Not that I've been doing much writing for pro markets (or any, truth be told) in the last year, but I just want to make sure this LJ isn't purged.

Hence, an extremely cursory post!

You may now return to your regularly scheduled LJ experience.

Both work and home have been so crazy busy that I actually managed not to post when the anthology my first pro story can be found in finally became available. So a week late, here's the announcement.

From the publisher's blurb... In the spirit of classic period swashbucklers, Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and D'Artagnan, brimming with romantic courtly intrigue and dangerous liaisons, with cloak and dagger and perfumed handkerchiefs, the language of the fan and stolen glances, with the manners of Jane Austen and the sparkling rapier wit of Oscar Wilde, here are nine fantastic stories of adventure, derring-do, love, and glamorous yet subtle magic.

( An excerpt from my story, The Baroness' Ball )

Lace and Blade 2 is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.ca and all the other usual flavours of Amazon.

The anthology has gotten several very nice reviews from Publishers Weekly and SFRevu, and all the stories I've read in it so far (about half) have been stunningly good.

I've received word from deborahjross, the editor of Lace and Blade 2 (with my first professionally published story!) that the anthology will be appearing on Amazon pages within days. Which is very exciting.

I'll report once the Amazon links are active. In the meantime, here's the publisher's page for the anthology:

http://www.norilana.com/norilana-leda.htm#lb2

I have, at long last, sent in my corrections for my Lace and Blade 2 story.

I didn't actually mean for it to take this long, but it's been a nutty fall, and I was waiting for comments from a copy-editing friend who's been having an even nuttier fall. I'm glad I did wait for her to take a look, though, because she caught a few picky things that I reckon would have fallen through the cracks, including a wee problem with the running head that I'm sure would have irritated me no end. So hooray for copy-editing friends.

I've also, finally, had a couple of ideas for new stories start floating about in my head. So once the holidays are past and our routine is back to normal, I'm hoping I can start working on something new.

And then, of course, on February 14, Lace and Blade 2 will be released. Can't wait till I can actually link to the Amazon page for it.

Just heard from the lovely deborahjross that Lace & Blade 2 has been given a very nice review by Publishers Weekly here

As soon as the ordering information goes live, I'll let you all know.

deborahjross just posted the ARC version of the Lace and Blade 2 cover, and I had to put it up here. It's lovely.

Here's the front cover:



Full cover (including my byline) beneath the cut.
( Warning, it's a big pic )

What better way to inaugurate the change in focus of this journal to writing than to announce my first fiction sale!

My story, The Baroness' Ball, is going to be in Lace and Blade 2, a fantasy anthology edited by deborahjross and coming out from norilanabooks on Valentine's Day, 2009.

Here's the full lineup for the anthology:

Rosemary Hawley Jarman, "More in Sorrow"
Mary Rosenblum, "Dragon Wind"
Diana E. Paxson, "The Crow"
Francesca Forrest, "The Biwa and the Water Koto"
Robin Wayne Bailey, "Trial by Moonlight"
Daniel Fox, "The Pillow Boy of General Shu"
Sherwood Smith, "Miss Austen's Castle Tour"
Traci Castleberry, "Rent Girl"
Pauline Zed, "The Baroness' Ball"
Elisabeth Waters, "The Sixth String"
Tanith Lee, "Comfort and Despair"
Madeleine E. Robins, "Writ of Exception"

The first volume of Lace and Blade is full of wonderful stories. This one looks to be just as fabulous. And I'm not just saying that because I'm in it.

As a public service announcement for the Canadians among you who support the Gay Marriage Bill (Bill C-38), might I suggest that you visit the website of Canadians for Equal Marriage:

http://www.equal-marriage.ca/index.php

They have information on the bill, and a link to a page that allows you to email either your Member of Parliament or all M.P.s to express your support for the bill. They're also actively seeking donations.

Not only have I survived most of my first week back at work, I've also managed to finally pull together a list of my favourite films of the past year. It's my usual idiosyncratic mix of high and low art.

The full list, including the honourable mentions, is up at my film website: P's House O' Film