So Rainfurrest was great. I have never seen a con with such a wonderfully diverse collection of panels and so many writing focused events - I was all over the writing track and really enjoyed myself.

One of the events was a writing competition - basic concept: a panel is held for interested writers, the topic for the next year's con is revealed to them - secret under the pain of pain - and they're basically told "Write a story in the 2000-5000 word range. In two days. We'll name the winners at closing ceremonies."

Being somewhat masochistic, I jumped at this opportunity. Showed up, the room was filled with accomplished writers and the panel was led by respected and published writers who would also judge the pieces. They gave us the con theme, and I went 'aw hell' as it was rather outside of my usual genres despite some experience with it some time ago. But I bubbled an idea around in my brain a bit, spent a few hours sitting in one of the lobbies with laptop and caffeine and pounded out 3500 words, submitted it with 15 minutes before deadline, and left the con to come home midday Sunday. Felt pretty good about the story - anything that makes me mist up at the climax usually does pretty good - but whether it would be good against a bunch of other really good writers was really uncertain.

So I'm back in Vancouver and waiting for a bus to get home and check my phone to a bunch of Tweets letting me know that I won the competition.

I what?

I've been bouncing off the walls since I got home. I get a feature spot in the 2014 Rainfurrest conbook, and a free membership for next year! The conbook puts my piece in front of 2000 or so readers, and all the furry publishers are involved with the con and the writing track in some way, so this is pretty awesome stuff.

Kitsune is thrilled. =)

Beyond that, I enjoyed the hell out of the con, and look forward to doing more of them. VancouFur is coming up in March - I'm looking for conbook submissions for that! Drop me a note for details!

This is kind of an amusing way to do memes, so I'm gonna do my Rainfurrest meme with .gifs too! If I put a scratch on it, I assume all responsibility.

Are you excited about the con?

How are you getting to Seattle?

What are your con plans?

Do you draw?

Do you fursuit?

Do you party?

How well do you dance?

Are you nice?

Are you popular?

What animal(s) do you identify with?

Can I hit on you?

Can I hang out in your hotel room? (ask first!)

Can I hug you?

How can I get your attention


General un-giffed information:
- Arriving Wednesday night, leaving Sunday midday
- Rooming with  wbwolf of course
- Planning to spend a buttload of time in the writing track, which looks awesome
- Probably volunteering somewhere in there
- Likely to spend some time in the pool, probably in the mornings to do laps, yay exercise
- Looking forward to it
- Come talk to me, I don't bite!

One of the stories that I've been sitting on for a while, 'Dates,' has been accepted for an upcoming FurPlanet anthology.

I'm quite happy with this - the story's a bit of a departure for me in terms of some of the themes, and I felt it was very strong despite being rejected by another anthology previously.

No publication schedule as yet, but I'll update you all when it comes around.

Woot! =)

I've been having trouble advancing my own projects lately, which leads me to think I need something to get my creativity jumpstarted. To help with that, I'm going to give something new a try.

I am opening up for TWO STORY COMMISSIONS. Successful commissioners will be purchasing a completed 2000-4000-word story based on their requested themes, characters, settings, etc. that then becomes theirs to do with as they wish - with the requirement that the author's credit and link remain attached wherever it's posted or shared.

These pieces can be either general-audience or adult. I do have some restrictions on topics that I will and will not write; if you've got something in mind that might be a little out of the ordinary, please PM me and we can discuss it.

WHAT I WILL NEED
Commissioners will be asked to provide:
- the general plot or concepts to be included
- the characters they wish to have included - descriptions, personalities, character references if available (the more detailed, the better to allow the author to write them correctly)
- the setting they wish the story to take place (this can be either a general type of setting, eg modern, fantasy, SF, etc. or a specific locale)
- any specific happenings or occurrences that should take place
- additional details as needed

If the commissioner wishes, I will discuss the use of my characters in these pieces (I reserve the right to refuse the use of my characters if they're requested to do something out of their usual nature, of course).

