This month's birthday people (and like Santa, I'll be checking my list twice) are:
Robert Dean Hillyard - February 11 Craig Comes - February 19 Abraham Lincold - February 12 George Washington - February 22 Linda Terrell - February 13 Pat Coleman - February 29 Tom Jackson - February 17
ROMANCE AND STUFF .... Just about every year, I remind you that I have never read a Harlequin or a Silhouette romance novel. I did fall from grace once and read one of those fat, historical novels but it had time travel in it, so I think it could count as a fantasy novel too.
. I usually don't fail to mention that I am a hopeless romantic. I love Valentine's Day. I even love the " I hate Valentine's Day" card I got from a good friend. The card was so funny. It came in a pretty white envelope with lots of sweet little, red hearts all over it, leading me to think it was a typical Valentine. However, the card was vociferous lambasting of hearts and flowers and valentines, and even cupid himself. It has me laughing to myself still. ANd what could be a better present for a happy February 14th than some good laughs? Contray to some beliefs, we hopeless romantics would rather be laughing than crying any day.
. Romance is the stuff of life. It's just not fun if you don't have romance in your soul. So, if you feel you are lacking in this department, get out and do something about it.
. One thing you might do is to go see the movie "Restoration". It's not a sappy love story, nor even a swashbuckling adventure tale. It's simply a beautiful drama about one man's restoration to his true self in the historical period known as the Restoration. For those who love a costume drama, this will be a feast for they eyes. The regalia is splendid. The houses and palaces used for the settings are a sight to behold as well. It's just a really good, satisfying, romantic, without being syrupy, movie. I will say that those prone to tears will need a few tissues.
. There is always and abundance of ramance to be found in books and the one I can recommend at this time is The Mask of the Sorcerer by Darrell Schweitzer. This is not a book you can knock off in an hour or two, but it's worth the effort you must put into it. If you have read authors such as Paul Park aor Gene Wolfe and liked them, you will most likely find this book to your liking as well. The setting is very exotic and the main character is engageing. You want to see all that he sees during his hourneys and you want him to come out of all his trials intact. There is even a bit of traditional roamance in the tale and a writing style that is in itself romantic. One thing Mr. Schweitzer truly understands is the music of language and he plays the tune well.
A STONE'S THROW AWAY .... The March 10th Stone Hill meeting will be at the Lovers Lane house in Riverview. If you need directions or have any other questions about the meeting, call us at 813/677-6347. Remember, any and all of you are welcome to come to any Stone Hill meeting. To be a member of Stone Hill SF Association, all you gotta do is come to a meeting and bring food and drink. Then you are a member for life. It's not as scary as it sounds. Really.
VIDCON NOTES ....The second Vidcon was held the weekend of February 2-4 at the Camberly Inn in Brandon/Tampa. Vidcon is a convention devoted to fanzine writers, editors, and fans. The attendance was small, but up from last year. Vidcon was able to pay all its bills, give $500 to Wildlife Rescue, and a little over $300 to start off with next year. Vidcon is sponsored by the same people who bring you NECRONOMICON and the soon to be, first ever, CON GAMES.
SPEAKING OF CON GAMES .... CON GAMES is a convention devoted to gamers and their games. It will be held June 15-16, also at the Camberly Inn. We have flyers and an E-mail address for CON GAMES if you are interested in learning more about it or in helping with running games. The E-mail address is: NecConRep@aol.com. The snail mail address to get directly to game organizers is: CON GAMES '96, 2 Water Track Radial, Ocala, FL 34472.
TILL NEXT TIME, TAKE CARE AND HAVE FUN AND HAVE A HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY OR HAPPY FEBRUARY 14TH (whichever you prefer)!!!
Snail mail to: P.O. Box 2076, Riverview, FL 33569