California Trip--Home again, thank goodness!

I will be doing a number of blogs about my recent trip to CA (San Diego and San Jose), since there is too much info to cover in just one. And, like, there are pictures.

For now, I would just like to say:
1) I am really happy to be home.
B) It was a great trip--everything I could have hoped for, on both legs of it.
And 2 and 3/4ths) OMG, I hate flying.

Addendums:

1A) Except for the snow, of course.
B+) No, really. It was fabulous.
And 3 and 4/5ths) Big kudos to Southwest for getting me (and everyone else) home and safe, even with unexpected plane changes, and multiple delays.

As they said in my favorite movie, The Princess Bride:
"I will esplain...no--it too much, I will sum up."

The trip in general went well. As most of you know, I was already planning to fly out to CA to visit with the family in San Diego, then fly on to San Jose for Pantheacon (the biggest Pagan convention in the country) and to see my step-daughter Jenn. Of course, then came the news that my beloved grandmother (Germambie) was dying, and things got--shall we say--more complicated.

Alas, I didn't make it out to SD in time to say my goodbyes while my grandmother was still alive. In fact, I missed her by THREE DAYS. She died on the 14th and I flew out on the 18th. But I was able to say my goodbyes in other ways, thanks to my mother, who kindly arranged for me to be able to visit my grandmother's body before she was cremated. This sounds a bit ghoulish, I know, but she looked as beautiful in death as she had in life, and only as if she was sleeping. I got to say the things I needed to say. Then the family--including my sister and fabulous brother in-law, who had flown out with me--got to spent two days together, which was very healing for us all. More on that tomorrow.

Then I flew out to PCon (more on that later as well), which was also wonderful.

And then I spent 150 years on a plane. No? Okay, maybe it just felt like it. But I left the hotel at 8:45 AM PST, got on the plane in San Jose for a trip that started at 10:10 AM, and got in at the airport at Albany at midnight, EST. In between, there were two unscheduled plane changes, a number of delays, and one cross-airport sprint. All of which was followed by the drive home (which I didn't have to do, thanks to my amazing pal JC) and an arrival at home at 2 AM.

And at that, I still feel lucky, since my Llewellyn editor and other folks had their flights cancelled, and may or may not have gotten home at all. So I'm recuperating from the trip, catching up with my 200+ emails, sucking up to the cats, and generally feeling grateful to be home.

It was wonderful to see everyone, and I promise a more detailed report on the rest of the trip tomorrow and the next day...when my brain has figured out what time zone I'm in...

Oh, and I finally got to meet my CP (critique partner) Lisa DiDio in person...and she ROCKS. Just sayin'.

Upcoming Appearances

Wondering where to find me this year? (Yes, you know you were.) Here's a list of the three conferences I'm planning on attending, and the workshops I'll be giving there. I hope I'll see a few of you at one or the other of these!

Upcoming Appearances

FEBRUARY 2011
Pantheacon
Doubletree Hotel
San Jose, CA
(Pagan Convention)
Fri 18th-Sun 20th
Sat 9PM – Llewellyn “Meet the Authors” Panel
Sun 9AM – Llewellyn “Publishing” Panel
Sun 11 AM – “Spiritual Spring Cleaning” Workshop
www.pantheacon.com

APRIL 2011
New England Chapter RWA Conference
Hawthorne Hotel
Salem, MA
(Writers’ convention)
Fri 29th-Sat 30th
“Writing for the Paranormal Author” Workshop
Literacy Booksigning
http://www.necrwa.org/conference.html

JUNE/JULY 2011
RWA National Conference
Marriot Marquis Hotel
New York, New York
(Writers’ convention)
Wed June 28th-Fri July 1st
“Getting an Agent: The View from both sides of the table”
With The Knight Agency agents Elaine Spencer/Lucienne Diver
And author Candace Havens
http://www.rwa.org/cs/conferences_and_events

Witches and Wiccans and Pagans, Oh My!

Witches and Wiccans and Pagans, Oh My: A Report from Pantheacon

Last week I crossed the entire width of the country, leaving behind my beloved cats (and my internet connection) and travelling from snowy upstate New York to sunny San Jose. I made this same trek two years ago for the same reason: to go to Pantheacon.

