Wow, what is it with the Halloween
stuff? I guess the quarterly release of ol' AvMists didn't quite line
up right for the inspiration that struck several of our
contributors this time, but I'm delighted to bring you
this issue packed with great scary-themed stuff just
in time for the warm cozy loving holiday season! ; )
We've got a behind-the-scenes look at the events in "Eye
of the Beholder." We've got a Halloween comic
strip. We've got Demona in Hell. I love it!
In addition, we have some fantastic
stories, cartoons, artwork, and creativity busting out all over! This
issue includes several Fanfic Debuts, adding some new
talent to the fandom's writing circle. Last issue's
Challenge of the Gargoyle Olympics produced some fun
and interesting submissions.
On a more personal note, I'm in the
midst of a rather exhausting autumn that has been plagued with stress
and disappointments. My daughter Becca began kindergarten,
turned six, had only one kid show up for her
party, and had that kid, her best friend, leave the next
week when his mom was transferred. She also got a
Habitrail setup for her birthday and is now the proud
owner of two dwarf hamsters, Scooter and Frisky, and
I must say that dwarf hamsters are about the cutest damn
critters I ever did see ... they're small as mice, but
without the tail, have hardly any legs at all but just
naked little feet sticking out from under their furry egg-
shaped bods, and when excited they stand on their hind
feet and look like they're doing the hamsterdance
from the maddening dot-com of the same name ; )
After much intensive hard work, I
completed the first draft of my new horror novel. Called "The Gifted,"
it is about a sinister plan by a group of mad scientists
to develop psychic powers in unsuspecting children ...
like "Black Roses," this is an idea I explored first
a bit in my fanfic, and many familiar characters have moved
from one corner of my imaginary universe to the other.
Aiden is there now, as are Judge and Inge, and Dr.
Gustav Sevarius appears under a new name. Even Birdie
is mentioned, and I have a feeling she'll have more
of a part to play in the next one ("Changeling Moon,"
which I'll start after I write "Basilisk Knight").
Things are going fairly well in the
MageLore area ... in December, I will begin final revisions on the third
book, "Archmage of the Universe." The cover is being
done by our fandom's own talented Brian Vigue,
and I will begin angling for an introduction soon (in
keeping with the tradition of having cool folks from the
gaming industry write the intros, I've got just the guy
in mind!). Watch the MageLore site for updates on this,
including a sneak peek coming soon of the first chapter!
As I write this, I'm actually doing
things a little early for a change ... it's still almost two weeks before
the
deadline. But Becca and I are leaving Sunday to spend
Thanksgiving at Grandma's house (and also to make
an appearance at Loscon in Burbank, where I'll be both
pushing my book and joining Greg Weisman and
members of the Gathering 2001 team to present and advertise
what is going to be the biggest and best
Gathering yet.
Speaking of which, if you haven't
heard the latest, the one and only MARINA SIRTIS has been added as
a guest of honor! You don't want to miss this one, folks
... head over to the Gathering 2001 website and
register today!
But first, take a look at Avalon Mists,
and feel free any time to start sending in submissions for the Spring
2001 issue! It's never too soon, and as after tearing
up the house and realizing I don't have a 2001 calendar
anywhere (even the one in my check register ends in 2000;
did they expect society to collapse?), I can't say
just yet when the deadline will be!
Christine Morgan
November 17, 2000
christine@sabledrake.com