November 25

Austin

With keen interest I waited for the Wrimo meeting in Austin. You see, it's where I finally met Regan Brown. Regan Brown is a nanoer who emailed me awhile back about organizing writers in Austin. But because I think the name Regan Brown is just amazing, and because the real Regan Brown gave me permission, one of the main characters in my novel is also named Regan Brown.

After much chatting during our gathering at Spider House Cafe, I determined that the two women are not at all alike. Although the characters in Regan's novel (two not particularly self-aware women driving around getting into trouble) could easily be second cousins to the characters in my novel (two not particularly self-aware women driving around and getting into trouble, one of which is named Regan Brown).

Also at Spider House was Melissa Gonzales who is writing a novel about the Feminine Face of God and advises "All first drafts are shit." Howard Hawhee is writing a very complex sci-fi novel that revolves around nano intelligence. We applaud him for this.

And Erika Bennett says she's writing a "beach novel," meaning it's something you should read while lying on the beach. As the evening came to a close, Regan Brown left us, or me, with a poignant comment "I revel in the suspension of my usual standards."