PRICING
These stories will be written on a basis of $1 per 100 words - minimum $20 and maximum $40 for this round. I chose these word counts because 2000 words is a good length for development of plot and characters and over 4000 words is a fairly heavy haul and I want to give this a shot first before I get too deep. Completion date will be in September and negotiated based on length and complexity.


I'm going to be a little pick-and-choosey with this first round so I can be sure I can work this out reasonably well.

If you are interested, please note me a short summary of what you'd like to see, and I'll discuss it with potential commissioners.

Also, artists: if you're looking for someone to collaborate with on comic projects, assistance with scripting, etc. - I'd love to discuss that with you as well.

Thanks!

Hey guys, if anyone's in the market for a fursuit,  rhari needs to sell her adorable fox suit ASAP - please go check out http://www.furaffinity.net/view/10923614/ if you're looking. Great price, nice suit, couldn't help out a nicer frox out by buying it!

VancouFur 2013 is coming up in a little over a week - figured I'd do this up! Going to be finishing the conbook tomorrow and getting it ready for printing and assembly this weekend. We're on the final push!


Where are you staying? -
I'm at the beautiful Executive Hotel & Conference Centre. You should be there too!

What day are you getting there? -
I'll be moving in Thursday so's I can be around to help with setup Friday, then heading home Sunday.

Who will you be with? -
Rooming with  wbwolf

Do you do free art? -
Me? Art? HA! I might write you a paragraph or two if you ask nicely, just don't expect to be able to read it if it's handwritten.

What is your gender? -
*checks* Male. *checks again* Definitely.

How old are you? -
Probably older than you. Statistically the likelihood of that is good, anyhow.

What suits will you have? -
Oh, I've got a nice charcoal suit and a grey one, and ... wait, that's not the question is it? I AM NO SO GOOD WITH THE SUIT THINGS

Can I touch you? -
I accept hugs from people who I'm at least on a 'hey I know your name and we've talked a bit' basis. Otherwise, a hearty handshake works!

Can I talk to you? -
Absolutely. Do make sure you have my attention, though, I can be a bit dopey sometimes. And I'm shy so the conversation might be challenging.

Can I buy you lots of drinks? -
A few, anyhow. My ancestry is part Scottish, turning down free drinks is the short road to Hades, from what I understand.

Can I hug or snuggle with you? -
See above, I am cuddly sometimes but I need to know you first.

How tall are you? -
Eighteen hands to the top of the head.

Are you nice? -
People always tell me that I am, and one day I'll believe them.

Are you cliquey? -
Dunno if you can say I'm cliquey. I'm quiet, more than cliquey, and tend to fade into the background sometimes.

Do you have an artist table? -
BAHAHAHAHAHAHA *snort* hehehehe. no.

Do you like parties? -
I'm not a huge party type, but if it's not crazy nutso drunken stoner stuff I might drop in and say hi.

If I see you, how should I get your attention? -
Say "Hey Tony!" If that doesn't work, try "Yo, kitsune!" "Hey you!" might do it in a pinch... and if *that* doesn't work just yank out a deck of cards and shout "Poker game!' Pavlov's dog got nothin' on me there, kids.

Can I hang out with you? -
If you like, sure. Come to one of the panels I'm involved with! Or volunteer when I am!

How can I find you? -
Watch for my wonderful theme badge by the lovely  rhari and my staff plaid shirt. I'll be around. I'll definitely be at the Furries in the Media panel - as one of the panelists - and helping Wuffie with the Bad Movie night on Saturday. JOIN US.

Howloween, which is a fun little minicon every November here in Vancouver run by some awesome furs who do a great job, is having a free raffle - you win, you get your character on their splash page. Check out the journal here to enter: https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4247670/

If you're in the Vancouver area or want to visit sometime, Howloween's pretty entertaining. Check out the website, http://www.howloween.ca - support local furry events!

