This weekend (by which we mean "Thursday through Sunday," because the weekend is a negotiable time period, and doesn't Thursday look fetching in that tiara?) you can catch me at Emerald City Comic-Con in scenic Seattle, Washington! Join me for thrills, chills, and a smashing good time!

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE.

Thursday night, come catch me a Shipwreck, where six great authors destroy one great work of literature. We're doing The Sandman. And I do mean doing. This is not an all-ages event. This is porn. I am a porn lord. Endless help me.

Friday, I'll be signing at the University Books booth (2pm) and the Penguin Random House booth (5pm), and then it's off to Worldbuilders for a fun night of gaming and merriment. Seats are limited but still available as I'm typing this!

Saturday, it's Geek Geek Revolution at 1:30pm and the Death of Belief at 4pm, both followed by signings.

Sunday, come see me at the University Books booth (1pm), and then at the Orbit Books panel (2:30pm). And then watch me run for freedom and the comforts of my own bed, because I expect to be exhausted.

I will have prizes with me every day of the con for folks who find me and answer the trivia questions I will be posting on Twitter. First-come, first-served.

See you there!

I am in Iowa! I am enjoying the company of my adult friends, who are awesome, and their three-year-old, the Skeleton Girl, who is amazing. I am not the biggest fan of tiny humans, which is why I never elected to construct one of my own, but SG? Is the best tiny human. She's just amazing. I could play with her for hours. I have played with her for hours. So Iowa is awesome.

But! I came here for a con, and a con I shall have! This weekend in Cedar Rapids, the fun begins. Ain't no party like a corn state party, because in a corn state, I am at the height of my powers. BE AFRAID. BE VERY AFRAID.

Thursday.

Pre-con signing event, 6pm. Before the con gets started, a bunch of the attending authors will be signing at the Cedar Rapids Barnes & Noble! No membership required. We hope to see you there.

Friday.

DreamCon Introduction, 1pm. This special con-within-a-con for teens is aimed at teaching writing skills and improving understanding of the science fiction community.

DreamCon Community Building, 1:25pm.

DreamCon Ask Me Anything, 3:05pm.

Opening Ceremonies, 7pm. Let's get this party started!

Saturday.

Zombie Mania, 10am. Whee.

Flipping Fairy Tales, 2pm. Watch me throw things at Jim Hines for an hour while we pretend to be professionals!

Author/Artist Meet & Greet, 3pm. Way too early to start drinking.

GoH Interviews, 4pm. ...but maybe it's a really, really good idea anyway.

Round Robin, 9pm. Once upon a time, there was a girl named Seanan, and she stole her whole panel away to the corn...

Sunday.

In Conversation with Seanan, 11am. I have a moderator? So this is not really an In Conversation... so much as it is some sort of interview that I do not fully understand. There may be a mutiny.

Vogon Poetry/Bulwer-Lytton Contests, 2pm. Welp.

Closing Ceremonies, 3pm. Goodbye, everybody! See you in the corn!

I will be at the Kinokuniya Books at 1073 Avenue of the Americas this coming Saturday from 3:00pm until we're done! The plan has me reading from Every Heart a Doorway before chatting merrily with whoever shows up, answering questions, and getting distracted by Pokemon.

I hope to see you there!

By this time tomorrow morning, I will be at the San Francisco International Airport, drinking overpriced airport beverages and waiting for my 8am flight to New York. I will have kissed my cats goodbye and walked through the Bay Area house for what will be, in many ways, the last time: when I get back from New York, the house will still be here, but everything I own will be gone, packed up and pulled down and shoved into the moving truck, already making its way up the coast.

From June 3rd to June 28th, I will be on the East Coast, doing business (numbers, numbers, math math math), doing pleasure (people who know how badly I need to be distracted from what's happening in California have made sure I will have many good distractions), doing appearances (I will be at the Manhattan Kinokuniya on June 11th; details are here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1547988148830559/ ), and doing conventions (CrossingsCon, in Newark, New Jersey, with my beloved Mark Oshiro).

Things I will not be doing: mailing stuff. All my stuff will be a) on the West Coast, and b) in a moving truck. Replying to email with anything resembling alacrity. Sleeping much, between "New York in June" and "did I mention people are touching all my stuff and my cats are very far away?". Breathing.

If you're in the New York area, I hope to get a chance to see you this trip (looking at you, The Swarm). If you're not, please be patient with me while I navigate what has been a huge and stressful endeavor, but which seems to be coming, finally, thankfully, to a blessed end.

I have a move date now. Actually, I have a stacked succession of move dates, all of them coming one right after the other, like evil demon ducklings on their way to nibble me to death. And to make things SO MUCH MORE FUN, literally all but one of them happen while I am traveling for work. Seriously. Truck arrives in the Bay Area to get all my stuff loaded into it? New York. Cats are transferred to Kate's so they don't escape during the packing process? New York. Truck leaves for the Pacific Northwest? New York.

I get home, I go to where my cats are, I surrender my keys to the California house (my housemate, who is staying in the area, will be handling the sale with the help of a realtor we both trust), and then Kate drives me to my new home.

The day the truck arrives to be unloaded, I am, in order, heading for the airport, on a plane, and flying to San Diego to launch my combo book tour with Sarah Kuhn and Amber Benson. BECAUSE THIS ISN'T STRESSFUL AT ALL. (I am lying. I am lying through my teeth. This whole process feels like a huge psych test to see how much pressure I, as a person with OCD, can take before I snap and hide under my bed for the duration of, oh, forever.) All the unloading, all the checking that things aren't broken, is going to happen before I get home.

Vixy is organizing the helpers on the Seattle end of things, and if you're someone I know well enough to be all "hi, want to come and empty a truck that contains all my earthly belongings while I'm, you know, not there, also there will be pizza," you'll probably be receiving an email from me soonish.

I do have a short-term Patreon set up to help with moving costs, located here: https://www.patreon.com/seananmcguire?ty=h

I'll be honest: I would feel guilty about reminding people that the Patreon exists, given how high pledges already are (thank you, thank you, thank you), but moving turns out to be really, really, really, horrifyingly expensive, and all figures are actually 1/3rd lower, due to taxes. So every little bit helps (and our June story, "Stage of Fools," will be a return to the Londinium-era Tybalt--one of my favorite subjects!).

Please expect me to be scattered and a little twitchy for the next few months, while I survive this process. Thank you all so much for being here.

It's almost time for Marcon, Columbus, Ohio's own genre extravaganza! I'm their Author Guest of Honor this year...but where can you find me? Well.

Friday.

5:30PM, Union C: "Writing Non-Human Characters."

7:00PM, Union E: "You Got Your Song in My Book! You Got Your Book in My Song!"

Saturday.

1:00PM, Battelle South: Seanan McGuire in concert, featuring Dead Sexy! This is one of my favorite iterations of my ever-shifting backing band, and we are going to blow your socks off. Like, seriously, if you only come to one of my events this weekend, this should be the one.

5:30PM, Fairfield: "In Conversation With Seanan McGuire." It's the usual gig: you ask me questions and I will answer them, which means the quality of the event is entirely up to you. Show up, ask me stuff, and find out what kind of ridiculous reptile stories I'll tell while in the grips of an adrenaline crash after my concert.

Sunday.

11:30AM, Regency Ballroom: Autograph Session.

ISFIC will have copies of the new Velveteen book for sale, along with everything else they have to offer; we'll have CDs and some of the remaining T-shirt stock (rarities all!) at the concert merchandise table.

Hope to see you there!

Hello, happy people! It's time for Emerald City Comic-con, Seattle's largest gathering of pop culture nerds in one building! Like, if the alien invasion comes this weekend, we're screwed. Anyway, if your boots are on the ground in Seattle, and you want to know where to find me, have I got the schedule for you.

Thursday.

I have no official programming! Hooray! So I will be wandering the show floor, seeing people, spending money, and remembering that I am a fan first, and an unstoppable alien terror second.

Friday.

The Orbit Books Panel. 2:45 PM, Room W603. Come join me and a host of other Orbit authors as we talk about the company, our works, and our plans for the future. Also whether harvesting the humans of Earth for food is really a sustainable invasion practice.

Saturday.

Signing at University Books. 3:00 PM, Booth 5100. Come get things signed! I like signing things.

Sunday.

Crafting Characters in Science Fiction and Fantasy. 12:00 PM, Room W603. A good story is nothing without great characters, and this couldn’t be truer when it comes to the tales woven in science fiction and fantasy books. Come and hear authors Peter Orullian (Trial of Intentions), Seanan McGuire (October Daye, InCryptid), Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicles), Peter Brett (The Demon Cycle), and Bob Proehl (A Hundred Thousand Worlds) talk about what goes into creating a great literary character. Moderated by Paul Constant of the Seattle Review of Books. Y'all, I am super excited about this: Bob Proehl's A Hundred Thousand Worlds is one of the best books I've read so far in 2016.

Signing. 1:15 PM, Autographing Table 29. We'll sign things!

Hope to see you at the con!

I am excited and ecstatic and overjoyed to remind you all that I will be appearing at San Francisco's own Booksmith on Monday, April 4th for the launch party of my newest novella, Every Heart a Doorway.

The story of what happens on the other side of the portal fantasy, Every Heart a Doorway follows the students of Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children as they try to deal with the reality of their pasts, presents, and futures. And a little bit of murder, naturally.

The fun begins at 7:30pm; RSVPs are appreciated but not required. There will be books for sale. Signed, personalized books can also be ordered through the Booksmith website.

It all begins with a doorway...

This weekend I'm pleased to be appearing at CONtraflow 5/DeepSouthCon 53, alongside Julie Dillon, Robert Sawyer, and many others—including one variation of my musical swarm: Dr. Mary Crowell, Bill and Brenda Sutton, and more!

