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I have good news and bad news. The good news that copies of Life through Cellophane and In Bad Dreams 2 (containing my 13th published short story which is, naturally, a horror one) have reached Canberra.

The bad news is also the reason why crises stopped suddenly last night. There are email server problems. People have been working on them and I will have email back soon. If anything you sent bounced, my uni address is working, but you're better off leaving it 12 hours and trying again on my ordinary address because I won't be checking my email for 15 hours.

Conflux, here i come!

(no subject)

I had lots of wonderful notes about Conflux to remind myself of a rather wonderful day, but I gave a stack of scrap paper to CSFG so that votes could be made on the best piece of romantic writing at the CSFG Gauntlet tonight (Simon Petrie won, with a tender zombie love story) and somehow my notes were caught up in there and so I have no notes. This means you're relying on my memory. This is probably not a good thing.

What is a good thing is my new book. It's here. It's very pretty. And I've already signed copies.

In Bad Dreams 2 is also round. It also looks good, but doesn't have ants, which means my book is definitely superior. There are too many book covers lacking their own personal ant trails in this sad and lonely world.

Nick Stathopoulos is launching both of them on Sunday and there will be many doorprizes. Nick, two books, door prizes and (I'm reliably informeed) chocolate cake. A very nice way to spend a little while on a Sunday afternoon.

Tomorrow there's Dave Luckett's book launch, which I'm much looking forward to. I'm not entirely certain that Dave's wish to see me there was genuine, however, since I stirred him muchly today. He's a nice guy and I find it impossible to be my gentler self with him. I stirred Ian Nicolls, too, and he stirred back. I got my comeuppance today in the dealers' room when a whole group of us bugged the Conflux treasurer.

I was so much evil Gillian today. I fed everyone sweets and chocolates to make up and suspect I might be forgiven.

I tried to be good, truly. I worked very hard to not make Ma Kettle and Judge Dread jokes in my conspiracy workshop. In the end the particpants were so tired at seeing my efforts that they encouraged me to give in and call Le Drede Judge Dread and get over it. I made many other jokes. I might have taught a bit along the way, but my notes are gone and so I cannot recall.

I honestly don't know if it's teaching to create a food pyramid where different elements of a good conspiracy thriller replace fat and carbs and protein. None of the people taking notes will ever read Dan Brown the same way again.

Alan Baxter's martial arts workshop was excellent. He taught us some very basic movement patterns, but what I found most useful was that he gave me the capacity to build on knowledge I already have. I don't mean some strange and missing martial arts knowledge (for I have none) I mean folk dancing and Pilates. I know enough to think about combat in a way where it might be useful in my fiction, as a flow-on from character. This is a very good result.

There was just enough marble mud cake at the CSFG's 10th birthday party, and some really horrendous first lines at the Gauntlet. The child contingent has claimed me again, for at least as long as the lollies last. Although adults did their fair share in eating teh sweets, so I left my first 900g at the registration desk. The reward for registering on the first day was a sugar rush.

I did my stint on the Reggo desk. I was being Evil Gillian so I didn't say 'hi' to anyone I knew. This worked fine, because they didn't say 'hi' back. We just continued the conversations we had last time we saw each other. Some of those conversations started ages back. I wasn't comprehensible to anyone but myself and my friends, but that worked.

The Conflux people are a really nice mob this year. Self-selected for fascinatingness.

There is coffee and the bar is open longer hours and the bar food range is better. The comfy chairs in the bar region are a natural gathering point and lots more conversations are already happening. Nick said it - we come to Conflux because we meet friends and make new ones. And that's the feel to the Con so far. Very relaxed and happy and chatty. Except for the group that chose to do my conspiracy workshop - they're wandering around looking suspiciously at chairs and other common objects. Evil Gillian, I tell you. And this despite the fact that my mother turned up and met a bunch of people.

I might be nice Gillian tomorrow. Or I might not. It depends on how quickly I get everything done tonight and how much sleep I get.