2011 was pretty much a major awful year for me. I believe my words as I rang in 2012 were something along the lines of "Good fucking riddance," after losing my younger brother and my father having a heart attack (and recovering, thankfully).

2012 has been a better year. We had a successful launch of VancouFur in March and the conbook work I did on it went over very well. I was pleased with the feedback, and I'm working on the book again for this year's con. (info at vancoufur.ca - register, it's fun!) Work has been successful and busy, though at times too busy. I'd like it to be slower sometimes and faster at others, but it's not so bad. Creatively, I've had a rougher time... "Dates," my submission for Sofawolf's Heat #10 got rejected for being 'too predictable,' to which I say 'feh,' in disagreement. Oh well. It may prove to be the centrepiece of a larger project, but I'm not sure yet, I have to discuss that with some other writers. I haven't really produced a lot of work this year, and I wish I could do more but my mental state has been challenged by various things. I can't say the year didn't have its moments, and I go out of it looking back with some levels of confusion (my base state), thoughtfulness and wistful sadness. And the unpleasant habit of breaking into tears if the wrong song comes on the radio at weak moments. But I also come out of it with some new very good friends and the hope that perhaps if things have gone in certain directions once they may do so again in the very near future.

Creatively, I have a few projects on the go that readers may be interested in. Notably, I've got two Team Players stories on the slate. One is half-finished; it's actually what I'm referring to as a 'sideline' story in that theme and is titled 'Three' - it features Kelsey's mother Anna exploring the dating scene. (It's stalled because my brain isn't interested in writing The other will feature Kelsey and Lucas and explore a little more about their peculiar situation while having some fun as well. I also have an idea in mind that I'm going to be discussing with other authors, with an eye for a possible anthology of sorts. Beyond that, I'm working on a novel/novella in a noir style featuring a setting I've used before - Las Vegas - and a theme of animal senses in a mystery/detective story. It has a lot of potential, and I'm excited to get it moving more when I have the chance.

Anyhow, just a general end-of-year ramble. I hope everyone has had a good 2012 and that your 2013 is even better.

Heyo!

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who watched me recently thanks to the Jay Naylor commission of Lucas and Kelsey - I think that proved that cross-marketing is successful even on FA!

Project-wise, I'm currently working on my submission for this year's round of 'Heat' submissions, a male/male piece called 'Dates.' First draft is almost complete, but I'm going to have to do a couple of runs through it to get the right feel... It's a bit challenging, as I've got some themes in it that I'm not that familiar with. But hey, challenges are good!

Some ideas are kicking around in my head for the next Team Players story; I may diversify it and explore some of the other characters, or I might look at how things go for Kelsey and Lucas going a little further forward. We'll see. 'Dates' first, then see what happens.

Beyond that, I've got ideas for a novella-length piece based off of the last Vegas story I posted, and I may take a poke at exploiting the e-publishing industry with a mid-length story targeting lovelorn teen girls and women. I can write bad romance that will sell well. =)

I'm also back on the team for VancouFur 2013 and will be handling the conbook again unless something major changes there. It's going to be a hell of a good con again, so everyone be ready to join us when it gets going!

I'm curious - anyone on here interested in commissioning me to write for them?

I've seen it done by other writers, but the ones who do well tend to be the popufurs (as much as I dislike that word). I'd be interested to know if any of my watchers would find it of interest, and what kind of payment they might be willing to make.

This isn't an offer of commissions right now, just curiosity.

I'm at VancouFur, my second ever furry con (first was Conifur 1 back in god knows whenever...). Great turnout, which is awesome for our first event... I worked reg for a while and was impressed by the numbers we were showing, even on opening night.

This is also the first time I've ever worn the tail that  bluecanary made for me as part of a gift swap years ago... Looks good on me!

Drifted around a bit and played some AD&D for a while; my back is kind of borked so I had a warm bath (got a jacuzzi suite - jacuzzi is way slow in filling up and the jets are loud!) and will get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow there are some panels to hit... Including the two I am hosting on writing. Also working the dealers room for a while and helping out wherever. Must see what trouble I can get into... Find someone to rub my back, maybe. =)

Just spent the day working on setup stuff for VancouFur... building conbooks, folding programs, and so forth. Lots of work, but a group of us really worked hard and got them ready to roll.

