as I suspect there will be more to come.
FOGcon happened, and was lovely as always. I was on panels which made me feel both awed at the intelligence of my fellow panelists and reminded me of how much more I can learn and grow as a person, which is the best kind of feeling. Our “Dangerous Women” reading went well, and thank you to everyone who bought Rare Birds – I sold out! A FOGcon first, that. If you missed out on getting a copy, you can now order paperbacks direct through Gumroad … and if you use the contact form here and let me know you were at FOGcon, I’ll send you a discount code.
It was, however, a markedly smaller crowd than previous years, and last night I received word that my other March event, the Oddities and Curiosities market, has been rescheduled for October 31st. Whether or not I’ll make that one is up in the air, but for now, no O&C, and no more events for me this month.
We did get a last-minute table at Wondercon a few weeks ago, but before I could get some promotion going the virus kicked into full gear, and I hesitate to push an event that, to my mind, has at best a 50/50 shot at happening. As of today, March 11, I am scheduled to be at Wondercon in the small press area. Will this actually happen? I’m not holding my breath.
I want to say, too, that there’s a lot being said about ethical responsibilities and virus spread. I am thinking about that, too, and have already cancelled some personal plans that would have put older folks at risk. But as a creator with little safety net, every missed event is missed revenue, plus the struggle to get back all the money invested up front. For some people I know, Wondercon is a double-digit percentage of their income that will just … vanish, right on the heels of losing Emerald City. I’m not quite there, but I had hopes for that money … money that I will have to earn elsewhere, namely at my day job, which is a service position requiring ongoing contact with the public. Right now there is no talk of reducing hours or shutting doors there, and any time I take off would be unpaid. So I’m going to be out among the public one way or another.
For now, each day I am weighing my options, and whenever I can I am staying home. Which isn’t the worst thing, as I get to spend a lot of time typing on the couch next to this guy:
Ten years ago he showed up on our doorstep, and ever since then he has sat by me when I write – first in the spare bedroom-cum-office, on an ottoman or my lap; then, when he started to develop arthritis, on the floor at my feet. Now I come to him, moving chunks of manuscript from Scrivener to Google Docs and back again so I can work on my aging netbook on the couch beside him (and share his beloved gold blanket, the Best Blanket in the World.)
Weighing options. Taking each day as it comes.
He’s purring as I type this. <3
