Getting together with the Toronto MG/YA writer's group

Inkygirl post: Tweetup with the Toronto MG/YA Writer's Group at The Spotted Dick.

Urban Tapestry: Guests Of Honor at OVFF 2010

Above: Performing at Confluence. Photo by John Hall.

Allison's already mentioned this in her blog but in case anyone hasn't yet heard, I'm delighted to announce that Urban Tapestry has been invited to be the Guest of Honor at the Ohio Valley Filk Fest in Columbus next October.


If you've never heard of filk, please do read my What Is Filk? post.


(Above: Allison in her school Halloween costume. Her husband made the chainmail himself!)


Above: My music partner Jodi.

We're especially honoured considering the other guests:

Toastmaster: Mitchell & T.J. Burnside-Clapp
Honored Listener: Kathleen Sloan
Interfilk Guest: Tim Jennings

More about each of these guests in future Blatherings, closer to the event.

Looking forward to the event!

Halloween, NaNoWriMo and Twitter

Above: our front walk a few days ago.

Still haven't quite caught up with e-mail and posts after recovering from the bug I caught on Thanksgiving weekend BUT I'm getting there. I've signed up for NaNoWriMo, which begins TOMORROW, and will also be posting a NaNoWriMo comic every day over in Inkygirl. I post most of my cartoons over there now, by the way, instead of Blatherings.

I post links to my new comics on @inkyelbows, my writing-related Twitter account. Despite my initial skepticism about Twitter (I ignored Twitter for over half a year after signing up), I love it now. I'm meeting all kinds of interesting writers, editors, agents and publishers. Yesterday, a literary agent approached me about representation after discovering me on Twitter, but I declined since I already had an agent.

I've decided to back out of handing out Halloween treats tonight. Last year, only a dozen kids came by. I suspect there would be even fewer this year because the only small kids in our neighbourhood moved away. I briefly considered hanging up obnoxious flashing lights and signs to lure in the trick-or-treaters but realized that because of the location of our house, no one would be able to see it from the street anyway. Ah well.

Excited about NaNoWriMo! I'm more of a NaNoRebel than a true participant this year: I'm doing an entire rewrite (graphic novel) as well as a middle grade novel during the month of November. Plus I also intend to get both of them published, so writing quality IS going to be important to me. If you're doing NaNoWriMo too, feel free to add me as a Buddy!

Best Squirrel Drawing, Ever

Received this in the mail yesterday, from my 6-year-old nephew. :-)

I can breathe!

Yay, my stupid cold is finally going away. Which means I can go back to embracing autumn, my favourite season of the year. Love the chill in the air, especially on sunny days. I'm using the space heater in my basement office to keep my Cave cozy. It's been wonderful going into long, uninterrupted hours of hermit mode where I can just focus on my writing.

Jeff has managed to escape my cold bug so far (fingers crossed). He's been good to me while I've been sick; I'm so crazy about that guy.

Life is good.