My schedule is as follows:

Opening Ceremonies, Friday, 5pm, Event 1
The Scariest Movie I've Ever Seen, Friday, 10pm, Panel Room 2
Saturday Concert, Saturday, 12pm, Event 1
In Conversation..., Saturday, 5pm, Panel Room 4
Speculative Poetry, 8pm, Panel Room 3, Saturday
Good Habits of Successful Writers, 12pm, Event One, Sunday
Writing Urban Fantasy, Sunday, 3pm, Panel Room 4

I don't have panel descriptions, but those seem pretty self-explanatory, and it should be a rousing good time. Plus, New Orleans! Who could ask for anything more?

I hope to see you there!

BayCon is here! I am now officially the only person to have been BayCon Guest of Honor, Toastmistress, and Con Chair! It's a useless accomplishment!

So where can you see me?

Friday.

Opening Ceremonies, 10am. Come see us open the con!

Fan Guest of Honor interview, 10:30am. Thrill as I interview Caradwen Braskat-Arellanes. Because I can.

Breadth of Filk, 1:30pm. Quote, "Just as fanzines has escaped from its fannish roots, filk songs can now cover topics outside of science fiction and fantasy, such as cats, popular culture, and politics. The panelists discuss where you can find filk outside of cons." So, uh...filk!

Meet the Guests, 7pm. We exist!

Saturday.

Writer GoH Interview, 10am. Amber is going to interview me. This should be fascinating.

Researching your Biotech Thriller, 1pm. Quote: "A popular sub-genre that often gets published as mainstream fiction but ought to be viewed as science fiction is the biotechnology thriller, exemplified by Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park. The panelists talk about the behind-the-scenes research that goes into making fictional biotech believable." SCIENCE!

Biology of Mythical Creatures, 2:30pm. Quote: "The storytellers who originally invented the mythical creatures of legend didn't have an understanding of biology, genetics, or evolution. When writing a mythical creature into a new story for a modern audience, how far does a writer have to go in re-imagining the creature's biological backstory? Does providing biological details add to the story, or does it throw off readers because those details clash with their expectations? What are some successful examples of mixing realistic biology with mythic animals?"

Variety Show, 7pm. There will be a variety! It will show!

Sunday.

Toastmistress Interview, 11:30am. Now I get to interview Amber! Mwahaha!

Short Stories, 2pm. It'll be short!

Constructing Urban Fantasy, 4pm. I'll build some stuff.

Concert, 8:15pm. I will be taking the stage with Paul Kwinn. Come hear us sing some stuff.

FRIDAY.

I'm Sorry, I Haven't A Clue, 4:00 PM, Lilac C. The antidote to panel games. Two teams enjoy a battle of wits and are given silly things to do by the moderator. Come and place your bets on SF Squeecast versus SF Squeecast. With game host Heath Miller. Me, Heath, Lynne and Michael Thomas, Catherynne Valente, all the fucks I have to give. ALL THE FUCKS.

Opening Ceremonies, 7:00 PM, Junior Ballroom BC. Quote, "Don't miss out on this rare chance to see all of our Guests together in one room! Join us as we kick off the convention weekend!" So, you know, there we shall be.

ISFiC Press Book Launch Party , 9:00 PM, ISFiC Suite. Come by for the official release of the SF Squeecast's new anthology from
ISFiC Press, Harvest Season. The authors will be there and there will be cake. What's not to like? Also, this is the best place to obtain our brand new book, with a brand new Fighting Pumpkins story! Hooray!

SATURDAY.

SF Squeecast Podcast, 11:30 AM, Grand Ballroom GH. We're recording the Squeecast! You can come and watch! It'll be fun, we promise.

Reading, 2:00 PM, Boardroom. I'm reading stuff. I'm probs reading from Harvest Season. Come and read along!

Seanan McGuire & Friends Live In Concert, 4:00 PM, Junior Ballroom BC. Did you know I was a musician? Did you know I knew a lot of musicians? Did you know I was dating a musician, who will probably have to fiddle the Devil for my soul very soon? Yeah. Come see the concert, maybe buy some CDs and T-shirts, enjoy music, watch Amy make the fiddle-bliss face. It'll be fun! It will also be followed immediately by Bill and Brenda Sutton in concert, so hey, you don't have to move again until it's time for Barfleet!

SUNDAY.

Autographs, 11:00 AM, Autographing Tables. I am signing! I am signing with P.D. Anderson, J.L. Nye, and M. Resnick. Yay!

Closing Ceremonies, 2:00 PM, Junior Ballroom BC. Again, to quote: "This is your last chance to see all of our amazing guests. The party award winners will be announced, and you will find out what we have in store for you next year!" See you there!

Well, here we are: in twenty-four hours I will be at the airport, going through security, getting ready to board a big metal sky-bird that will carry me away to England. Most people know this, since the Great Pumpkin knows, I've been talking about it a lot. What many people do not seem to have put together is that I will not be flying back until October 7th. Yup. October.

(Why am I doing this? Well, because I am Guest of Honor at Filk Continental in Germany the first weekend in October, and staying in Europe made more sense than flying home, financially, time-wise, and seeing my friends who I never get to see-wise. I will still be working essentially every day, since deadlines budge for no one, but I will also be seeing people, enjoying things, and eating cheese. Mmm, cheese.)

What does this mean for you?

Well, for one thing, nothing's getting mailed until I get back. I have tried my best to clear all pending mailing before I left; whatever hasn't been sent out is going to have to wait until such time as I am back where the things live. Fun for the whole family!

Because we are still verifying T-shirt payments and orders, we will not be shipping shirts until after I get back.

I will have internet access, but it's not going to be completely dependable from day to day; there may be a longer than usual delay in replying to messages. Also, messages may have random cat pictures attached, as I start to go into serious withdrawal.

It's going to be an adventure!

I will miss you all.

It's almost time for Loncon, Worldcon in London! Hooray! I was so excited when this convention won the bid, and I'm still excited now. But where am I gonna beeeeeeee?

Thursday.

What's In A Name? 4:30PM, Capital Suite 7+12 (ExCeL). Megan Lindholm/Robin Hobb, Iain (M) Banks, Tom/Thomas Holt, James SA Corey, Mazarkis Williams: many people publish under pseudonyms, some more subtle than others. Why do writers opt for a pen-name? Why do some have more than one? How important is "branding" to marketing genre fiction, and what role do genre and gender divides play in the decision? Basically, it's "why are you Mira Grant: the panel."

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue 10:00PM, Capital Suite 7+12 (ExCeL). Two teams of fans/authors enjoy a battle of wits, and are given silly things to do by their chairman, Lee Harris. Games include: One Song to the Tune of Another, Sound Charades and Mornington Crescent. The con's obsession with scheduling me on late night panels begins.

Friday.

Literary Beer 2:00PM, The Bar (ExCeL). Literary beers are like koffeeklatches with beer instead of coffee. Sign up if you plan to attend!

Signing 7:30PM, Capital Suite 16 (ExCeL). Because I am bad at reading train schedules, this is my only signing of the weekend.

Saturday.

Girl Scientists 1:30PM, Capital Suite 13 (ExCeL). Lise Meitner, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin: women have always made a major contribution to science, even if they didn't always get the credit. But how does YA fiction approach female characters with an interest in science? Does YA fiction contribute to, or challenge, stereotyped beliefs about girls and science? What are the best examples, and the worst? Are girl scientists best presented as exceptional, or the norm? And does girl's science have to be pink? SCIENCE.

Seanan McGuire and Dead Sexy in Concert 10:00PM, Capital Suite 7+12 (ExCeL). Me. Dr. Mary Crowell. Amy McNally. Bill and Brenda Sutton. Michelle Dockrey. ALL THE POWERS OF HEL—er, some really rockin' music. Be there or be surprised when our wave of might sweeps over the con and obliterates all in its path.

Sunday.

Authors Accept, Encourage, and Create Fan Works Too 11:00AM, Capital Suite 7+12 (ExCeL). Fanfiction, fan art, and other forms of transformative works can be a sensitive topic with authors understandably having mixed reactions to works based on their creations. In this session four successful authors embrace forms of creative (not-for-profit!) ouput based upon their works. They discuss the benefits and difficulties of having fans creatively engage with their material. Beyond that they openly talk about their own experiences with fan works, whether they have written, still write, or read fanfiction or produce other forms of fan works.

Seanan Leaves For Disneyland Paris 1:00PM, Later Gators. That whole "I can't read schedules" thing? Yeah, I bought non-refundable tickets on the train to Disneyland. I paid enough for them that I'm missing the Hugos (Sunil will be attending as my representative). I would feel worse about this, but...Disneyland. If I win, through some strange whim of fate, Sunil will get to read a speech that opens with "Seanan is already on her way to Disneyland." I find this awesome.

London! I'm gonna eat so much cheese!

Tomorrow morning I shall rise, bright and early, and head for the airport, where a plane will be waiting to take me (and a bunch of strangers, that being the way of air travel) away to glorious Minnesota, where the state bird, the mosquito, will no doubt be waiting to carry me away.

Why am I going to Minnesota? Why, 4th Street Fantasy, of course. My schedule for the weekend:

Friday.

I will be doing the Writer's Seminar all day. Now, since this starts at 9am, and I will be several hours ahead of my normal time zone, I do not promise coherency before around noon. But hey, that's where some of the best advice comes from, right?

Saturday.

Originality and Micro-genre, 9:30am. To quote the con: "Readers who are versed in a sub-genre and its conventions can find what outsiders see as minor variations on a theme to be significant and original differences. How does this relate to the frequently expressed desire among critics for originality and ambition, and how is the perception of originality informed by the breadth/focus of readers' experiences?" To quote me: "Why do you hate sleep?"

