My panel at the Virginia Festival of the Book went very well.  It was moderated by Chris Oakley, owner of Oakley's Gently Used Books in Charlottesville, and she did a fine job of introducing my fellow panelists (L.E. Modesitt and Steve White) and me.  Each of us spoke briefly about our work and what drew us to science fiction and fantasy, and then we threw it open to questions from the audience.  We got great questions, which generated enough discussion to fill the rest of the hour and then some.  After that, Chris and her husband, Jim, took the three of us plus Steve's wife, and author Peter David to dinner.

I had been thinking about staying in Virginia for the Author's Reception Saturday night.  It's apparently a big event with great food.  But I wound up driving back home on Saturday instead.  I have a lot on my plate for the coming week, and getting home late Sunday would have left me exhausted and tense.  And besides, I really wasn't up for an evening of shmoozing with people who, for the most part, I didn't know.

I got home in time to read to my younger daughter before she went to bed, to catch up with my older daughter and hear about the end of her school week, and to watch the UNC-Louisville game with my wife.  None of these things did much to further my career, but they made for a perfect Saturday night.  It's good to be home.