So... yeah, less than a week and Vancouver's hosting a furry con. It's actually going to happen, and it's going to be pretty damn cool.

I'm actually excited. =)

Still building, it's getting exciting - we've got lots going on, and my conbook is going like crazy right now.

Figured I might as well do this!

Convention Website: http://vancoufur.ca/

Where are you staying?
I'm in the hotel - on staff, so I'd better be around, right?

What day are you getting there?
Staying Friday/Saturday, checking out Sunday and heading home.

Who will you be with?
I have my own room, because I'm cool that way.

Who will you hang out with during the convention?
No idea, really - probably some of my poker buddies, most likely people I know.

Are there any panels you might be attending?
I know I'm hosting four writing panels (so far - might add a fifth) so I'll be at those for sure! Might go by some others, we'll see what develops.

Are you attending any stage or public performances?
I will probably check them out, yes.

Will you be suiting?
Only if I mug someone for a suit. I'll be wearing my tail, though, that I got aaaages ago and have never worn!

Do you do art?
Nope. I write!

What is your gender?
*checks* Male.

How tall are you?
Six feet.

Can I talk to you?
Sure. Be gentle with me, I'm fairly shy around new people.

Can I touch you?
As above... I don't mind a hug or a pat or whatever, as long as I'm familiar with you.

How can I find you?
I'm getting a nifty badge done by  apoxon so keep an eye out for Tony Greyfox badge, I should be the only one. =)

Can I visit your room?
If I know you okay, yes. If you're some random fur who I don't know, be advised I know submission holds. =P

Can I buy you drinks?
I will probably be drinking minimally - I don't drink much anyhow - but hell, I'll take free stuff.

Can I give you stuff?
As long as it's not contagious!

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Again, I'm okay with hugs if I know you. Snuggles are nice if I know you fairly well.

Are you nice?
Absolutely. LOVE ME!!!

Do you have an artist table?
Nope. I may be spending time in the Dealer's Den working the door, but we'll see.

Will you have art in the Art Show? General or Adult sections?
I'm debating putting some of my bird photography in there. General, obviously, I haven't managed to get those great Geese Gone Wild shots I'd need for the Adult yet.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
I answer to my character name, my real name if you know it, and "Hey, you!" in a pinch.

Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
Around the hotel, most likely. Staff stuff, y'know?

What/where will you be eating?
I happen to work in the area of the hotel so I know the restaurants and stuff around there - I'll be heading out to various spots most likely. There's a good Japanese place right around the corner!

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
I'm probably going to be the tagalong in most cases, but if I wander off go ahead and grab me.

Can I look in your sketchbook?
I have no sketchbook. Sad.

Can I take your picture?
Of course. It helps to prove to me that I exist. (If they're good pics, please share, I spend far too much time behind the camera and am in very few images.)

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
It's my second con. I want to a) survive being in a hotel full of people I'm either vaguely or not familiar with; b) host some good panels; and c) make some new friends. Among other things.

I didn't write a freakin' thing worth nominating this year, so feel free to hunt them down if you feel like it.

I'll probably vote for a webcomic or two, eventually. Maybe.

/indifferent

Please share this around wherever you can, folks, we want a nice big turnout for the con!

I'm curious. How many of my watchers have considered the possibility of commissioning a writer to put together a story for you?

It's an intriguing idea, and I've seen it done in a few places -  kmhirosaki has a commission auction up on Furbuy for a 5000-10000 word story that's upwards of $170 right now, for example. Granted, he's very high profile (and I wish I knew how I could do that, considering the utter lack of interest that last story I posted got here - still booming along over on SoFurry), but still, that's pretty good pay for a story of that length.

Anyone ever thought of buying a writer? I'm interested in your thoughts.


