On the Road Again

[Caro Soles]

Next week I'm off to the World Fantasy Convention with my friend, horror writer Nancy Kilptarick. This is my last trip in a year full of trips as I tried to get my two new books-- DRAG QUEEN IN THE COURT OF DEATH (a mystery) and THE DANGER DANCE (sf-espionage adventure) out there on the world. I went south - to Texas with Anthony Bidulka - fellow Canadian mystery writer; I went east to new York city to Book Expo America and attended my first Lambda Literary Awards, to see my friend Greg Herren win for his anthology on New Orleans, not to mention meeting in person my publiscist Michelle And seeing after many years, Lawrence Schimel, old frined from the Genei days. . I went to New Orleans to atternd the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival and, as usual, had a great time at the panels, my reading, and all the other events there.

Then I went out west-- to Little Sisters in Vancouver, to a wonderful warm welcome there and on to visit a friend in Nanaimo, Victoria kind of fell apart and I discovered when I got there that my reading had been cancelled. Who knew? But I did get to meet a couple of Crime Wrtiers of Canada members, Joan Vanderflug and Carol Ann Papoutsis, whose names I am probably misspelling, and enjoed our jolly lunch.

By this time my spirits were falling adn my energies waning. Other things in my life were raising their ugly heads so I had to cancell Alaska (sob) and California, too, alas. But my book launch was great.

And then came Blood on the Holly- an anthology I edited of Christmas Crime stories by memebrs of Crime Writers of Canada and their friends. What a warm welcome that book is getting! At the launch for that one, we sold 168 copies! Yay us! And thanks to the Sleuth of Baker Street who hosted us.

So now I'm off to my last con of the year. I may even pitch something...other than a fit, that is. :)

All for now.

Caro