Writer's Grove

Local peeps

Sometimes it’s good to go AFK for a while and hang out with some other peeps who know a wee bit about the writing biz. Recently I’ve enjoyed hanging out with some local authors who make me laugh. Since I’ve enjoyed them so much, thought you might like an introduction:

Beth Cato is West Siiiiide where I’m East Siiiiide and we usually try to meet halfway somewhere. She’s quite prolific with published short stories and poems and has some other projects brewing. If you’d like to check out her work, here’s a free story called “Cartographer’s Ink.” Beth is also insanely good with baking stuff—she’s inventing her own recipes now. She gave me some White Chocolate Orange cookies and OMG NOM NOM NOM.

Jenn McKinlay is a NYT Bestselling author of several mystery series. She’s juggling FOUR different series right now, the logistics of which blows my mind. Four different casts of characters…egad! Right now people are really digging her Library Lover’s Mysteries and the Cupcake Mysteries.

Sam Sykes is the author of The Aeon’s Gate trilogy (from Pyr) who mocks me constantly with his long, flowing locks. Within two years he will look like Legolas and I will not. His third book, The Skybound Sea, just released a week ago. Following him on Twitter @SamSykesSwears is good for a minimum of one “WTF?” per day and a laugh or five.

Usually writers only get to see each other at conventions and it’s tough to get in more than a few minutes with each other, so I’m really glad I get to see these folks more often. Why is this good? Several reasons:

1) There is always beer.
2) Writers do not ask the same questions of each other that non-writers commonly ask us. For example, a writer will never ask another writer if he/she wears pants while writing. We already know the answer. As a side note, the frequency with which writers hear this question points to a seismic shift in the American Dream. It used to be people wanted middle-class stability with a big-screen TV and maybe a Kegorator, but now they just don’t want to wear pants. I thought for sure this would be addressed by our current presidential candidates during their respective conventions, but oddly, neither had a word to say about it. A third party—say, the Pantsless Party—could go far in this environment. They could win it all with one simple question: “Are you still wearing pants?” Holy crap this post has gone off the rails. Another side note: When/if you meet me, you should never be afraid to ask me a question, even if you’re fairly certain I’ve been asked the question before. I sincerely do not mind; as a teacher, I’m quite used to it. :)
3) In addition to beer, there is sake. And yes, Jenn McKinlay can keep up with Sam and me.
4) We tell stories (go figure), but the kind that are probably not interesting to anyone else but writers. They are tales of convention shenanigans and so on; we never get to tell them or hear them anywhere else.
5) There is no number five. Because I said so.
6) We always congratulate each other for remembering to wear pants because we crave affirmation.

Anyway. Peace and carrots. I do believe that rather soonish I’ll have another announcement thingie to make about a project I’ve been sitting on for a while. In the meantime, many thanks to you who have read TWO RAVENS AND ONE CROW and said nice things about it. Very glad you enjoyed it!

May your dreams be free of guilt ferrets,
Kevin