(no subject)

Coffee. I have coffee. My order just this moment arrived.

I wasn't going to post about coffee, not Nicaraguan Maragogype; not Mocha Harar; not Sumatran Mandheling. I was going to post you a careful series of thoughts about how the difference between my normal writing and my horror writing is infinitesimal. Just a jump to the left, perhaps, or a step to the right.

The evil lure of coffee beckons, however and extrapolation informs me that the real difference between horror and other writing is the amount of good coffee I have inside me. Or maybe it's the coffee itself. Except, really, it's that jump to the left or that step to the right, and coffee just makes me feel as if I'm in control of all the leaping.

Conflux Minicon - 1st weekend in August

Worth travelling as far as your computer keyboard to meet all these amazing people*. All times are Australian Eastern Daylight Standard Time (if you're stuck translating times, tell me where you live and your favourite session and I'll translate it for you - I'd rather you came than were daunted by time). It's technically happening in Canberra (though guests are participating from at least five countries), so if you want to really get in the mood, sit inside three layers of ice-packs and shiver wildly. (This is why Conflux itself is in October. Pretty Spring flowers and none of the dratted freezing weather.)

Nicole just put out the official announcement, so I'll paste it below my footnote. Please feel free to copy the official announcement to all sorts of exciting places. You can copy my footnote, too, though honestly, it's not as interesting.

Footnote: Yes, one of the guests is me and yes, you can pretend to be getting a coffee during my hour if it will make you happier.

Alternate footnote: Yes, one of the guests is me and yes, you may indeed pick on me and ask difficult questions for a whole hour.

Subsidiary alternate footnote: Me, I prefer you to come and play havoc with my life rather than to meet all teh cool guys then go drink coffee during my hour. Unless you bring me back a cup, then I'll forgive you. There'll be much virtual chocolate during my session, I believe.

ANNOUNCEMENT

"Conflux Virtual Mini-con – Prepare to dream

Conflux will again be holding a virtual mini-con on the weekend of August 2 and 3. What's a virtual mini-con, I hear you cry? Well, it's an online convention, a gathering of friends and fans that follow a program to spend an hour chatting with a special guest. Best of all, it's completely free!

This year, the virtual mini-con will run from midday on Saturday until 6pm on Sunday, with a six hour break early Sunday morning (so we can get some sleep). Current Conflux guests Jack Dann, Cat Sparks, Gillian Polack and Bruce Gillespie will be taking part, along with past Conflux guests Maxine McArthur, Karen Herkes, Ellen Datlow, Kaaron Warren, Jonathan Strahan, Sean Williams, Kevin J Anderson and Jackie French. Conflux workshop presenters, international and Australian writers and members of the Conflux committee will also be part of the fun and ready for a grilling.

Book the dates and times into your diary, and at the appropriate time go to the forum at www.conflux.org.au/forum (note it's not working at the moment - we're doing some work in preparation for the convention), sign in, find the forum featuring the guest you want to chat to and join the fun. There will also be a lounge, for general conversation in between spots. There will be a special membership for the physical convention available during the weekend, so come along and join the fun.

If you have any more questions, contact Conflux 5 programmer Nicole R Murphy on programme@conflux.org.au

Saturday August 2

12pm – Glenda Larke

1pm – Chris Barnes

2pm – Gillian Polack

3pm – Bruce Gillespie

4pm – Phill Berrie

5pm – Stephen Hunt

6pm – Peter Strong

7pm – Karen Miller

8pm – Fiona McLennan

9pm – Maxine McArthur

10pm – Sharyn Lilley

11pm – Karen Herkes

12am – Ellen Datlow

1am to 6am – break

7am – Sherwood Smith

8am – Nicole R Murphy

9am – Jonathan Strahan

10am – Kaaron Warren

11am – Sean Williams

12pm – Kevin J Anderson

1pm – Cat Sparks

2pm – Jackie French

3pm – Jack Dann

4pm – Simon Haynes

5pm – Marianne de Pierres"