(no subject)

I am having a day of conscious virtue. By the time the Masques launch happens (5 hours to go!) I shall be unrecognisably dutiful. I've only got 50 emails to answer and I've tidied half my bathroom cupboard. My washing is drying and I've started a campaign to finish up food for Passover. I even had enough sleep two nights running!

One thing I haven't done. One small thing. I completely forgot to sort out clothes for tonight. I have a choice betwen looking ragged, having a mild allergic reaction (this last year or so I haven't been able to simply take something out of the wardrobe - everything has to be washed and aired), or appearing naked. Half-naked: I have the slacks sorted.

I suppose I'd better go evaluate the clothes situation.

I'd rather sort my computer. If anyone is a whiz at giving Microsoft a quick kick and making them recognise paid-for software, I would dearly love to hear from you. This is much more important than clothes.

Masques

I keep looking at the Masques cover and being impressed. I saw it on the table at the launch tonight and was impressed all over again. Mik has done a lovely job.

It was a good launch. We had writers and artists from two States and one Territory. We had a queue of signature-seeking people that went right out the door.

I managed to keep my speech short and make only one unforgivable joke. All my other jokes were bad but not in shocking taste. My first father would have been proud of me, while my second father would have defended it because I was the one who said it.

Me, I'm proud of those writers and artists and all the proofreaders and behind the scenes people. Despite everything - birth (Baby Fisch got a mention), death (where the tasteless joke came in), finding old friends, marriage, technical fraughtness (yay for the Elizabeth Fitzgeralds and Andrew McKiernans of this world) and a host of other things - despite all this, we are there. We have an anthology.

I have two bits of sales encouragement thingie for you. The first is that you can get Masques online now, and not have to wait to find out if your bookshop will get it in (only some Aussie bookshops stock CSFG publications, and maybe only 2 shops anywhere outside Oz). Try here: http://csfg.org.au/publishing/anthologies/masques

The other thing is that I have a poster, designed by Mik Bennett, creator of that wonderful cover. That poster is signed by lots of authors, a couple of artists and one editor. It's not everyone, but it is the most who are ever likely to be in the same room at the same time.

I'll send that poster to the person who most convinces me they need it. Bribes are acceptable as long as they include gratuitous mention of Masques in places where the volume is not yet known. If that means you graffitti toilet doors or attempt other defacement, I take no responsibility, but I do want photos to prove it. Silliness highly encouraged (which is not to say that the book is silly, just that I am).

Entries close 1 April. You don't have to live in Australia.