I’ve known Michael Walsh for a couple years now, and he’s a very cool guy. He has chaired a truly ridiculous number of conventions, including my all time favourite con (the Washington World Fantasy). This year, in amongst working a day job, publishing terrific books and so on, he is also the chair for Capclave 2005. All well and good you say. I’m living in Perth and you’re probably not in the Washington area either, so why should you care?

Well, turns out that one of the guests is the all-time, best ever Swancon guest, Howard Waldrop. This is nifty enough, but he’s committed to provide two never-before-published stories to be published in a free booklet that will be available only to Capclave members (limit one per membership). Now, anyone who knows the history of Howard knows that the best way to get him to write stories is to get him to be a guest at a convention where he has to do a reading (it worked at Swancon), so this is going to happen.

Because you are a scion of good taste (as am I), you are no doubt groaning and thinking how am I ever going to get one of these books? Well, simple. Memberships seem to be only $US30. You may not be able to go to the Con, but it’s cheap for two Howard stories and, hey, the Con might be able to put the money toward getting Howard a better class of fishing rod or somesuch.