Matt Betts tries to explain himself

Preping for Windycon

2009-11-09T02:16:51Z

I'm getting ready to head for Chicago this Friday for Windycon! Very excited! The theme of the con is steampunk, so it aught to be a ton of fun. Long drive, but it should be great once I manage to get there!

Eight Arms to Hold You

2009-10-07T02:19:06Z

I just got a note that "The Book of Tentacles" from Sams Dot Publishing is available for purchase. They accepted a short poem from me called "The Mantle of Power" a while back and it's finally seeing print.

You might guess from the title that all of the stories and poems had to have something to do with tentacles. I figured the natural inclinations for an anthology like this and ran in the opposite direction - I wrote a short western poem featuring gunfighters... and tentacles.

Logical, no?

Here's the table of contents and the blurb:

The Book of Tentacles edited by Scott Virtes and Edward Cox {Sam's Dot Publishing}
It's been over a year in the making, but finally The Book of Tentacles is reaching out for us from the depths of the minds of various writers. It's a perfect bound trade paperback, and if it has something to do with tentacles, it's in here: science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Yes, there are Cthulhu stories. Yes, there's interspecies romance [between writer and squid, for one]. Yes, there are suckers, graspers, vermicelli, carapaces, and strange adventures on land and in water. Come see what Scott Virtes and Edward Cox have assembled for your reading enjoyment.
INTRO by Scott Virtes
"A Lady’s Quick Reference Note on the Tentacle" – Miss Camille Alexa
"Call of the Bailiff" – Matthew Bey
"Professor Hilliard’s Electric Lantern" – Robert J. Santa
"Lab Assistant" – Marge Simon
"A Quiet Neighborhood" – Laura J. Underwood
"In the Octopus’s Garden" – James S. Dorr
"Drosera" – Joshua Gage
"The Temple of Squoad" – Steve Goble
"A Ferrylouper at Stenness" – Christopher M. Cevasco
"Cascade" – Cathy Buburuz
"Hideki and the Giant Squid" – Mark Lee Pearson
"Mishmash: From the Case File of DragonEye, PI" – Karina Fabian
INTERLUDE: Weird Art by Scott Virtes
"Long and black in the middle of the night" – Sharon Bray.
"Low Life" – Clinton Lawrence
"P6 is Burning" – Scott Virtes
"Slightly Pudgy Writer Seeks Foreign Entanglement" – Tyree Campbell
"What Did She Know of Love" – Terrie Leigh Relf
"Taking Root" – Rob Brooks
"Sucker Punch" – Mark Onspaugh
"The Little Sea Maid" – Kendall Evans & Stephen M. Wilson
"One Big Drinker" – Billy Wong
"To See" – Jim Ehmann
"Mr Octopus Hands" – Brian Rosenburger
"Dead Wait" – Carl Hose
"Jar of Peaches" – Terry Hickman
"The Mantle of Power" – Matt Betts
"Blood Amber" – Keyan Bowes
"Ink and Shadows" – Kali Black
"Azure Doom" – William Blake Vogel III
"The Anemone Garden" – David C. Kopaska-Merkel
"The Signal" – Aurelio Rico Lopez III
OUTRO by Edward Cox

Criminal Masterminds

2009-08-29T01:41:19Z

What is the world coming to? Check out this Reuters report-

BERLIN (Reuters) – Visitors to a tourist attraction in Berlin have been making off with an unusual memento -- the 30 cm long tail of a Lego giraffe.
The Lego tail belongs to a six meter tall model that has stood outside the entrance to the Legoland Discovery Center on Potsdamer Platz since 2007.
"It's a popular souvenir," a spokeswoman for the center said Tuesday. "It's been stolen four times now ..."
The tail is made out of 15,000 Lego bricks. It takes model workers about one week to restore it at a cost of 3,000 euros ($4,300), the spokeswoman said. (Reporting by Caroline Copley, editing by Tim Pearce)

First of all, how does someone make off with 15,000 Lego bricks without drawing a bit of attention? Second, the tail alone is worth over $4k? Wow. What's the pricetag for the neck?

Navigating by the stars at night

2009-07-12T02:14:06Z

Yep. I'm on vacation. I'm currently sitting on the back deck of a rental property, digging the ocean breeze.

Our house isn't right on the beach but is just one street away. If I stand up and look over a house or two, I can see the ocean. If I lean a little to the left, I can see the waves crashing on the shore. Well, not right now, it's extremely dark out... but I can hear it!

