InsaneJournal

Arisia 2008
I've just returned from Arisia 2008, a science fiction convention held every January in the Boston area. A friend of mine had some extra days off and asked me to accompany her and her small dog; I'd been before and had a good time, so on Friday we packed up her car and set out.

I served on several panels, including ones on selling erotica; critique groups; and paranormal romance. Which makes the trip tax deductible! I tried to collect all my receipts, and only forgot at a couple of meals. This is much better than I did at World Fantasy, the first time I tried. I've now popped the receipts into a manila folder marked "2008 receipts."

The best thing about the weekend, aside from spending time with friends, is that I could think about the WWI werewolf novel. I came up with a number of new ideas, some of them from chatting with my friend in the car. I think it helps, sometimes, not to be putting words on the page, especially in the early stages of a novel. I need a certain baseline of thinking time. By being out of town and forced into a different schedule, that thinking time blossomed.

Now to register for the annual Romance Writers of America conference.