Sunday.

Influence, Tropes, and Prior Art, 11:30am. To quote the con: "Authors who came before them influence nearly every author. Is it easier to be influenced by certain styles of work, or in certain ways? To what extent do we model our works on existing texts or narrative templates, and how often are those influences visible when reading the finished product?" To quote me: "Hooray! Sleep!"

So this should be a super-fun weekend, and all the programming looks great. Plus you'll get to see me in a sleep-deprived haze, and that's gonna be awesome. Hope to see you there!

It's almost time for Phoenix Comic Con, and that means it's time for the Arizona Edition of Where's Seanan? Whee!

Friday.

Improbable Dystopias, 10:30–11:30AM, North 131
What makes some worlds believable and others not? Is there any point to setting the whole sky on fire? Panelists: Janni Lee Simner, Jason Hough, Laini Taylor, Pierce Brown, Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant.

Signing, 11:30AM, Mysterious Galaxy Table 2526

Comedy's Hard—The Secrets of How and When to be Funny, 1:30–2:30PM, Sheraton Valley of the Sun
Writing humor is a difficult trick. Come listen to some of Phoenix Comicon's author guests who make it look easy and find out their secrets to getting laughs into a story. I'll probably tell stick jokes. Panelists: Gini Koch, Jim Butcher, John Scalzi, Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant, Wesley Chu.

Deadlands: The Weird West's Wild Future, 4:30–5:30PM, North 127ab
Hear about all the news happening about the weird western RPG Deadlands about to be turned into an Xbox TV Series. Why am I on this panel? You'll have to show up to find out. Panelists: Charles Sellner, Jeffrey J. Mariotte, Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant, Shane Hensley.

Paul and Storm Concert, 8:30–10:30PM, North Ballroom 120
Join the musical comedy duo Paul and Storm (Geek & Sundry's LearningTown) for a concert event with authors that you won't want to miss. Joining in will be NYT bestselling authors Patrick Rothfuss, John Scalzi, and Seanan McGuire with other special guests. YEAH YOU READ THAT RIGHT I AM PERFORMING WITH PAUL AND STORM WOO WE'RE GONNA TEAR IT UP AND MAYBE SET SOME SHIT ON FIRE WOO!!!!

Saturday.

Using Zombies or Something Like Them, 10:30–11:30AM, North 126bc
Authors who make use of zombies or creatures like them discuss their take on the creatures. Because that never leads to bloodshed. Panelists: David Wellington, Jason Hough, Joseph Nassise, Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant, Tom Leveen, Weston Ochse.

SF Squeecast Panel, 1:30–2:30PM, West 212
Join the SF Squeecast and their special guest for an hour of fannish squee and delight over the latest cool stuff in Science Fiction and Fantasy. Maybe this will be the time when I finally unhinge my jaw and sing the song that ends the world. Panelists: Catherynne Valente, Charlaine Harris, Elizabeth Bear, Lynne M. Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas, Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant.

Signing, 3:00 pm, Signing Table VIP20

Sunday.

Supernatural Elements in Contemporary Fantasy, 10:30–11:30AM, Sheraton Valley of the Sun
Authors discuss what goes into deciding the supernatural elements that surface in their paranormal variations on the real world. They say there's a panel here, but then they put me and Amber and Charlaine together, so we're probably just gonna tell filthy stories for an hour. Panelists: Amber Benson, Charlaine Harris, Chuck Wendig, Kevin Hearne, Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant, Weston Ochse.

Author Chicks Who Dig Time Lords, 1:30–2:30PM, North 131
Join contiributors to Chicks Dig Time Lords and Chicks Unravel Time as they discussed their love of Doctor Who and how it has influenced them in their careers. PS: It's a documentary. Panelists: Carole Barrowman, Catherynne Valente, Elizabeth Bear, Lynne M. Thomas, Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant.

Signing, 3:00 pm, Signing Table VIP20

I hope I see you all there!

I'm Guest of Honor at NORWESCON, in beautiful Seattle, Washington! It's time for fun with crows, evergreens, and rain! If you're planning to be in the area, here's where you can find me throughout the weekend:

Thursday.

5:00pm, Guest of Honor Banquet. I am not on the menu! But I believe banquet tickets are still available, and you can put food in your face. Yum!

7:00pm, Opening Ceremonies. We are gonna open the shit out of this convention.

Friday.

1:00pm, Reading. I have copies of Sparrow Hill Road, and I'm not afraid to open them...

3:00pm, Feminism in Fandom. Let's play Bingo!

5:00pm, Lifetime Members' Banquet. Food. Again.

8:30pm, Vixy & Tony concert. Come see the ever-amazing Vixy & Tony in concert with Betsy Tinney and Sunnie Larsen, as well as musical aid from yours truly.

10:00pm (roughly), my concert. I'll be honest here: it's basically the same set-up. There's not going to be a hard line between us so much as "first set list is finished, we pause to pee, second set list begins." I highly recommend attending both. I'll have CDs, T-shirts, and posters for sale.

Saturday.

1:00pm, autograph session. I'll sign shit!

5:00pm, Q&A. Come with your Qs, I'll show you my As.

Sunday.

4:00pm, Closing Ceremonies. Find out who next year's guests will be! Watch this year's guests try not to pass out on the table! Good times.

Hope to see you there!

1. This is the last day for the April tip jar! To tip me and keep the free fiction coming, PayPal to delirium@xocolatl.com. Fun for the whole family! (Things are tight all over; please believe me when I say that I do not resent anyone not tipping, and actually tend to forget names as soon as I finish processing transactions and updating the totals. So please, please don't worry that I'll be sad at you if you can't afford to tip. This is a thing I do because I was asked to, not because I think it's my due.)

2. If you're looking for a copy of Letters to the Pumpkin King, they are still available directly from NESFA, or by contacting Borderlands Books. There is no eBook, partially because a lot of the book is this blog. The original eBook!

3. I will be Guest of Honor at this year's Norwescon, in Seattle, Washington! I...flew home from Seattle so I could pack for Seattle. Why do I live in California, again?

4. Oh, right. My house is here. See you in two weeks, in Washington.

5. If you need to reach me, and it's important and needs a timely reply, please use my website contact form. Messages sent through LJ, Tumblr, or (shudder) Facebook may or may not be answered. (Also, it makes me sad that my spellcheck knows "Facebook" now. It still doesn't know "spellcheck.")

6. Sparrow Hill Road is out in less than a month! Woo, Rose!

And that is all.

It's time for Emerald City Comic-Con, Seattle's very own answer to the fact that San Diego has become the Mordor of Nerds! It's an awesome three day event in lovely downtown Seattle, and once again, I'm going to be bringing down the house in my own inimitable (and occasionally awkward) fashion.

I have one program item this year: "Beyond the Genre in Genre Fiction" on Friday morning at 11:40am. I am appearing with a bunch of truly awesome people, including Kory Bing, who some among you may remember as the illustrator for the InCryptid Field Guide. I am super excited! You should come!

If you can make the con but can't make my panel, I'll be around throughout the weekend, and am happy to sign things if spotted. Or if not spotted, but then the things may not belong to you.

Emerald City!

It is with great pleasure that I remind you all that the latest iteration of the Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show will be assembling this Saturday at San Francisco's own Borderlands Books. We'll be getting underway at 6pm, and rocking the roof until closing time comes and they kick us all out! Why are we partying?

To celebrate the release of Half-Off Ragnarok, naturally.

There will be cupcakes! There will be music and a raffle and reading and some Q&A, and it will be a hootenanny of a good time, with a whole lotta hoot AND a whole lotta nanny! Bring your kids! Bring your siblings! Bring your slime monsters! We totally hope to see you there.

Since this book does contain snakes, I will probably talk about snakes at some point during the evening. So while I would love to have you there, if you're deathly afraid of snakes, it might be a good idea to skip this one. (On the plus side, I'm pretty funny when I talk about snakes.)

Remember that Borderlands does take telephone and email orders, and would be happy to send you signed books (and they do have Letters to the Pumpkin King in stock). Get a book already touched by pure awesome. Or, you know. Ink. The party starts Saturday at 6pm!

Cheese! And! Cake!

Filk Continental happens in Germany. It happens in a castle. It is one of the only filk cons I have never attended, because it is very far away, and up until recently, I have had very limited vacation time.

It's still far away. But this year, I'm going...and I'm going as their Special Guest! Yes! After a year off, Filk Continental is gloriously returning, with Vixy & Tony as their Guests of Honor, and me as their Special Guest. A German appearance! A fantastic party! A glorious time!

October 3rd through 5th: the website and details are here: http://www.filkcontinental.de/fc/home/index.php.

I'm so excited!

Hey, people of Earth (and parts beyond)! Remember that this coming weekend I will be the Author Guest of Honor at SFContario, appearing with such luminaries as David Kyle and Chandler Davis. I alone lack that essential "davi" construction: come to shore me up, lest I be destroyed.

I'll be doing an awesome concert Friday night, and there will be awesome things throughout the weekend; if you're in the Toronto area, please consider swinging by to get a little awesome on your shoes.

Hello, world!

The book tour for Parasite will be launching soon. As most of the events are outside my "home territory," they will not feature cupcakes, but because I do not stray from tradition when I don't have to, the Borderlands event will feature cupcakes. And I have a request.

If you know for sure that you will be attending (or making a good faith effort to attend; I understand that life happens), and you have one of the following dietary restrictions...

* Vegan
* Gluten-free
* Egg or dairy allergy

...please comment here to let me know. I only order "specialty" cupcakes when I expect someone with that particular restriction to be at the event, as there is additional cost/prep time. Not so much that I'm unwilling to do it; just enough that I don't if I don't have to.