My wife and I got to walk on the beach briefly with our son. He really dug it. He's been swimming in pools and ponds, but this is his first trip to the ocean. He giggled and ran and screamed every time the waves came in and it was hilarious. He handed me every shell he saw and I loved it. Can't wait to go back tomorrow and build a castle with him!

I did most of the driving today, which was good and bad. I always like to mull over story ideas or use the time to work on new things. Trouble is, when I get inspired on the drive I can't exactly jot down the idea while I'm doing 70 mph and looking for an off ramp. I lost a couple of possibles that way today.

Oh well. That'll teach me to not bring a recorder on long drives.

The picture above is actually of my man Cal in the hotel last night. I haven't had time to take pictures here yet.

Oh no she didn't!

2009-07-01T18:37:57Z

Ok people. Here's the deal. I've been challenged. That's right - challenged right here on my own home turf.

Mercedes M. Yardley challenged me to see who can qualify for the Horror Writers Association first. Right here. On my own blog!

So, much like Donkey Kong, it is ON!

Qualification for full active membership in the HWA consists of selling 10 poems for publication at their qualifying rate or 3 short stories at their specified rate. There are provisions for graphic novels, collections, novels and scripts, but Mercedes and I are really only concerned with poetry and short fiction.

How does this affect you? We need support! Cheerleaders are welcome. You could also support me by occasionally going to Mercedes' blog and razzing her, distracting her, dangling shiny objects, pointing your finger and saying 'Does this bother you? I'm not touching you!'

Also, we've been discussing the idea of a prize. We could use suggestions on what the winner gets, or what the loser has to do when we come to the end of this race. Anything you got would help.

Got mad icon/image editing skills? Make us a better image to use with our updates than the one I came up with at the top of this post.

Are you an editor of a major publication and want to publish one of my stories just to help me win (or reject one of Mercedes' for the same purpose)? Let's talk! I'm confident in my skills, but not above bribery.

We'll both be filling you in on the specs of the contest as we go - I've got a couple of qualifying poems already, and I think Mercedes may have some as well. I'm ready. I'm working on my trash talk, and I'm editing my A-List work.

Bring it on! Go team Matt! Team Mercedes? Here's a little taste of what's to come!

(Godzilla, of course, represents me and my writing, the ship uh... is the contest ummm... Hmmm. TEAM MATT HORROR WRITING RULES!)

As David Letterman used to say - Remember, this an exhibition, not a competition, so please no wagering.

A Work in Progress Wednesday Report... ON Wednesday? Wha?

2009-06-25T01:57:00Z

Yes. I'm on time for a change. Not a big report today other than to say I haven't used what few writing opportunities that have come my way. The weekend was exhausting, and I still seem to be recovering from it.

Managed to up my wordcount to 28,759. While it isn't much progress from last week, I still feel good seeing that count edge closer to 30,000. Good stuff.

28760 / 85000 words. 34% done!

Don't get me wrong - it still looks like a pretty big task!

The Corpse Flower is back!

2009-06-19T17:40:22Z

Just a post to let you know the horribly smelly plant is once again in bloom.

This one is from the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif.

Doesn't the Corpse Flower sound really cool? Not like a Petunia or Sun Flower.

No, no. This is a Corpse Flower!

They named it because its smelly, like rotting flesh. Seriously.

I'm sure many have used it as creative inspiration, but I haven't gotten around to it.

Mmmm. Crabby!

2009-06-16T00:57:25Z

In case you can't read the fine print, these are little crab-shaped, crab seasoned, baked, white cheddar cheese crackers.

Honestly, they're not nearly as crabby as one would think.

They also had crab-seasoned popcorn, which I felt compelled to avoid.

Work in Progress

2009-06-10T20:20:41Z

I've been absent from LJ for a bit, but I'm posting my Wednesday Work In Progress updates over at my regular blog (mattbetts.com). Mainly I've been busy and it just slips my mind, but I assure you I've been writing as much as I possibly can.

I worked a little more on the ending for a bit, and then went back to tell the rest of the story in the proper order, more or less. Having the ending mostly done convinced me that I actually needed another character I'd thought about cutting. He's going to be pretty important, so I went back and made sure he was properly represented in the beginning of the story.

