DONE!

That's it.

The travel is all booked -- the scheds are all duled. Many, many little jobs remain (including clearing off some 600 + emails from my poor, over-loaded server), but SiWC 2007 is clearing it's throat, ready to sing.

I'm feeling pretty good. Evilly good, actually.

James McCann and I wrapped up our Chocolate & Chat Travelling Teacher Appreciation Road Show with four bookstore appearances in two days.

Will try to post a few pictures when I get them -- my camera died at the pivotal moment, sadly, and refused to regain consciousness, even with the infusion of new batteries.

It was hectic -- it was crazy. But it was FUN!

You know what I will remember? Not the sales or even the chocolate (since I forgot to eat any of it...) Nope. I will remember the lady of the broken glass.

On Sunday, as we dashed out into the downpour in Surrey to head to the Langley location, I zigged when I should have zagged and I dropped and shattered a glass plate on the road right in front of Chapters. Shards of glass EVERYWHERE. James stood guard, protecting with his life the tires belonging to the miscreants who shook their fists at this interloper (how DARE he stand in the middle of the road?) and tried to drive over him anyway. I ran for a box to collect the glass. As I started to pick it up, a woman ran out from the shelter of the bookstore.

"My parents used to tell me when I was a little girl in India," she said, "that broken glass is good luck." She proceeded to help me pick up the glass, all the while getting soaking wet and risking life and limb in the middle of the road with us. "They said that broken glass meant that the bad thing had already happened, so the rest of the day would be filled with good luck," she said.

Then she took the box of broken glass and put it in the garbage bin for us, while we stared after her, rain dripping down our glasses.

She was right, of course. We had a marvellous day after that.

Two more featured presenters from the conference -- this time the married Speculative Fiction Super-team of Diane Duane and Peter Morwood.

Diane Duane is author of numerous books, both on her own and with her husband as co-author, but she is held in the highest esteem in my family for her Young Wizards series. The combined facts that a new book in the series is due out this fall AND the author is coming to town have my girl in a state of nervous frenzy that somehow still can't manage to render her speechless. We are both looking forward to meeting this remarkable author when she comes to speak at the conference.

Diane Duane will jet from the home she shares in Ireland with her husband, Peter Morwood, who will himself be discussing speculative fiction at the conference. He'll talk about creating realistic heroes and spectacular villains, as well as his take on speculative fiction on the screen and on the page.

You can find out much more by checking out www.petermorwood.com and www.dianeduane.com

~kc