A Bubba In Time Saves None
You can now pre-order A Bubba In Time Saves None
an anthology of Bubba’s lost in Time stories including ‘Bobby Sue Almost Got Married’ by me!
Amazing times
The last few weeks have been amazing.
Had a great time at Conestoga 14 hanging out with Michele Bardsley She put up a fantastic blog that was -as it should be- all about me. Well, not all about me, but a bunch about me, and a not too horrible photo of me. She also put in a nice plug for the Bubbas of the Apocolypse books from Yard Dog Press.
Michele, Kristi and I went to Applebee’s for lunch on Sat and had the best Mango Sangria ever. Will be going back for that.
Michele is the best. Love her. Love hanging with her. Love her books.
Shared a room with Yard Dog Press’ Selina Rosen & Lynn Stranathan and Tyrie. They were excellent roomies. Selina never ceases to amaze me. She knows more about Kabbalah than I would have ever imagined she would have had enough time to learn, considering how busy she is. Very interesting and educational.
Selina made me read on the Yard Dog Panel. I didn’t mind at all, seeing as how I’m an exhibitionist by nature. But I wasn’t scheduled to be on the panel, so I was completely unprepared. I followed William R. Eakin reading from Redgunk Tales from the Kudzu. A word to the wise. Never follow Bill when reading on a panel. He blew me away. He read Lawnmower Moe so brilliantly that I was ashamed to call myself a writer in his presence.
The following weekend at Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc 2010 Conference I spent a lot of time in the bar with Cherry Weiner. She seemed very interested in seeing Emmen Seed as soon as it is finished.
I hadn’t pitched it to anyone yet, because it isn’t finished. If it were done, I would have probably already pitched it to Yard Dog Press. Still will if Selina is interested.
A lot of great speakers at OWFI this year.
K.D. Wentworth graced my banquet table Friday and Sat night. I’ve known Kathy for years and was very glad to see her at OWFI. She’s the coordinator for Conestoga and the first line of judging for Writers & Illustrators of the Future Contests. Just a hint to contestants. She doesn’t like Elves.
Deborah LeBlanc joined us at our table on Sat. night. She does a ton of scary stuff for a living. Not to mention she is one of the most expressive and energetic speakers I know. I could listen to her talk about all the exciting things she does, besides writing books, for days. Her books are eerie, but not as eerie as her real life activities.
Of course my minions Dion Mayes and Lisa (what’s her name) Willis were at the table both nights and also shared a room with me. It was like a week-end long slumber party.
We had a couple of new people at the table Friday night. Including K.D. Wentworth’s shepherd Richard. But were joined by more minions on Sat. night. D’s husband Bird, Tom Barczak and his lovely wife Kayla, and Wizard Wayne Wyrick.
My boys Adrian Simmons, Neil Mavis, and Lance Hawvermale didn’t make it this year. Can’t imagine what could have been more important to them than seeing me, or attending OWFI. Neil gets a free pass. His wife just had a baby about 5 weeks before the conference.
I met some wonderful people at the conference. Especially Cherry Weiner, Josh Getzler,Terry Burns, Kelly James-Enger, and Nancy Robinson Masters.
Nancy Robinson Masters reminded me a lot of me. Instantly liked her. I think she’s my kind of person.
Spent this past weekend at ConDome. It’s an annual event for Yard Dog Press authors held at Selina Rosen and Lynn Stranathan’s house. This was my first year.
Their house is beautiful, amazing, and awesome. There are castles, fabulous floors, cabinets, and unbelievable artwork that Selina has made with her own two hands. Their house is a showplace. I didn’t want to leave. I wanna move in.
It was more fun than a barrel of Yard Dogs. Actually it was a barrel of Yard Dogs and goats and a really large, obnoxiously dangerous looking snake. Oh my.
Selina made me stand guard while she went for a shovel to kill it. She said if someone didn’t stand guard it would slither away as soon as she moved. I told her that if it moved I was gone. But I was a brave little dog and guarded the evil venomous viper, all alone, while Selina abandoned me. Thankfully she came back and rescued me before I fainted and was eaten alive.
