We're nearing the halfway mark of 2024...

 Things are gaining steam here at the Ware household.  I am looking at three different trips this summer, two with my husband Don.

The first trip later this month will be to visit my most adorable grandchildren in South Carolina.  Don and I always enjoy the time with our oldest son and his family.  John and his wife Amanda are gracious hosts and the grandkids are a delight.

The second trip is about a month later and sees Don and I heading to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for the convention .Shore Leave., a scifi/fantasy event that is a lot of fun.  Because I've written a Star Trek short story that was published in an anthology (Strange New Worlds 10) I am a guest author at the event.  I will be speaking on some panels and participate in "Meet the Pros," an opportunity for fans to say hi and maybe buy a book or two.  If you are in the area, I hope you come say hi.

Before leaving Pennsylvania, I will make a pilgrimage to the town of Hershey, as a good chocoholic should.

My last summer trip takes place in early August.  I will be attending a writing workshop that I am currently writing stories for.  The Anthology Workshop ran a number of years before Covid, and the creators have finally decided to bring it back.  It's fun and nerve-wracking all at once, if you can imagine having your work critiqued in front of over thirty other writers by eight editors.  I'm so looking forward to it and seeing old friends.

That's my summer.  What about yours?

Shore Leave 41!

Once again, I will be traveling to Hunt Valley, MD to participate in Shore Leave 41.  Shore Leave is at the Delta Hotels Baltimore in Hunt Valley and will go on July 12th-14th.  Below is my schedule if you want to meet me and say hi!

Friday, July 12th:  

Other than Meet the Pros at 10 PM, I have nothing else going on.  Meet the Pros takes place in the Hunt/Valley corridor and goes until midnight.

Saturday, July 13th:

10 am-11 am: "The Worth of Workshops and Writing Classes" with Kelli Fitzpatrick, Jim Johnson, Derek Attico, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, and Lorraine Anderson.  Derby Room.

11 am-noon: "Own Worst Critic or Greatest Fan?" with Aaron Rosenberg, Dayton Ward, and Dave Galanter.  Chase Room.

2 pm-3 pm: "Avengers: Endgame" with Rigel Ailur, Dave Galanter, Glenn Hauman, and Michael Jan Friedman.  Salon E.

3 pm-4pm: "Captain Marvel" with Rigel Ailur, Hildy Silverman, and Keith R. A. DeCandido.  Salon E.

Sunday, July 14th:

Unfortunately, I have to leave in the morning to catch my flight back home.  So I am not on any panels.  Will probably be busy saying goodbye to people.  :)

Hope to see some of you there!

Shore Leave!

Hey readers!  Letting you know I will be attending Shore Leave this upcoming weekend (July 6-8) in Maryland.  As a guest author (how cool is that?) I have a bio listed in the site here.  Below are the panels I'm a part of.  I hope I see you there!

Solo: A Star Wars Story (Fri. 7-8 pm, Salon F)
This prequel depicting Han Solo as a younger man hasn’t met expectations
at the box office. Why not?
Laura Ware (M), David Harten Watson, Susan Olesen

Meet the Pros (Fri. 10 pm - midnight, Hunt/Valley Hallway)

Avengers vs. The Justice League (Sat. 12-1 pm, Salon F)
It’s the end of the world. Whom do you trust to save it? The panel will cover comic books, cartoons and movies.
John Coffren (M), Peter David, Laura Ware, Derek Attico, Michael Jan Friedman, TA Chafin

Outside In by ATB Publishing (Sat. 2-3 pm Salon E)
Meet the contributors to these essay collections on the likes of Doctor Who, Star Trek, Buffy, and more.
Laura Ware (M), Bob Greenberger, Amy Imhoff, Derek Attico, Lorraine Anderson, Kelli Fitzpatrick, Joseph F. Berenato 

Heinlein's Five Rules of Publishing (Sat. 4-5 pm Salon E)
Robert Heinlein wrote five basic rules of writing that are easy to remember but hard to actually carry out. A discussion of said rules and their application.
Laura Ware (M), Phil Giunta, Jim Johnson, Lorraine Anderson, Dayton Ward

Indie Publishing 101 (Sun. 10-11 am Salon F)
The basics of indie publishing and why you should give it a go.
Jim Johnson (M), Laura Ware, TJ Perkins, Andrew Hiller, Valerie Mikles, Kim Headlee 

Star Trek's 50th Birthday

Most people who post about this can probably tell you when they first encountered Star Trek.  I am not one of those people.

I do know that I was a fan by high school.  A friend of mine had Trek novels and I devoured them.  I cheerfully followed the adventures of Kirk and company and still own a number of paperbacks that tell their tale.

I enjoyed (mostly) all the subsequent series.  I married a fellow Trekker and together we followed Trek in all its forms.  We have even followed the recent reboot, and enjoyed seeing a new look at an old friend.

Star Trek is partially responsible for me becoming a fiction writer.  Years ago I heard of an anthology called Strange New Worlds which gave non-professional writers a chance to write Trek stories.  Not only did this introduce me to my future mentor, Dean Wesley Smith, and result in my first professional sale (yes, I have a published Star Trek story out there), my experience in trying to get into the anthology gave me the courage to try my hand at fiction in general.

So thank you, Star Trek, for all you've brought to my life.  For Vulcans and tribbles and strange new worlds.  For great entertainment, and for helping me in the pursuit of my passion.

Happy birthday!

Monday Musings: Two new movie trailers...

So I got to see two new movie trailers this week - one for "Independence Day: Resurgence" and the other for "Star Trek: Beyond."

The "Independence Day" one surprised me, I didn't realize a sequel was coming out next year.  I liked the first film and still remember it though it has apparently been nearly 20 years since it came out.

I'm not sure lightning can strike twice in this case, and the movie is hurt by the fact that Will Smith will not be in the sequel (I've heard 2 different reasons for that).  But a number of the original cast came back for this one so I'm curious to see how it goes.

Then there is the "Star Trek" trailer.  I am a fan of the Trek universe, and probably don't hate the reboot as much as others seem to.  But as to the trailer...
Hmm...there may be a spoiler here so if you just don't want to know, this would be a good time to quit reading.  I'll add some space...

10...
9...
8...
7...I'm not kidding bail now if you don't want to read it...
6...
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
0...

Okay, why are we destroying the Enterprise?  In the third film?  Just like the original movies?
Yes, it looks impressive, but...WHY?

In spite of that there were some fun moments in the trailer that give me hope the film will actually be enjoyable.  It also comes out next year.

Anyway, are there any films you are looking forward to?  Let me know!