). I…
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August Wrap-Up & September Goals
The spouse and I spent a good chunk of August on the road, visiting friends in Atlanta and family in Florida. We stayed as safe as possible (even if we were the only ones wearing a mask in many, many gas stations), but had to treat ourselves to a trip to Kennedy Space Center while…
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Con Report: Starbase Indy 2019
Looking for the full slide set for my “Alternate History: Creating Stories by Changing the Past” presentation? See below! Usually I try to have my convention reports posted on the Wednesday after the con, but this month I had the crazy idea that I could do two events in a row. So because I traveled…
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November Wrap-Up & December Goals
I hope everyone had a fabulous month full of NaNoWriMo and/or delicious food. I’m in the midst of traveling (3 airplanes, 2 conferences, 2 cities), so cross your fingers that the ridiculous cold I had 2 weeks ago doesn’t return with a vengeance. Ironically, because of the traveling and the cold, I did not have…
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Starbase Indy 2019 Schedule!
This Thursday, while my family stays home and eats delicious food, I’ll be boarding a flight to Indianapolis for my first Starbase Indy! I’m looking forward to checking out a new con, meeting new people, and catching up with old friends. For the majority of the convention, you can probably find me in the Writer’s…
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Con Report: FanX Salt Lake City 2019
Looking for my alternate history presentation to download? Scroll down! As has become annual tradition, the spouse and I celebrated our anniversary by traveling to FanX Salt Lake City. We had a blast this year, both participating in and attending panels, and my alternate history presentation made a successful reprisal. We flew to Utah last…
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FanX Salt Lake City 2019 Schedule!
This is my third year at FanX Salt Lake City and I’m more excited than ever. The spouse and I are flying in Wednesday afternoon and leaving Sunday morning, and this will be a great annual anniversary trip. He’s looking forward to stalking his favorite comic book artist, I’m excited to give my alternate history…