Selina is an excellent cook and made some of the best baked beans I’ve ever eaten. Got to hang with three more of my favorite folks Bill and Sally Allen and Sherry Dean. There were so many talented people there, Tracy Morris, Dusty Rainbolt and her husband Weems -a phenomenal photographer, Zane and his wife Joy, Pop, Audrie, John, and everyone else I’m leaving out. But y’all know who you are and that I really enjoyed spending time with you.
Can’t wait for next year. Wanna see the progress on the castle, and the house. Also wanna spend more quality time with the Dogs.
Hoping to see a bunch of Yard Dogs at SoonerCon June 4th-6th in OKC. There will be Zombies and Yumbies and Bubbas, Oh my!
Y’all come. It’s the best time you can have with your clothes on. And there will be some folks there that will be having fun without most of their clothes on. The costumes are as far out there as a galaxy far far away. Hope there are Storm Troupers, Fedies, and Klingons. Oh my.
later
vck
Busy, Busy
This is my busiest time of the year.
Miss Rhylee’s brother Dallas turns 6 today. That makes both her brothers six years old for a month. Then Lane will turn 7.
Miss Rhylee, her brothers, her cousin Dalton and her parents went to the Medieval Fair today. www.medievalfair.org
I have a Norman Galaxy of Writers’ officers’ meeting to go to tomorrow. www.nonprofitpages.com/normangalaxy
Then the SoonerCon Staff is meeting at the Medieval Fair on Sunday. www.soonercon.com
The deadline for the current quarter of Writers of the Future contest is March 31, 2010. Then of course the next quarter starts April 1, 2010. www.writersofthefuture.com
I’m working on a story to send in for the current quarter and will start the next one as soon as this one gets mailed sometime in the next four days.
My conference season starts in April.
Starting with Conestoga 14 April 23-25 2010 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. www.sftulsa.org
Then Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. Conference: April 29 – May 1, 2010 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. www.owfi.org
Followed by a Yard Dog Press Authors’ meeting May 7-9, 2010. www.yarddogpress.com
Then SoonerCon 2010 A Bubba Odyssey – June 4-6, 2010 – Oklahoma City www.soonercon.com
As of this moment I don’t have any conferences or conventions schedule for after SoonerCon. But that is always subject to change. It all depends on whether I get invited to speak somewhere after that.
I’m just a tad disappointed that I don’t have any weddings to perform in June. That’s always a busy month for weddings. So if you live in Oklahoma, and you’re planning to get married, and you need some one to perform the ceremony, I’m pretty much available after June 6th.
Of course I’m always available to perform weddings during any of the conventions or conferences I attend.
Lots to do in Norman, Ok this weekend
Lots of stuff to do this weekend:
Norman Public Library celebrates The Kick-Off for the Big Read:The Maltese Falcon.
Thursday, March 11th :6:30 pm The Great Decisions series discussion on Global Crime, with OU Law Professor Peter Krug. Room A/B; 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Junior League of Norman meeting in Lowry room;
7:00 pm Thursday Night Page Turners discusses the Maltese Falcon
March’s art walk Friday March 12, from 6-10pm http://2ndfridaynorman.com
Saturday, March 13, at 2 p.m Panel Discussion, The Maltese Falcon: The Plot Thickens, at the University of Oklahoma Law School
Sunday March 14 Science Film Series Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History http://www.snomnh.ou.edu/publicprograms/index.htm#SundayScienceFilms
Keep up with all the activities in Norman, Ok: http://www.ci.norman.ok.us/community-event-calendar
Sooner Con 2010
As Club Liaison for SoonerCon 2010 www.soonercon.com I’m cooking up some exciting ideas for the SF/F Clubs attending this year’s CON. June 4-6, 2010.
There will be prizes for the club with the most members registered for SOONERCON 2010! Prizes for the club that signs up the most new members during SOONERCON 2010! Prizes for the club that has the most members show up in their club uniforms.
There will also be a Club Rally Room Party Sat night.
And many other club events throughout the CON.
