Sime~Gen Perspectives Newsletter

AUGUST 2008

Contents:
* DENVENTION REPORT
* REREADABLE BOOKS UPDATE
* NEW REVIEWS
* WORLDCON REPORTS FROM JACQUELINE and JEAN
* COAL FOR CHRISTMAS
* INTERVIEWS WITH ALLAN COLE and SHEILA FINCH
* JOAN WINSTON
* SIMECENTER
* KEYBOOKS RESTOCKED
* BORDERLAND UPDATE
* JOIN THE REVIEWERS
* 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**

******DENVENTION REPORT******

Jacqueline's Denvention 3 Convention report (very long) is posted at http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com/2008/08/denvention-3-walk-con.html.

******

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

Jacqueline Lichtenberg's book and film reviews for June and July 2008 are now posted for free reading. This review column is first published on paper in The Monthly Aspectarian then posted to their website (lightworks.com) and finally archived some weeks later on simegen.com.

To be informed of when a new column is posted to simegen.com, you may subscribe to the monthly Newsletter-l that announces most new activity on simegen.com or you may subscribe to the newsletter ReReadable-l.

Both free subscriptions can be found at http://www.simegen.com/archives/.

******

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

Unexpected Turns: Leaning into the Losses of Life by Barbara Francis

Beautiful Women by Nancy Bruno

The Perfect Board by Calvin K. Clemons

Everyday Cat Excuses by Molly Brandenburg

Unabellavista:Rome by Anthony Capozzoli

Silks by Dick Francis and Felix Francis

Being Elizabeth by Barbara Taylor Bradford

******

****** JACQUELINE'S WORLDCON REPORT (August 8, 2008) ******

Jean, Torun and I arrived late Tuesday and none of us are having serious problems with the altitude which is a good thing because this convention is nothing but walk-walk-walk.

We are staying in the hotel closest to the convention center -- but it has several conferences going at once, and we have to walk more than a city block to get to the other side of the center where Worldcon has space. The Art Show and Dealers room are upstairs a huge long escalator, program items and usual lobby tables down an escalator from the entry floor.

The SFWA Suite, which Jean and I were responsible for opening up 9AM on Thursday, is in a very hard to find area of the Sheraton which is 3 short city blocks from the back door of our hotel.

The Con suite and other functions are in the basement and sub-basement of another building belonging to the Sheraton. We THINK the S~G Party tonight will be in that building but we're not sure.

Wednesday, we got out badges and Program Participant materials -- an adventure that took an hour and a half because we didn't have the energy to go hunting on Tuesday afternoon. Jean's plane was delayed over Denver for a thunderstorm, so Registration was closed when she got here hungry and tired.

Thurs and Fri morning, over breakfast, Jean and I were brainstorming stories and methods of creating story-forms.

Thursday I had 2 panels in the afternoon, one on the maximum size of a galactic empire, and one on the influence of Star Trek in today's world. Both drew about 100 or 200 excited and involved fans who laughed at our jokes and groaned at puns.

Because the con assigned me an autographing slot on Saturday, and my fans know I don't sign on Saturday, 3 fans ambushed me when I arrived for my first panel with armloads of books to sign.

There seems to be, by eyeball estimate, about 3,500 to 4,000 people here -- the estimate is for 5,000 by the end of the weekend. Everyone is spending a lot of con time just walking from hotel to hotel and around and around inside the con center. I've run across several people I know that way, and have had catch-up conversations with old friends.

But one unique experience on my first panel was when a member of the audience came up to me right before the panel started and said that I had given her some advice on rewrting a story of hers -- she took the advice and sold the story just this week!

She said it to the whole audience, too. I was delighted! Then, after the panel, Jean scolded me for not getting her to write an endorsement for WorldCrafter's Guild as one of our successful students. Jean was (of course) right -- I never think of these things!

So, later in the Green Room, we ran across Beverly A. Hale, who (as a grad student) had been teaching a composition class and asked us for help convincing her students that paid wrters REWRITE. We supplied copies of pages with changes noted, and it worked. She came to thank us and JEAN immediately remembers to ask for something from her we can post online.

Beverly sat right down and wrote us an endorsement!

So now I'm off to find Jean -- we have a Kaffeeklatch together at 1PM and the party at 8PM. Oh, and we got rained on going from building to building. Jean's umbrella broke -- and so did mine, but mine at least still made a canopy to walk under!

