...And Away We Go!

But first, a video interview about writing. (With the inevitable footnotes)

“THE STRUGGLE IS REAL”

That’s what my Fabulous Assistant/Coach™ Kim says I should tell you, rather than just skipping out on my newsletter this week.

Kim is wise. I listen to Kim.

Kim also watched the Zoom video interview I did on May 29th with Selina Lovett of Annie's Book Stop of Worcester, and says No, Ellen, you do not look like ridiculous or sound like a chicken,¹ so I’m adding it here so that you can hear me actually talking about books & writing, instead of what obsesses me right now, which is packing & fixing up the house to go away for two massive trips.

I’m sorry that my connection wasn’t great; my words aren’t always as clear as they could be. For some reason at 0:30 it sounds like I’m saying “a lot of it [my fiction] is very quick.” We all know that’s not true! Should be “a lot of it is very Queer.”

Well, that was fun.

And now, back to how incredibly stressed we are getting ready for our two back-to-back trips. Read on, and you shall know all:

TRIP #1

June 15 - July 27
Hollins University, Roanoke, Virginia, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, to teach courses in Writing & Fantasy Literature. The 6-week summer sessions are part of their unique and ambitious Graduate Programs in Children’s Literature and Illustration. We’ve loved it there ever since we first set foot as Guest Lecturers for one night, and have been coming back regularly to teach. And to sit on porches in rocking chairs with our colleagues, the other faculty members, sipping cold drinks and watching the fireflies and talking about art and life. And to go to Floyd on Friday nights for traditional music and dancing!

TRIP #2

August 7 - November 15

So! Much! Travel! To wit:

AUGUST 2024

Glasgow, a WorldCon for our Future: the 82nd World Science Fiction Convention - the oldest established permanent floating family reunion of friends & colleagues, a chance to meet new people, to connect with readers, to give readings and be on panels, to drink tea and ale and stay up too late. Guests of Honor this year include Nnede Okorafor and our dear friend Terri Windling. If you’re coming, please let me know!

From there, I fulfill a long-held dream of checking out the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; then we go collapse on a sheep farm on the Borders (Thomas the Rhymer country! it always thrills my heart), then make our way down to Terri’s village in Devon for a couple of weeks of quiet writing, picturesque walks, and drinking more tea.

SEPTEMBER 2024

Much as we love Paris, I really miss rural France. So we’re going on a series of writing retreats with French friends, shamelessly borrowing various families’ summer apartments & cottages. The month concludes with me as Guest of Honor at Les Aventuriales in the Auvergne.

OCTOBER - mid-NOVEMBER 2024
Back to our usual rental in Paris, in the Latin Quarter, to pick up our Shadow Life, lest it wither and fade.²

Delia in Paris, with flowers and shopping cart. December 2023.

Ellen . . . Are you maybe a little overambitious?

Yes AND you’re not the only one who’s noticed:

My family does a monthly Zoom meet-up, during which Delia & I fretted about how much organizing we have to get done before we leave. My Cousin Debra, the sweetest soul on earth but she never goes anywhere, said pointedly, “Well, you make the choice to do this.”

I thought for a moment. And another. “Yes,” I said. “And we pay the price.”

Can you tell how many of these bags are already packed? Neither can I.

And now, back to revising my Class Syllabus for Hollins, sorting through boxes for giveaways so our place doesn’t look so much like a junk shop when we get back, weighing the suitcases for the UK trip, filling out the forms for things I don’t even want to think about, and mailing the cheese to Arizona.

Oh, I got new glasses.

And a haircut!

Tomorrow’s the dentist.

A warm welcome to all my new readers, particularly those coming via my friend Julian Yap’s³ brilliant weekly Sunday Morning Transport. I hope you’re having as good a time as I am. Please read back issues of Ellen Kushner’s Bad Advice for posts a little less frantic.

And that’s a good place to stop.

Your pal,

Ellen

1. Some of my Facebook friends watched it, too, and said the same thing. I post relentlessly, on Facebook; if you want to Follow me there, you are very welcome, though I’ve run out Friend slots.

2. Delia & I spent a year in Paris, Fall 2017 - 2018. We both speak fluid and imperfect French. We made friends, got into habits, and realized we couldn’t just abandon our life there, so we try to spend time there every year. Delia is actually researching a novel set in Paris in 1871, which is a convenient excuse. You would not believe how much I now know about the cannons on Montmartre.

3. Julian also founded SerialBox (now Realm), which is why a collaborative Swordspoint prequel called Tremontaine exists. Here is a complete listing of all the episodes, with their original covers. All of Season 1 exists as a printed book or as e-text. Seasons 2, 3 & 4 exist as e-text via Amazon & B&N. They’re also in audio versions via Audible.com.