I have to say, I've been excited by the way things are going here. I haven't hit any blocks and the problems with the plot have presented themselves pretty early, rather than as I near the end. That makes me happy.

25078 / 85000 words. 30% done!

Woo Hoo! 30%!

I get excited every time I hit those nice round numbers, but I know deep down inside that the wheels could come off at any time and the whole thing could come to a complete halt.

In the scheme of things, 30% is 30%. It's not quite a third of the way finished, and it certainly isn't halfway done either. Even though things could go south 50% of the way through just as easily as they could 30%, somehow halfway done feels more secure to me. I'll do a big happy dance when I hit 43,000 words or so. In the meantime, I'm optimistic and very happy with my work thus far. (How's that for a statement from a former news person?)

So, here I am. It's Wednesday and I'm at 30%.

You know what comes next?

31%. Errr.

For all the writers in the house!

2009-04-06T13:26:07Z

You can download the latest issue of Shimmer Magazine for free at their site. Shimmer’s always got some great writing, this issue is certainly no exception.

And...

Wendy S. Delmater, Managing Editor of Abyss & Apex wants you to know what all the terminology means when you get rejected.

That is all. Carry on with your Monday!

Millennicon vid

2009-03-24T13:56:33Z

I finally figured out how to post the video from my cell phone of John Scalzi singing 'Tainted Love' at Millennicon's Karaoke party over the weekend.

You can see it now at my main blog.

Enjoy!

Countdown to Millennicon begins!

2009-03-13T15:11:40Z

Alright, it began months ago, but now there is just one week left! I'm really looking forward to it. I actually have most of Saturday free, as my panels are on Friday and Sunday. I'll actually get to attend a bunch of other people's panels.
Charles Coleman Finlay, Paul Melko, Tobias Buckell and John Scalzi are all going to be there, plus a bunch of authors I haven't met yet, but can't wait to talk to. It should really be a good time!

A magazine! A real live magazine!

2009-03-02T20:16:43Z

I've been blogging for Blood, Blade and Thruster magazine for a month or so and they just announced plans to publish issue #4! BBT has been on a long hiatus since issue 3 and the new editor has been excited to get to work on a new issue.

A call for submissions just went up, so run over and check it out. BBT has been a journal of speculative fiction and satire since the beginning and that's not going to change. We appreciate the horror and the scifi and the fantasy and the funny, in any combination. Fiction? Yep. Poetry? Yep, yep. Art? Non-fiction? Yep to whatever power that turns out to be. Check out the submissions page for clearer, much more thorough direction than that.

I'm very excited to be a part of this, it should really rock!

Blogging my brains out!

2009-02-03T02:57:11Z

I started blogging this week for Blood, Blade & Thruster.

I'm posting on general geekery and other fun stuff for them. You may remember the print magazine from a while back. A new boss is looking to get things moving with a new group of bloggers and other good stuff in the near future.

Check out their regular flash contest and the blog at bbtmagazine.com!

Stoker Nominees are out!

2009-01-22T19:31:32Z

Congratulations to some of my friends who have been nominated for Stoker awards. Some I've only met recently at conferences, and a couple I've known for a bit longer.

Way to go Apex Book Company. Their books appeared in Superior Achievement in Long Fiction, Superior Achievement in a Collection and Superior Achievement in Nonfiction.

Congrats to Tim Deal and the others at Shroud Publishing for their two noms for Superior Achievement in an Anthology.

I met Lawrence C. Connolly at Context this year, his novel "Veins" is nominated for Superior Achievement in a First Novel.

I also met Gary Braunbeck at Context. His novel Coffin County is in the running for Superior Achievement in a Novel.

Nice work everyone! Well deserved recognition!

Here's all the nominees:

2008 Preliminary Stoker Ballot

Superior Achievement in a Novel

Coffin County by Gary Braunbeck (Leisure)
The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford (William Morrow)
Ghost Walk by Brian Keene (Leisure)
The Reach by Nate Kenyon (Leisure)
Duma Key by Stephen King (Scribner)
Johnny Gruesome by Gregory Lamberson (Bad Moon/Medallion)
Water Witch by Deborah Leblanc (Dorchester/Leisure)
Bad Moon Rising by Jonathan Maberry (Pinnacle)
Dead and Gone by Harry Shannon (Delirium Books)
The Price by Alexandra Sokoloff (St. Martins)
The Man on the Ceiling by Steve Rasnic Tem
and Melanie Tem (Wizards of the Coast)

