Barbara's Blog

  The Feast of All Saints, and not a single trick-or-treater last night (it rained). I did see evidence that a few were out nevertheless - candy-wrappers on the sidewalk as I took my walk this morning. The painting is one of my fake-romance-cover exercises, practicing a genre I love (as a friend says, "If those girls would just wear jeans those escapes from dark old houses would be easier") with "scrap" harvested from the Internet (I'm sure that pic of Brigit Bardot was all over Google at one time). An alternative to the orange haunted house picture I think of as my Halloween painting. (But, yeah, wear some jeans, honey, and call Uber!) My apologies yet again for not posting more frequently - and for not putting more time into trying to get the Facebook page up and running again (or establishing another professional page that I'm in control of). (Or even posting on the BlueSky account I got months ago). I simply haven't had the time or the energy. The pu...

  Someone had this up on Facebook this morning - I had to copy it. Reasons people died OTHER than the Plague, in this case (other than those 7,165 victims that week - out of a total of 8,297). There used to be a police procedural TV series called "Naked City" (1958-1963), and over the credits a voice would say, "There are eight million stories in the naked city..."  Harry Turtledove and I did a panel together at WorldCon about writing historical fiction. His wife, Laura Frankos, and I were on a panel together about research. It's difficult to explain to someone who hasn't felt it, the deep draw that research has for research nerds like ourselves. I do research for pleasure as much as because it provides stories for murder mysteries. Pleasure isn't really the word - some of the research is absolutely horrifying. But there's a deep satisfaction in reaching back and seeing names, faces, stories - as well as the very frequent "WTF?!?!" that one...

  A quick follow-up to my hasty post after returning from WorldCon. I DID finish corrections on the editorial notes for The Devil's Dinner - I HATE it when I a) change something in one draft and don't catch all the necessary alterations needed in the next draft and b) run across places where *I* know what I meant because I've already been through the story six times, so have neglected to explain things to the reader. MANY thanks to my patient editor at Severn House/Joffe! At the same time that I was turning that around, several other gotta-get-it-done-NOW issues arose (including filling out over 30 sets of "updates" on a website, and calling the Helpline of that particular project to be walked through the process...), as well as medical appointments and getting the a/c in my 20-year-old car fixed. (Not to speak of all the household things that didn't get done during the deadline-push). But, all taken care of now. I've had two full days to relax in, so time...

  Back from WorldCon - LAcon V - to find in my e-mail the editorial notes on the next Benjamin January mystery, now titled The Devil's Dinner... due in less than two weeks. So this'll be brief. Briefly, it was a wonderful con. There was a shortage of volunteers - travel being far more expensive this year, among other things - so I had the impression that the committee was run ragged making sure everything was covered. Nevertheless, they put on a marvelous range of program items (over 1600 of them!), and kept things running smoothly - though Ursula Vernon (Toastmaster) had to vamp her way through IT delays during the Masquerade and the Hugos with Fun Facts About Weird Animals (including more than you ever wanted to know about starfish anatomy and the mating habits of porcupines). (She is VERY funny). I was on a lot of panels, so there was a lot of the convention that I simply didn't have time to see. I made the time to visit the Art Show... Beautiful stuff. (And because I wa...

  After three attempts to use the stylish template of my LA-Con schedule, I'm just going to write it out here. My apologies - I've been trying to get the rough draft for the next Hollywood mystery in shape (the outline is even more disorganized than usual, owing to circumstances beyond my control), and I'm doing about 45 minutes per day of physical therapy exercises, which cut into time. Here's where I'll be at LACon-V, the 2026 Worldcon at the Anaheim Convention Center, August 27-31: Thursday, August 27 : Sleuthing Through History - Noon Barbara Hambly Birthday Tea Party - 3 pm (yes, because I'm one of the Guests of Honor, and that weekend is my 75th birthday, they're giving a tea party which will be open to all, they tell me. So I'll see you there!) Friday, August 28 : GoH Interview - Noon - They asked me, did I want to give a speech, or be interviewed? I said I'd rather be interviewed, so I will be interviewed by my longtime friend Christine Val...

  2026 Worldcon is Coming Up! The 2026 Worldcon is coming up in just over 3 weeks! I will be one of seven Guests of Honor (with Ronald Moore, Colleen Doran, Dr. Anita Sengupta, Tim Kirk (whose work I have loved since I was in High School!), Stan Sakai (Yay Usagi the Samurai Rabbit!), and Geri Sullivan, with Ursula Vernon as Toastmaster. LOTS of other excellent guests on over 1600 events: panels, meet-ups, kids' p rogramming, readings, autographings, table-talks, gaming, (and a tea party to celebrate my 75th birthday, put on by the con committee). Plus, of course, the masquerade, art show, and the Hugo Awards. Anaheim Convention Center (and the Hilton Hotel near-by), August 27-31. In other news, I'm still trying to regain my status as a "guest administrator" on the Barbara Hambly, Writer Facebook page, but I will start posting also on bluesky (barbara-hambly-44.bsky.social), though I understand they have a word-limit per post. Thank you for your patience!

  Today it has been ten years since my Dad's passing. I can't really talk about it, or write about it - he was a very special man and one of the greatest blessings of my life was to have him as the head of our family. A fan of history, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Zane Gray. Ninety-one was far too young, but he got to leave from his own home, without doctors or machines, with his beloved wife at his side. Lots of memories.