And the Title Is…

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Project X is taking shape. I know which two stories I want to include in the volume. I have an agreement with my artist on price and delivery. But, until yesterday, I hadn’t settled on a title. So I tossed out a few alternatives on my blog, Wyrmflight, for reader feedback.

First, I should specify that “Project X” has already been used. Part of my process in developing titles is to search for key words and phrases, so I can avoid duplication of existing work. If the previous title is older, say more than ten years, I might still use that title. If it’s within the past few years, then definitely not.

Some of the potential titles were “Two Stories” because it includes two stories, “Fantasy Times Two,” “Partners in Sorcery/Magic” or “Standing Stones and Danger Zones.” After hearing the comments, I’m opting for this last one.

As I imagined myself at book tables, talking to potential readers, I found that my other ideas were more awkward. Customer: “What’s the book called?” Me: “Fantasy Times Two, it’s about…” Customer, “Huh? No, that’s okay.”

On the other hand: Customer: “What’s the book called?” Me: “Standing Stones and Danger Zones, it has two stories in it. One of them has standing stones and the other one is about…” Customer: “Never mind, take my money!”

Or so I hope!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky.

Woman at Work, September 2025

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What’s Happening? It is Labor Day as I write this, and I’m enjoying a relaxing weekend. We went to a food festival yesterday, and had hoped to go to a local lake in the afternoon. However, my husband got serious about a home improvement he’s been putting off all summer. So just a quiet day for me.

What I’m Working On. The Warlock’s Army is my current WIP, as mentioned in several recent posts. However, I may need to pause it in order to assemble my next publication, due out in November.

What’s Next? “Project X,” that is. It is going to be a double feature, with one short story and one novella. I have given the story I want illustrated to a friend, who is a good artist, and I trust I will have cover art soon. However, I actually haven’t decided on the title yet. I have a few clever ideas, but nothing has jelled quite yet.

Where I’ll be. Just-A-Con, September 19-21, 2025. It’s a very small, relaxing convention where we’ll be talking about Worldcon, DEI, and more.

Fun and Games. In addition to my perennial game, Animal Crossing, I’m about to start a new one called Wildmender. The goal is to build a garden in a desert and explore some enigmatic ruins. My current read is Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders.

Wishing you a smooth segue from summer to fall!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky.

Some Nice News

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A couple of nice things have fluttered down to me, like little butterflies of happiness.

First of these, I was accepted to perform at Fall Folk Festival in November. It seems from the email format that I should have received this news earlier, but that’s fine. I can look forward to reading Lucy D. Ford’s work on November 8th or 9th, 2025.

Second of these, during the back-to-school staff training, the librarian let me know she wants to buy the Cleodora duology (Acorn Canyon and Willow Lake). I had loaned her the books during the last few weeks of the 2024-25 school year and she didn’t return them. Which I was irritating. But, she read them over the summer and they are appropriate for the school library, so all is forgiven!

Also, a submission window opened this week. I threw my short story “Curse Maker” through it. Let’s see if my lucky streak can continue!

Worldcon 2025

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I made it back alive! (No, there wasn’t really much question of that.) So, how did it go? It was a mixed bag, honestly. Not because of any major hiccups in the con itself, but other things that happened around it.

The Good. I enjoyed volunteering in the Green Room. The panels I attended were excellent. It was especially great to get into the very crowded Q&A and reading with Martha Wells, an author I really admire.

The Bad. Our drive across the state went well, until we reached Seattle itself. Then we got lost for over an hour, with the map program trying to send us into one-way streets. It also turned out that our hotel was five blocks from the convention center. That’s a longer walk than it seems like, when you have to go back and forth a lot. Also, the meals were costly at the convention center. That was expected, but still unpleasant.

The Ugly. My husband got lost and walked for an hour and a half. He ended up at the Space Needle, which wasn’t on our planned itinerary. He finally called me to say he didn’t know where he was, which freaked me out because I didn’t know where he was, either! We did connect and get back to the hotel safely, but he over stressed himself and basically missed 2 days of the convention because it hurt to walk. I didn’t want to yell at him, but there’s such a thing as a taxi if you need to get around in strange cities.

In the end, we came home a day early. I missed a couple of friends I wanted to get together with. And it really did seem like 5 days is too long for a convention. However, the art show was wonderful, and the dealer’s room was great, too. There were a whole lot of publishers there, which is possibly a topic for another blog.

I’m glad I got to go to Worldcon, and I was glad to get home. I have everything unpacked and put away. My summer break is over next Monday, but at least I have a couple of new books to read.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky.

A Gathering of Dragons

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While I’m at Worldcon, here’s a fun repeat from 2019. What if dragons had conventions?

Over the summer, I’ve been working as director of programming for SpoCon, my local science fiction convention. I’m going a little nuts, frankly. But it has given rise to a few fun thoughts. If dragons had a convention, what would their programming look like?

Humans: Friends or Food? Older and wiser dragons share their advice on whether to play nicely or take what you want.

The Perfect Hoard: A great hoard needs more than mountains of gold coin. Maybe you’ve thought of adding some gems or a bit of gold-plated armor. Experts discuss how to give your hoard personality and flair.

Fang and Claw vs. Flame Breath: Warrior dragons debate the best way to slay those pesky knights.

Lair Security: Are you troubled by sneak thieves and traveling salesmen? Learn a few new tricks to keep intruders out of your private space.

Human Arms and Armor: Information on the most common equipment used by knights and adventurers, with tips on how to overcome them.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky.

Getting Ready

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Worldcon is next week, and my real preparations now begin. As I previously mentioned, I’m volunteering in the Green Room. There were setups involved with that. They have a mailing list, Google group and Slack that I had to sign up for. That’s done and I feel pretty confident I can keep up with it during the weekend.