Superior Achievement in a First Novel

Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse by William D. Carl (Permuted Press)
Apricot Brandy by Lynn César (Juno Books)
Midnight On Mourn Street
by Christopher Conlon (Earthling Publications)
Veins by Lawrence C. Connolly (Fantasist Enterprises)
Eternal Vigilance by Gabrielle S. Faust (Immanion Press)
The Gentling Box by Lisa Mannetti (Dark Hart Press)
Monster Behind the Wheel by Michael McCarty
and Mark McLaughlin (Delirium Books)
Frozen Blood by Joel A. Sutherland (Lachesis Publishing)
Crimson Orgy by Austin Williams (Borderlands Press)

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction

“The Lagerstatte”
byLaird Barron (The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy)
The Shallow End of the Pool
by Adam-Troy Castro (Creeping Hemlock)
Miranda by John R. Little (Bad Moon Books)
Redemption Roadshow by Weston Ochse (Burning Effigy)
The Confessions of St. Zach by Gene O'Neill (Bad Moon Books)
Orpheus and the Pearl by Kim Paffenroth (Magus Press)
"Behold the Child" by Harry Shannon (Brimstone Turnpike)
Just Like Hell by Nate Southard (Thunderstorm Books)
Population Zero by Wrath James White (Cargo Cult Press)
Orgy of Souls by Wrath James White,
and Maurice Broaddus (Apex Book Company)

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction

"The Last Word" by Maria Alexander (Sins of the Sirens)
"Mama Strangelove's Remedies for Afterlife Disorders,
or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Mother Death"
by C. Dean Andersson (Brutarian)
"Consumed" by Michael Louis Calvillo (Horror Library Volume 3)
"Petrified" by Scott Edelman (Desolate Souls)
"Mechanix" by Christopher Fulbright (Bound for Evil)
The Lost by Sarah Langan (Cemetery Dance Publications)
"The Dude Who Collected Lovecraft" by Nick Mamatas,
and Tim Pratt (Chizine)
"The Haven" by John Palisano (Horror Library Vol. 3)
"Turtle" by Lee Thomas (Doorways)
"The Blog at the End of the World" by Paul Tremblay (Chizine)
"Those Eyes" by Mark W. Worthen (Thinner Than Mist)

Superior Achievement in an Anthology

The Undead: Headshot Quartet
edited by Christina Bivinsand Lane Adamson (Permuted Press)
Like a Chinese Tattoo edited by Bill Breedlove (Dark Arts Books)
Horror Library, Vol. 3 edited by R. J. Cavender (Cutting Block Press)
Abominations edited by Tim Deal (Shroud Publishing)
Beneath the Surface edited by Tim Deal (Shroud Publishing)
Unspeakable Horrors
edited by Vince A. Liagunoand Chad Helder (Dark Scribe Press)

Superior Achievement in a Collection

The Number 121 to Pennsylvania
by Kealan Patrick Burke (Cemetery Dance Publications)
Mama's Boy and Other Dark Tales
by Fran Friel (Apex Publications)
Just After Sunset by Stephen King (Scribner)
Little Creatures by Michael McCarty (Sam's Dot Publishing)
Other Gods by Stephen Mark Rainey (Dark Regions Press)
The Autopsy and Other Tales by Michael Shea (Centipede)
Sheep and Wolves by Jeremy C. Shipp (Raw Dog Screaming Press)
Fourtold by Michael Stone (Baysgarth Publications)
Gleefully Macabre Tales by Jeff Strand (Delirium)
Ennui and Other States of Madness
by David Niall Wilson (Dark Regions Press)

Superior Achievement in Nonfiction

Shadows Over New England
by David Goudsward, and Scott T. Goudsward (BearManor Media)
Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula
by Robert Eighteen-Bisangand Elizabeth Miller (McFarland)
Spirits and Death in Niagara by Marcy Italiano (Schiffer Publishing)
The New Annotated Dracula by Leslie S. Klinger (W. W. Norton)
Beauty and Dynamite by Alethea Kontis (Apex Publications)
Cheap Scares by Gregory Lamberson (McFarland)
Zombie CSU by Jonathan Maberry (Citadel)
Modern Mythmakers by Michael McCarty (McFarland)
A Hallowe'en Anthology by Lisa Morton (McFarland)
The Book of Lists: Horror
by Amy Wallace, Del Howison,and Scott Bradley (Harper)

