Sime~Gen Perspectives Newsletter

Contents:
*MEDIAWEST CON REPORT
*Robert Asprin (1946-2008)
*REREADABLE BOOKS UPDATE
*SIMECENTER JEFF MAYNARD PHOTOGRAPHS -- Angelique Trouvere
*COAL FOR CHRISTMAS
*JOAN WINSTON
*DENVENTION - Denver Worldcon
*JOIN THE REVIEWERS
*NEW REVIEWS
*JACQUELINE'S BLOG UPDATE
*NEW ITEMS FROM ARTISTS AND AUTHORS AT CAFE PRESS
*STARRED CROSS JEWELRY
*HELP WANTED
*PUBLICATION SCHEDULE
*AVAILABLE RELEASES
*SITES TO REMEMBER
*SUBSCRIPTION AND CONTACT INFORMATION
**COPYRIGHT NOTICE**

******MEDIAWEST CON REPORT******

I'm in Lansing, Michigan, at MediaWestCon 28, which this year has shrunk. Susan Ross Moore is not the only dealer who could not come--there are empty tables all over the dealer's room. In Susan's case, her mother fell ill and had to go into the hospital two days before the convention. I don't know what has kept others away, but it could be the cost of gasoline, shipping, plane tickets, and just about everything else. There are also fewer congoers--for the first time in living memory there is room at the inn. Rooms at the Holiday Inn are still available, according to a sign at registration. We are all growing older, too; there are more people each year in wheelchairs, on scooters, or on walkers, and the entire section of the parking lot nearest the hotel entrance has been roped off as handicapped parking. But the enthusiasm and love of media continue, as well as the love of reading. There appear to be as many fanzines as ever, and fans arriving in the dealer's room with empty roll-ons and leaving with them stuffed with zines. Despite the easy availability of free fanfic online, nothing dims this group's enthusiasm for the physically printed word on paper. Favorite fandoms this year seem to be Stargate Atlantis (way out in front), Dr. Who, and Harry Potter.

Kaires, bless her, is covering my table while I'm on the program. I was on a panel on the TV show House this morning--they've put me on a whole bunch of panels including the ones at the bottom of my list. Went from there to a panel on what fans expect from media tie-in novels where the other panelist didn't show up, but fortunately that was a topic I could handle by myself. Something of a pall was cast over that panel, though, by the announcement of Robert Asprin's death Thursday. It's sad and scary--he was six years younger than I am. (Asprin is best known for his MythAdventures series.) Now I'm back at my dealer's table, which is a good place to greet and talk to people, whether they come to see me or to pet Dudley. About every third person wants to know when the next Sime~Gen novel will be out, and I have to tell them that we don't know. *sigh* Most fans are still unaware that Meisha Merlin has gone out of business, Dudley, though, is enjoying himself no end. The moment we walked into the hotel he knew where he was, and is a completely confident con cat! He is his usual curious self, and loves the adulation he gets. He even tries to be self- sufficient. When we got to the table this morning, Kaires and I were talking and not paying attention to him, so he opened the book box, took out the container of cat treats, and started to pry the top off before I noticed what he was doing.

Dudley loves room hopping in the evenings. There are a good many room dealers, and anyone who wants company just leaves their doors open, so Dudley took me through quite a number of rooms last night, picking up a catnip toy in the process. He goes to panels with me, and happily wanders around to greet everyone, then curls up on the table or the floor for the session. He even watches my table if I want to go look around the dealer's room. I'll look back to see him watching to see where I go. He obviously feels that this is a completely safe environment, and knows that I'm not going to desert him. As I write this, he is curled up on the table next to my computer, ready to sit up and accept worship if someone strolls by. So that's where I am and what I'm doing today, Saturday, May 24.

Jean

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***** Robert Asprin (1946-2008)****

From: [sfwa-news] Robert Asprin (1946-2008)

Author and editor, Robert Lynn Asprin passed away unexpectedly in his home in New Orleans, Louisiana on May 22, 2008. Asprin was the author of nearly 50 novels including the Phule series and The Myth Adventures of Aahz and Skeeve. He collaborated with many authors including Bill Fawcett, Mel White, Peter J Heck, Eric Del Carlo, George Takei, and Esther Friesner. His best known collaboration was with his ex-wife, Lynn Abbey, with whom he co-edited the popular Thieves World books.

Posted May 23, 2008; for full article, see http://www.sfwa.org/news/2008/rasprin.htm.