Hope to see you there!

Hey, happy people! In less than twelve hours, I will be boarding a giant metal sky-bird to fly to Denver, Colorado, home of very little oxygen, very impressive floods, and Mile Hi Con, where you'll have the rare opportunity to see me and Cat Valente together on stage! (Okay. Not that rare. We do this whenever people let us. But still.)

You can see me at...

Friday.

7:00PM: Opening ceremonies.
9:00PM: The Return of Kitty and the Midnight Hour. Hosted by Carrie Vaughn! With me and Cat as awesome guests!
10:00PM: Run, Run, The End of All Flesh Is Upon Us: Cat Valente and Seanan McGuire in Conversation. It's like an Evening with Kevin Smith, but a lot boobier, and sometimes even swearier.

Saturday.

11:00AM: Mad Scientists in Fiction, Film, and Filk.
2:00PM: Autographing! With Carrie! I love Carrie.
4:00PM: An Hour With Author GoH, Seanan McGuire.

Sunday.

9:00AM: Kaffeeklatch.
11:00AM: GoH Remarks and Awards.
1:00PM: Write On!
3:00PM: Conquering Sexism in Geek Culture.
5:00PM: Closing ceremonies.

I hope to see you all there! Or at least all of you for whom it is vaguely physically possible. Yay, Colorado!

It's a tour! It's a tour! It's an honest-to-Betsy book tour! You can find the full details here, along with links to some fun promo material, but the real meat of things is the dates, times, and places. Specifically:

Tuesday, October 29
7 PM: Borderlands, 866 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA

Wednesday, October 30
7 PM: Books Inc. Mountain View, 301 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA

Thursday, October 31
7 PM: Mysterious Galaxy, 7051 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, San Diego, CA

Friday, November 1
7 PM: B&N #2280, 401 NE Northgate Way #1100, Seattle, WA

Saturday, November 2
2 PM: B&N #2262, 12000 SE 82nd Avenue, Portland, OR

I'm going to go zoom zoom zoom, and then boom boom boom, and if you're in the room room room, you might meet your doom doom doom. I am so excited. I have never had an actual book tour before, and I'm gonna wreck it.

Now, if you are not able to make it to any of the book tour stops, please remember that Borderlands Books a) takes pre-orders via both internet and phone, and b) will ship. So you can get a signed, personalized copy of Parasite of your very own, even if you're not in a position to risk life and limb by getting it from me directly. They make amazing holiday gifts, and can be used to either kill or house spiders, depending on where you put them.

Book tour!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...

Tomorrow's Party Schedule!

The Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show is returning to our home of homes at Borderlands Books, and we couldn't be happier about it. SEE! The Amazing Mary, imported all the way from Alabama to enchant you with her wicked ways! HEAR! The Incredible Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff, masters of the rocking arts! GAZE IN AWE! At Paul and Beckett, guitar and harmonica, as they ensnare your senses! And I'll be there, of course.

Our evening...

4:00 PM: Setup, sound check, and final details. You can show up, but we may ignore you if you do. Sorry about that.
5:00 PM: Welcome to our party. We're done ignoring you now. Would you like some music?
5:30 PM: Perhaps you would like to win things.
5:40 PM: Now there will be cupcakes and autographing.
6:00 PM: More music?
6:30 PM: More prizes?
6:40 PM: Q&A and book discussion.
7:10 PM: Last music of the night.
7:40 PM: Let's raffle some more stuff off.
7:50 PM: Thanks and final questions before we close the evening.

This iteration of the Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show will be in the cafe; the bookstore will be open throughout the evening. The cafe will also be open, and they've promised to have plenty of bread and delicious pastry this time. Raffle tickets will be available through the two standard methods: show up, or buy something from the bookstore.

All performing musicians will have CDs for sale, because we're predictable like that. There may also be T-shirts. There will be cupcakes provided in the bookstore as part of the party, and a whole cafe full of delicious things to purchase and enjoy.

It's gonna be a good night. Hope to see you there.

It's almost time for LoneStarCon 3, the 2013 World Science Fiction Convention in San Antonio, Texas! This will also be my fifth Worldcon in a row, which is a feat I haven't accomplished since I was a teenager, working the convention, and traveling largely on the kindness of the adults who mentored and took care of me. It's...it's a little weird, honestly. So much has changed, and so much has stayed the same. I'm still a fangirl in my heart, even if I'm not behind a reg desk or stationed in prog ops anymore. I just scurry around more these days.

But enough introspection! Where can I be found?

Thursday.

6:00pm: Seanan McGuire and Dead Sexy, Live in Concert! It's the latest iteration of my ever-shifting backup band. Except familiar songs, fun surprises, and some exciting musical times. Ballroom A.

Friday.

10:00am: Kaffeeklatsch: James Gunn, Seanan McGuire, Lezli Robyn. Come have coffee and chat about whatever. Space is limited, signups are required. Riverview (Riverwalk).

4:00pm: Autographing: Tanya Huff, Steve Jackson, Seanan McGuire, Kim Stanley Robinson. I get to sign with Tanya! I am happy. Autographing area (Convention Center).

6:00pm: SF Squeecast Live Recording. It's gonna be fun. It always is. 003B.

Saturday.

12:00pm: Writing about Music and Art. I'm on a panel! Conference 12.

4:00pm: Reading: Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire. Which of me will read? NO ONE KNOWS. Also I'm up against the Mark Does Stuff panel, so you should totally skip me and go see him be awesome. 007CD.

Sunday.

12:00pm: Mad Science. From my heart and from my hands, why does no one understand my intentions? 008B.

2:00pm: When will Zombies Die? Charlaine and I are on the same panel. Bets on how long before one of us starts telling knock-knock jokes? I'mma sit between her and Bear and be totally safe from the apocalypse. 007CD.

4:00pm: Urban Fantasy: Fairies around Every Corner. I am going to be running out of this panel like my ass is on fire the second it ends, because I need to get ready for the Hugo Awards, but oh won't we have fun until then? 006A.

Monday.

Flying back to California.

Hope to see you in Texas!

...I swear that is the last terrible Muse pun I will make today. Ahem. It's time for Musecon 3! Do you want to know where I'm going to be?

Friday.

Why Fanfic is Awesome and You Should Feel Good About Writing It. All modern literature is fanfic, from Shakespeare and Milton all the way to the fairy tale retellings and remixes of today. Let's talk about why fanfic is a glorious, time-honored tradition that can help you improve as a writer, enriches your life as a reader, and pushes the envelope of the narrative story. 4:30pm.

Opening Ceremonies and Ask Seanan Anything. Welcome to MuseCon! Come meet our Guests of Honor and find out what we've got in store for you over the weekend. And once the official festivities are kicked off we'll be hosting the lastest installment in Seanan Shows Why She Has a Hugo for Not Shutting Up (also known as "Ask Seanan Anything, although she may not answer, and would really prefer you not ask anything about potential future changes to living conditions/locations"). 7:30pm.

Saturday.

Street Pennies. There's too much negativity in the world, and sometimes it can be hard to remember why we keep trying. That's where street pennies come in. Let's talk about the little things that make you happy, and how to find more of them in the world. 10:30am.

Gender Balance, Inclusiveness, and Diversity. Humanity is not a one-gender, one-race, one-creed entity. We're all different, and we're all deserving of our turn on the stage. Come join our discussion on how to bring more balance, inclusiveness, and diversity to your work. 1:30pm.

Velveteen vs. the Multiverse Book Launch. We don't have books but we will have cake! And signed book plates, and order forms. 3:00pm.

Concert. Music. Bring your ears and listen to Guest of Honor Seanan McGuire and her Biohazard Backing Band light up our stage with her unique mix of fairy tale folk, humorous horror, mad science, and just plain fun. BONUS! The dancing hands of Elise Matthesen will be hard at work during Seanan's concert! Elise has created hundreds of unique, breath-taking pieces, some based on the works of Neil Gaimen and others, some inspiring works by Mr. Gaimen, Elizabeth Bear, and others. Now she’ll be putting that same unique style into each piece that she is inspired to bring to life during Seanan’s show. Immediately after the concert these just-created pieces will be auctioned off! So come enjoy the show, and then see what’s been inspirited along the way! You never know, one might just inspire you. 7:30pm.

Sunday.

Disney Didn't Start the Fire. Snow White ate an apple--or did she use a poisoned comb? The little mermaid lived--or did she? Let's talk about the folkloric and fairy tale roots of some of our favorite stories, and how they've changed right up to the modern day. 12:00pm.

Working Through the World. Constructing a world that works can be difficult, but it's one of the most rewarding things a creator can do. Join us for a discussion of worldbuilding, its logic, and its dangers. 1:30pm.

Closing Ceremonies. We're going home! WE'RE GOING HOME! 3:00pm.

I'm going to San Diego! I'm going to my favorite con! I'm going...to be in a wheelchair for most of the week, on account of my left foot stops being in any way useful after I walk about about an hour, and San Diego is all about the walking. So if you're trying to find me, look for the faintly disgruntled looking blonde girl being pushed by the equally disgruntled looking blue-haired girl. Or follow this handy guide.

Wednesday.
It's Preview Night. I'm going to be in lines. Lots of lines. Unpredictable, never-ending lines. Do not try to find me. Save yourself.

Thursday.
No scheduled events. Naturally, this is also the only day with no panels I give a damn about. What is my life.

Friday.
I will be signing as Mira Grant at the Orbit Booth from 4:30 to 5:30pm. There will be some limited free books and other fun surprises.