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection

The Nightmare Collection by Bruce Boston (Dark Regions Press)
The Phantom World by Gary William Crawford (Sam's Dot)
Virgin of the Apocalypse by Corrine De Winter (Sam's Dot Publishing)
The Flayed Man and Other Poems by Phillip A. Ellis (Gothic Press)
Attack Of The Two-Headed Poetry Monster
by Mark McLaughlinand Michael McCarty (Skullvines Press)
Ghosts of Past and Future by Darrell Schweitzer (Borgo)

matt_betts @ 2009-01-22T14:17:00

2009-01-22T19:19:42Z

Just an update on what's going on with me.

I'll be a panelist at Millennicon in March. No confirmation on what panels I'll be on, but it looks like I'll be doing a poetry reading at some point.

My first column for the newsletter of the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers is up. I'm writing "Dark Arts and Crafts" about the process and business of writing. The newsletter is chock full of me, me, me. In addition to the column, there is a new member profile of me and a mention of my publications for January. Yay Me!

One more fairly big thing outside of my fiction/poetry is in the works, but its not official yet. Tell you soon!

We writers are a lathargic bunch

2009-01-16T13:10:06Z

I came across an event listing in an email today. Its for a talk and book promotion an author is going to be giving at the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Cleveland.

The series is called 'Writers After Hours'. When does it start? 2pm.

2pm? I'm not a teenager anymore! Can we bump it up to noon?

Who is 2pm "After Hours" for?

A New Year's aside

2009-01-01T21:55:56Z

Forgot to mention...

I've got a bunch of work headed for publication that I need to catch you up on, but as usual, I want to wait until everything is signed and finalized.

I've had lots of activity in the last couple of weeks. I guess editors are making the most of their holiday breaks.

I'll update you soon!

BTW - Look for my work this month at SpaceWesterns.com and in Ethereal Tales!

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T21:33:09Z

How's that for original? Happy New Year!

How did I celebrate? I watched the latest X-Files movie and went to bed around 11pm. I was going to stay up to see the new year arrive, but I was really depressed by the annoying hosts and the generic bands on the New Year's programs. Ah well. It arrived fine without me.

How was the movie? Well, I was a huge fan of the show for the first several seasons, but didn't watch the last season at all. I felt a bit lost when they made reference to the events I missed, but luckily they didn't really talk about it much. It wasn't a bad movie at all, but I think my wife, who isn't a fan, summed it up best when she said it was like a really long episode of the show. Well put. A good episode, but nothing special.

Publishing update! Bragging? Moi?

2008-10-28T01:54:09Z

More of my work is headed for print! I've been lax in announcing these things, but I usually wait until I get contracts, just in case. I've had a couple fall through and felt kind of foolish when they didn't materialize. So here's the brief list that I've managed to rack up in the last few months.

My story 'Where it all went Bad' is coming up at Spacewesterns.com, possibly in January. It was fun to write and only my 2nd or 3rd full length story to see publication (As opposed to flash or poetry).

My flash piece, 'Something with Subtitles, Maybe' survived several ruthless edits and, I'm very happy to say, will appear in the upcoming anthology "Cinema Spec: Tales of Hollywood and Fantasy". It should be a pretty cool anthology, considering what a pop culture lover I am. The titles and other contributor's names are listed at http://ravenelectrick.com/cinemaspecacceptances.html. I was bummed that I didn't get a submission ready for Raven Electrick Ink's previous anthology "Sporty Spec: Games of the Fantastic". Ah well. I learned to make deadlines.

Another anthology, "The Book of Tentacles" will include my poem, 'The Mantle of Power'. Another cool concept for a collection - every story has to have something to do with tentacles. Should be a good one.

Finally, my poem 'We Killed the Morale Officer on Sweetest Day' is set to be published (April maybe?) in Kaleidotrope. I've dug their work for a while, but couldn't find a piece that fit till now.

Even though these acceptances came several months apart, its still an impressive Summer and Fall!

Wow. How long since the last post?

2008-10-03T14:53:38Z

I seem to make the announcement every three months or so that I'm still here and I guess its about that time.

I'm still here. And I have news. Are you sitting down? Ok, I'll just come out and say it.

I've been seeing other blogs.

Wow. It feels so good to get it out in the open. It doesn't mean I care about you any less. I'm just trying something new.

