January 2026 Update

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Just in case you were wondering what I've been up to so far this year, this post will fill you in!

Submissions:

I still haven't heard anything back about the dieselpunk story I submitted, but the editors of the anthology say their reading period will begin soon. I'm guessing mid-February at the earliest.

And I still have a few other short stories sitting around just waiting to be submitted. I may have found a spot for another one of my stories. It's a horror story titled Closure. The submission window doesn't close for a while, so I have time to check things out.

Other Writing:

I continue to work on my sci-fi story, The Dark Scent of Rain. Someday I may actually finish it.

Shore Leave:

I attended the January Shore Leave meeting via Zoom. It went a bit better Zoom-wise than before, but I didn't gather a whole lot of new info. They are still working towards their 501(c)(7) tax designation (a type of nonprofit entity recognized under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code as a tax-exempt social or recreational club) and have made some progress. And, as previously reported, they did not announce any new celebrity guests during the meeting but did make an announcement a few days later. The new celebrities are Laurette Spang and Herbert Jefferson Jr. of Battlestar Galactica fame and Marta Kristen of Lost in Space.

Not long after that, they announced Julie Caitlin Brown of Babylon 5 and Star Trek (TNG & DS9) plus Oded Fehr of The Mummy and Star Trek: Discovery. As it stands now, these are the announced celebrity guests.

Also, voice actor Bonnie Gordon is scheduled to appear. She's been at Shore Leave before and has always been popular. She does comedy, singing, and Q&A sessions about voice acting.

Thirty-six author guests have also been announced. You can see them here: 2026 Author Guests. No writing panels have been announced and probably won't be for a while.

Patreon:

Apart from this monthly update, I posted two other updates:

• Mid-January 2026 Update

• A Just-After-Mid-January-Update Update

As you can see, I'm quite adept at making up magnificently descriptive titles for my posts.

I also have been keeping my new 2026 One-Stop Story Shopping post updated with all my Medium posts. I keep hoping to do more here, but I never seem to come up with a good idea for Patreon.

Medium:

I've been doing a bit of an experiment with Medium this month. I've posted something every day. Yes, that's 31 posts. Haiku, Poetry, Micro/Flash/Short Fiction, and an article or two, I believe. Doing so hasn't been as difficult as I first thought, though I'm not sure I can continue with that pace forever. It did boost my views, reads, followers, subscribers, reader interaction, and financial returns considerably. I've reached the highest numbers ever for reads and views, increased the number of followers and subscribers substantially (8 and 3), and had one of my best earnings months ever. Of the posts for January, the ones that did the best were the haiku and micro/flash fiction. The longer pieces didn't have as much traction with the readers. A sign of the times, perhaps?

And, as stated, I managed to earn a little from Medium! Best of all, it wasn't just pennies! I was in the "folding money" range for January. It still isn't a lot, but at least it feels like I've accomplished something. Having Medium place real money in my account, however, is still a ways off.

Here's the graph of views and reads:

Here are my January Medium posts:

January 2026

Haiku: Sycamore Skies
Poetry: The Path Not Taken
Haiku: Silent Stream
Haiku: A Cold Day
Poetry: Seven
Haiku: Still Life
Fiction: A Word With Death
Haiku: Water Wings
Flash Fiction: Every Story Has Two Sides
Haiku: Secrets of The Moon
Micro Fiction: Runaway
Haiku: Dancing Flame
Fiction: Package Deal
Haiku: Whispers
Haiku: City Rain
Haiku: Stone Cold Beauty
Micro Fiction: Meeting of Minds
Flash Fiction: A Story About Stories
Flash Fiction: Leveraged Buyout
Haiku: Toys in The Attic
Haiku: Space Flight Test
Fiction: Glowing Terms
Poetry: Up the Lazy Lemur
Micro: A Guest For Dinner
Flash: When One Door Closes
Poetry: Misty Moonlight
Article: Advice No One Will Follow
Haiku: Cherry Blossoms
Haiku: Birdseed
Article: I Like Old Engines
Poetry: The First Sunrise

Well, that's all for now!