Saturday.
I will be signing books for the California Browncoats from 2:00 to 2:45pm. Show up, meet fun people, and support an awesome charity. Then, at 3:00pm, I will be signing for Carniepunk at the Simon and Schuster Booth. This will last until 4:00pm, or until the line dies down completely.

I have not given booth numbers because I don't know them off the top of my head, but your program guide will know them. Trust the program guide. It is your only hope. The program guide will never lie to you. The program guide will not tell you to set people on fire.

Sunday.
This is my busy day. At 12:00pm, I will be in room 24ABC for the panel Science Fiction and the Future with lots of other lovely people. As I am the only biofuturist on this panel (with the possible exception of David Wellington, whom I will be meeting for the first time), I fully expect to either be very quiet or make people turn very green. Either way, what fun! Come for the science, stay for the creepy pie. Signing to follow immediately afterward, which I will be leaving early, because...

At 2:00pm, I will be in room 24ABC for the panel Witches and Fey, Monsters and Mortals. DO NOT READ THE PANEL DESCRIPTION. There is no possible way in which this panel description is not a sexist sack of eels. There are two urban fantasy panels at this con: one is serious and almost entirely male, and then there is this one. That being said, the panel lineup includes Rachel Caine and Amber Benson, who are two of my best ladies, and we are going to make this the panel to remember for this year's SDCC. Assuming anyone shows up, since we're up against the Doctor Who panel. Bleah. Again, signing to follow.

This year's schedule means I will be missing the X-Men panel, so anyone who does get to go, I'd like a full report.

And that's my San Diego. See you on the floor!

I am pleased to announce what some of you already know: that the 2015 Westercon will be held in scenic San Diego, California, and that I will be attending as their Fan Guest of Honor, thus checking off one of the only two slots remaining on my con guest bingo card! (The other, "Artist Guest," is unlikely to happen unless I start painting again, so I feel that I have now completed my duties.) The full lineup is:

Author Guest of Honor: Spider Robinson
Artist Guest of Honor: John Picacio
Special Guest: William F. Nolan

Westercon 68 will be held over the July 4th weekend in 2015 (July 2nd to 5th), and I very much hope to see you all there!

Westercon!

I will be appearing at Harvard University's very own Vericon this weekend, along with such luminaries as Tamora "I shaped your childhood and swear like a sailor" Pierce, and N.K. "We were on the Hugo ballot for the first time in the same year and are now bound in blood, ink, and tears" Jemisin. It's going to be awesome! Even if it does require me to fly to Boston first. In the middle of the winter. To where the snow lives.

If you're local to the Boston area, swing on by! Here's my schedule:

Saturday 12:30pm-1:30pm: A panel on constructing identity; how to flesh out different types of characters, as well as writing to an audience that identifies as fans of speculative fiction.
Saturday 2:00pm-3:00pm: A panel on supernatural/nonhuman creatures; how writers create concepts of supernatural creatures or interpret pre-existing myths; additionally, how to write sympathetic nonhuman characters.

I will also be signing on Saturday from 4:30-5:15pm at the Harvard Bookstore, along with some of the other authors. Whole lotta shin, little bit of dig.

I hope to see you there, and I hope you'll bring me Diet Dr Pepper, because the jet lag is going to be brutal on this one. Seriously. You may get to see me having a conversation with the space lobsters, and that's always fun.

Vericon!

It's time once again to descend upon San Francisco once again, bringing music, chaos, and the excitement of a book release party with us! This time, we're actually not going to be at my beloved Borderlands Books, although they will be selling books at the event: thanks to an opening in the Variety Preview Room Theatre, we're going to be trashing someone else's house for a change! The party begins this coming Saturday at 6:00 PM, at...

The Variety Preview Room Theatre
Hobart Bldg., 1st Floor (use the entrance next to Citibank on Market St.)
582 Market Street @ 2nd and Montgomery
San Francisco, CA 94104

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE.

Delicious cupcakes! Free popcorn, for that circus feeling! A cash bar, including a signature cocktail designed just for us, The Snakehandler! Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff rocking the house! And this time, I'm not the only author who's going to be taking her turn in the ring. That's right: I have guests. Sarah Kuhn, awesome author of the geek rom-com One Con Glory, will be joining the fray, as will Amber Benson, whose latest Calliope Reaper-Jones adventure, The Golden Age of Death, dropped just two weeks ago.

Three authors. A lot of music. Plenty of sugar. Accessible booze. NOW HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY?

I thought so.

Seating at the Preview Room is limited, so please show up early. We are a kid-friendly circus, although there will probably be swearing (I'm planning to show up, I swear a lot). The doors will open at 6:00 PM to allow for getting drinks and books, meeting people, and generally relaxing into the night; the Circus takes the stage at 7:00 PM. A full schedule for the evening will be posted Friday.

One note from the management:

"Don’t Drive—Seriously. Parking sucks in this area. Take BART or MUNI downtown, as we are directly adjacent to the Montgomery Street BART/MUNI station! Street parking ($3.50 per hour/coins or meter card, no charge cards) is metered 7 days a week til 6PM. If you have to drive, we suggest parking at the Folsom St. Garage at 3rd & Folsom (cheapest), across from Moscone Center."

See you Saturday!

(*No snakes will be present at the event, which is a shame, because I like snakes. They're our huggy friends.)

...the midnight hour is close at hand.

Just a quick note before our regularly scheduled Inchworm Post: sometimes I will make mistakes in posts. Words get typed wrong, or mispunctuated, and we're all helpful people, we all like to help. Please, before pointing out a typo, skim to see whether someone else (or six someones) may have already pointed it out. I get cranky when the same things are brought up repeatedly before I can fix them, and that isn't fair of me. I'm only human.

This is the current shape of my 2013, with travel dates and everything. Beautiful travel dates. Hope to see you sometime in the months to come.

Publications

"Laughter at the Academy: A Study in the Development of Schizotypal Creative Genius Personality Disorder (SCGPD)," February 2013.
"Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust," February 2013.
Midnight Blue-Light Special, March 2013.
"Married in Green," March 2013.
"Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea," July 2013.
Velveteen vs. The Multi-verse, August 2013.
"Bad Dream Girl," August 2013.
Chimes at Midnight, September 2013.
"Train Yard Blues," October 2013.
Parasite, November 2013.

Half-Off Ragnarok, March 2014.
Sparrow Hill Road, June 2014.
The Winter Long, September 2014.

"Homecoming," unknown.

Conventions/Appearances/Travel

Borderlands Books, the Mad Science Tour, February 23, San Francisco CA.
Emerald City Comic Con, the Mad Science Tour, March 1-3, Seattle WA.
Release Party, March 9, San Francisco CA.
Disneyland, March 16-18, Anaheim CA.
Vericon, March 22-24, Boston MA.
JordanCon, April 19-21, Roswell GA.
Disney World, May 17-23, Orlando FL.
OASIS, May 24-26, Orlando FL.
San Diego Comic Con, July 17-21, San Diego CA.
Musecon, August 2-4, Itasca IL.
Lone Star Con (Worldcon 2013), August 28-September 2, San Antonio TX.
Mile Hi Con 45, October 18-20, Denver CO.
SFContario, November 29-December 1, Toronto Canada.

Boskone 51, February 14-16 2014, Boston MA.
Shamrokon, August 22-24, Dublin Ireland.

No fixed deadline/being written/unsold:

"Fiber"
"Carry Me Home"
"These Antique Fables"
"Pixie Season"
"Frontier ABCs: The Life and Times of Charity Smith, Schoolteacher"
"The Fixed Stars"
"Attractive Narcolepsy"
"Musical Patchwork"
"Honey Do"
"Loch and Key"
Echo
"How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea"
"Blended Family"
"Jammed" (formerly "Rhythm and Bruise")
Unnamed critical essay

...just looking at that makes me tired.

I need a nap.

WEIRD SCIENCE!

(Duh dum bum bum da dum.)

Or, really, MAD SCIENCE, because that is where my heart of hearts makes its forever home. The new anthology, The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination, is hitting shelves now, and includes my short story, "Laughter at the Academy: A Study in the Development of Schizotypal Creative Genius Personality Disorder (SCGPD)." Fans of my music will recognize the basic plot of the story as matching that of my Pegasus Award-winning song, "What A Woman's For." Yes. It is a story based on a song about using womanly wiles to cause perfectly reasonable researchers to embrace grave-robbing and storm-chasing as a means of advancing their careers. My mother is so proud.

Anyway, it's a fantastic book that I'm going to talk about a bit more in a little while, and I'm happy as hell to be a part of it. And if you're in the Bay Area, this weekend will bring you the opportunity to see the editor, John Joseph Adams, appearing with yours truly at San Francisco's own Borderlands Books. The event begins at 3:00 pm, and will undoubtedly be a rocking good time. It's always a rocking good time when John and I get together.

The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination is available now at a bookstore or internet retailer near you. Published by Tor Books, you can get it in either hardcover ($25.99) or trade paperback ($14.99), and honestly, it's worth it at either price point.

Hope to see you Saturday!

...do you shine on my someone? Are we sharing your light?

Things have shifted around a lot and that means it's time for a new inchworm girl post, lest I start to destabilize and lose track of what is where and when and how I got into this hand basket.

This is the current shape of my 2012/2013, with travel dates and everything. Beautiful travel dates. Hope to see you sometime in the months to come.

Publications

2012:
"Rat-Catcher," December 2012.

2013:
"Laughter at the Academy: A Study in the Development of Schizotypal Creative Genius Personality Disorder (SCGPD)," February 2013.
"Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust," February 2013.
Midnight Blue-Light Special, March 2013.
"Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea," July 2013.
Velveteen vs. The Multi-verse, August 2013.
Chimes at Midnight, September 2013.
"Train Yard Blues," October 2013.