I've been wanting to spruce up the old LJ for a long time, but I'm incredibly tech un-smart. It was hard to set things up and hard to make posts look pretty without a huge effort. It seems the means to do the things I want are in place, but everytime I tried to use them, they didn't work. Nothing in the FAQ helped and their support had no idea why it wasn't working.

So I tried out a test blog on blogger and really dug it. I'm setting up shop over there with mattbetts.com (http://zombiewrangler.blogspot.com/). I think I'll still use lj, because the community is so great and none of the others has that real 'friend' ability. And, of course, I'll still check in with my Flist. But I think the bulk of my new stuff will be over on blogger.

I'm sure there's a way to cross post. If anyone knows that, I'd love to hear it. Right now I'm trying to try to import my lj posts into blogger and that's not going so well. That might tell you something about my level of know-how.

Anyway, I'll be around - lurking mostly - but I'll keep in touch!

It's a small cell afterall.

2008-08-15T16:55:49Z

Mommy, why are they macing Goofy?

In California 32 protesters, mostly employees of Disney, were arrested just outside the gates of Disneyland on Thursday. This after an hour-long march from one of Disney's hotels to protest their latest contract offer.

According to reports, some of the protesters were in costume, and bewildered tourists watched as Snow White, Mickey Mouse and Tinkerbell were frisked, cuffed and hauled off.

One protester dressed as Pluto was apparently loaded into the dog warden's van and may be neutered and put up for adoption if not claimed within 24 hours.

You got your crazy in my childhood memories - No you got your childhood memories from my crazy!

2008-08-14T13:16:24Z

Star Wars is not science fiction according to George Lucas. DigitalSpy.co.uk posted some quotes from interviews for the Clone Wars movie.

He says "We look at it as a different dimension. The laws of physics are different here. Star Wars is not science fiction at all. It's much more attuned to mythology, to psychology, to history than it is to science."

If he's going to go that route, I'd classify it more as fantasy than history. (History? HuhBaWhaaaah?) I guess the general conception of Science Fiction is space ships and ray guns and robots - whick Star Wars has a fair share of.

"It's more of a parable about the way we are, rather than the way we're going to be. That's why it starts out as a fairytale - a long time ago in a galaxy far away - once upon a time," Lucas says.

Ok. It may have started out a fairytale, I can really see that. I can see someone of my generation sitting down with their kids and telling them the story of Star Wars (A New Hope): How the farmboy left home a great adventure with his robots to save a princess and defeat the evil knight.

And while I can see how the story behind eps 1-3 can put people to sleep, how would you make it a bedtime story for kids?

See there's this trade federation. 'Daddy, what's a trade fedeartion?'

Nevermind. There's this boy, see. Growing up on a desert planet. 'This is the same story you told me before. He leaves with his robots, meets the smuggler..'

No. This kid gets tested for Midichlorians, so they know he's the... 'What's a Midichlorian?'

They Obscured MY Vision with Science!

2008-08-13T14:44:27Z

(One Metamaterial to Rule them All!)

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley say they’re getting really close to making materials that could make things invisible.
These materials, called metamaterials, are combinations of metal and circuit board-type components like Teflon or ceramic composite.
The scientists demonstrated the ability to redirect light around things, thus cloaking three dimensional objects from view.
Shockingly, the study is partially funded by the U.S. Army Research office. Golly, what would the Army do with invisibility cloaks?

I’m sure it’s a general scientific term, but Metamaterials? Come on. You’re making things invisible! Come up with a cooler name. Obscur-o 9000! Peek-a-boonium!

What tangible effect will the technology have on the average citizen?

The inevitable remake of Zapped! will absolutely rock.

Hopefully, Willie Aames will have a cameo!

Check out what I won on the KGB auction!

2008-08-12T02:20:22Z

I've been horribly behind in my blogging since vacation. The KGB Fantastic Fiction reading series in New York had a great auction of things by genre authors and others as a fund raiser. There were autographed books, critiques, subscriptions etc. to bid on. I saw this great steampunk necklace and had to bid on it (among other things). Long story short, I got it. It came not long after I got back from vacation and I couldn't be happier.

Its a really unique piece. It was designed, created and donated by fellow ljer clockwork_zero!

!

It's just a terrific piece, with great detail. The main section in the glass looks amazing close up! Parts of the chain are little gears that link together.

I'm already planning places to where it, next month's Context is high on the list!