If you’re club will be attending please contact me:
ladyvck@vickeymalonekennedy.com
Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant 2008
I didn’t take home the crown, but I did win the prize.
vck
P.S. A special thanks to my dear friend Keith R. A. DeCandido for holding my hand backstage during the contest. He helped keep me on my feet and out of trouble. Big hugs and kisses to Keith.
tips from author, editor, publisher Selina Rosen
For some great writing tips listen to an interview with author Selina
Rosen, of Yard Dog Press,
www.yarddogpress.com
http://www.yarddogpress.com
She is being interviewed by Chris for Cubicle 17 at Nasfic
listen at
www.escapefromcubicle17.com
http://www.escapefromcubicle17.com/2007/08/18/efc17-001-selina-rosen/
SoonerCon 2008 prep
Went to a SoonerCon www.soonercon.info Meeting last night. It was great. I got to see a lot of people I enjoy being around. Unfortunately my main minion, Miss Dion, didn’t tag along.
I volunteered to work SinnerCon, an event during the convention, because I missed out on SinnerCon at SoonerCon 2007. I was working in the Con Suite, listening to some wonderful filk, and then hanging out with Vaughn Armstrong. Which made it worth missing anything. Vaughn is a fantastic fellow, and I am very grateful that I got to spend so much time with him.
Of course there is a lot to do between now and the next SoonerCon. There will be a lot of work and a ton of fun. Getting to know my SoonerCon friends a little better is a big part of the fun. Though, I feel, I know some of them pretty well after last night.
I’ll be attending several writing conferences and science fiction conventions over the next year. Hope I can squeeze in a little writing between conferences, conventions, and traveling.
Next up, Norman Galaxy of Writers www.nonprofitpages.com/normangalaxy Sept meeting, then Trick Con Treat www.trickcontreat.com/mambo in October. Y’all come.
Conestoga 11: Day Three: Sun.
It’s been a great weekend. We had breakfast in bed, delivered by room service. I was surprised there wasn’t an exorbitant charge for room service. Oddly, as much time as I spend in hotel rooms, I’ve never ordered room service when I’m paying the hotel bill.
I’m much more extravagant when I’m spending a man’s money. There is really only one reason to go to a hotel with a man. Wrong. It’s to be pampered.
We caught another Laurell K. Hamilton panel. It seems that the Anita Blake series may have been the forerunner of the paranormal romance lines that are currently so popular. One thing that struck me about the panel’s remarks was the recurring theme that publishers tell an author there is not a market for their material.
Readers are looking for something new and extraordinary and the writer that offers a change will have an audience. Some readers get attached to formulas and balk at change. You can’t please all readers, so don’t even try.
The most exciting thing I discovered this weekend, from the Academia and SF panel, is that Steven E. Wedel is teaching science fiction at a local high-school. College professors have included science fiction books as required reading for years. Suzzett Haden Elgin stated that her Native Tongue is required reading in many college’s linguistic courses. When she taught, she used science fiction books in her own linguistic classes. Other members of the panel have used science fiction material in women’s studies, literature, history and even science and math courses. But it’s great to discover they are using science fiction as a part of a high-school curriculum.
Miss Elgin talked about a creative writing course she taught. Her students were assigned to write an entire book in sixteen weeks. She insisted they hand in one chapter every week and they had to complete the book in order to pass the course. What a nightmare. Wish I could write that fast. Dion and I decided that we are going to use that time frame for all first drafts. Let’s see how long it last.
I sat in on a panel about organizing Science Fiction conventions. I think I volunteered for World Con when it comes to Kansas in a few years. I’ve volunteered at a couple of SF conventions in the past, and of course I’ve got a lot of experience working on writing conferences.
All in all it was a great weekend. I had Hot Sex, it’s a drink, at Susan Satterfield’s drive-by party. I learned a few new writing tricks from authors like Laurell K. Hamilton, Robin Wayne Bailey, Elizabeth Moon, and many, many others, saw some fantastic art by artist like John Picacio, David Lee Anderson, and a talented lady, whose name I’ve forgotten but I will recognize her work the next time I see it and I’ll let you know then, got to hear some wonderful readings, and spent a lot of time with some of my favorite people.
