First off my baby turns 16 on Thursday. SIXTEEN. I used to call my baby Monkey, and here’s what I wrote on the eve of her third birthday about how three year olds are kids:
They also know how to smile sweetly, tell you whether they want a clip or a ponytail in their hair, say "I love you, Momma," jump up and down when you let them pick out a balloon, rip off their clothes in order to put on the new outfit you just bought them, give strangling hugs, elicit a smile from the grumpiest guy in the grocery store, help you pick out snacks for playgroup, tell you thank you! when you tell them they get to go to school tomorrow, play hide and seek with their brother and actually count to ten before looking, sing the ABC song over and over and over, realized that mommy writes stories for a job (ok, wannabe job), paint pictures that look like something, and get absurdly excited over their upcoming third birthdays.
Well, sixteen years olds can drive, they can save money to buy snakes, they can be responsible for their own rooms and animals and schoolwork. They have a marvelous sense of humor, self, and the world. They can march against and for issues that move them, they can form their own opinions and explain them, they can make and keep appointments and social events for themselves. And sixteen year olds are still excited for their birthdays but they arrange the party for themselves. O.o
Sixteen is every bit on the cusp of adulthood as three is on the cusp of kidhood, and I’m as excited to see what will happen in the next few years as I was 13 years ago. Also 13 years ago writing was a wannabe job and now it is a job. Onward ho!
But in the meantime, I’ve got a weekend full of appearances coming up after the big birthday. Saturday March 3rd
I’ll be at the Colorado Book Festival at Denver Public Library and on a panel with my friends:
Danger, Doom and Destruction: Why Do We Love To Read About It?!
10th Mountain Division Room, 12 noon
Denver Central Library
Betsy Dornbusch, Jon Bassoff, Chris Manderville, Warren Hammond
Sunday March 4th I’ll be at WhimseyCon. I thought about getting a room so I could hang out with my friends on Saturday Night but decided against it. I will be around most of Sunday though.
Building the Perfect Plot
Wind Star A
Sun Mar 4 10:00:am – 10:50:am
Have you ever wanted to write a great story with a killer plot? Come join a panel of authors and learn how they compose a plot. We’ll discuss the Hero’s Journey and other tropes, and teach you the necessary parts for a great story!
A.M. Burns, Betsy Dornbusch
Body Image in Science Fiction & Fantasy
Wind River B
Sun Mar 4 12:00:pm – 12:50:pm
Delve into body image and how Science Fiction and Fantasy have paved the way and also hindered progress.
Betsy Dornbusch, Jodi M Franklin, Vivian Caethe
Women Warriors
Wind River B
Sun Mar 4 1:00:pm – 1:50:pm
Creating bold fighting women who lead, inspire, and have mastered weapons.
Betsy Dornbusch, Stant Litore
Source: Blog