In the meantime, note that my brain's been in 'fucked up' mode lately for reasons some of you are aware of, but I'm getting better to some extent. I've got a few stories in my brain, including one quick one with Erik and Colin that I'm going to try and pop together in the next week. Yay hot gay furry sex, right? Plus another piece that I'll be considering for publications, not that I can figure out what's taking submissions when most of the time, and a piece I'll probably need for the VancouFur conbook considering it's running slowly right now.
So some creative stuff coming up, maybe. Yay, I guess.

Hey, folks - Canadian watchers especially - could you please spread the word about this? I need all the contributions I can get!

---

VancouFur Conbook Submissions Wanted

Would you like to give people a whole new way of looking at Canada? So would we! The VancouFur conbook is in need of art and stories, and that means we need artists and writers who are willing to share their skills.

The VancouFur theme is "Great White North." Often, Canada's portrayed as being snowy 11 months of the year, with folks living in igloos and keeping their pet moose in the back yard. We'd like to have material showcasing Canada at its best – modern Canadiana, historical Canada, symbols of the country, all showing visitors to VancouFur what Canada and Vancouver are all about.

We'd love to see art and stories featuring some of the great activities that the region has to take advantage of – mountain biking at Whistler, kayaking in English Bay, enjoying great food downtown, anything you can come up with along those lines – as well as subjects from across Canada as well. How about some interesting but lesser-known features of Canadian history, or something that spotlights small-town Canada and its beauty? There's a lot of potential for our country to be the backdrop to something fun and enjoyable.

This is a wide-open topic, but that should give our contributors the chance to exercise their creativity. If you have a question about a subject, please contact conbook lead Tony Greyfox through these forums or at conbook@vancoufur.ca.

ART SUBMISSIONS
We need these sent at 300 dpi for quality printing. Both colour and black and white are accepted; please note that colour submissions may wind up being printed in grayscale depending on the amount of colour pages in the book. The book will be standard 8.5x11 in size, so consider that in your art design. Smaller images are great as well – lots of pictures are great!

FICTION SUBMISSIONS
These should be suitable for a general audience, and no more than 2000 words in length – shorter is great too. We're looking for well-written fiction pieces, preferably with well-developed plot and characters for the length of the piece. Submissions should be sent in .txt format if at all possible, allowing for ease of formatting when laid out.

Please note that all artists and authors whose works are used in the conbook will be given full credit for their works. Refer to the submission information on the VancouFur website for more.

DEADLINE
Our deadline is December 31. If there might be a need for an extension, please check with the conbook lead.

SUBMISSION ADDRESS
Please submit all art and fiction to Tony Greyfox at conbook[at]vancoufur.ca Digital submission is vastly preferred, but if it's not possible please e-mail for alternate arrangements.

... did I just totally miss the mark with "Games People Play" for my watchers here? I have more views on SoFurry in three hours or so than I have here in three days, and more activity in terms of ratings and favs over there as well.

Or did the lame-ass description not screaming "HEY! SEX HERE!" when I first posted it screw me up?

Or have people just not had the time to read it yet?

Or is the series no longer interesting to you folks?

Inquiring writers want to know...

Hoping to have Team Players 6 posted sometime in the next couple of days. Until then (and until I've got the time and inclination to post a commentary on feedback and the lack thereof for writers), have a meme.


Ganked from  Kyell

- What sort of artist would you most identify yourself as? -
Writer

- What would be your secondary identity? -
Editor and layout guy

- What forms of art do you dabble in, but don't excel at? (Keep in mind, this could change!) -
Music (guitar)

- How would you describe your 'style'? -
A varying collection from noir detective stories to fantasy, with some SF and slice-of-life thrown in. The common theme is strong emotional themes and visual descriptions.

- What medium do you favor most? -
Papyrus and charcoal. (or MS Word, if the former is unavailable at a reasonable price.)

