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Though I started this blog after I joined Heartla, in my livejournal blog I did a write up of Heartla’s Reader’s Luncheon after I attended in October 2008.  At the time, I was simply another reader and I enjoyed the food, the table conversation and the speakers at the luncheon.

This year I had an entirely different perspective.  Though I didn’t participate in much of the planning, I helped pack goodie bags for attendees and was present when the all the myriad of things needed were discussed at our monthly Heartla Meetings.  This year’s meeting was even more wonderful in terms of speakers because both speakers were true romance novelists.  Not that the speakers last year weren’t wonderful, but this year Cynthia Eden (Hello sexy books about hot-blooded demons!) and Kelley St. John (Hello smart, sexy writing!) were spot on speakers for this Reader’s Luncheon.

Ms. Eden spoke about her favorite books (she even brought her first romance ever along!) and how one book set her on track to be a romance lover to this day.  She picked up her first romance in 1990 (I was about a year behind Cythia, so ha!) and she was hooked.  I think all readers of all genres can relate to that.  I was hooked when I read the hobbit and again when I read my first Harlequin (sadly, I cannot remember the name, though I remember the story clear as day.)  Ms. Eden’s speech was fun and uplifting.  As a writer of sci-fi, fantasy and romance, I tend to feel torn on my passion for all three subjects.  Romance is usually frowned upon by all genres.  But, as Ms. Eden pointed out, it’s also the largest book market today.  And boy are we romance lovers loyal.

Mrs. St. John (I know she’s a Mrs. because I met her husband!), was a wonderful speaker as well.  Her speech had quite a bit of humor and some tear jerking moments as well.  She spoke of the readers and how authors, any authors, would not be where they are without their readers.  Never, ever say you are just a reader.  You are a reader and the reason that so many people write.

And that’s what this Luncheon is about, the Reader.  We writers would be nothing without you.  Now I may never be published, but I will always be thankful to anyone who reads my work; regardless of whether you actually enjoyed it or not!

The turn out for the Luncheon was wonderful and though things didn’t go as smoothly as some would like, Heartla received positive comments from all quarters, authors and readers alike.  And, of course, this wouldn’t have gone off without the help of the Luncheon committee who put in a great deal of effort and I’m sure where quite exhausted once everything was said and done.

It was fun to be on the other side of the event and still get to participate as if I were just a reader too.  I even won a raffle basket!  It contained all the goodies any aspiring writer needs and believe you me, I’ll be using those tools to their fullest when I begin working on my novel for NaNoWriMo in November.  Along with the gifts, I was given a certificate for Silken Sand’s Writer Conference, which is put on by the Gulf Coast Chapter of RWA.  And I was offered a 50 page critique by Cynthia Eden.  Needless to say, I was one giddy writer.  But now I find myself torn on what I should send to Cynthia.  I believe I’ll work on my fantasy story, which has the greatest balance of romance and fantasy of any of my other stories.

And so I proclaim, with only a small amount of bias, the Heartla Reader’s Luncheon of 2009 a success.  Thank you, once again Ladies, for doing an outstanding job.  You all deserve a round of applause and chocolate.

I was given the opportunity to read an issue of the magazine entitled Fantasy & Science Fiction. Website here: http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/ Even better it was given to me for free if I agreed to write a blog post reviewing the issue I received. How could I resist?  To answer my rhetorical question: I couldn’t and didn’t, obviously.

My first impression was one of surprise when I pulled the issue from the manila envelope it was sent in. The magazine resembled a trade paperback book. I was delighted to see it resembled my favorite form of printed material. I must admit my dislike for reading actual stories done in the normal magazine format.

I delightedly dove into the magazine and was, once again, surprised by the magazine.  The stories were not what I was expecting. Obviously my exposure to sci-fi and fantasy has been limited some what by living in a small town when I was growing up and by the amount of money I had to spend as I grew older and got a “real” job.

I was not disappointed by the issue, despite my surprise in regards to its content. Each story and article was well written and intriguing in its own right.

My one complaint was with only one novelet and that was more in regards to the accent the author used when writing dialogue. The novelet THE PRIVATE EYE by Albert E. Cowdrey was set in Louisiana and while he tried to convey a Cajun accent, he merely succeeded in making it into yet another southern drawl. I say this only because I’ve been living in Louisiana for the past seven years and most cajuns do not sound like they’re from South Carollina. Though perhaps it’s just me and how I interpreted the speech patterns.

Despite that minor complaint, I still enjoyed the story. I enjoyed all of them from YOU ARE SUCH A ONE by Nancy Springer, which was written in second person about a middle aged woman who becomes a ghost in her dreams, to A TOKEN OF A BETTER AGE by Melinda M. Snodgrass, which was about a Patrician sent to the gladiatorial ring because he defended his Christian mother. Oh and he killed a dragon who is actually a creature from another world pretending to be a god.

I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite story, but two of the novelets truly stood out to me as unique and enjoyable.

The first story is THE GODDAMNED TOOTH FAIRY by Tina Kuzminski, which just happens to be a reprint from a previous issue. It’s a curious trip through a night at the dog races with a man and his date that ends with the protagonist discovering his date once tried to commit suicide and the goddamned tooth fairy telling him that if he gives up on his date because of that, he’ll miss his best chance at being happy. The mixture of surrealness, humor and solemnity makes it an amazing read and one I’m sure to visit again.

The second story is THE BONES OF GIANTS by Yoon Ha Lee, a dark fantasy that struck me from the very first page. It’s about a man who is about to commit suicide because he’s run out of jade ammo to kill ghouls. He’s saved by a necromancer who requires his help to destroy the sorcerer who is ruining the valley they are in. The tale is haunting, yet fascinating as the necromancer teaches the man to control the giant bones she’s raised as their mounts. The ending is a lovely surprise twist that I enjoyed as much as the entire story.

All in all, this issue was enjoyable from cover to cover and I’d recommend it to any of my friends or family whom I know would enjoy these kinds of stories.

The best part of this magazine issue was the surprises, both big and small. They renewed my faith in the fantasy and science fiction genres. And they renewed my faith in myself as a writer.

I suggest anyone who enjoys amazing writing to take a look at Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine. They’ve been around for 60 years now. I have a feeling they’ll be around for 60 more. At least I hope they are because I’m about to purchase a subscription.