Parasite, unknown.
"A Dry Death," unknown.
"Homecoming," unknown.

Conventions/Appearances/Travel

2013:
Vericon, March 22-24, Boston MA.
JordanCon, April 19-21, Roswell GA.
Disney World, May 17-23, Orlando FL.
OASIS, May 24-26, Orlando FL.
Musecon, August 2-4, Itasca IL.
Lone Star Con (Worldcon 2013), August 28-September 2, San Antonio, TX.
SFContario, November 29-December 1, Toronto Canada.

No fixed deadline/being written/unsold:

"Fiber"
"Carry Me Home"
"These Antique Fables"
"Pixie Season"
"Velveteen vs. Vegas"
"Velveteen Presents Victory Anna vs. The Difficulty With Pan-Dimensional Courtships"
"Velveteen Presents Jackie Frost vs. Four Conversations and a Funeral"
"Velveteen vs. Legal"
"Velveteen vs. Jolly Roger"
"Velveteen vs. Everyone"
"Velveteen vs. The Epilogue"
"The Happiest Place..."
"Frontier ABCs: The Life and Times of Charity Smith, Schoolteacher"
"The Art of War (and Waheela)"
"The Fixed Stars"
"Attractive Narcolepsy"
"Musical Patchwork"
"Loch and Key"
Half-Off Ragnarok
Echo
"How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea"

...just looking at that makes me tired.

I need a nap.

...to the bottom of the river.

December! It is December! It is December 4th, which means we're exactly one month away from my birthday trip to Disneyland SHUT UP DISNEY MAKES EVERYTHING OKAY. And I've needed a lot of okay this winter.

This is the current shape of my 2012/2013, with travel dates and everything. Beautiful travel dates. Hope to see you sometime in the months to come.

Publications

2012:
"Rat-Catcher," December 2012.

2013:
"Laughter at the Academy: A Study in the Development of Schizotypal Creative Genius Personality Disorder (SCGPD)," February 2013.
"Emeralds to Emeralds, Dust to Dust," February 2013.
Midnight Blue-Light Special, March 2013.
"Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea," July 2013.
Velveteen vs. The Multi-verse, August 2013.
Chimes at Midnight, September 2013.
"Train Yard Blues," October 2013.

Parasite, unknown.
"A Dry Death," unknown.

Conventions/Appearances/Travel

2013:
Vericon, March 22-24, Boston MA.
JordanCon, April 19-21, Roswell GA.
Disney World, May 17-23, Orlando FL.
OASIS, May 24-26, Orlando FL.
Musecon, August 2-4, Itasca IL.
Lone Star Con (Worldcon 2013), August 28-September 2, San Antonio, TX.
SFContario, November 29-December 1, Toronto Canada.

No fixed deadline/being written/unsold:

"Bad Dream Girl"
"Fiber"
"Carry Me Home"
"These Antique Fables"
"Pixie Season"
"Velveteen vs. The Robot Armies of Dr. Walter Creelman, DDS"
"Velveteen vs. The Fright Night Sorority House Massacre Sleepover Camp"
"Velveteen vs. Vegas" (extended remix)
"Velveteen Presents Victory Anna vs. The Difficulty With Pan-Dimensional Courtships"
"Velveteen Presents Jackie Frost vs. Four Conversations and a Funeral"
"The Happiest Place..."
"Frontier ABCs: The Life and Times of Charity Smith, Schoolteacher"
"Loch and Key"
Half-Off Ragnarok
Echo
"How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea"

...just looking at that makes me tired.

I need a nap.

T-shirt update.

Shirts are being mailed! But in the interests of not being stoned to death by the other people who use my small local post office, they're being mailed in batches of twenty to thirty at a time. What does this mean? It means that if you have not yet received your shirt, it probably hasn't been mailed, but is instead sitting in a large sack in my living room. If you ordered three or more shirts, there is a good chance that your order is coming in more than one envelope. Breathe deeply, and it will be with you soon.

CDs and stuff.

I have sent a restock of both Wicked Girls and Red Roses and Dead Things to CD Baby. I estimate that I have roughly a hundred copies of Red Roses left, after which the CD will be out of print. I'm not currently planning a reprint, so, y'know, get it while it's available.

My cats are weird.

This morning, Thomas decided that he was going to accompany me to work, and attempted to accomplish this by stuffing himself into my backpack. It astonishes and terrifies me that he can fit inside my backpack; he's a lot of cat, and there are other things inside that bag. But he did it! And if he'd remembered to pull his tail inside, he might have made my day a lot more exciting than I ever wanted it to be.

The Pirates of Emerson.

Just a reminder to my Bay Area friends: the Pirates of Emerson have opened their annual haunted theme park at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Five awesome haunted houses, two mazes, the Bumpkin Patch, live entertainment, games, and more, all presented by spooky-ass pirates who leer and go "arrrrrrr" whenever provoked. It's a lot of fun, it's super reasonably priced for what you get, and I highly recommend it.

(I do not, however, recommend it for kids under twelve, or even for easily frightened kids under thirteen. You can still take them if you want, but you can't blame me for the night terrors and bedwetting that may follow.)

Best shirt ever.

My friend Craig sent me an official CDC Zombie Preparedness Task Force shirt, and it is the best shirt ever. I am the happiest disease/zombie fangirl in the whole wide world right now.

One con more...

I have only one convention left in 2012: WindyCon in Chicago, this coming November. After that, I am blissfully home free for the (admittedly short) remainder of the year. Which means a) if you wanted to catch me at a con, Windy is your last chance this year, and b) I might actually take a nap.

Although that's unlikely.

At last it is October, the month I spend the rest of the year yearning for. When it's October, everything is wonderful, even when it's not. When it's not October, I'm wishing that it were October again. There's a reason that Marnie Piper and the Cromwell witches are some of my favorite Disney (semi) icons.

After a weird two-day heatwave, we've settled into sweet fall, with foggy skies and color-changing leaves and everything. The Maine Coons are growing their winter coats, and thumping around the house like the tiny yeti that they secretly are. (Okay, local definition of "tiny." Thomas has hit the size where even I can't pretend that he's anything but massive. It's just that he still has kitten-face, and I fear what this says about his next growth spurt. He's going to eat me.)

The season's first treat has already been mentioned: Feed is still $1.99, and will be for the next two weeks. Yay! We're currently hovering in the Kindle 600s, which isn't bad for a book that's been out for two years. More treats will be forthcoming, once I know what they are. And of course, at the end of the month, When Will You Rise comes out from Subterranean, and that's sort of the ultimate treat. I cannot wait to see this book with my own eyes!

I'm hosting the SFWA Pacific Northwest Readings for this month, and I'm going to Disneyland with my fairy tale girls immediately afterward, so it's going to be a busy October, and that's just fine. I have a lot of work to do and a lot of experience at doing it, so I'm going to rock it.

Welcome to the month of my heart!

It is with great pleasure that I remind you all that the latest iteration of the Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show will be assembling this Saturday at San Francisco's own Borderlands Books. We'll be getting underway at 6pm, and rocking the roof until closing time comes and they kick us all out! Why are we partying?

To celebrate the release of Ashes of Honor, naturally.

There will be cupcakes! There will be music and a raffle and reading and some Q&A, and it will be a hootenanny of a good time, with a whole lotta hoot AND a whole lotta nanny! Bring your kids! Bring your siblings! Bring your slime monsters! We totally hope to see you there.

Oh, and: Richard Kadrey, who is so awesome that they had to invent new swear words to describe him, will be at the bookstore before the Circus comes to town! His event starts at three. Come early, and make a day of it!

Remember that Borderlands does take telephone and email orders, and would be happy to send you books signed by any of the lovely authors who will be haunting the store that day. Get a book already touched by pure awesome. Or, you know. Ink. The party starts Saturday at 6pm!

Cheese! And! Cake!

It's time for everybody's favorite scavenger hunt, Trying To Find Seanan In A Convention Of Several Thousand People! It helps that I'm usually wearing electric orange. But Brooke, who is also usually wearing electric orange, is attending. And I'm injured, so I'm less fast-moving and noticeable than usual. Better provide a schedule!

Friday, August 31st.

Reading, 11AM, Grand Suite 3.
Ah, the Worldcon reading. Will it be any better planned and executed than my usual readings? Nope. But I'll have fun anyway, because I always do.

Signing, 3PM, Autograph Tables.
Seanan Signs Shit: Chicago Edition. Always fun for the whole family.

It may look like my Friday is lightly scheduled. This is an illusion. I have three rehearsals over the course of the day, and the DAW dinner to attend, so really, these are the best times/places to find me.

Saturday, September 1st.

SFWA meeting, 9AM.
Expect grumbling.

Operetta, 12PM, Plaza Ballroom.
I'm in an operetta! It's going to be awesome! You should come and see it! And right after it ends...

Seanan McGuire in Concert, 1:30PM, Plaza Ballroom.
See me in concert with Vixy, Tony, Amy, Mary, Brenda, and potentially more, depending on the size and load-bearing nature of the stage! Merchandise will also be available from the filk sales table, including CDs, posters, and more.

Warehouse 13 vs. Eureka, 4:30PM, Grand Suite AB.
Oh it. Is. On.

The Next H1N1, 6PM, Field.
Expect giggling from me, and looks of profound discomfort from everyone else.

BARFLEET WOO WOO BARFLEET 9PM, Barfleet Party.
I am tending bar for Barfleet! Because Barfleet is awesome.

Sunday, September 2nd.

SF Squeecast recording live at 12PM.
It'll be squee-ful. You know, except for that whole "we'll all be neurotic messes over the impending doom that is the Hugos" thing. But hey, we can still be enthusiastic. About stuff. Between panic attacks.

