The Journal of Michael Merriam

So 4th Street Fantasy Con. That's a thing that happened this past weekend.

I had a really good convention, in general. I didn't make it to all the panels (panel fatigue hit late on Saturday), but the ones I attended were special. I am sad that I missed the "Advice From New Writers" panel on Sunday morning. I had been on that same panel some years ago and was keen to hear what today's new writers had to say, but we were out late Saturday, and sleep was thing that we needed, desperately needed. I think my two favorite panels where "The Influence of Anxiety" and "The Revision Process" (which was our "But That's A Different Panel" winner).

As a panelist, I wasn't at my best this year. I was too slow witted and had trouble sometimes following the various lines of high-level, rapid fire conversation. I attribute part of this to being low level sick all weekend (allergies and migraines) and my meds slowing me down, but I admit that sometimes 4th Street Panels and audience members leave me in the dust with their academic gymnastics and brilliant, deep questions and thoughts. I felt like I handled myself better during the after-panel and dinner discussions, where I had more time to marshal my thoughts and give them coherent form.

I was talking about this with a couple of other writers on Saturday night and we came to the conclusion that there needs to be a panel that is something like "Imposter Syndrome: 4th Street Edition" next year. 4th Street always makes me feel like I'm playing way out of my league and weight-class, but at the same time I always feel like I leave the convention with my game and abilities lifted and improved just a little.

That aside, it was a wonderful convention and gave me a change to reconnect with folks I only see at this convention. One of my favorite things about 4th Street is the ongoing conversation and the chance to have that conversation with friends old and new very June. I look forward to being part of the 4th Street Fantasy Conversation for many years to come.

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Originally posted at michaelmerriam.net. You can comment here or there.

Hi everyone.

I know it has been kind of quiet around her lately. In fact, I haven't posted since just after CoreCon. There has been a lot going on over the last month, and I promise to explain, at least in part, the long silence. That post will happen next week, right after 4th Street Fantasy Convention.

Which brings me to this post: I realized I'm going to be at a couple of convention over the next few weeks and have a few other bits of news to share. So here comes the sharing.

This weekend I will be at 4th Street Fantasy Convention. I will be moderating a panel Friday evening, Short Fiction, with a crowd of really talented authors. After that I will be part of the ongoing discussion that is 4th Street Fantasy Con. More info about programming here: http://www.4thstreetfantasy.com/2013/programming/

On the 2nd of July I will be competing in the second semi-final round of StorySlamMN. The storytelling starts at 8pm and is at Kieran's Irish Pub in downtown Minneapolis. Come down and hear me compete with some of the finest storytellers in the Midwest. http://slammn.org/storyslam

And of course, over the 4th of July weekend I will be at CONvergence. I'll post more about my schedule closer to the convention, but in truth, I've dialed it back this year, going down to a mere six programing items, as opposed to the eight to twelve I typically get involved in.

Finally, my new short fiction collection, Whispers in Space will be available in the next few weeks to sale, More information there as I have it.

And I promise, there will be a big update and post after the convention. Promise.

Originally posted at michaelmerriam.net. You can comment here or there. 

The programming is up for 4th Street Fantasy Convention. This small convention (membership capped at 250) has single track of programming. 4th Street Fantasy is intimate, literate, smart, and the best little fantasy convention on the block. These are my programming items for the year:

It's a Secret to Everyone - 10:00am – 11:00am Saturday
What makes secrets work in fiction, and what are some ways they can be mishandled? How much of a difference does it make when the reader is in on the secret? What's the difference between a surprise that will make the reader remember a book for years to come, and a twist that will leave them feeling cheated?
Panelists: Anne Gwin, Michael Merriam (Moderating), Will Shetterly, Patricia C. Wrede

Novelty, Complexity, and Mass Appeal – 10:00am -- 11:00am Sunday
Readers of popular fantasy series often see them as groundbreaking in ways that experienced readers don't. Similarly, the nuances that appeal to the latter group can disorient and disconcert the former. How important is the perception of novelty in a series having breakout appeal, and what kinds of novelty matter? What sorts of complexity are audiences willing to put up with immediately, and which kinds wouldn't work in a stand-alone work but might in an ongoing series?
Panelists: Alec Austin (Moderating), Emma Bull, Scott Lynch, Michael Merriam, Sherwood Smith

I have been writing on Dead Brew II (title pending). I’m about to the middle of the book and finally have the shape of the thing clear in my head. What I need to focus in now is writing the synopsis for Dead Brew and get it sent out.