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© 2026 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Mid-December 2025 Update

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First, a bit of news:

The Shore Leave convention have listed a few new celebrity guests for next year's convention. They have announced Laurette Spang and Herbert Jefferson Jr. of Battlestar Galactica fame and also Marta Kristen of Lost in Space. I've attached the latest flyer with more info for those interested. Other than the author list, there isn't any info yet on writing panels. That won't be available for a while.

Still haven't decided on whether to attend the Farpoint convention yet. They have author and screenwriter David Gerrold listed as attending, but he has a GoFundMe for health problems (why does it seem so many writers have health problems?) so I'm wondering if he'll actually be there.

And I've posted a few things on Medium!

Last updated: December 22, 2025

December 2025

• Article: Help for Writers There are places you can go for assistance

• Article: The Season of Giving — and Taking I don’t think charities understand the giving part

• Haiku: Snow Crow We have an understanding between us

• Haiku: Plates I’ve been everywhere, man.

• Haiku: Winter Moon If you see raccoons with marshmallows, let me know…

• Poetry: School Daze Hazy dreams of distant days

November 2025

• Haiku: Thankful There are still special places in the world

• Poem: Moontree Sometimes things don’t go as hoped

• Haiku: Dancing Sycamore Wooden movements?

• Article: I’m Throwing in The Towel Dry humor?

• Haiku: Sprinkles! A seasonal treat?

• Haiku: November Sky Illusion or allusion?

• Past Perfect: Eleanor’s Travels A postcard from 1936

As far as I know, author Michael Wombat is still hanging in there, but there is no good news to be had. About a month ago, he posted this on Bluesky:

Some of you know this already, but I see no reason to keep it a secret. My oncologist told me on Friday that they had done all they can, the cancer is still growing, and that I have months, maybe weeks, left to live. I have no idea what's to come, but I'll be on here as long as I can.

You can cheer him up a little by putting in an order for his latest book (a collaboration with Miranda Kate, Lisa Shambrook, and Victoria Pearson ) titled Agents of Secrets and Lies (The Summer Realm Book 1).

With those four writers, it's bound to be good.

That's about all for now!

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© 2025 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

More September Stuff

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Although I've already posted a few September updates I've posted on Medium, here are a few more for your viewing pleasure!

September 2025 Medium posts

• Haiku: High and Dry So much water the cactus thrives?

• It’s the Little Things in Life A quick and inexpensive meal

• Haiku: Spider Dreams In a galaxy not so far away

• Poetry's Conundrum Who reads poetry?

And here's one on Patreon about the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention!

I'll also be posting a monthly update on Patreon soon. I put a link here for you when it's ready. 

Please feel free to let me know what interests you by leaving a comment!

TIA!

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© 2025 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

An Early September Update

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For those who still look here for news, I've decided to give an update on what I've been working on that might be of interest before my main monthly update on Patreon gets posted.

On Medium, I've posted a few things (2 articles and a haiku):

• All I Hear Are Crickets

• Haiku: Clouds, Clouds, Go Away?

• Idioms: The Skin of My Teeth

I am:

• Working on a Shore Leave update (Patreon) and might have other convention news available by the time my monthly update comes out.

• Looking at a possible short story submission. I have to think about how well it fits the guidelines.

• Working on an article about poetry's conundrum (who reads poetry) for Medium. It might not be popular with some poets, but I hope it gives readers something to think about. Whether it's ready this month or next, I'm not sure...

• I've even been playing with a few sketches! Who knows where that might lead.

• Trying to decide if I should reconfigure my Patreon site (can't go back if I don't like it).

Also, feel free to leave a comment on whether you think it's worthwhile to continue on Blogger or just use Patreon as my default blog site. It would be much appreciated!

That's all. Carry on!

Photo Credit:

Photo by Andrii Babarytskyi on Unsplash

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© 2025 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Yes, I'm Still Here

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I know I haven't been blogging on Blogger much this year (or last), but I'm still here and have actually written a few things!

