First Appearance!

Drumroll please!

I am attending my first convention as an author!

I will be a panelist for Atomacon. November 18-20th at the Airport Hotel (used to be a Radisson) in North Charleston, SC.

They haven't finalized the schedule yet, so I'm not sure what panels I'll be on. They had some great ones to pick from. I will post it here as soon as I know.

I'm still working on getting my books at a dealer. This time around, I will be using their bookseller. I'm not set up to sell. I don't have a smartphone and I don't have a tablet, so selling by credit card wouldn't be easy. This will make my first time a little less stressful. I am sure I will learn at lot. And it's more about meeting people than selling books.

I haven't been to a convention since Dragoncon gave me overload a couple years ago. The crowds overwhelmed me. And it made me sad that I had to miss some great panels because I needed to sit in a line to see a different great panel. Everything was mobbed, at all times. Being a small person (5' tall) crowds get scary. I get shoved around easily and then I get a sort of crowd-rage and need to get out of it or I'll flip out.

So I am starting small. I like small conventions. They are more relaxed. This is also the first time I have been to Atomacon. I'm looking forward to checking them out. The organizer I've been communicating with couldn't have been nicer. That seems like a good omen.

So if you are in that neck of the woods, I'll see you in Charleston in November!

Facade Free 8/18 - 8/22

The Facade ebook is free at Amazon starting today! Grab a copy now because this is a limited time offer. This is only good through 8/22.

It is always available to read for free through Kindle Unlimited.

I'd appreciate an honest review after you've read it.

Rain, Rain, Blighty Tomatoes and Shaggy Lawns

It feels like it has been raining every day since I got back from my trip. And looking at the garden I think it may have started right after I left.

The ground is saturated. A neighbor's tree came down in a stiff wind. The garden flooded for the first time in years. The river is high and we keep getting flash flood warnings.

The veggies aren't happy. The cucumbers gave up the fight against gray mold and look nasty. I sprayed the tomatoes for blight before I left and as soon as I got home, but it keeps raining. In fact, it rained the afternoon after I sprayed.

The lawn keeps getting longer. On the few days that I have managed to score a dry period and taken my walk, I can see that my neighbors are having the same problem. Every time I plan to mow, it rains. They say you shouldn't cut the grass when it's wet, but I really don't have a choice.

On the plus side, I haven't had to water anything. And the green beans are pretty happy with the heat and wet. My basil is mostly happy. The lemon basil got squashed by a massive sunflower that pitched over in a storm. One of the other basils has an odd discoloration to the leaves. I need to research that before I make pesto.

The winter squash in one bed was totally devastated by squash beetles. But the patty pan squash that I had put in the red mustard bed is going great guns. A volunteer winter squash that came up in the middle of some volunteer catnip is also doing well. And the edamame is out of control.

Two of my tomato plants are still fighting. My Purple Cherokee is on its last legs. A shame because those tomatoes were yummy. At least I got to taste them.

Regardless of my plans, Mother Nature does what she will.