I returned last evening from a wonderful trip to Gettysburg with a group of committed writers (or is that writers who should be committed?) — most of whom are in my writing group, Altered Fluid. We stayed in two sprawling farmhouses — both allegedly haunted — and much writing was done by all. I started a new short story (I’m about 2000 words in) inspired by my recent trip to the Galapagos Islands, and revised another new story, which I submitted to Abyss and Apex. I also strongly encouraged my collaborator, E.C. Myers, to finish the next set of revisions on our new short story, which I’m quite excited about. (I told you I’d take credit for your efforts over the weekend, partner. Get used to it!) Despite all the screaming and cursing, productivity was assisted by the intermittent internet connection.

The highlight of the weekend was a tour of the battlefields given to us by Civil War expert and historical spec fic writer Devin Poore. The man knows more about Gettysburg than anyone I know.

Our attempt to commune with the Civil War spirits proved a bust–although a light bulb did suspiciously go out during our seance, presided over by horror and fantasy scribe Kris Dikeman.

Overall, I had a terrific time. Photos of the retreat/battlefield tour can be seen here:

In other news, the cover to Interzone #221 has been posted. And it looks absolutely stunning. The issue features fantastic stories (which I’m lucky to have already read) from three members of Altered Fluid: Marvelous Matthew Kressel, Almighty Alaya Dawn Johnson and Powerful Paul Berger. Kudos to all three!