And where do you find my writing? The best places are at these sites:

Medium  (Lots of haiku and such...)

Patreon ( I could use a few more followers on Patreon, for sure, so try and join me there, if you can!)

It is also the time of year when the Shore Leave sci-fi convention is ramping up. I will be there again this year, and I will be giving out a few books. Some have my stories in them, some will not. But it's a free book! Or two! I'll probably put a few posts on Patreon about it, but I won't commit to every day like I usually do. I'm getting older, you know!

I do have a favor to ask, however. If you want to support a writer who is trying to make a living at writing, please subscribe to Terri Deno's Patreon site. If you can afford a paying level, that would be great. But even a follow where you can read about her writing exploits would help. She really needs support! Thanks in advance!

As always, let me know if there is something/anything you'd like to see on my blog here—or elsewhere! I'm open to suggestions, so please be suggestive. But keep it PG-rated.

Photo credits:

The photo used at the top of this post is by bruce mars on Unsplash. It is the same photo I've used for some time for my Patreon site progress updates. It works.

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© 2026 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

One More Year Down The Drain

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But it wasn't so bad...

There was Shore Leave, of course. You can read about that HERE.

And you can read my November and December updates via these links. 

Amazon killed off another platform, Kindle Vella. This will hit a lot of writers and made me rethink where I'll submit future works. I had been working on a couple of tales for that platform, but they are on hold. If you follow me, you know that author Terri Deno has been shifting her works to Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. I would imagine others are doing the same. Amazon never seemed to promote Vella very well and the interface was not the best. 

I need to get working on artwork if I'm to have anything new for this year's show at Shore Leave. I have some sketches and ideas, but you can't sell those!

And I'm working on a couple of short stories. I submitted four stories last year and they were all rejected. I'm hoping 2025 will be better.

There has been lots of discussion about AI and how it will affect things in the writing and art world. It's not going away, and we'll have to deal with it.

And today it is snowing. It is a good time to sit and reflect on the past year and what I want to do in the future. I'm getting older and slowing down, so I have to choose what projects I want to focus on carefully!

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© 2025 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

What Have I Been Up To?

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Up to no good, it seems...

Well, I have been writing and have submitted a few stories. Just to prove I've been working a little, here are some link to my Medium articles , poems, and other stuff (as of September 2024)!

September 2024

• Found Art?  The hard part is hanging it on the wall…

• I’m Having a Squirrel Moment  It happens to the best of us — and me, too

• Spider, Spider  I may have ‘borrowed’ an idea here…

• Haiku for September 2024  There’s one in every crowd

August 2024

• It’s a Red-Letter Day!  Curious turns of phrase #9

• Haiku #2 for August 2024  Only the shadows know…

• I'll Be There in a Flash #1  Here's a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore

• Haiku for August 2024  As if from thin air

July 2024 

• Skink, Skank, Skunked  This happens to everyone, doesn’t it?

• On Which Side Is Your Bread Buttered?  Curious turns of phrase #8

• Haiku for July 2024   His (or her) majesty dines…

• Was it Something I Didn't Say?  A poem

June 2024

• Haiku on the Run  What did I see!

• Haiku for June 2024 - Hidden Pond  What didn't I see?

May 2024

• Haiku for May 2024  Should I look at them from both sides now?

• Native Arts Update  Sometimes we forget what we have right here

April 2024

• Haiku for April 2024  Everything’s better with bluebonnets on it?

• Death by a Thousand Briskets, Part III  Winding down?

• Death by a Thousand Briskets, Part II  BTW, there was an eclipse, too…

• Death by a Thousand Briskets, Part I    Oh, yeah. There was an eclipse, too…

• Ready or Not, Here AI Come!  So, we’ll soon have even more talking cat videos?

March 2024

• Haiku for March 2024  Did you hear that?