- What are your favorite subject matters? -
Slice of life stories, mystery, social interaction and conflict. Oh, and "tab A into slot B" stuff. =P

- What are your least favorite subject matters? -
If I don't like it I don't write it.

- List your Artistic Strengths -
Strongly visual descriptive scenes, conveying emotion through characterization, being a right bastard to my characters.

- List your Artistic Weaknesses -
Dialogue structure, scene transitions.

- Which of the above weaknesses would you most like to see improve? -
Dialogue, definitely - I need to learn to do long conversations without it being boring.

- Adult Content. . . yes/no? -
*gasp* How dare you suggest such a terrible thing? Freak!

Kidding! Porn please.

- Adult Subject Matter you favor? -
Anything involving two characters who really connect well in bed.

- Schooling/Training received in the arts? -
English classes, a great teacher in first-year college, a year of English and media studies and two years of journalism school (Dean's List, graduated with honors, baby!).

- Schooling/Training you'd still like to have? -
Not sure.

- Would you consider yourself prolific, or a 'quality over quantity' sort of artist? -
I write when I can and when I'm inspired.

- Would you considering yourself a Fine Artist, or a Commercial Artist? -
Commercial - I've been paid a bit, but not much, but I don't expect to be considered a fine artist any time soon.

- Where would you like to be in five years? -
Tahiti, with a half-naked beach girl in my lap. *coughs* Still writing, but making better money out of it, and hopefully with a novel out somewhere along the way.

So "Dance, Dance" was rejected by the folks at Sofawolf for being too close in theme to "By A Nose" and other things. Now I wish I had done the other piece I had been pondering at the time instead... I'll still write that one, but it will be my Heat submission for next year, I guess. I hate sitting on writing for that long.

Oh well. In the meantime, while I'm finishing off Team Players 6, I'll be posting "Dance, Dance" for y'all. When FA gets back, anyhow. Still fairly proud of how it came out. Watch for it soon.

Okay, so  temrin has an auction up - http://www.furbuy.com/auctions/1026554.html - and is offering an opportunity at some free artwork for promoting it. So, I'm promoting it!

Also, if y'all go over to her page and watch her, let her know I sent you over in the journal mentioning the raffle, and I'll get extra entries in the raffle. And you get another great artist on your watchlist! Wins all around!


In other news, watch for Team Players #6 to be around sometime in the very near future - with something special in conjunction with the story. (Multiple somethings, eventually!)

You know how sometimes you get an image in your head and it won't go away? I get that all the time. Sometimes I can write it out, which is how Team Players came to be. Sometimes it doesn't have a story behind it, which makes it hard to get.

In this case, I was listening to music, and my brain sometimes likes to visualize my characters in the place of the band, on stage or in certain situations the music brings about. The song Champagne High, by Sister Hazel, ( http://youtu.be/3oLcDhIWxuY ) is one I connect with really closely, and has some really nice female backing vocals by the Indigo Girls' Emily Saliers; on the plane yesterday, my exhausted brain drifted into seeing Tony on stage with an acoustic guitar sitting on a stool playing and singing the lead vocals, and Dhani coming in to sit next to him and do the harmonies, and the two of them just enjoying getting lost in the music and the harmonies, and it *really* made me wish I could draw.
I've been shopping around for a commission of this today, but haven't found anyone just yet. Keep an eye out, it'll probably be coming along soon.

Between that, the visuals I've got for the next Team Players entry and some that I might want to do in the near future, I'm going to need to knock over a bank or something...

Check out http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2775369/ for more details. Free stuff! Go for it!

...ponies EVERYWHERE...


IT'S PONIES ALL THE WAY DOWN!!!!!


*asplode*

...in March, to be precise... Vancouver is hosting its own furry con, Vancoufur.

It's set for March 9 to 11 next year. Details are still to come, but there's some good con experience on the staff so it should be good.

And I'm doing the con program. Apparently I'm mildly insane.

Anyhow, congoers, consider this for your schedule and check out www.Vancoufur.ca for more. And please spread the word!