Holy late newsletters, Batman! Remember when I told you folks that I was a tad overcommitted for the fall? I wasn’t kidding. I ended up with nine classes at three universities for the fall, and that’s at least three to four more classes than any sane person should try to teach and four to five more than a full-time professor would teach.
Thus I am now deeply embroiled in 12-14-hour days, seven days a week, spinning plates to keep up all my classes and do right by my students. I’m also still freelancing, running my volunteer programs and doing fiction in the wee hours, though they’ve kind of taken a back seat to this glut of work. I’m hopeful that next spring, I’ll be able to achieve a bit more equilibrium.
Also, buy stock in coffee.
Publicity/Appearances
The big event was Dragoncon, which was a blast and chronicled on the Patreon. The most popular cosplays were Beetlejuice and Deadpool/Wolverine, but there were still plenty of Barbies, a startling number of Indiana Jones and even Olympics cosplay, which I found hysterical. The nonchalant shooting Olympian was the most popular among those, and kudos to the guy who used a banana instead of a fake gun.
(The Jedi Musketeers)
My panels included “Igniting the Horror Muse,” where horror authors reveal how we get in the right mindset to scare you pantsless; an urban-fantasy panel on vampire fun; “The Adventure Begins,” a writing craft panel on developing ideas and getting started; “101 Fascinating Ways to Kill Off a Character” (no idea how I ended up on that one… *halo*); another horror panel, this time focused on craft; a panel on writing from myths and legends; and of course a reading and a signing. The reading was unintentionally hilarious as I had about five people and then in the last five minutes, this huge legion of people came in. No, they were not there to hear the end of “Azrael“; I was apparently the warmup act for John Scalzi. Dangit.
Coming up: We have still been unable to snag a hotel room for Archon. A dozen attempts and pleas to the management and the convention have been unsuccessful. (We know there is construction going on, there’s no blame, to be clear. According to the hotel management, the room block sold out in two hours.) We will be there and the Literary Underworld will have our usual booth, so drop by there if you’d like to see us. Alas, no room party with the Traveling Bar unless a miracle happens.
Also pending: The Society of Professional Journalists Boot Camp, where I’ll be presenting on the SPJ Code of Ethics. That’ll happen on Sept. 21, and it’s always a highlight of the year for St. Louis SPJ.
Added to the schedule: I’ll be speaking at The Bewitching Hours in Granite City, Ill. on Oct. 12, hosted by the Friends of Six-Mile Library. I’ll be doing a short reading and Q&A along with a handful of other spooooky authors, and we’ll all have our books for sale. Now I have to think of something to read that is safe for all ages… something about bunnies and unicorns…
(Now am I mystery, mayhem or mischief? Don’t answer that.)
Also note that Contra in Kansas City has changed weekends and hotels. This actually makes it slightly more convenient for me, as I have a lot going on in early November. Follow their Facebook page for further details.
As you can see, bookings for 2025 are starting to fill. I am open to speaking engagements and conventions, but I book well in advance, so if you want me to come speak, contact kyates@donaldmedia.com.
2024 calendar:
• SPJ Boot Camp, Edwardsville, Ill. Sept. 21
• Archon, Collinsville, Ill. Oct. 4-6
• The Mill, Granite City, Ill. Oct. 12
• ContraKC, Kansas City, Mo. Oct. 25-27
2025 calendar:
• Conflation, St. Louis, Mo. Feb. 21-23
• Midsouthcon, Memphis, Tenn. March 21-23
• AWP Los Angeles, March 26-30 (tent.)
• ConCarolinas, Charlotte, N.C. May 30-June 1 (tent.)
• Imaginarium, Louisville, Ky. July 18-20
Journalism
Note that after this month, this section may get thinner while I’m in the teaching marathon.
• Illinois town may reinstate grocery tax (Highland News-Leader)
• Highland customers may see sewer rate increase (Highland News-Leader)
• Korte Rec Center under construction (Highland News-Leader)
• Four students win scholarships from SOAR (St. Louis Labor Tribune)
• Boil order in effect in Highland (Highland News-Leader)
• New Illinois law requires timely processing of grievances (St. Louis Labor Tribune)
• Illinois representatives introduce MINES Act (St. Louis Labor Tribune)
• Skilled trades summer camp trains high school potentials (St. Louis Labor Tribune)
• SIUE Staff Senate offers scholarships for union families (St. Louis Labor Tribune)
• Steelworker legend David Dowling remembered (St. Louis Labor Tribune)
• Tech training coming to Red Bud (St. Louis Labor Tribune)
• Union calls out Western Illinois University for “reckless” layoffs (St. Louis Labor Tribune)
• Illinois and Missouri have vastly different approaches to child labor (St. Louis Labor Tribune)
Note: Not all articles are available online, and some may be behind paywalls.
Blogs
• BookNotes: Anything gay is labeled (Donald Media)
• Dragoncon schedule announced (Donald Media and Elizabeth Donald)
Fiction
Dreadmire is live and roaming the earth! Click the image to buy the book, and if you’re interested in a free sample from my dark romp through the swamp, click here!
It’s also available on Amazon, of course.
The ebook for Dreadmire was a freebie for paid Patreon subscribers, and I recently found that some folks didn’t get their ebook. All Patreon subscribers should have received a message from me, but just in case: if you are a Patreon subscriber and didn’t get your ebook, message me ASAP and I’ll get it to you.
I also have a limited supply of the 2024 St. Louis Writers Guild Member Anthology and the December edition of parABnormal Magazine, both of which have pieces by me, so snag them while you can!
• “Run Rabbit Run,” a short story on Patreon
• “Azrael,” a short story on Patreon
I will have something else to announce shortly, but until it’s confirmed, mum’s the word. #vaguenewslettering #isthataword #itisnow #hashtagsoutofcontrol
Patreon/Medium
Did you know that Patreon subscribers not only get at least one free ebook a year, but you get a 10 percent discount from me and The Literary Underworld? For the latter, that applies to all books, not just mine! For a dollar a month, you really can’t beat it. Just be sure to remind us at the booth as we do not have the subscriber list memorized. If you’re not a subscriber, the base level is $1 a month! You should totally join.
• Recovering Journalist (Medium)
• Bookworm (Medium)
• Labor Day (Patreon)
• Review: You Like It Darker by Stephen King (Patreon)
• Reading: Adults only, and only what we say (Patreon)
• The second shift (Patreon)
• Dragoncon Day 1 (Patreon)
• Dragoncon Day 2 (Patreon)
• Dragoncon Day 3 (Patreon)
• Draggin-con Day 4 (Patreon)
Note: Patreon entries are indexed going back to its launch in 2018. I wanted new Patrons to be able to easily find the work that they’ve missed, and hopefully seeing how much work is on the Patreon might encourage some good folks to subscribe. (Hint, hint.) Seriously, subscriptions start at $1 a month, and I truly believe some of the best work I’ve ever done is on the Patreon. Check out the index here.
Photography
This month’s photography was mostly cosplay at Dragoncon! It was quite a challenge to catch people with a cell phone camera while driving a scooter, as chronicled on Patreon.
Almost all of the images in the galleries are available for purchase, so if you see something you like that isn’t in the store, email kyates@donaldmedia.com and we’ll get you a quote. A few might not be available for purchase due to copyright issues.
That’s it for this month! Tune in next time, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.