Speaking of sent out, I submitted three new pieces to Anthology Builder. I have more pieces to submit to them, but I thought I would start with these three and once a decision was made, submit three more. If I can get all the stories on Anthology builder I would like, that would be 12 pieces. I also sent out a query on a small short fiction collection of my space opera pieces. The publisher in question has told me he is looking for more SF and space opera, so I have high hopes.

Attempts to integrate Belyn—aka Temp-to-Perm Kitty—with the Reverend Selena have been mixed. It would help if Belyn would read her signals (which are pretty obvious, considering how vocal she is) and back off when she’s angry. I wonder if the male inability to read signals a female is sending is a universal thing.

He is still very cute and we are patient. Belyn really wants to make friends with Selena. She is not all that interested right now. I think she might be willing to ignore him, if he would stop getting in her face.

Snippet four of Last Car to Annwn Station is more character and relationship development, with an indication that Jill is about to be drawn into the metaphysical mystery that Mae is dealing with.

I received my postcards and 8x10 prints from Carina Press for Last Car to Annwn Station. They are lovely, and I will have them to give away at 4TH Street Fantasy Convention, Convergence, and Diversicon if I attend.

( Snippet #4 Behind the Cut )
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Last Car to Annwn Station. Releases on June 27th. Pre-Order at Carina Press, Amazon U.S., and Amazon U.K.

Should We Drown in Feathered Sleep. Available in ebook format at Carina Press, Amazon, B&N, and in audio format at Audible.com

The writing has been going slowly the last couple of weeks, swallowed up in computer woes and a new kitten. I’m hoping to get back on track by writing a little this afternoon.

Belyn, aka Temp-to-Perm cat, has been neutered and given a clean bill of health by the veterinarian. He and the Reverend Selena have seen each other through a screen. The Reverend Selena made a sound like an air raid siren before settling down to glare malevolently at Belyn. For his part, Belyn’s noise was something more akin to an agitated teakettle, though he quickly became bored and continued his quest to escape the crafting room.

The release date for Last Car to Annwn Station has been moved back to June 27th (One month! OMG!). I should have postcards to give away at 4th Street Fantasy Convention and CONvergence.

( Snippet #2 Behind the Cut )

Writing continues at Merriam Manor. I have started taking Dark Water Blues apart one last time, this time to bring it inline with the continuity I am building in my Twin Cities urban fantasy setting. I’ve made the continuity fit, and now I need to go over it one more time to make sure I didn’t break something.

Most of my writing focus has been on the second novel in the monster-hunting barista series. In the last few days I’ve pounded out 3600 words, all of it in a vampire scene, which finished with vampires feeding and then a squicky sex scene. It was an uncomfortable scene to write, but I think that’s a good thing. You really need to be able to write scenes that make you uncomfortable, that leave you feeling out of sorts and a little unhappy. The next scene should be easier for me to deal with, though I do have to come up with the exact wording of a curse that is pivotal to the plot.

And speaking of vampires, it seems that all I need to do now is write a “Little Magic Shop” story and I can stand up and yell, “BINGO!” I’ve done zombies, elves, unicorns, talking cats, helpful animals, etc. I might have missed one or two, but if I have, I’d be surprised. ETA: timprov hit me with one I missed on the first comment. What have the rest of you got?

I’m still a little disbelieving about Last Car to Annwn Station and I suspect I will be until I get the author copies. Carina / Harlequin has promised me postcards, which I should have by CONvergence, maybe even by 4th Street Fantasy Convention.

In non-writing news, I had an interview last week for a part-time, mostly work from home position as a grant writer, with some copywriting, proofreading, and social networking tossed in for good measure. I think I’m a pretty good fit for the position. They told me they would be doing second interviews this week, so I’m hoping to get the call.