JL

******

**** JEAN'S WORLDCON REPORT (August 9, 2008)*****

Yesterday I was on a panel in the morning about Alien Languages, and how we might communicate _without_ the conceit of the Universal Translator. It turned out to be a very well attended panel, and an exciting and knowledgeable discussion.

Then a couple hours later Jacqueline and I had our kaffeeklatsch, with five people in attendance, two of whom signed up just to meet authors they had never heard of before. So we had to both give our news to the old friends, and try to explain ourselves to the newcomers.

Then last night was the Sime~Gen party, which was a huge success in a tiny room. Kaires did her usual great job, and over the course of the evening nearly a hundred people came by. Many stopped to chat for a while. We had copies of Unto, HoZ, and FCh as door prizes, along with some books and audio books from Broad Universe. The books all were chosen as door prizes, along with a couple of the audio books. Everybody seemed to have a good time.

Jacqueline and I went home at midnight, but Kaires kept things going till 2am, trouper that she is.

Today Jacqueline and I had an easy day. We slept in, I used the hotel's exercise room (the nicest one I've seen yet, with machines to match everything I'm used to instead of one of those octobus things that no one knows how to set), and then Jacqueline and I went out to breakfast on the outdoor patio of a nearby restaurant. We plotted both stories and plans for simegen.com till noon, then came back to the con and checked out the art show and dealer's room, met and talked with lots of people, and then went out to dinner with Torun at a very nice restaurant.

Tomorrow we have our autographing in the morning and the rest of the day free, and on Monday we fly back to our respective homes.

All in all, a successful con.

Jean

*****

All the WorldCon Reports, including one yet to be created by Kaires, will be available soon on the Sime~Gen domain at http://www.simegen.com/sgfandom/sghistory/cons/WorldCon08.

When this page has been posted, the announcement will be on the main Sime~Gen listserv.

Behold, we have a room reserved for the next Sime~Gen / BroadUniverse / EPIC party. This one will be Friday night at LosCon (in LA, over Thanksgiving weekend).

Any questions or comments about the reports, or indeed anything about our activities at cons, should be directed to Kaires.

******

******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.

******

******INTERVIEWS WITH ALLAN COLE and SHEILA FINCH ****

Angle On Hollywood, a new subsidiary of Sime~Gen Inc. has now posted an interview with Screenwriter and best selling novelist Allan Cole interviewed by WorldCrafter's Guild Writer In Residence, Anne Phyllis Pinzow.

Another interview of Mr. Cole was conducted by Karen MacLeod for Writer's Spotlights. This interview leans more toward Mr. Cole's writing in several different genres, and is entirely different in content.

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

Sheila Finch, short story writer also has been interviewed this month on simegen.com. Please check out this interview at http://www.simegen.com/writers/spotlights/science/Finch/.

******

******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 in a rehab hospital.

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.

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/JoanWinston.html. Additional pages have been updated with new photos and tributes.

****

******KEYBOOKS RESTOCKED******

Keybooks, the book store for writers needing inspiration and ideas, and Key Gifts, the store full of gifts for hard working writers have been redesigned and restocked with new items.

- for books and DVD's
- for items of use to writers

*******

****** BORDERLANDS UPDATE ***********

Sorry for the delayed announcement: Part 25 has been up for a while. It's called "Fall of a Senator," but which Senator? You'll have to read it to find out!

There's another thread set at Sat'htine that eventually merges with the first one, and the usual off-the-beaten-track episodes at the Hannard's Ford Sime Center. One episode is particularly off the beaten track: it's set the previous fall (the rest of Part 25 is set in late winter or early spring). We played it back in 2005, but didn't see how it fit in until now, so we've planted it here for followups in Parts 26 and 27.

We're still almost a year from play date to publication date, but we are going to try to speed up the publication process somewhat. Feedback is always good.... http://www.simegen.com/sgfandom/fans/bev/boom/index.html#part.25.

******

******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

******

******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.

******

*******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.

******

******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.

******

******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.

******

******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.

******

***** 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.

******

To unsubscribe from this list, send an e-mail to listserv@simegen.com with no subject and the text "unsubscribe NEWSLETTER-L".

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.com or 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.