It feels like I haven’t stopped since returning from San Antonio and the brilliant, warm, and definitely fuzzy Paradise Lost . Between commuting to a regular full-time job and helping my daughter build her tinkering project (a go kart), there hasn’t been much time for anything else except for sleep and reading the occasional chapter on the iPad.
I had signed up for Paradise Lost 5 as soon as the Master of Mischief Sean Kelley opened the registration, but hesitated about the trip due to my shaky employment. Fortunately, I was able to cash in Southwest Airlines points for transportation and split a large hotel room with the droll Tim Keating, so my cash outlay wasn’t as painful as it might have been.
Big thanks to Tim, by the way, for introducing me to the Alamo Drafthouse movie theatre, where we watched Avengers: Age of Ultron in comfy seats and full meal service.
I am extremely grateful for the kind and insightful words of my instructors, Chuck Wendig, Delilah S. Dawson, and Robert Jackson Bennett. Thanks to them, I hope to kickstart some stalled projects and get more stories out into the market. (I also added three more authors to add to my Goodreads lists. Such problems!)
The event attracted nearly 30 people this year, and that’s definitely pushing the envelope. It was nearly impossible to find time to catch up with old friends, let alone make new ones.
These folks are good writers, and good people. They tolerate my pent-up energy and too-fast talking when I drink craft vodka and play Cards Against Humanity. They laugh at my jokes. They appreciate my writing. They also tell me how to make it better. They listen. They make me listen.
As a final bonus, my new company, Kyocera, observed Golden Week (a Japanese holiday) during this time, so I didn’t have to worry about interrupting any projects. If my job is still around next year, I’m hoping the company closure will coincide with Paradise Lost 6, because I really want to make this an annual pilgrimage.
As a two-time attendee of Paradise Lost, I had 2 stars on my name tag. Why not go for 3?
Now I really must get back to reading The Goblin Emperor before I crash.