I wish I could have attended every session, met every author, artist, and musician, attended every party, and said hello to every attendee. I wish I had the powers of that X-Men character that can make unlimited copies of himself, for no particular reason, and then they all go back to being one person. Then I’d never miss anything. That would be a right good thing.
Conestoga 11: Day Two: Sat.
Wolves, and gators, and birds; oh my!
Birds of Prey (not Klingon) from Royal Gauntlet Educational Birds of Prey and Rehabilitation Center, and wild animals -on leashes of course- from Safari’s Sanctuary roamed the hallways of Conestoga among invisible LARPERS, Klingon’s, vampires, musketeers, and Anime characters dressed in Japanese attire. Not to mention all the women in Kimonos -bought at the convention- made by Butterfly Creations. My daughter and her best friends made it to the convention. Children always so sweet when they want money. There was even a Crow T. Robot look-alike rolling along the hallways’ video taping the events.
Sword fighting, film critiquing, gaming, writing workshops, readings, and book signings; oh my! So much to do, so little time. Dion, Lisa and I considered splitting up, attending separate programs, then sharing notes later.
We managed to catch a fantastic reading, in a Haitian accent, by Linda Donahue, of her short story -sorry I don’t recall the title- from the Loving the Undead Anthology, From the Asylum Books. Yard Dog Press’ Production of the Merlene Show was just as funny as at Sooner Con, sans injuries to the cast. David Lee Anderson avoided the table.
After a long, busy, entertaining day Dion and I sought refuge -in the bar- with Leonard Bishop, Beverly Hale, Bill Allen, and Sally Allen. During the appetizers we were joined by Tim Chessmore, Neil Mavis, and briefly by Adrian Simmons before he wandered off to raise a class to Jim Baen along with almost everyone else attending Conestoga. We raised our glasses too, from our table, but we were too busy eating, visiting, and resting to make the climb up two stubby steps and across the bar to join the crowd. They didn’t seem to miss us.
I never made it to the open Filking in spite of the fact that Frank Bielowicz wrote a filk just for me, about Klingon Honor, to the tune of Greensleeves. During the filking in the con-suite at Sooner Con I had asked if anyone knew a filk to that tune. None of the filkers there knew of any, so Frank promised to write one for me by Conestoga. I was an extra surprise that he made it about Klingons. He did sing it for me after the Musketeer Demonstration where I learned a few important lessons about the art of sword play that will show up in at least one story some time in the future -if I ever finish the dozen I’m currently working on.
I did win a K’doack mom’Ment award for my Klingon Tourist visiting Earth in the Masquerade. The prize included a very attractive award certificate and a bag full of brownies. No! Not that kind of brownies.
The Play: Lost Heroes of Battlestar Galactica was hysterical heresy. Selina Rosen made a perfectly type casted Star Buck, Randy Farran, looking way fine, sang a collection of TV land theme filks, played the mandolin and performed multiple speaking roles in multiple accents. I missed the name of the Dude, that played the Dude, that always says Dude, on Lost but he was a really cool Dude. And little Jack ? nearly stole the show with his roll as a fleet of cylon fighter ships.
By the time we reached Beverly Hale’s room, for some sex on the beach in the bathroom with Leonard, a crowd of artist, authors, and Conestoga staff gathered in the room spilling out into the hallway and right into the FenCon party next door. The prominently absent Bill Allen was off playing bouncer at a local night club.
Dion and I pooped out much too early, rushing back to our room, like a couple of Cinderellas at the stroke of midnight. I do wish I had taken pictures of Dion falling asleep, while watching wrestling, sitting straight up in bed with the channel changer in her hand. Unfortunately I was so sleepy the idea never even crossed my mind until the next day.
I know I’m a day behind. I seldom do anything in real time. I’ll tell you all about Sunday at Conestoga tomorrow.
Oh one more thing. I made a mistake yesterday. The title of Bill Allen’s super funny story in Houston: We’ve Got Bubbas! is Planet of the Hill Apes.