The convention is using a program called Guidebook. I’ve been going through it, marking panels I’m interested in. It also lets you connect with other attendees, so you can plan together. Everything from meeting for coffee to attending events together. Pretty cool.

Today and tomorrow I’ll be focused on printing documentation. Reservations, proof of registration, and so forth. I also need to pick which books I’ll donate to their charity auction. I need to prepare a list of questions for my Dragon Age meet-up. The conversation doesn’t usually lag at meet-ups, but I like to be ready if it does.

Monday, the actual packing begins! Tuesday, we drive. Wednesday is the official start of Worldcon. But never fear, I’m not forgetting about Wyrmflight. I have ideas for setting up some fun posts on my regular days.

If anyone else is going to be at Worldcon, look for me in the Guidebook and we can connect.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky.

Woman at Work, August 2025

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What’s Happening? Summer is sizzling away here in Washington State. I’m getting a nice harvest of green beans and cucumbers. Tomatoes will be ripening soon. My second favorite time of year!

What I’m Working On. Just yesterday, I wrote a quick fantasy short story and submitted it for an anthology. But my main focus still is on The Warlock’s Army. Another main character is going to arrive soon. That will keep my muse occupied for the rest of the summer break.

What’s Next? “Project X” is beginning to appear on my distant horizon. It will be a twofer type of book, two short stories in one volume. I haven’t decided about a title yet, though. More on that as it develops.

Where I’ll be. It’s just a couple of weeks until Worldcon in Seattle. I did manage to wangle one appearance, running a meet-up for Dragon Age fans. I’m also going to be volunteering in their Green Room. In addition, I have a few friends who are coming to attend, and we hope to get together at some point during the weekend.

Fun and Games. I’m currently playing Animal Crossing and Dragon Age: Veilguard. Also doing jigsaw puzzles between books. As for current reads, I just finished Iron Widow, by Xiran Jay Zhao. That book is pretty dark, so my next read will be Starter Villain, by John Scalzi.

Enjoy the summer weather, everyone!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky.

The Dragon Days of Summer

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This is a fun repeat of a post from way back in August of 2016. Enjoy!

Here we are in what are traditionally called the “dog days of summer.” From this we all imagine sweltering weather with both people and dogs flopped in the shade.

The phrase comes to us from Roman times, when the bright star Sirius rose along with the sun. Sirius was part of the constellation Canis Major and was known as the Dog Star. Thus the rising of Sirius became associated with the hottest days of the summer in late July and early August.

So the Dog Days and their constellation made me think about the constellation Draco. If we had “dragon days,” what would they be?

1) Ironically, this really sounds like a sales event to me. Can’t you just see some auto showroom decked out for a Dragon Days Clearance Sale?

2) Draco is a fixed constellation in the northern sky. It doesn’t rise or set the way Canis Major does, so you couldn’t base anything on that. However, there is a meteor shower that appears to originate with Draco. Dragon Days could be held to honor the Draconid meteor shower, in early to mid-October.

3) Chinese New Year, a.k.a. the Lunar New Year, occurs in late January. Certainly there could be a Dragon Days associated with this world-wide festival.

4) An international competition of fire dancers or pyrotechnicians could be designated as Dragon Days.

5) In a fantasy setting, where dragons were real, Dragon Days might be the season when their eggs hatch. People might offer food for the hungry babies in hopes of keeping them from raiding family herds.

Well, what do you think? What should Dragon Days be about?

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky.

Next Month

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WorldCon is coming to Seattle next month. My husband and I are going. It’s a full day’s drive for us, but worth it. We go to a couple of SF conventions in our region each year but this will give us a chance to see authors from all over the world that we usually miss out on. We’re looking forward to it!

Earlier in the month I mentioned that I hoped to take part in programming. I wasn’t accepted to do any panels, but I did get permission to lead a meet-up for friends of the Dragon Age series. That will be fun. I also got approved to volunteer in the Green Room.

Currently I’m going over WorldCon’s schedule, which was posted on Sunday (7/13/25). I’m looking for times in between panels to do my volunteering. There’s a friend I’d like to meet for coffee at some point, and since it’s Seattle we might even sneak out to see a couple of the sights. The schedule is pretty incredible, and I’m not spotting too many dead zones! But it’s a long convention and I’m sure I’ll fit it all together.

Something for me to look forward to, anyhow.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky.

The Warlock’s Army

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That’s the tentative title of my latest masterpiece. I’ve settled into my summer routines and the work is going well. The setting is a fun one, a large lake with giant crawdads living in the depths. The characters are developing, and the plot is forking off in all sorts of neat ways.

Like a lot of my stories, the focus here is on family. It’s a big family, arbitrarily divided by its patriarch, the warlock Revel Breed. He kept all the boys to train them as fighters, but sent all the girls away to live with adopted families. Breed is an outsized figure, wealthy and with magical powers. With his wealth and reputation, he controls Revelary Lake and the small towns around it. Everyone, from the town elders to the youngest child, is terrified of his moods. Breed can be incredibly generous, or paranoid, or caught in a trance. Creating this character without making him a cartoonish figure is one of my challenges for this book.

The other challenge is with the girls Breed gave away. Witches and warlocks are visibly different from other people. Although Breed persuaded different families to take the girls in, not all of them are open to this witchery thing. Some view their witch daughters as valued assets, while others try to make the girls suppress their magic. Yet each set of parents is doing their best to be a good parent.

On the boys’ side of things, the oldest son struggles with his identity, too. With a dominating and mercurial father, he’s the one the younger boys look to as their leader. Breed considered the girls so unimportant that he never told his sons that they had sisters. When they find out, they are driven to locate the girls — but without angering Breed.

There are many miles to go, or perhaps I should say, many pages to write. But it should be an interesting voyage around Revelary Lake!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky.