For those of you who are interested in writing yourselves, I’ve volunteered (again) to run a short story writer’s workshop at Dragon*con this year.
The workshop will be scheduled to run in the mornings over a number of days — so we can see the rest of the convention. I’ll be submitting a short story along with everyone else.
OOPS! This is the correct mail address:
You should contact weyrfestwriters@gypsywanderer.org for more information if you’re interested.
Howdy!
Hopefully you remember meeting me at AggieCon this past weekend in College Station. It was such an honor to meet you and be able to chat about the space industry and everything. I especially enjoyed the panel about “The Future of Pern” — your tangents always prove to be full of great stories. As soon as I have a spare moment, you can bet I will read “Dragon’s Kin”. Somewhere along the line, although the engineering courses here at A&M tend to take over my life, I intend to reread the Pern series in chronological order (opposed to publication order).
I have also been fortunate to find some of “romantic novels” (as the internet calls them: the non-Pern, non-science fiction ones) your mother has written, including those published as “Three Women” and “Stitch in Snow.” I am eager to complete my collection.
Now, down to business: I most certainly am interested in the Lunar Module Landing Guides!!!
Thank you again for all of the captivating conversations, and I wish you well in the editing of “Dragonsblood.”
Sincerely,
Holly
Holly,
I’ll be most delighted in sending you my Lunar Module Pilot Study Guides. I’m glad to find someone who is intrigued by them. They need a good home — and it sounds like you’ll give that to them!
Don’t forget to check out scaled.com to learn about Burt Rutan’s efforts to win the X-prize (he’s backed by Paul Allen).
Also, when you get to play with orbital mechanics, let me know. Orbital rendezvous represent some of the most enjoyably squirelly mathematics I’ve ever had the pleasure to encounter.
And if you haven’t yet run the numbers, don’t forget to try playing with super-high specific impulse propellants — say, anti-matter/matter heated hydrogen (well, plasma) with an Isp of 300,000 — and note how much fuel you still need to make a least-time flight from Earth to Jupiter (for example). [I’ve done this, so I know.]
I’m sorry we didn’t have more time to talk. If I get back to Aggiecon again, I’ll dust off my brains and ask to do a couple of panels on space exploration.
Cheers,
Todd
P.S.: I’ll send you an email when I’ve got the LM Study Guides in the mail.
Hi Todd —
Like your website and enjoyed reading an early copy of Dragon’s Kin. I got to review it, but they didn’t use my short blurb on the DRIN. I am delighted that you and your Mom are writing together! I am a long-time fan of your Mom’s (since 1973! – boy does that sound like a long time, now) and I’m delighted that you are helping to carry on the tradition of writing excellent Science Fiction/Fantasy. Am looking forward to reading Dragonsblood when it finally makes its appearance!
Quick question: I’ve been a very infrequent visitor to your Mom’s website and perhaps I missed any mention of her stroke. When did it happen? I caught that she had one when I was taking a look at your pictures, one of which you said was taken before she had her stroke. Apparently, not much damage was taken from it, I guess?
Toured all of your various spots on this website and enjoyed everything. I am a frustrated wanna be pilot, but have NO $$ to even THINK of trying to take flying lessons now. First husband took lessons and I got to go along and it was QUITE fun!!! But when his lessons were done, we had no more money for me to learn. Rats. Second husband hates to fly!!
When I worked at McClellan AFB, I got 1st hubby and myself memberships in the Aero Club there. We (the club) had an SR71 Blackbird crew come and tell us about flying those planes. Wow!!! It was really cool to hear the things they did/could do in those birds! I also got to go up to Beale to take a look at them “up close and personal,” when they decomissioned them. They had some powerful cameras and magnification in those things, and they sure could go high and fast!!! Saw not too long ago that they have taken them out of mothballs, even though they are quite expensive to maintain and fuel.
Didn’t mean to get long-winded! Take care and keep writing!
Linda
Hi Linda,
Thanks for the e-mail. I’m glad you liked Dragon’s Kin. We’re hoping to do some more collaborations following on from Dragon’s Kin.
Mum had a stroke in January of 2001. It was very mild, thank goodness. Indeed, it was so mild that only my sister, Gigi, recognized it and convinced Mum to get to the hospital. It happened that I was there at the time, and extended my stay until we could be sure that she was out of danger.
She had a heart attack in September of 2000 as well.
Mum’s pretty tough!
Cheers,
Todd
Was a blast!
For all of you who didn’t make it, you might consider it — particularly if you live near Texas.
The convention was an interesting mix of college students and older fans. Aggiecon is sponsored by Texas A&M’s science fiction fan club, Cepheid Variable. Many pasts “Cephids” have stuck around College Station and have been kept on coming back year after year. This year they were celebrating their 35th year!
I was quite thrilled to share the GOH spot with Jacqueline Carey, award-winning author of “Kushiel’s Dart”, which won the 2002 Locus Award for Best First Novel. You can learn more about her at jacquelinecarey.com.
I read some of my revised Dragonsblood — and revised some more in consequence! The reading was well-received (no lynch mobs formed afterwards).
I got to judge my first costume contest. I was quite nervous about it. In the end, however, Jacqueline, myself, and Teresa Patterson — a Master costumer — were able to make good choices from the many very excellent entrants. But I now understand why it takes so long for judges to come to a decision at costume contests — the contestants are usually so good.
On my last panel on Sunday, I talked about “The Future of Pern” — and read a bit of the first chapter of Dragonsblood as so many of the audience hadn’t been at my reading on Friday.
I was also glad to see Anna Smith, Weyrfest director, Angelina Adams, Weyrfest second, and Virtual Magpie’s own Megan Morris at the convention. They’d driven down especially to keep an eye on me and we had a rousing time.
Susan Martin was my Guest Relations “slave” (her word, not mine). The first night I had dinner with her husband and three kids which was a really nice treat.
Lots of photos were taken at the con and I think there’s a plan to get some of them uploaded here.