If you are a Pagan, going to Pantheacon is a little like going to Mecca. There are many (over a thousand, I believe, and maybe multiple thousands) Witches, Wiccans, Pagans and other cool spiritually-oriented folk who decend on the Doubletree Hotel in downtown San Jose in February for four days of workshops, rituals, parties, and socializing, all with a Pagan slant.

If you like that kind of thing, you will love Pantheacon.

I have a confession to make; I am not a social person. (Yes, I hear you all gasp in amazement.) I tend to be overwhelmed by crowds and over-loaded by all the psychic energy that goes with them. You will never find me at a rock concert. But thankfully, Pagan gatherings are an acception to this rule. And Pantheacon, for whatever reason, is the uber-exception. I always come away from it with more energy than I went in with.

There are probably a couple of reasons for this. The first is simple: I get to meet my fans. As an author, I tend to sit and write in a vacuum (no, not an actual vacuum…that would be very difficult). Other than the occasional email or Twitter exchange, I rarely know whether or not my books are having a positive impact on those I write them for. But all that changes at Pcon.

This year, I gave two workshops, one on “Crafting and Casting the Perfect Spell,” and the other on “Witchcraft on a Shoestring.” Both went really well, and I had the great pleasure of meeting a number of folks who read and enjoyed my books. I sold a bunch of the books that are already out, and signed them for people until my hand went numb—an author’s dream! And hopefully, some of the people who came to my workshops who haven’t read my books will now be curious and go take a look. As an author, there is nothing more satisfying than shaking the hand of one of your readers.

But there were other highlights as well. I got to have breakfast with my wonderful editor from Llewellyn, Elysia Gallo (we were supposed to have dinner the night before, but she had problems with her flight—a lot of folks had a hard time getting in because of bad weather across the country). We caught up on personal things and also spent some time discussing the cover colors for book number five, coming out in September. I adore this woman, and we only get to meet in person at Pcon, so I was really jazzed to be able to spend time with her.

Another highlight of the event was my invitation to a surprise 70th birthday party for one of the founders of modern witchcraft, Z. Budapest. (I would have blogged about this earlier…but it was a SEKRIT.) Z’s partner Bobbie had asked me and Elysia to lure Z. away from their room with an invite to have a drink at the bar, so Bobbie could get everything set up for the party. And then, of course, Elysia didn’t make her plane and had to catch a later one, leaving it all up to me. The pressure! But thankfully, I managed to pull it off, and when Z. and I walked back to her room an hour later, she was completely surprised! And Elysia even got there in time to get a piece of cake. Whew. It was a huge honor for me to be included in the company of many of the movers and shakers of the Pagan community, and it was all a lot of fun. (And, of course, there was cake.)

One of my goals this year was to try and attend a ritual workshop. I love my group, Blue Moon Circle, and our rituals are satisfying and magical. But there is something truly wonderful about a LARGE gathering of Pagans all creating magic together, and I hoped to attend a group ritual while at the convention. I decided to go to a Brigid Healing Ritual given by Selena Fox, another major Pagan leader (she spearheaded the fight to get the armed forces to allow the pentacle to be used on gravestones at the Arlington National Cemetery). I have written articles for her CIRCLE magazine, but I’d never had the chance to meet her or see her work.

Let me tell you—the ritual more than met my expectations. Selena did a wonderful job of tying together many different styles and approaches, even going so far as to invite a few other folks (including me) to invoke the Goddess in their own particular way. We did healing work for self, then for others, and then for the planet, and followed up by sending lots of energy to a man who is currently involved in a six-year legal battle for Pagan rights. The whole ritual was fabulous from start to finish, and by the time we were done, I was tingling from head to toe. Afterward, I went up and introduced myself and complemented her on the ritual, and she was wonderfully gracious and kind. (And then I got to hang out with her at Z’s party later, which was a bonus. A very nice lady.)

I also went to an interesting workshop on the dark side of fairy tales, given by new Llewellyn author, Kenny Klein. Kenny was a great speaker, and I got some interesting ideas for possible future novels. Later, I went to the vendors room and bought a copy of his book, THROUGH THE FAERIE GLASS, which he was kind enough to sign for me. I also picked up a few gifts for the Blue Mooners at home, including an ABC Book of Shadows for pal Robin’s kids, and a few cool stones in the shapes of cats and bats and such.