• An Indiana Story  Taking a peek into the past for inspiration

February 2024

• Haiku for a Frozen Night  Moonlight feels right?

• Haiku for a Winter's Eve  Warm colors in a cold sky?

• Haiku for February 2024  What station are you watching?

January 2024

• Snow Crows  It's all black and white...

• Haiku for the First Snow  The world goes on in a hushed tone

• Haiku for January 2024  This is the Internet; I post a cat picture now and then

I should probably post this again at the end of the year along with a summary of things not on Medium. But this is a start!

The photo used in this post is by bruce mars on Unsplash. 

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© 2024 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Tragic Darlings — Poetry By Terri Deno

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Terri Deno has a new book of poetry available on Amazon called Tragic Darlings!!

Terri's collection is "an exploration of identity and self--how the characters we play reflect onto the world, leaving many with our truest selves still hidden."

It's available in both paperback and as a Kindle version.


                                           


Here's a tiny sample of what's inside:

I hope that sparks an interest!

Again, available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions!

While your at it, click this link to take a look at all of Terri's offerings!

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© 2024 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Yes, Zombies Need Brains!

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Every year, Joshua Palmatier holds a kickstarter for his SF&F anthologies from Zombies Need Brains, his imprint. This year, times are tough and things are running a bit behind, pledge-wise. Please check out his Kickstarter page to see if there is anything that sparks an interest. There are lots of perks for pledging!

Here's a little bit about the project:

This project will fund THREE science fiction and fantasy anthologies, titled WERE-2, SKULL X BONES, and AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR. Each anthology will contain approximately 14 all-original (no reprint) short stories from established SF&F authors in the field and new voices found through an open call. The books will be edited by S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier (WERE-2), David B. Coe & Joshua Palmatier (SKULL X BONES), and Joshua Palmatier (AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR).

WERE-2:

It’s the night of the full moon, but there are more than mere werewolves skulking the streets. In WERE-2, we return to the back alleys in the dead of night to discover what other were-creatures might see you as prey. A were-raven? Were-squirrel? Were-octopus? You won’t know until you hear that rustle of feathers next to your ear or smell the brine of the sea in that gust from the window. Writers are asked to give us their most creative were-creature, with only one rule: No werewolves allowed!

Edited by S.C. Butler & Joshua Palmatier, WERE-2 will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each. Anchor authors include: 

• Randee Dawn, 
• Auston Habershaw, 
• Gini Koch, 
• Gail Z. Martin & Larry N. Martin, 
• Harry Turtledove, 
• Tim Waggoner, and 
• Jean Marie Ward.

SKULL X BONES:

Avast, ye scurvy dogs! It’s time to plunder! Pirates have enchanted and haunted readers for generations, from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island to the ill-fated Firefly. Whether it’s Blackbeard, Mal, or Han Solo, we love our swashbucklers, our One-Eyed Willies, and our scruffy-looking nerfherders. In SKULL X BONES, we want writers to give us their best science fiction or fantasy pirates, whether they be on the sailing ships of the deep wide ocean or the spaceships of the black void!

Edited by David B. Coe & Joshua Palmatier, SKULL X BONES will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each. Anchor authors include:

• R.S. Belcher,
• Alex Bledsoe,
• Jennifer Brozek,
• C.C. Finlay, 
• Violette Malan,
• Misty Massey, and
• Alan Smale.

AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR:

The city of Ampyrium is bustling with trade…in the midst of a Merchant War! In AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR, we return to the city that’s the hub for eight portals to other worlds, where the streets are shadowed on the brightest of days, the wares exchange hands both above and beneath the table, and all of it happens under the Eyes of the enigmatic Magnum. In AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR, we invite writers to come play in this shared-world city of magic and mayhem, saintliness and sin, established by the seven authors in last year’s AMPYRIUM. What nefarious plans will you perpetrate…or foil?

