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By Trish Milburn
No, the title of this post does not mean I’ve been swept up by aliens and taken to a galaxy far, far away. What it means is that I’ve loved paranormal stories for a long time. And for the purposes of this post, I’m going to lump what is today termed paranormal with science fiction – pretty much anything that isn’t really possible for me to go out and do if I had the hankering. 
As I child, I remember liking Star Trek. At that time, it was reruns of the original Captain Kirk variety. You know, the ones that are way cheesy when you watch them now. And speaking of the cheese factor, does anyone remember a show called Land of the Lost, which was on Saturday mornings in the mid ’70s? I loved it as a kid, but I saw a rerun once as an adult. I remember laughing with the word “campy” running through my head. But hey, it was entertaining with I was young, and as it happens Netflix has it on DVD. Ah, the wonders of Netflix!
I guess my first big paranormal “event” was the mini-series V. I recently discovered that Netflix has it on DVD too, so I’m going to watch it again and see if I laugh myself silly.
In recent years, there has been some excellent paranormal programming, chief among them Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Supernatural. The only one of that threesome still in first-runs is Supernatural, and it is an excellent show on The CW on Thursday nights. If you haven’t watched it, watch the first two seasons on DVD as you dive into the current season 3. It has an intriguing overarching paranormal story, a boogieman of the week, and an absolutely fabulous and funny relationship between the two Winchester brothers, who are demon hunters. It’s also fun in that it is quotable on a weekly basis.
One of the new shows I’ve been enjoying this fall is Moonlight which airs on Friday evenings on CBS. It has elements of other vampire shows that have come before, but that’s probably one of the reasons I really like it. Mick St. John is a vampire, but one who is a detective working to help mankind. And of course he falls for the beautiful girl who is not one of the undead. Since Buffy and Angel are gone, it’s my weekly vampisode.
While we’re on the topic of paranormal stories, my paranormal manuscript, Out of Sight, is a finalist in the American Title contest, a writing contest modeled on American Idol. Because I don’t want to be “kicked off the island” for lack of votes, I would be very appreciative of your vote. You can cast your vote for Out of Sight by visiting http://www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle.php.
So what about you? What paranormal/science fiction shows have you loved in the past? Which ones do you remember liking when you were young but seemed silly when viewed as an adult? What are some of your current/recent favorites?
Thanks, Nancy, for hosting me today.
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I spent the last weekend in September at the 25th annual Georgia Romance Writers conference, Moonlight & Magnolias. It was a fabulous weekend! I spent it surrounded by people excited about their projects and eager to talk about writing. With so much energy in the air, I naturally came home jazzed about my own work and ready to roll.
The one thing about the conference that surprised me was people ditching their appointments with agents and editors. I assume this happens because they’re nervous or don’t feel ready. I can understand the nerves, but I’ve never seen an editor or agent eat anyone in a pitch session, or even just yell. They’re usually friendly and interested. After all, they come to these conferences looking for new projects. The book doesn’t even have to be finished for the author to have an appointment at Moonlight and Magnolias, unlike the ones pitched at RWA’s national conference.
As for feeling ready, there are often people around who’ll help someone work on a pitch. As long as the author can say what the central conflict is, what the hero and heroine each want, why they want it, and what stands in their way, she has a enough of a pitch to start. The agent or editor will ask questions if she needs more information.
Anyway, I’d encourage anyone who can do it to attend a regional conference. They’re smaller and less intimidating, with more chances to meet people, than the national conference, and the opportunities to pitch are sometimes more open. A friend of mine got an invitation to submit from an editor while they were outside smoking together. So you just never know what good things can happen.
What do you like about conferences? Which ones have you enjoyed attending?
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With the RWA conference looming and a panel to present, I’m trying to organize myself. Judith Laik, Gerri Russell, and I are presenting a panel on hanging in without freaking out. Gerri’s editor, Leah Hultenschmidt, is also doing part of the program.á My part is “Enduring the Marathon.”á I have my outline done, since I speak from notes rather than a script, and I have my contributions to the goodie bag.á Aside from going to buy the bag, which we figured would be easier for the winner to take home than an actual basket, I think I’m pretty much ready.á Now all that’s left is packing and accessorizing for the conference, with the goal of taking only one pair of “business” shoes.á To meet this goal, I’ll have to do a bit of mixing and matching.á If only I had the “natural accessorizer” gene!
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My site is live!á I’m so excited to see up and accessible.á It’s still under construction, so I have a lot of adding to do, but I’m an official presence on the web.á I’m also an frequent presence in my kitchen, as the muggy, hot weather make going outside unattractive. When I feel restless, I find myself wandering that way.á Lucky forá me, this is the time of year when we have fresh fruit available.á One of my favorite summer snacks is fresh blueberries (or raspberries, both expensive because it’s too hot to grow them here, but both better for me than sweets) with nonfat lemon yogurt.á The blueberries are good in strawberry or peach yogurt, too.á Haven’t experimented with the raspberries and other flavors.á We try to keep fruit in stock, which is a good thing because I’ve now sent many emails asking friends to look at my site and can’t wait to hear from them.á Which could lead me to the kitchen before long.
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