ROBIN HOBB

Sometimes I have too many lives.  Writer, gardener, grandparent, dog servant, cat feeder, housekeeper, maintenance person.  There are books and stories to write, apples to harvest, grapes to make into jam, rain gutters to clean, chickens to feed, and so many other tasks, most daily and some those 'once in a while' ones.

So I missed Voyagercon.  It was an online event, and I'd already chatted with Cari Thomas about her lovely debut book Threadneedle.  That was all recorded, so I was 'virtually' there.  But I did miss the opportunity to be online at the weekend and enjoy all the other offerings.  

You can still enjoy the conversation I had with Cari. Just click on the LINK to view it on YouTube. And if you enjoy urban fantasy and witchy teenagers and mysterious characters, pick up a copy of Threadneedle.  

Still to come will be my chat with Jay Kristoff at a Dymocks Chapter One event.  We'll be discussing his Empire of the Vampire, a book that has already claimed a spot on the best seller lists.  That will happen on 17, 6 PM for me in Western Washington of the US.  But it Australia, it will already be 7PM Saturday the 18th.  Here's the link to the FACEBOOK page where you can register to attend the event.  The illustrations in this book are so lush and lovely that I feel you must also visit the page of the Illustrator:  https://www.hgliterary.com/bonnie-mcallister  Go take a peek. 

I hope you can join us for Empire of the Vampire. And have a good time watching me tilt my head like a very attentive dog in the video of my chat with Cari Thomas.  I had no idea I was doing that!  Oh, the hazards of the Internet Age! 

Recently I enjoyed a chat with Brian McClellan for his podcast Page Break.  If you'd like to listen in, visit Page Break

Click around when you get there.  You will find he has lots of interesting conversations with writers in our genre.

Since 1994, I have shared a computer keyboard and office space with Megan Lindholm.  Or perhaps it's more correct to say she has shared those with me, as her existence predates mine by over a score of years.  

As announced in Locus Magazine , this coming November Megan will be honored with the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award.  Alongside her, Howard Waldrop will likewise be honored for many years of astonishing and wonderful short stories in our genre.  

Megan was totally gobsmacked when she received advance notice of this via a phone call from Gordon Van Gelder.  I think she is still processing it, as she hasn't said too much about it.  After all, this award has been previously given to luminaries such as Fritz Leiber and Robert Bloch, Stephen King and Terry Brooks, Jack Vance, Theodore Sturgeon, and well, the list seems to match the backs of the books on my shelves.  These are people who have shaped fantasy into what it is today.  It's a bit shocking to think of adding Megan's name to that list. Although I do have her books on my shelves.

The award has been around since 1975.  All the World Fantasy Awards are voted on by members of the current and  the two year's previous World Fantasy Convention membership. The Lifetime Achievement award is the only one announced in advance.  For all the others, the suspense and the voting will continue util the convention in November.  

This year's World Fantasy Convention will be held in Montreal, Canada, the first weekend in November.  It's not too late to buy a membership and voting privileges.  You can register as an attending or supporting member. Some notable Honored Guests this year include Owl Goingback and Nisi Shawl. and John Picacio as Artist Guest of Honor.  I know that Megan is hoping to attend as well.  If she does, I will accompany her.  We will hope to see you there.