The Hugo Awards, 8PM.
Meep.

And that's where to find me! Hope to see you there.

Oh, the places you'll go, oh, the places I'll be! Here's where to start if you're looking for me...

Thursday, July 12th.

1:15 PM, Room 6A: Not with a Bang, with a Bite.

It's the obligate zombie panel! Because really, that's what I do. Join me-as-Mira, along with Jeyn Roberts (Dark Inside), Michael Spradlin (Blood Riders), Diana Rowland (Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues), Stephen Blackmoore (City of the Lost), Dana Fredsti (Plague Town), Susan Dennard (Something Strange and Deadly), and Max Brooks (World War Z). Let's see if Max and I can get into another argument about his virology, shall we? Also, you will love Stephen. He's the bomb. The panel will be immediately followed by an autographing session, wherein I will sign whatever you bring me.

Friday, July 13th.

5:00 PM, Booth 1116: Mira Grant signing.

Nothing says "Friday the 13th in San Diego" like Mira Grant signing at the Orbit booth! Come for signatures, cool swag, and the chance to have me beam at you like a lunatic while I try to drink enough Diet Dr Pepper to put me in an early grave. It'll be fun!

Saturday, July 14th.

10:30 AM, Room 5AB: Hot Town: Faeries in the City.

Mmmm, 10:30 AM panel on Saturday. On the plus side, you know you'll be able to get a seat. On the double-plus side, you know none of us will be awake enough to be filtering a damn thing that comes out of our mouths. Come for the urban fantasy, stay for the raw humor value of me and Jeff Lewis calling each other cockwaffles. Join me-as-Seanan, along with Benjamin Tate (Leaves of Flame), Kevin Hearne (The Iron Druid Chronicles), Kat Richardson (Seawitch), Jennifer Bosworth (Struck), Anton Strout (Simon Canderous series), Jeanne Stein (Anna Strong Vampire Novels), J.F. Lewis (Void City books), and S. G. Browne (Lucky Bastard). The panel will be immediately followed by an autographing session, wherein Jeff and I will begin chewing on Kat.

Sunday, July 15th.

12:00 PM, Room 32AB: Browncoat reading.

Mira Grant joins the San Diego Browncoats for a reading from "San Diego 2014," and to answer any questions you might have. And yes, we know this is up against Buffy. Stupid late schedule changes.

1:00 PM, Booth A-07: Mira Grant signing.

And then it's off to the Browncoats booth for a signing! Hooray for signings!

...and that is all my official business for the weekend. Unofficial business will include shopping, panels, ice cream, Amy-hugs, Amber-hugs, Sunil-hugs, Kaja-hugs...hugging is going to be a key part of this convention.

Onward, to San Diego!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...

Tomorrow's Party Schedule!

5:00 PM: Setup, sound check, and final details. You can show up, but we may ignore you if you do. Sorry about that.
6:00 PM: Welcome to our party. We're done ignoring you now. Would you like some music?
6:30 PM: Perhaps you would like to win things.
6:40 PM: Now there will be cupcakes and autographing.
7:00 PM: More music?
7:30 PM: More prizes?
7:40 PM: Q&A and book discussion.
8:10 PM: Last music of the night.
8:40 PM: Let's raffle some more stuff off.
8:50 PM: Thanks and final questions before we close the evening.

This iteration of the Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show will be in the cafe; the bookstore will be open throughout the evening. The cafe will also be open, and they've promised to have plenty of bread and delicious pastry this time. Raffle tickets will be available through the two standard methods: show up, or buy something from the bookstore.

All performing musicians will have CDs for sale, because we're predictable like that. There will be cheese and cupcakes provided in the bookstore as part of the party, and a whole cafe full of delicious things to purchase and enjoy.

It's gonna be a good night. Hope to see you there.

Inchworm, inchworm, measuring the marigolds. You and your arithmetic will probably go far. Or something like that. I am surviving! I am surviving this wet, cold, mucky, awful, no good at all weather week, and I'm doing it with cheer and elan, because I am on the New York Times Bestseller list. Nope. Not tired of saying that. Not gonna be, either.

Here is the current shape of my 2012, with travel dates and everything. Beautiful travel dates. Hope to see you sometime in the months to come.

2012

Publications:
Discount Armageddon, March 2012.
"We Will Not Be Undersold!", March 2012.
"No Place Like Home," April 2012.
Blackout (as Mira Grant), June 2012.
Ashes of Honor, September 2012.

"Rat-Catcher," middle 2012.
"Laughter at the Academy: A Study in the Development of Schizotypal Creative Genius Personality Disorder (SCGPD)," late 2012.

Conventions/Appearances:
Consonance, March 2-4, Newark CA.
Borderlands, March 17, San Francisco CA.
AggieCon, March 23-25, College Station TX.
Emerald City Comic Con, March 30-April 1, Seattle WA.
San Diego International Comic Convention, July 11-14, San Diego CA.
Confluence, July 27-29, Pittsburgh PA.
Chicon (WorldCon 2012), August 30-September 3, Chicago IL.
World Fantasy Convention, November 1-4, Toronto.
Windycon, November 8-11, Chicago IL.

No fixed deadline/being written/unsold:

"Fiber"
"Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea"
"These Antique Fables"
"Pixie Season"
Sparrow Hill Road
"Velveteen vs. The Uncomfortable Conversation."
"Velveteen vs. The Fright Night Sorority House Massacre Sleepover Camp, Part III."
"No Place Like Home"
"Stingers and Strangers"
"Loch and Key"
"In Sea Salt Tears"
The Chimes at Midnight
"San Diego 2014"
"We Are All Misfit Toys in the Aftermath of the Velveteen War"
Parasitology
Echo
"How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea"

It is with great pleasure that I remind you all that the latest iteration of the Traveling Circus and Snake-Handling Show will be assembling this Saturday at San Francisco's own Borderlands Books. We'll be getting underway at 6pm, and rocking the roof until closing time comes and they kick us all out! Why are we partying?

To celebrate the release of Discount Armageddon, naturally.

There will be cake! There will be cheese! There will be music and a raffle and reading and some Q&A, and it will be a hootenanny of a good time, with a whole lotta hoot AND a whole lotta nanny! Bring your kids! Bring your siblings! Bring your slime monsters! We totally hope to see you there.

Oh, and: Caitlin Kittredge and Ben Macallan, both of whom are made of hammered awesome, will be at the bookstore before the Circus comes to town! Their event starts at three. Come early, and make a day of it!

Remember that Borderlands does take telephone and email orders, and would be happy to send you books signed by any of the lovely authors who will be haunting the store that day. Get a book already touched by pure awesome. Or, you know. Ink. The party starts Saturday at 6pm!

Cheese! And! Cake!

Psst. Guess where I'm going to be this weekend. If you guessed Consonance, Northern California's very own filk convention, you're right! Here is the website:

http://www.consonance.org/

I am their Ghostmistress! Or maybe their Toastmistress. Hmm. I'm not quite sure, but I guess I'll find out when I get there, since they'll either hand me a proton pack or a microphone (vote ghosts, ghosts are awesome). Regardless, I have a concert Friday night at 9:00 PM! I'm going to be performing with some of my favorite people: Vixy and Tony, Amy McNally, Dr. Mary Crowell, Jeff Bohnhoff, Brenda Sutton...it's going to be amazing. And you will not believe this set list. I barely believe it. It's like whoa.

It's a weekend packed with awesome. Brooke has a concert! And Amy! And the Three Weird Sisters, all four of them (it's a thing)! And I have a signing Saturday morning! You should totally try to be there. It's going to be amazing.

Yay, Consonance!

This is me, inchworming into the future. I'm stealing a page from Bear's book, and hoping that a little rolling accountability will make me, if not saner, then at least easier to understand when I start to flail and cry about the ice worms coming out of the wall. ICE WORMS EVERYWHERE.

In other news, Kate and I canceled dinner last night, which turned out to be a good thing, because I have the clingiest clinging cats in Clingycatdonia. They are distraught by my recent travels. I think that if I hadn't come home last night, I'd never be seen again after tonight.

Not everything is on this list yet. Some things aren't announced, some things aren't confirmed, some things may have been forgotten. I expect coherency to come with trial and error.

2012

Publications:
"The Flower of Arizona," February 2012.
Discount Armageddon, March 2012.
"We Will Not Be Undersold!", March 2012.
Blackout (as Mira Grant), May 2012.
Ashes of Honor, September 2012.

"Rat-Catcher," middle 2012.
"Laughter at the Academy: A Study in the Development of Schizotypal Creative Genius Personality Disorder (SCGPD)," late 2012.

Travel:
Conflikt, January 27-29, Seattle WA.
Consonance, March 2-4, Newark CA.
San Diego International Comic Convention, July 11-14, San Diego CA.
Confluence, July 27-29, Pittsburgh PA.
Chicon (WorldCon 2012), August 30-September 3, Chicago IL.
World Fantasy Convention, November 1-4, Toronto.

No fixed deadline/being written/unsold:

"Fiber"
"Daughter of the Midway, the Mermaid, and the Open, Lonely Sea"
"These Antique Fables"
"Pixie Season"
"Martinez and Martinez v. Velveteen"
Sparrow Hill Road
"Velveteen vs. the Alternate Timeline, part one"
"Velveteen vs. the Alternate Timeline, part two"
"Velveteen vs. the Retroactive Continuity"
"Hell of a Ride"
"Loch and Key"
"In Sea Salt Tears"
Midnight Blue-Light Special
The Chimes at Midnight
"San Diego 2014"
"Misfit Toys: A Chronicle of the Velveteen War"
Parasitology
Echo
"How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea"

What will I be doing at WorldCon in Reno? Apart from hyperventilating? Well...