Edited by Joshua Palmatier, AMPYRIUM: MERCHANT WAR will contain approximately fourteen stories with an average length of 6,000 words each. Anchor authors include:

• Patricia Bray, 
• S.C. Butler, 
• David B. Coe, 
• Esther M. Friesner, 
• Juliet E. McKenna, 
• Jason Palmatier, and 
• Joshua Palmatier.

Backers of this project will essentially be generating the base funds needed to produce these three anthologies—including payment for the contributing authors, payment for the cover artist, production costs for producing the anthology, etc. There will be a special mass market Kickstarter edition produced for backers who help fund the project at the paperback level. This special edition will have a limited print run to cover the orders made by the backers and will not be printed again after the Kickstarter print run. After that, there will be a trade paperback edition issued to the general public that will have an unlimited print run. So get in on the Kickstarter now and get the special mass market Kickstarter edition!

I see Joshua every year at the annual Shore Leave convention. He also attends other conventions when he can. He is always willing to talk about writing and help other budding authors. Here is a chance to return the favor!

Click here for the 2024 Zombies Need Brains Anthology Kickstarter! 

 

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© 2024 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

May 2024 Update

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The weather is getting warmer, and that's not all that's heating up! Yes, I know it's already a bit further into June than I'd like and I should have already posted this, so here's what happened in May...

Shore Leave will be here soon. I have to get the giveaway books together—although I'm not exactly certain how things will work out with the new venue. They say they are having an art show, but the details of where in the hotel have yet to be announced. I'll stop by, but I won't be selling this year. Maybe next time. There is also a last minute guest addition: J G Hertzler. I'm not familiar with him, but I'm sure many others are. Here's a bit from the Shore Leave site:

In theatre, Mr. Hertzler appeared opposite Academy Award winning actress, Holly Hunter in a new Irish play, By the Bog of Cats at San Jose Rep. Earlier, on Broadway, he appeared opposite Irene Pappas in The Bacchae, directed by Michael Cacoyannis. He has appeared with the Oscar winning actor, Roddy MacDowall in the 1996 National Tour of Dial M for Murder.

Perhaps his best-known work for television is his General Martok on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Other television credits include, Seinfeld, Roswell, Six Feet Under, Touched by an Angel, Charmed, Dr. Quinn, Diagnosis Murder, Quantum Leap, The Highlander, Brisco County Jr., Lois and Clark, General Hospital and One Life to Live, and over 50 episodes on the New Zorro series, filmed in Spain. J. G. was featured with Jennifer Beals and Christopher Walken in the film, Prophecy 2. In the film Pirates of Silicon Valley he appeared as Ridley Scott. He has also appeared with Al Pacino in the Barry Levinson/Norman Jewison classic film, ...And Justice for All.

Currently J. G. is voicing the Drookmani Captain and General Martok on Star Trek: Lower Decks. Last Fall, his radical memoir, Confessions of A Klingon Linebacker, was released in several formats. Signed hard copies will be available at a ridiculous cost! He also co-authored the Star Trek duology The Left Hand of Destiny (2003) with Jeffrey Lang. A fourth book is rumored to be planned for spring of 2025. Stay tuned.

I've also posted my latest writing activities on my Patreon site. You can read about them there. I've also posted my short horror story Neersville on Patreon, It is for paid subscribers only.

In other news, Terri Deno has 9 episodes out now for her new Kindle Vella story called Making a Thief.

Miranda Kate's new book Blood River (Tricky's Tales Book 3) should be out on Kindle by the time this is posted. Might be giving out a three-book Tricky trilogy at Shore Leave just in case you were interested!

Mary Rajotte has her story The Call of the Carrion Crows in the reprint anthology Shadowed Realms. It is available on preorder now for Kindle.

And I'm working on another short horror story I hope to submit later this year. Think trains.

That's all for now!

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© 2024 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Put a Little Mystery Into Your Life

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Yes, it's been a while since I've posted here, and that's my fault. But I do have some news to pass along!

Want to add a little mystery and intrigue to your life? Author Terri Deno has a new Kindle Vella story available. It's a tale of undercover police work called Making a Thief.