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******REREADABLE BOOKS UPDATE******

Jacqueline Lichtenberg's book review column, ReReadable Books, has been updated with the books to be reviewed through November 2008. Every book reviewed in this column is at least 5-star, well worth its price and highly recommended.

The column is published on paper in The Monthly Aspectarian, posted to their website, and then finally archived here on an irregular schedule. To be notified when new material is posted, join the List Rereadable-l.

Rereadable Books Columns for March, April and May 2008 are now posted. Books to be reviewed through November 2008 are now listed. .

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****** SIMECENTER NEWS ******

For the third month in a row, SimeCenter features a brand new author (new to us anyway). The thought-provoking story for this month is:

      THE NECKLACE, by Leslie Ann Moore
      - a special legacy

A friend of mine met her at a book signing in Los Angeles, and told her about SimeCenter. The recipient she selected is:

      Operation USA

which, despite the name, is engaged in helping communities worldwide to recover from natural disasters. Their new focus is on the devastated areas of Myanmar and China. So be generous in donating.

The accompanying artwork is the intriguing:

      ROOT UP, by G.B. Chew
      - everything's revealed

Ben is our other wonderfully generous artist, who has allowed us to post his works since he first joined the cause. See these exceptional works at http://www.simegen.com/simecenter/.

When you donate to OpUSA, be sure to tell them you were referred by SimeCenter.

Send your comments, questions, etc.--about the site, the stories and art...whatever--to the address below. [Mention 'SimeCenter' in the subject so I'll know it isn't spam.]

In Service to Unity,
Kaires Tevesu

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***** JEFF MAYNARD PHOTOGRAPHS -- Angelique Trouvere

May 21, 2008 I got the following GOOGLE ALERT (by having signed up to get notices when my name appears in a google search)
Google Blogs Alert for: "Jacqueline Lichtenberg"
please help identify these costumers
By angeet(fanac)

Also from DisCon 2--3 individual costumers--I'm pretty sure that's Star Trek author, Jacqueline Lichtenberg on the right--any ideas of the other 2 and/or their costumes? Thanks...

FANAC - The Fan History Project

------------------

Well, so I had to go look at the photo because I do remember DisCon 2.

And it turned out it wasn't me. So I dropped a note on the livejournal site to that effect and got a nice email back from -- an old friend! Angelique Trouvere!! The famous costumer who wowwed crowds at Star Trek conventions for years.

She said:

Hi Jacqueline,

Thanks for clearing up my mistake about the DisCon 2 costume! I inherited a ton of photos from Jeff Maynard who recently passed away and most are not identified other than the obvious like Shatner addressing the crowd at a 1975 Trek con, or Nimoy at a 1973 con, etc. So I'm trying to figure out the who's who & what's what.

-----------------

We exchanged more quick notes and she said:

-------------------

While I'm not sure what to do with Jeff's massive collection, I'd be happy to be listed if that would help. Ideally, I would like to see his collection in some sort of Trek archive open to the public and dedicated to Jeff's memory.

-------------------

So a new project on my desk is finding a home for these photos online where they can be enjoyed (Jeff took hundreds of photos of fan costume contests that will knock your eyes out, and snapped some famous people in interesting poses!) So spread the word as far as you can. She is http://angeet.livejournal.com/.

Angelique has a remembrance for Joan Winston posted in Joan Winston's section. Presently, two photographs are also posted: One of Joan in a Bill Theiss costume, taken by Jeff Maynard, and one of Angelique in one of her "almost there" costumes. Angelique promises more Joan photographs from Jeff's collection as she can make them available to us.

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******COAL FOR CHRISTMAS**********

COAL FOR CHRISTMAS by Lois Wickstrom and Jean Lorrah reached the semi-finals in the Fade-In Writers Network competition.

It would be great to win one of these contests, but even making the semi-finals is a minor credential in our quest to sell our scripts to Hollywood.

Coal for Christmas has not won any contests yet, but it is currently under consideration at one major studio and two independent production companies. What that means is that after reading our logline and synopsis, they have asked for and are reading our script. BTW, multiple submissions are not only the norm, but are virtually REQUIRED in Hollywood. We have had to learn a whole new set of rules, very different from the rules for book publishing.

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******JOAN WINSTON******

As you know, everything on simegen.com has an underlying Star Trek Connection, so I'm assuming you all want this news about Joan Winston, my co-author on Star Trek Lives! and author of several non-fiction books about Star Trek.

