Kitten Cam  This site is EVIL!  It has the evil cuteness of a thousand burning suns!

Okay, so that metaphor isn’t the greatest.  Let’s just say that the kitten cuteness here will pull you in and suck your brain dry.  Or if not suck your brain dry, suck up every bit of your free time and then some.

Go.  Look.  Come on, you know you wanna.

I’m going to take a chance and say some controversial things here.  Feel free to disagree.  Feel free to think I’m shallow, one of the dirty, uneducated masses.  It’s all cool.

I don’t read literature.  I find people who say they only read literary fiction pretentious, but that’s okay because I’m unlikely to be hanging out with them.  Me?  I read books.  Books that tell awesome stories about fascinating people.  And if these stories happen to have prose that sings down the heavens, that’s great, but it’s not why I read.  I’m looking for a lot more than that.  If you can’t suck me into your story, make me care, then it doesn’t matter how many fancy words you use, how perfect your use of literary allusion is… it’s not a story, it’s a bunch of prose.

I’m going to go even further out on a limb here and say that I want a happily ever after.  I know there are a lot of folks out there (probably the same ones who only read literary fiction) that say the HEA is a cheat, that it’s unrealistic.  You know what?  I.  Don’t.  Care.   If I want depressing realism, I’ll turn on the 6 o’clock news and find tons of people that bad things have happened to with no hope of it ever getting better for them.  I have a very limited amount of free time in my life and I want to read stories where bad things can happen, but in the end it’s all okay.

What about you?  What do you read?

A question I never thought I’d be able to even ask. I’m the Queen of No Confidence Land, and I’ve been ruling for quite a while now. I like to think of myself as a benevolent ruler, keeping the needs of the country balanced with my own… but I digress. The point is, I’ve started having some crazy faith in myself, and it’s pretty freakin’ terrifying.

New boss at the Day Job and how did I introduce myself/my team? “I can guarantee that we’re the best team you’ve ever worked with.” The expression on my teammates’ faces was priceless. But it was true and I believed it. Believed it enough to convince someone else of it.

If you’ve been keeping up with Reesa and me, you know Peripheral People got a turn down and we’ve been bummed. But not nearly as down as I thought I’d be, and honestly, I’m more puzzled than bummed. I BELIEVE in this book. I know it’s good. I have absolutely no doubts.

So why am I asking myself if it’s crazy faith? Or too much ego?

I’m coming up on a big number high school reunion. The hoopla has been impressive, to say the least. Rah, rah, best days of our lives, we were so cool, life was awesome ad nauseam. Now I’m not saying that high school wasn’t great. Had my share of teenaged angst, but all in all, it was a pretty damn good time. But having said that, the best days of my life? Not hardly. And seriously, how sad is your life if high school was the be-all, end-all? Seems like that would leave you a whole lot of empty, unhappy years.

Each consecutive decade in my life has gotten better. I’m in my late forties now, and I’ve come into my own. I’ve realized dreams, gone further than I ever imagined. There are books on shelves in bookstores and libraries WITH MY NAME ON THEM! I have my beloved family and wonderful friends. I have a fulfilling day job. And this wild, exhilarating, joyous ride is far from over.

Maybe it’s just me, but all of these good things in my life leave me with no desire to hang out with a bunch of people I wasn’t close to (none of my close friends are going either) and talk about how being 18 was the absolute pinnacle of existence.

Or maybe I’m just an old curmudgeon.

“Balance of Silence” is still a strong seller. Especially when we get great reviews like we just did from Night Owl Reviews! Four stars! http://www.nightowlreviews.com/nor/Reviews/Lilyraines-reviews-The-Balance-Of-Silence-by-Michelle-Moore-and-S-Reesa-Herberth.aspx
Planning on reading a “Balance” excerpt at Balticon this weekend. Reesa and I are participating in Broad Universe’s Rapid Fire Reading. For those interested in hearing something from “Balance”, a bit of “Slipstream” and excerpts from a ton of talented writers, stop by on Sunday, May 27, at 1:00 PM in Salon B. I feel comfortable promising a fun time!

Con Up

Reesa and I just got back from RavenCon in Richmond, VA. It was our first time, and honestly, I’m bummed that we probably won’t get to go back as participants next year. They have a policy of inviting new folks in consecutive years, an interesting idea that probably helps them keep things fresh.

Brandon Blackmoor did an incredible job setting up the panels and coordinating who was going to be where when, not an easy task. Every panel we participated in was fun and informative and lively, something that can be directly attributed to the other panelists. Which is to say that we met awesome people, some of whom we’re hoping to snag for interviews down the road so their awesomeness can be shared. Yeah, or something more grammatically correct.

I’ll also be adding lots of newness to my Kindle. All hail the Amazon Visa and earning points! Going on my list will be John Betancourt’s mystery anthology, “Pit and the Pendulum”. And add an excited waving-of-hands here for an invitation from him to participate in his soon-to-be-announced shared world writing project.

More excitement… Reesa and I are now proud Broads! Leona Wisoker was on two of our panels, and mentioned a Rapid Fire Reading she was moderating with some other women from Broad Universe. We went to the reading (excellent, by the way) and asked about membership. For those new to them (me, until Saturday!), Broad Universe is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting, encouraging, honoring, and celebrating women writers and editors in science fiction, fantasy, horror and other speculative genres. http://www.broaduniverse.org/ Go. Join!

Con Down

Why oh why do I always think of clever things I should’ve said during a panel HOURS TOO LATE? Someone please tell me that this gets better. I really really like being on panels, but I end up feeling that I don’t contribute anything worthwhile.

It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Or if you can’t manage nice, at least shoot for polite. “And why,” I hear you ask, “is that important today, Michelle? Why do you feel the need to regale us with the obvious?” Well, I’ll tell you. Because it’s on my mind! You have a problem with that? Uh, yeah, anyway…

So I’m reading this book. For the sake of anonymity, let’s call it “The Book”. Written by Author X. I’m reading “The Book” and I’m quite enjoying it. I tell Reesa about it… something along the lines of “Hey, I’m reading this book. It’s pretty cool.” She looks at it and says “Oh yeah, Author X. She was at Authors after Dark. She walked out of one of our panels.”

Things. Instantly. Change. All of a sudden, I don’t want to like “The Book” so much. I’m kinda wishing I hadn’t bought it. Author X was rude and I don’t particularly enjoy contributing to the careers of the ill-mannered. Now I know this is skirting the edges of rational and reasonable thought processes, so no need to send me scathing emails denigrating my parentage or the fact that I dropped out of finishing school. I can’t walk with a dictionary balanced on my head. So sue me.

ANYWAY. I realize that there may have been extenuating circumstances. Her beeper went off letting her know that a kidney was available. Her kid texted her from jail. The Krispy Kreme hot light app went off. Whatever. The fact is, logically or not, it bothers me. A lot. Enough so that the chances are pretty freakin’ slim I’ll buy anything else by Author X.

So the lesson here tonight, kids? Be polite. Your career could be riding on it.