Here's a little about Making a Thief:

Detective Nolan Wells has had one case in his career that he just can't shake, and before he retires, he must figure out how to bring down the son of one of the most notorious diamond thieves in the world. He thought he would do anything to close the case, but when his daughter Zahara decides to go undercover to help out, Detective Wells is torn between getting the bad guy and keeping his daughter safe.

Do a bit of investigating yourself and check it out! Remember, the first 10 episodes are free to read on Kindle Vella now!

@terrideno check out my next #kindlevella story dropping May 2. First 10 episodes available free to read 📚📚 #booktok #readersoftiktok #writertok #kindle #thriller ♬ Detective - AShamaluevMusic

 

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© 2024 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

The Loft Gallery

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Just a shout-out for a local gallery...

There is a local art gallery I visit—and have purchased from—having its annual one-of-a-kind sale. The folks there are friendly and willing to talk to anyone about their art. There are lots of different artists (23!) who hang (or display) their art here and many different types and styles of art to view.

Their address is:

The Loft Gallery
313 Mill Street (Upstairs)
Occoquan, VA 22125

Website: https://www.loftgallery.org/

There are several rooms with art in every one. If you visit, take your time to look around. There is one room where you can pull up a chair and view the works—it does give you a unique perspective.

Note: This is in Occoquan, Virginia. Parking is at a premium, so a weekday visit (except for Monday when they are closed) is the best time. Also, the shop is at the top of a long, narrow flight of stairs. It's in an old building in an old town. So, unfortunately, it's not really good for access if you have trouble with a lot of steps.

Disclaimer: I have no association with The Loft Gallery other than being a customer.

 

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© 2024 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Shore Leave Update—Sort Of

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UPDATE October 12, 2023:

 

The Monster Mania Convention, which also uses the Delta Hotel Hunt Valley, has made arrangements to use the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor as its site for their 2024 convention. While the main halls are large enough for Shore Leave, I'm not sure it would have enough smaller "break-out" room for all of the panels that Shore Leave has. The hotel rooms are also more expensive. Again, if I find out anything, I'll pass it on!

 There is a slight update to the Shore Leave / Farpoint hotel situation. No, they haven't found a suitable location. They are having a joint farewell party at the hotel on October 28, 2023. This is from the Shore Leave Facebook page:

Event by Shore Leave, Farpoint Convention and Don L Ramsey

Delta Hotels Baltimore Hunt Valley

Public  · Anyone on or off Facebook 

Join the gang from Shore Leave and Farpoint for a final sendoff at the Delta by Marriott Hunt Valley Inn!

Here is the current schedule...and I believe there will be cake!
All activities will be in the Tack room...though I think most of us will also be found in the bar.

10:00 - The Bob and Howie Show - Authors Robert Greenberger and Howard Weinstein greet us one last time from 245 Shawan Road.

11:00 - Founders Remember (Cathy Dougherty, Regina DeSimone, Melissa James, Marilyn Mann, Denise Masters, Martha Sayre, Chris Schildt, Weston Scrimger, Renee Wilson; Moderator: Steve Wilson) Members of the committees of Shore Leave and Farpoint who were there in the beginning recall our 43 years at the Hunt Valley Inn.

2:00 - Weird and Wonderful Memories - (Moderators: Diane Baron and Susan Olesen, with special guest T.A. Chafin) Escalator roulette, Klingon raids, and how did that Studebaker get here? Our panelists and audience members recall their favorite bits of wackiness in the halls of HVI.

4:00 - Trivia Contest (Diane Baron)

8:00 - Marc Okrand - The creator of the Klingon language has a very long history with Baltimore, his convention home. Marc will talk about being a guest across five decades in Hunt Valley

Here's a map so you can see where the Tack Room is located (yellow circle on lobby level):

As you can see, it is not one of the larger rooms in the building. I suppose that's why most folks will be at the bar. Well, it's as good an excuse as any.

