AggieCon

I'm home from Texas and AggieCon. It was an absolutely great weekend. I was picked up at the Houston Airport by Kelly & Andy who also snagged up Author Guest of Honor Allan Cole. It's about an hour and a half drive from Houston to College Station and so we talked the whole way. Allan is not only an author, but also a screenwriter. The man had great stories to tell. He's written for such shows as A-Team, Magnum PI, Rockford Files, etc. And he's a great storyteller.

The con went smoothly. Allan and I "shared" a Guest Host (Dakota Blair) who made sure we were fed, watered and made our panels on time. We had more than one deep conversation about mathematics (his specialty), politics and life in general. It was one of the rare conventions where my IQ actually went UP.

I got to meet up with old friends (Teresa Patterson, Rhonda Eudaly -- she of the sizeable engagement ring and the cute fiancee), Tom Knowles and Gloria Oliver. I also got to chat with Alan Porter, a delightful Brit with a nifty book about the Beatles' early years. We traded theories about Jack the Ripper, which is always an intriguing topic. Joan Upton Hall and I discussed the finer points of indy publishing and Jennifer DiCamillo astounded me with the sheer volume of her work.

The panels went well, especially the paranormal romance panel. I was moderator and by that time of the evening I'd indulged into two huge cups of Dr. Pepper and was pretty much flying from the sugar and caffeine. Better than some other substances I might abuse.

I found the Aggie campus a contrast. You have the usual college students and then there were the uniformed members of their Corps (military). Strange juxtaposition, but it worked. Like always, the good folks from Texas are very polite. I could get used to being called "ma'am."

Truth and Consequences

The latest news from Washington – Mr. Rove, Ms. Miers and others will be happy to talk to our elected officials about the Fed attorney firings. Oh, but there are a few strings attached. Nothing much, mind you, just that:

1) Meetings will be conducted in private

2) Not under oath

3) No transcript will be generated

4) There will no subsequent testimony

5) No subsequent subpoenas

Sweet deal. Very nice stonewall. Yeah, I'm not happy. I pay for these bozos and they're not going to get on a stand, take an oath and tell the truth for a change? And then take the consequences should there be any? Yes, I know these guys can invoke executive privilege if they wanted to, but that would make them look guilty. Well, the deal they offered makes them look even worse. I would think they realize it is NOT in their best interests to play this kind of game.

So if the congress persons cave in, you and I won't get the opportunity to judge for ourselves what's going on behind the curtain. "No transcript and not under oath" means Rove etal can lie like troopers because it'll all come down to memory and there will be no repercussions. "No subsequent testimony" means that if they do lie, you can't haul their behinds back in and grill 'em about those falsehoods. And the "no subsequent subpoenas" just hamstrings any further investigations.

If you have nothing to hide you'd be in there taking an oath and telling the truth. Sorry guys, but you look guilty as all sin, whether you are or not. Just for once I'd like someone in Washington not to lie to us or treat us like morons. I know, I'm dreamin'.

Whee!!

I was thrilled to hear that SOJOURN is one of four finalists for the Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Award from the Baltimore Science Fiction Soceity. This is great news. Previous winners include the likes of Eliz. Moon, Josepha Sherman (who can belt Broadway tunes with the best of them) and Holly Lisle.

I'll hear the end of April if SOJOURN is the winner. Either way, this is a real kick!!!

Justice Denied

The might of a nation rests on the impartiality of its judicial branch. A defendent must have faith that they will have their day in court without fearing that their government is putting pressure upon any member of the Bar.

Apparently, that message is not understood by the occupants of the Justice Dept, the White House and certain members of Congress. The notion of sacking ALL 93 U.S. attorneys (at the same time) is absolutely horrifying. Federal attorneys spend months, years building crucial cases. One morning you get a note that says "Hasta la vista, baby" and where do those cases go? How does your staff pick up the pieces, maintain the momentum toward the trial?

A virtual tsunami would have rolled through our legal system, solely for the purpose of political expediency. Put a few cronies in the right places and happy days. Are these people really this STUPID?

Who was the person who suggested such a mass firing? Harriet Miers, Mr. Bush's candidate for the Supreme Court. Thank God she never got far enough in the process.

It is time for a shakeup. Mr. Gonzales must go. He seems to have forgotten that his job is to defend the Constitution, not play lapdog to whomever currently occupies the Oval Office, whether they be Democrat or Republican.

Fair and open trials are the hallmark of a democracy. What we are seeing in our country is NOT what our Forefathers envisioned. In fact, it is precisely what they warned against.

Wild About Harry

There is, of course, more than one Harry in the world so this isn't a post about Harry the Prince (just so we're on the same page right at the start). This is a post about Harry the Black-Footed Ferret.

For those who have read the first book in the Time Rovers' series, you'll know there's a stuffed ferret in there named Fred. In honor of Fred's living relatives, I made a donation to this very worthy charity Black-Footed Ferret Recovery Program and adoped a ferret named Harry (Potter). He's a cutie. The program is trying to rebuild the decimated ferret population and Harry is one of the "studs" (grin). I can imagine the lady ferrets think he's quite handsome.

As ownership of a black-footed ferret is illegal (they're on the endangered list) this is about as close as I'll get to having one. So I invite you to consider sponsoring a ferret. You get a wonderful packet of information, a nifty refrigerator magnet, a picture of your ferret and a smile that comes with doing something worthwhile.

Now you know why I'm wild about Harry.

Another Hurdle Crossed

For those of you keeping an eye on my blog to find out how the latest book is faring -- it's off to the publisher & editor. And on time (grin). Now comes the part where the author must divest themselves of their ego and accept criticism on their baby. In my mind, more is at stake as this is the second book in the series (the middle of a three-book story arc) and so it has to literally kick bootie. I've resigned myself to some rewrites to polish and shape the story to make it even better. It certainly helps to have a dynamite editor and an involved publisher in the mix.

To celebrate the manuscript winging (or electroning) it's way to Canada, hubby and I stayed overnight in downtown Atlanta at a nice hotel, went out for great Italian at Barando's and then to the Fabulous Fox Theater to see Spamalot. It was a riot and well worth the cost. I encourage you to see the musical if it gets in your area. You won't be disappointed.

The Fox Theater is a marvel. It was built in 1929 as a Shriner Temple. It includes minarets, onion domes and incredibly opulent furnishings. I quote from the Fox website: "Visitors encounter an indoor Arabian courtyard with a sky full of flickering stars and magically drifting clouds; a spectacular striped canopy overhanging the balcony; stage curtains depicting mosques and Moorish rulers in hand sewn sequins and rhinestones." It was totally awesome. Now I know why Atlantans rave about the place.

On Monday I'm back in the saddle. While Divine Ms. A (my editor) works on Virtual Evil, I'm going to start my preliminary noodling on the short story due to Aberrant Dreams. There's never much of a break in a writer's life.

Still, I enjoyed the weekend. I'll have to set another "congrats, girl" sort of weekend as a milestone. Anything to keep those pinkies tapping on those keys.