I’m going to try to be more active here on LJ again. I’ve let Facebook seduce me for awhile, but I’ve missed the more substantive posts and conversations you can have here on LJ.

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Last Car to Annwn Station. Releases on June 27th.

Should We Drown in Feathered Sleep. Available in ebook format at Carina Press, Amazon, B&N, and in audio format at Audible.com

Here is a list of conventions and other events I will attend. If anyone wants to come up to me and say hello, I'm easy to spot: I'm the large man with the white cane. I'd love to visit with you.

Speculations Reading with Michael Merriam
Friday, February 4, 2011 6:30 PM
DreamHaven Books
2301 E 38th St
Minneapolis MN 55406

Con of the North -- February 18th-20th, 2011. The Twin Cities' longest running games convention, held at the Holiday Inn St. Paul East.

MarsCon -- March 4th-6th, 2011. Held at the Airport Hilton, Bloomington, MN.

Paganicon -- March 25th-27th, 2011. Held at the Doubletree Park Place Hotel, St. Louis Park, MN.

Minicon -- April 22nd-24th, 2011. The Grand Dame of Minnesota SF&F Conventions. This Con is held at the Sheraton Hotel in Bloomington, MN.

4th Street Fantasy Convention -- There hasn't been an announcement of dates yet.

CONvergence -- June 30th--July 3rd 2011. CONvergence is at the Sheraton Hotel in Bloomington, MN. This convention hosts the Tales of the Unanticipated magazine release party.

Diversicon -- July 29th–31st, 2011. A Twin Cities convention that celebrates and explores the connections between speculative fiction and diversity.

Now that I've had a chance to begin recovering from Convergence, I thought I'd take the time to write about the convention I attended before Convergence.

I had a wonderful 4th Street this year. It was great to renew old friendships and forge new ones. The panels were good again this year, though I do have a quibble with how the panelists were chosen.

Friday: The "What Should I Be Reading" panels was great fun, and now my list of books to read is probably longer than I have years to live. "How Do You Know The Story Is Going Wrong" was, if not the most informative panel, at least amusing. Met a whole bunch of new folks at dinner (Taste of India), thanks to cloudscudding, who had convinced several of her writer friends to attend. I played bass guitar in the music circle that night and had a good time, though sometimes it's hard to get my guitar to project enough to be heard among all the six-strings. careswen sang a couple of well-received songs.

Saturday: "Beyond Promotion: Reputation Management" delved into why some writers eventually chose the small press option (while still trying to break into the major presses) which triggered some lively discussion. Lunch (Yangtze) was an adventure, but we got fed, then back for the next two panels, "How Does Medium Affect the Story?" and "Fantasy vs. Progress." Both were solid panels with crunchy bits. I skipped the next panel and hung out with friends in the consuite before heading to dinner (again at Taste of India) with a different group than the previous night. Caught the last panel and then hung out in Consuite and talked to various people until the wee early hours of the morning. careswen, mischief03, and I were the last out in our part of consuite, but there were a few diehards in the other room chatting.

Sunday: Caught the first panel, but I don’t remember too much about it. Brunch was great fun, and the whole table of us adjourned to consuite and talked about a variety of things until the last panel, "But That's a Different Panel," was ready to start. There was a meeting with the Patrick and Teresa Neilsen Hayden later that evening, which I understand turned into a pitch session, but by then I was getting sick and exhausted. I went home to rest, with the idea I would crawl in bed and if I felt better after some sleep, we would go back. I ended up staying in bed until the next morning.

My only regrets are that: 1: There were a couple of panels I think I'd have been a good fit for, but panelists were by "invitation only" and B. I seem to have two different circles of friends at this convention and no overlap among them, which forced me to make choices when I would have loved to get all these really smart people together and talking. Really though, despite those two things and getting sick at the end, it was a great 4th Street Fantasy convention.

Having a good 4th Street Fantasy Con so far. The first two panels were solid, followed by Indian food with friends during the thunderstorm, hail, and flash flood event. Had fun at the music circle. If you let truepenny pour your drink, be prepared to down a lot of liquor.

careswen and I have committed to attending 4th Street Fantasy Convention. See you there!