I'm not sure I'll make it there, but I'll try. After all, they say they'll have cake. Perhaps I can get the scoop on what's going on. If so, I'll pass it on to you.

You can read more about the hotel situation HERE.

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

No Room At The Inn

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As of this post, there is no news on possible new sites for the Shore Leave sci-fi convention. Or the Farpoint convention. I do wish the folks responsible for both con websites would remove the dates and location as they are no longer valid and are misleading at best. I know the Shore Leave staff has never been all that quick with their website updates, but still...

Even the hotel website doesn't say they are closing. You can try and book a room past the end of October and all you get is a message saying no rooms are available. That must be some sort of marketing strategy to keep the place full until the very end, I suppose.

If I find out anything for either convention, I'll post it here.

In other news, I am now on Bluesky social. It hasn't wowed me so far. Nothing bad, but not exciting, either. It's new, so I'll hang around and see what happens.

I'm working on what may be the last episode of my serial story, The Dark Scent of Rain, that I'll post on Medium. I don't think Medium readers are looking for that sort of content. You can read more on that HERE.

And, yes, I need to finish my Shore Leave posts on Medium, though it may not matter. Nobody read the first two.

In keeping with the holiday season (Halloween), I went to see a play last night in the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab at the Olney Theatre Center called Brothers Paranormal. Here's a synopsis:

It’s 2007 somewhere in the American Midwest, and Thai-American brothers Max and Visarut haven’t had a single case for their paranormal investigation business since they opened. Finally, a customer arrives, Delia, a Black woman who has relocated to the area after losing her home in Hurricane Katrina. She’s seen a female, perhaps Asian, maybe Thai-speaking ghost haunting her house for reasons unknown. Max, who doesn’t believe in ghosts, is most excited to sign her up for a deluxe investigation package. But when the brothers visit Delia and her husband Felix, strange things begin to happen. Prepare to be thrilled, chilled, and moved! 

It's a good play (maybe a few plot holes that won't affect your enjoyment) with good acting, but it's rated PG-13, so you won't be as traumatized as when seeing The Exorcist for the first time. You can view the playbill HERE. Also, for a play on a small stage, the visual effects were done well.

 

That's all for the moment. I'll be back soon...

 

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

That's A Mighty Big Wrench

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I'm sure you've heard the idiom, "They've thrown a wrench in the works." Well, that's what has happened to Shore Leave 44...

If you're not familiar with the Shore Leave sci-fi convention, it is an annual affair that has taken place in Hunt Valley, Maryland for many years. There are artists, authors (and their books for sale), celebrity guests, and even scientists who provide entertainment and information to the hundreds of attendees. Over 1,400 people attended Shore Leave 43. I had already reserved my hotel rooms for next year's event.

Delta Hotels Hunt Valley - image from Hotels.com

Unfortunately, I've just heard that the Delta Hotels Baltimore Hunt Valley where the event is held is closing October 30th. There has been no information on what will be done with the property as of this posting. That leaves the STAT Club searching for a new location on relatively short notice. While hopes are high, there is no guarantee that Shore Leave will continue.

Even worse, they are not the only ones with a convention site problem. Farpoint uses the same location for their convention. They have even less time to find a new venue as their con starts in February. This is a posting on their website:

Farpoint lists October 31st as the closing date, but the WBAL (local news station) article lists October 30th. Either way, Shore Leave (and Farpoint) is in deep trouble. I can't say it's a complete surprise. I noticed a definite lack of maintenance during my last visit. Perhaps this has been in the cards for a while now. 

At this point, I can't say if there will be a Shore Leave convention, or if there is, when and where it will be. They could do a "virtual" convention as they did during the heights of COVID, but that's just not the same. There are other venues within a reasonable distance, but they may be booked already. I couldn't even offer a guess as to what the cost differences might be.

So much changing and I haven't even finished my posts about the last Shore Leave convention! All I can say is, I'll keep you posted...

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

I've Had Enough Fun With Simily

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Just a reminder: It’s okay to leave comments!