---------------------------

FROM DEVRA LANGSAM: Joanie Winston is currently (March 2008) in a rehab hospital. Anyway, she is currently at:
Hebrew Home for the Aged
5901 Palisdae Ave
Riverdale NY 10471

I know that she would love to hear from you. Cheerful or Trekkish cards would be most welcome!

Since everything connected to Sime~Gen is connected to Star Trek, one way or another, Karen MacLeod, editor of Companion in Zeor, has launched a project for Companion In Zeor's 30th anniversary to acknowledge the contribution of Joan Winston to the origin of the Star Trek phenomenon.

Read my essay on Joan at http://www.simegen.com/sgfandom/rimonslibrary/cz/cz24/JoanWinston.html and send in your own story of how the Star Trek Conventions and 'zine fandom affected you.

If you ever attended a Star Trek convention, heard Joanie speak, read any of her books, (or Star Trek Lives! with her chapter on the conventions), or read Kraith or any of Joanie's stories about Riker -- please e-mail your recollection to be posted on this web page to the links found on the page. Please note in your subject line JOAN WINSTON, to stand out from the spam this address receives.

E-mailing your recollection with "Joan Winston" in the subject line constitutes permission to post your comments online. Use a pen name if you choose, and include a "title" if you like. Additional recollections and tributes have been posted at http://www.simegen.com/sgfandom/rimonslibrary/cz/cz24/JoanWinston2.html. Additional pages are planned with photos, and other surprises as available.

Additional pages are planned with photos, and other surprises as available. Karen is looking to post images she has come across of Joan that she would like to use, but can't, because the photographer(s) are unknown. There are several images taken of Joan on the Star Trek Original Series Sound Stages with William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley and James Doohan. There is also a photograph of Joan with two unidentified men, likely taken at the same time.

There is also a photograph of a panel discussion from TorCon, a Star Trek Convention held in Toronto, Canada, in 1976. Panelists include: Bjo Trimble, her husband, Jacqueline, and Joan. If you can identify these photos from this description, and can give permission for their use, please contact Karen through the e-dress on Joan's pages. You will be given photographer's credit.

******

******Denvention - Denver Worldcon******

Jean and I are making plans for Denvention (Aug 6-10, 2008). Kaires is looking to stay in the Party Hotel to run the Simegen Party, possibly with other participants such as Broad Universe. She'll need all the help you can give her.

I'm planning to have badge-ribbons made with the image Patric made for the tattoos we've been giving away at cons. Jean, Torun Almer and I expect to room together in Hotel #1 on the Denvention hotel site.

The convention says the hotel will take reservations at the discounted convention rate starting Jan 21, so now's a good time to start hunting for others who will brave the altitude. Denver is lovely once you re-learn how to breathe!

Denvention has posted my bio with a mention of the Sime~Gen party at: http://www.denvention3.org/programming/bios2.php#lichtenberg.

Live Long and Prosper,
Jacqueline Lichtenberg

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******JOIN THE REVIEWERS

As Coordinator of our Reviews Department, I ask for your help. With the current upsurge in e-book publishing that is sweeping the Internet, we daily receive an increasing number of books to review. Yet, in counterpoint, we have a shortage of reviewers, and many of our reviews staff are several books behind.

We are eagerly and actively seeking new people to review for us. As with all of Sime~Gen, our reviewers are volunteers. When they write a review, it is posted with their byline, and they get to keep the review copy of the books they have read and reviewed.

For more information on our Reviewers Agreement, visit: http://www.simegen.com/agreements/revagr.html.

Please help us by passing this information along to anyone you know who might want to join our happy band. If interested, they can e-mail me at rvcoord@simegen.com or send a note expressing their interest to Jean.

Midge Baker
Reviews Coordinator

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******NEW REVIEWS********

These reviews are a sample of this month's new postings. Our Reviews Department is continuously posting new reviews. Find a list at http://www.simegen.com/reviews/. Use our domain Google Search box on http://www.simegen.com to find books by a particular author.

Wicked City by Ace Atkins

Guilty by Karen Robards

Sepulchre by Kate Mosse

In the Earth Abides the Flame by Russell Kirkpatrick

The Genius by Jesse Kellerman

Bad Blood by L. A. Banks

Forbidden: The Revolution by Samantha Sommersby

The Restorer's Journey by Sharon Hinck

Dawn's Light by Terri Blackstock

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

A World Too Near by Kay Kenyon

Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana by Anne Rice

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****** JACQUELINE'S BLOG UPDATE******

http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/ -- Tuesday May 20, 2008 blog entry is on Companion's Training and the worldbuilding behind it.