Thursday, 11:00-12:00. Music for Creative People.
"What music inspires you? What gets your creative juices flowing? Do artists listen to different types of music than writers do?" Join me, the ever lovely Maya Bohnhoff, and two awesome people I don't know as we talk about listening to music. Points if you can accurately guess the number of times I'm going to bring up the Counting Crows!

Thursday, 3:00-4:00. What's Up with Zombies?
"Why are zombies so popular anyway and what is it about all these mash-ups? Is this the future of the field?" Since I don't do mash-ups, cheese and crackers, I sure hope not! But we get to talk about dead stuff, and that always makes me happy.

Thursday, 5:00-6:00. Literary Beer.
Me. Paul Cornell. Alcohol. The opportunity to hang out with me, or Paul Cornell, and alcohol. Or no alcohol, and then you can laugh at the people who declared themselves pro-alcohol. It's up to you!

Friday, 12:00-1:00. Concert.
Am I doing a concert? Yes I am. Will it feature some of my very favorite people, like Vixy and Amy and Mary and Betsy and Tony, oh, my? Yes it will. Will it be awesome? I surely do hope so.

Friday, 1:00-2:00. Tricky Pixie Interview.
I get to sit down with the members of Tricky Pixie and grill them at glorious length about their habits, hopes, dreams, and where they were on the evening of August 16th. Come and watch the glorious chaos!

Friday, 11:00-1:00. Whose Line is it Anyway?
Since I tend to be an early riser, I feel the need to make it clear that this game show begins at eleven o'clock at night, ending at one o'clock in the morning. And this is why I'm sleeping in on Saturday. But it's worth it for a night of glorious improv with some wonderful madmen (and madwomen). Definitely not to be missed.

Saturday, 11:00-12:00. The Role of the Companion: The Impact of the Companions on the Doctor.
This panel starts at a more Seanan-friendly eleven o'clock in the morning, praise be to the Great Pumpkin, and is going to involve me, Tara, and a lot of other lovely people talking about Doctor Who for the better part of an hour. My life, so hard.

Saturday, 12:00-1:00. Meet the Campbell Award Nominees.
Alas, one can only keep the tiara for a year, and one of these lovely souls will be inheriting it at Saturday night's Hugo ceremony. Watch me moderate Saladin Ahmed, Dan Wells, Larry Correia, Lev Grossman, and Lauren Beukes in a low-stakes battle of wits. We'll all be too strung-out worrying about the awards to be more than moderately dangerous.

Saturday, 3:00-4:00. Bill Willingham Guest Dialog.
Who gets to grill Bill Willingham about fairy tales, folklore, and what he had for breakfast? Is it me? Yes. Yes, I do believe it is. Come see the carnage!

...after this, my Saturday dissolves in a haze of getting ready for the Hugos, attending the pre-Hugo reception, flailing a great deal, attending the Hugos, and then crying, either with relief or because I haven't slept in four days. Roll on Sunday, shall we?

Sunday, 12:00-12:30. Reading.
Imma read things. Things that take roughly twenty minutes to read. It'll be fun. Promise.

Sunday, 1:00-2:00. Autographing.
I am in the same autographing session as George R.R. Martin. Please show up, or I'll spend the whole hour inking, and feel vaguely vexed.

And that's my WorldCon! Hope to see you there. Reno's no Australia, but I bet I can rustle up a venomous buddy...or two...

Ah, July. When a fan girl's thoughts turn to sweet San Diego, city of a thousand delights, fairy tale wonderland of geeky goodness...at least for a week. We roll into town like the biggest circus ever, make a huge mess, drink all the rum in the county, and then disappear, leaving city coffers fuller and city children more confused. It's a good life. And now, now...now I tell you where to find me.

No Damsels in Distress Here. Thursday, 4-5 PM.
Chicks kick ass! According to the panel description, "danger just might be these girls' middle name." (Toby's middle name is actually "Christine.") Come see me trade barbs and witty banter with Marie Lu, Kathy Reichs, Chloe Neill, Jeanne Stein, Merrie deStefano, Carrie Vaughn, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. Moderated by Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy. Room 25ABC.

Note: The panel will be immediately followed by an autographing session in the autograph area.

Orbit booth signing. Friday, 11-12PM.
Hey, look, it's Mira Grant! I'll be at the Orbit booth on Friday morning, eleven to noon, signing books. Perhaps your books. Perhaps someone else's books. Don't you want to find out?

Writing the Apocalypse. Friday, 4-5 PM.
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine, yo. Also, my name is listed first on this panel description, which is a San Diego first for me. Yay! Come see me argue the end times with Thomas Mullen, Anna North, Walter Greatshell, Richard Kadrey, Daniel Wilson, Isaac Marion, and Steven Schlozman. Maryelizabeth Hart is moderating. Fear for her soul. Room 7AB.

Note: The panel will be immediately followed by an autographing session in the autograph area.

Penguin booth signing. Saturday, 12-1PM.
How many things can I sign in a weekend? I'll be at the Penguin booth Saturday from noon to one, signing things as my actual self. You should totally show.

SFX booth signing. Sunday, 11-12PM.
SFX Magazine makes me happy, so I'm going to make them happy by being their trained booth monkey for an hour. I will sign things! I will smile! Maybe I will sign your things! This is your last chance to catch me in an official capacity this year, so you should take it. I'm just saying.

And that's San Diego! Hope to see you there.

In case you missed the memo, I'm one of the Guests of Honor at Convergence 2011 in scenic Bloomington, Minnesota. How soon is this? Well, my plane leaves tonight at six, so...

I'm super-excited about this convention, where I get to room with one of my favorite people (Tara, my web graphic designer), hug Cat Valente a whole lot (Thomas still wants to know why I let her leave), and generally enjoy the hell out of one of my favorite states. Also, Soundingsea (the lady I named Buffy's blog after) is taking me to Izzy's for ice cream. Om nom nom. Best convention ever! And here, for the curious, is my schedule:

Friday.

Reading, 2:00 PM. What am I reading? I do not know! Suggest something, I'm flexible.

Ask a Writer, 3:30 PM. G'head. Ask me about writing. I dare you.

Signing, 5:00 PM. Specifically, we will be signing Chicks Dig Time Lords and Whedonistas, although let's face it. I'll sign anything you put in front of me that isn't a small child or a legally binding contract.

An Evening With Seanan McGuire and Catherynne Valente, 7:00 PM. Look. We're not kidding when we call this event "An Evening With Kevin Smith, Plus Tits." We are profane. We are bizarre. We will talk about damn near anything that comes into our heads. We are eventually going to become the darlings of the fannish lecture circuit, so you should see us early, while you can still get good seats. Although we'll have to end mostly on time, because...

Whedonistas, 8:30 PM. Ra ra Joss. Ra ra ah-ah-ah, we all got his bad romance, yo.

Saturday.

Happy Writers, Fast Writers, 12:30 PM. Gimme a Diet Dr Pepper and I'm both!

Chicks Dig Live Doctor Who Commentary, 2:00 PM. I did not realize until I was making this list that we're commenting on "The Parting of the Ways." Oh, I am going to need so much boozimohol not to get inappropriate...

Signing, 3:30 PM. Since many of you will doubtless have attended the group signing, this event may be me, my comic book paper, and a lot of inking. And I am okay with that, although I'd love to see you again.

Sunday.

Chicks Dig Comics, 12:30 PM. Yes. Yes, we do.

The SF Squeecast, 3:30 PM. This is going to be our first live recording of our awesome new group podcast, which is getting ready to go live. It will also be the first recording I have done while fully clothed, since again, live. I have now used the word "live" too many times in this panel description.

Closing Ceremonies, 5:00 PM. This is where I get to kill and eat the con.

I hope to see as many of you there as possible, and I plan on having a fantastic time. Hooray for Minnesota!

I am delighted to be returning to my beloved Borderlands Books tomorrow, this time as my urban fantasy-writin', fairy tale-lovin' self, along with the lovely Ben Macallan, who is making his urban fantasy debut. (Ben Macallan is a pseudonym for my darling Chaz Brenchley, who is about as closeted in his pseudonym as I am in mine. It's a wonderful world.)

There will be readings, questions, answers, prizes, and a general good time for everyone. The fun starts at 3:00 PM. This is mostly Ben's party; I'm along to be the plucky comic relief, and the plucky comic relief would really appreciate it if you could show up, since it's no fun being plucky to an empty house. I'll be reading from the new Tybalt novella, "Rat-Catcher," and possibly also from One Salt Sea. And I'll be very glad to see you, as will Ben.

(Also remember that the bookstore takes phone orders, and that I'd be happy to inscribe things for you, as would Ben, if you can't attend.)

I hope to see you there!

Now that you've had about a week to read and enjoy Deadline (and to jump in over on the spoiler thread, which is rocking and rolling like whoa), it's time for a party! Specifically, it's time for a Borderlands Books party, which are some of the best parties in the world.

Since this is a Mira Grant party, it's going to be somewhat more low-key than a Toby release. We'll have readings, signings, Q&A, and, of course, cupcakes. The festivities will begin at 5:00 PM, and continue until 8:00 PM, with cupcakes served at 6:30, to divide the evening. Which brings me to...

The first Q&A will be held from 6:00-6:30 PM, and it will be a spoiler-free session. I'll repeat that before we start. Some people still haven't read Feed, and I'd like them to have the chance to get in, say hello, grab books, get a cupcake, and run without having the ending of the book spoiled for them.

If you can't make it, remember that the bookstore does take internet and phone orders, and I'd be happy to sign and personalize anything they have on hand. You can find contact details on the bookstore website.

Hope to see you there!