One of the greatest pleasures of Pantheacon for me is sharing the event with my step-daughter Jennifer, also a Pagan (and a member of Blue Moon Circle, although she moved to Miami 5 months ago). Jenn flew out from Florida and met me there, and we got to hang out together when we weren’t doing our separate things. As usual, she helped me with my presentations (I always refer to her as “My Entourage”) and made the entire trip easier and more fun. This year I left early to go visit with family in San Diego, so I missed some of the workshops I would have gone to, and didn’t get to meet everyone I’d hoped to. But all in all, it was a wonderful trip.

I highly recommend Pantheacon to anyone who can make it there. People come from all over the country to learn and laugh and love together in the company of those who feel and believe as they do. I truly believe that it is something that every Pagan should experience at least once in his or her lifetime. And hey, maybe you’ll meet me there some year. Blessed be!

Getting Ready for RWA Nationals

Well, it is only a week before I leave for the RWA (Romance Writers of America) National Convention in Washington, DC—and I’m madly trying to get things ready before I go.

I am traveling by train with my pal, writer Saoirse Redgrave (13 to Life, St. Martin’s Press 2010). We’re leaving at the crack of dawn on Wednesday, and won’t be back until Sunday night. (Don’t worry—the cats are being well taken care of!) That’s a long trip by my standards, so I am trying to get my “to-do” list done before I go, in case I am really wiped out from a week of networking, workshops and agent meetings (please goddess) by the time I get back.

I am really looking forward to my first Nationals. In part, because of the opportunities to possibly get my work noticed by people who could make a serious difference in my success or failure as a fiction writer (i.e. agents and editors), and of course the fab workshops that will hopefully make me a better writer. But mostly because I am finally going to get to meet up with some of the great folks who I’ve been talking to online for over a year—many of whom have gone out of their way to be helpful and supportive—but never had the chance to meet in person.

Tops on this list: author Mindy Klasky, author Candace Havens, author/agent Lucienne Diver, and author/agent Lois Winston. And then there are the writers I just follow around the web and admire (an occasionally correspond with): Jeri Smith-Ready, Maria V. Snyder and Jennifer Crusie. Not to mention a few agents and editors I’ve been in contact with professionally, like Patience Smith of Harlequin and agent Kevan Lyon. Needless to say, this is just the short-list.

Trying to figure out what to pack is just crazy, and the scheduling is next to impossible. But still, another week and a day and we’re on our way.

I’ll try and blog more often in the week to come, and from RWA itself if I can. Wish you were all coming with me!

Blessings,Deborah

News and updates

Here’s the current news, good and bad.
Good news:
The new book is out! Yahoo! I got the advance copies for Everyday Witch A to Z and they look great! They should be available to all within a week or two. If you want a signed copy, you can go to my website and order one there, or contact me and let me know. Also out, The Pagan Anthology of Short Fiction: 13 Prize Winning Tales, containing my short story, “Dead and (Mostly) Gone.”
Blue Moon Circle is heading to Canandaigua NY this afternoon for tomorrow’s Fingerlakes Pagan Pride Day event. We went last year and had a great time. I hope that anyone in the area will come and say hi! I will be selling my jewelry and my first book there, and anyone who shows up can get 10% off the new book if it is ordered from my website. I love taking trips with the Blue Moon Circle gang, and I’m so glad that Shannon, Chris and Jenn are going with me. Blue Moon Circle rocks! We’ll miss Robin, who had planned to go bad had a sick toddler insteadL
Bad News:
My beloved cat Samhain (the kitty with me in my photo) has been diagnosed with kidney failure. Hopefully we caught it soon enough to be able to treat her and buy us a few more years, and at the moment she is doing pretty well. (I, on the other hand, am a wreck.) For now I have changed her to a special food and am giving her subcutaneous fluids every day (no fun for anyone, I assure you). Thankfully, she is pretty cooperative. All prayers and positive thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Special thanks to author Yasmine Galenorn (if you haven’t checked out either her nonfiction books on Witchcraft or her wonderful paranormal romances, run don’t walk to do so!). She’s been though this herself, and has been very generous with advice and support.
I’ll give an update on the trip and the kitty when I get back from FPPD. I hope everyone has a magickal weekend!
Blessing,
Deborah