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I think it's time to end my experiment with Simily. 

via GIPHY

I received this email from Simily this morning (June 14, 2023):

Wednesday June 13, 2023

Important Changes to the Simily Platform

To Our Fellow Similians,

Simily’s mission has always been to build a place where creative writers and readers can thrive online. As the platform has grown, we noticed a shift in the quality of content and engagement on the site which took us further away from this mission. Over the past few months, our small team has spent countless hours and resources defending the site from bad actors focused on driving spam and bot traffic. (If you’ve been with us for a while, you understand the bumps in the road and we can’t thank you enough for sticking with us!) 

It’s time we bring our focus back to creating a social platform that allows creators to share high-quality writing with an engaged audience.  

We’ve spoken to hundreds of you and based on your feedback, we are excited to announce a series of changes to the Simily platform. Each decision was made in an effort to make Simily a home for creative writing and foster an engaging community of readers and writers. These changes were designed to set our Similians up for long-term success and we can’t wait to continue this journey with you all! 

So, what’s different?

Social settings are changing. In an effort to support meaningful interactions on Simily, the ability to direct message other writers, create groups, and post in groups on Simily will now only be available to paid users.

There is an application process to become a Simily Writer. As of now, members will need to apply to become a writer on Simily. We will no longer allow anyone to publish whatever content they want. By curating the content on Simily, we hope to create a better, higher-quality experience for our writers and build a library of incredible stories for our readers.

I have stories on Simily, what happens now? If you posted on Simily before this change took effect, all of your stories will be reverted to drafts. We encourage you to apply to be a Simily Writer through our application process! If your application is not accepted (or you decline to apply) you have until August 1, 2023 to download your drafts from the site before they are deleted permanently. If you are approved as a Simily Writer, your content will be published live on the platform. All new writers will be required to apply for the ability to post content on our site.

Can I apply to be a Simily Writer? Absolutely! Submit your application through our application process!

What about my earnings? When an author is approved as a Simily Writer, all earnings from previous stories will be maintained. If you have a current balance above the minimum earnings threshold, you can request a payout by emailing hello@simily.co.

The following countries are eligible to be paid out through Simily: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.

For additional information, please view our Community Guidelines and FAQs.

We know these are big changes for Simily! If you have any questions or would like to share feedback, please do not hesitate to reach out to hello@simily.co. 

Thank you!

Simily Co-Founders

When I checked my Simily page this morning, I found that six of my stories had reverted to draft. Everything I have there has been posted before the changes took place. They said all would be reverted, but it seems they couldn't get that right, either. Did they forget? Are they not done? Who knows? And the posts that went back to draft were all my most recent posts. What they said and what they did don't match.

UPDATE June 14, 2023: All of my posts have been reverted to draft. END OF UPDATE

They also said we'd keep our earnings. That didn't quite work out either. I know others have complained about losing earnings previously. 

And if you've followed my posts in other places, you'll know I wasn't happy about the repeated outages lasting for days with little (or no) information as to what was going on.

These statements worry me: "We will no longer allow anyone to publish whatever content they want. By curating the content on Simily, we hope to create a better, higher-quality experience for our writers and build a library of incredible stories for our readers." It doesn't say who will be "curating" or if there could be a discussion about it if a post is denied. It's just another form of censorship. I seldom (ever?) post anything controversial, but it doesn't sit well.

They do give an address for Simily in their e-mail. It's 4387 W Swamp Rd # 4718902 Doylestown, PA 18902-1039. 4387 W Swamp Rd Doylestown, PA 18902 is a Parcel Place, so they are using that as a mail drop. This brings up the possibility it is being run out of someone's basement/home office. Not necessarily bad thing, but not confidence inspiring—especially considering the other problems I've mentioned.

I really don't think the Simily folks are malicious. I think they're incompetent. Or perhaps less competent than they need to be. Just an opinion. Anyway, I'll be leaving Simily. Might take a few days to copy stuff and all, but it's time...

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© 2023 K. R. Smith All rights reserved