Science Fiction Ladies' Lunch

Yesterday was the First Annual Science Fiction Ladies' Lunch at my apartment in Seattle. Eleven female SF writers exchanged information on writing and publishing, ate quiche and salad, drank mimosas, talked and laughed for several hours. It was great fun: networking as friendship rather than as professional chore. Clockwise from lower left: Nicola Griffith, Timmi duChamp, Kelley Eskridge, Nancy Kress, Brenda Cooper, Nisi Shawl, Eileen Gunn, Judith Berman, Cat Rambo. Taking the picture: Vonda McIntyre. Had to leave early: Leslie Howle. Out of town: Louise Marley.There was much discussion of self-promotion: How much is necessary? What if you don't like doing it? Where do you cross the line from legitimate self-promotion to blatant egotism? What about the trade-off between time spent marketing and time therefore not spent writing? Nobody came to any real conclusions, but everybody learned something from the others.

And speaking of self-promotion, here is the link to my interview on Multiverse News:
http://www.itvnw.com/ITV/Podcasts/ITVLIVEMulti/ITVLIVETST051211Multi.mp4 Caveat: I have not watched this interview (I hate watching myself on camera) so I have no idea if I said anything embarrassing.

Also: Taos Toolbox, the intensive two-week workshop that Walter Jon Williams and I are teaching in July in the gorgeous mountains of New Mexico, is filling up fast. If you're interested, check it out at taostoolbox.com.