Back That Elf Up is BACK from GeekGirlCon ’12 and Portland, OR!

I only got 5 pics of the Con. This is one of them.

So we’re back from GeekGirlCon 2012/our trip to Portland, OR and boy howdy, did we have a blast!

GeekGirlCon was AMAZING. In a bigger space than last year, the wonderful individuals who organized the Con still managed to create a well organized, fun event with amazing energy. Everyone seemed happy to be there. The cosplayers were awesome. The staff was killer. We had a lot of fun talking to people and selling. Caytlin Vilbrandt and I did a panel on Kickstarter (you can read a recap of it here) and I got to be on a panel about Geeks Raising Geeks with many other fine mothers. I went to Storytime with Susie with Small Boss and Admin took Small Boss to an awesome mask making workshop! Did I mention it was super fun? I saw a lot of people who attended last year, back for more and it was great to see and hang out with new people. Can’t wait to see what they come up with for 2013. We’ll be there.

After GeekGirlCon we hightailed it to Portland, OR to see family and friends after being away from them for about 8 months and for Admin’s birthday. By the power of a barbecue and the internet we were able to see about 85-90% of everyone we wanted to see, I would say. Small Boss got to hang out with her fellow geek girl and baby cousin, IzBiz and I was able to speak to adults in real life. It was kind of magical. We were loathe to leave but depart we did, into the California Redwoods where: Small Boss got the flu?! We thought it was a bad corndog/chocolate milk issue but she had a fever. So we didn’t see as many of the Redwoods as we would have liked to but I did get to see Regular Show for the first time. On account of her illness we got back to our homebase a day early where: The Admin got the flu. HA!

We are both infested with germs!

Actually, it wasn’t funny. But it was a convenient time for him to get ill, since he was technically off of paycheck work. So…yay?

Anyway, everyone is no longer ill and we’re back at our homebase. So what’s next? Well, here’s a list.

• First of all, Self-Made Scoundrel, the second book in The Valley of Ten Crescents series will soon be available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Nobles and Kobo! It will be available in ebook and print and we’re SO EXCITED to get it out to you. All our hard work, available for purchase on the internet!
• The manuscript for the next book(s) have already been sent to my editor, Annetta Ribken. This is the REST of the material I have written for this series. The (s) is for the fact that we’re trying to sort out how many more books we have left. Originally we had plans for three more but with what we have and where there is space for more material, we might be able to give you all of Tavera’s adventures in one or two more books. They will be released, Techno-Hermes willing, by late 2012, early 2013. Techno-Hermes is a trickster deity but we are hard working and have senses of humor. So we’ll let you know about that.
• If we are in fact going to be wrapping up this chunk of Tavera’s story, we want to finish it with a bang. There will probably be a Kickstarter and some neat items offered related to the story. I’ve already gotten back a little bit of exciting feedback and have been researching a bit.
• AUDIOBOOK. Anna Meade is working on the Thieves at Heart Audiobook and the first chapter is done and sounds really good. Seriously. When this is available you will all be very pleased with it.
• Small Boss starts kindergarten. This means I will have more free time. This will affect the volume of work I am able to produce. Or possibly the amount of video games I will be able to play or books I will be able to read. I’m hoping work. Also, I can’t believe my spawn is going to start being indoctrinated by someone else.
• I have a few projects simmering which will all come to fruition as time, inspiration and keyboard slamming allows. This includes: an RPG sourcebook. A collection of weird short stories inspired by a song by a gothic rock band. A cyberpunk short story/novella influenced by one of my favourite German films. A graphic novel/webcomic set in the same world as The Valley of Ten Crescents but in a very different locale. And well, who knows what else?
• We are moving in approximately 245 days, give or take a week or two. Unless something goes insanely wrong, we will be moving (back) to Portland, OR. This is a good thing. A lot of our friends and a lot of our family are in the Pacific Northwest. Our old gaming group is there. So we’re going to be going kind of nuts, trying to get a lot of stuff done before we move. It’s not the biggest move we’ve done (GA to CA was a lot longer and nuttier, as we had never even seen our house in person before we moved in) but it’ll be a doozy. Work must be acquired. We will be trying to buy a house. SB will be starting another school.But once we get to Portland, we will be staying put. Unless something crazy happens. You never know. But we fully intend to stay there as long as humanly possible; to be honest, we’re kind of anxious to get there already. Hopefully work will make the time go more quickly!

So that’s the news for now. More to come in the next few days as we hammer out Self-Made Scoundrel, the next books and make new, amazing t-shirts available to you. The Self-Made Scoundrel ones are awesome. Also, I got a Thieves at Heart shirt for GeekGirlCon and the onions? They look amazing. Everyone needs onions on their boobs.

Hope the summer is treating you all well! Cheers!