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******NEW ITEMS FROM ARTISTS AND AUTHORS AT CAFE PRESS

A SIME~GEN postage stamp is now available to order on cafe press. It can be used just as you would use a regular postage stamp. Be the first on YOUR block to have them! We've got a new page for Cafe Press items from our artists and authors. Now you can get t-shirts, greeting cards, clocks, mugs, and other great stuff with work from your favorite artists. You can even buy books about Nessie, the Orange Forest Rabbit and The Reluctant Spy that aren't available anywhere else.

http://simegen.com/marketplace/cafepress/ is a direct link to all our items and merchandise stores. Use of this page will give the domain extra income. If there is an item that you wish to see that isn't offered, just write Lois and she'll get it ready for you to order.

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*******STARRED CROSS JEWELRY

Think about magnificent, hand-crafted Starred-Cross Jewelry for your holiday giving:

The image comes in four designs:
- silver & enamel brooch *
- silver & gold brooch
- silver & gold outline pendant
- small silver pin
(The first three are 1-1/2" square; the pin is about half that size.)

* Enamel can be almost any color - think Householding colors! How do you describe the color you want? Try http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_colornames.asp.

Follow the link to the artist's own page for ordering.

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******HELP WANTED

The spotlights section of Simegen.com currently needs interviewers, spotlight posting personnel, an assistant spotlights gatemaster, and a keygifts store manager. We are also requesting an Assistant Reviews Co-coordinator - duties include covering when other staff are unable to perform tasks. We are almost finished revamping our reviews section and expect activity to be at a constant high level. We're looking for a versatile quick learner able to put in some time daily. Pluses are: A good command of the English language (syntax, grammar, punctuation, in that order), some computer experience or ability to learn, and an interest in books. Direct all inquiries to simegen@simegen.com.

Individuals to take over, or assist with the SIMECENTER Site -- It isn't at all hard, but a bit time-consuming...and very rewarding ("meeting" these marvelous authors and artists, if only via EMail and their websites). Please write me, Kaires Tevesu, if you are interested.

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******PUBLICATION SCHEDULE********

We have had to withdraw the entire Sime~Gen project from Meisha Merlin for a wide range of reasons. They missed several deadlines for publication of TO KISS OR TO KILL and showed no signs of intention to get it out any time in the foreseeable future. That stalled everything else. It was very disappointing.

So we are now actively in search of another publisher.

THE UNITY TRILOGY should continue to be available for some time -- they have the right to dispose of all stock in the Meisha Merlin warehouse.

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******AVAILABLE RELEASES***********

~ the Omnibus reprint of Jean Lorrah's SAVAGE EMPIRE: DARK MOON RISING -- is #1 in the reprint program.

~ Trade Paperback edition of DREAMSPY from BenBella Books and you can order on Amazon and some other places. Read the comments here: http://www.simegen.com/writers/luren/dreamspy/dreamspyreviews.html.

~ SAVAGE EMPIRE: PROPHECIES is #2 in Jean Lorrah's and Winston Howlett's omnibus reprint of the Savage Empire series.

Still Available in Trade Paperback, SIME~GEN: THE UNITY TRILOGY.

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***** Sites to Remember *****

Author spotlights

Chats

Romance articles

Reviews of books by Jacqueline Lichtenberg

Reviews

Shopping

Sound files of Jacqueline Lichtenberg pronouncing Sime~Gen vocabulary words can be found at http://www.simegen.com/jl/nivetsoundfiles/index.html.

To sign up for classes, go to http://www.simegen.com/school/SchoolForms.html.

To volunteer, go to http://www.simegen.com/agreements/helpwanted.html for the latest openings.

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To contact editor for any reason, please e-mail Lisa Saunders at simegen@simegen.com.

*Please Note all material posted on Official Virtual Tecton is copyright © by Sime~Gen Inc. and all rights are reserved. To get your Sime~Gen(tm) material sanctioned for web posting or to get permission to repost from official materials, e-mail ambrovzeor@aol.comor contact simegen@simegen.com. Sime~Gen (tm) is the trademark of a fictional universe copyright © by Jacqueline Lichtenberg, 1969, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986 and Sime~Gen Inc. 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008.