Michelle Perin’s Blog

Woke up and headed to the conference. I’m always amazed at how a casino looks the same all the time. The only variable is the amount of people milling around and I guess the manner of dress. The closer you are to the strip and the ritzier the casino this matters a lot more. I liked the Orleans because it seemed pretty kicked back but not old. After all, I like the idea of perpetual Mardi Gras.

Walking into the conference room, I got to greet all my friends. Whether I’ve known them since my first conference 5 years ago or if I was just meeting them, PSWA members are the friendliest people I’ve met in a group. I think it has something to do with a lot of them being retired (or active) police officers or fire fighters. Being in these occupations, you spend most of your time in very concrete, solution-oriented thinking. To move to the other side of that and put out something creative, seems very vulnerable. I think that’s why there is a humbleness in our members that draws me to them.

The Queen, aka Marilyn Olsen greeted us. She stood in for our usual DJ A.J. Farrar who had to stay home due to an infection from a spider bite. How random is that? He and his wife, our Treasurer, Nancy were sorry missed. Marilyn did a great job saying howdy in her majestic way and off we went into a weekend of learning, networking and having a great time. The first panel, “What I Wish I’d Known in the Beginning” was populated by Sue McGinty, with panelists, W.S. Gager (my roomy), Michael Black, and Bette and J.J. Lamb. All novelists, they shared tips on hind-sight. This is always nice, especially since I am delving into the realm of novel writing. I may know quite a bit about the industry around trade magazines, but as far as what’s necessary for writing, editing, publishing and marketing fiction, I’m lost.

Michael Black led our next topic with “How to Outline Your Noel in an Hour.” I loved the poster board and all the colored sticky-notes. Everything should involve multi-colored sticky-edged pieces of paper. As a group, we outlined an outrageous story about a female arson investigator who was investigating casino fires while dealing with an annoying city manager, who ended up dead in a fire, an exotic dancer boyfriend, an ex-husband who had a gambling problem, lived on her couch and was using her credit cards, AND a boa constrictor. I couldn’t quite follow whether her boyfriend or ex-husband had a past which included a conviction for arson, but I believe it should have been the boyfriend. More sexual tension is always good in any story. Ah, the perpetual drama of men and women. Michael’s assistant was lovely as well. I don’t think women have the monopoly on being cougars.

Next up, my panel. We talked about “Writing for Trade Publications (Paper and the Net). Keith Bettinger moderated and alongside me were Kathleen Ryan and Kregg Jorgenson who stepped in at the last minute because member Ed Nowicki was ill and couldn’t make it. We talked about on-line vs. print, how to be professional, cultivate sources, big vs. little magazines and a myriad of other topics. It was great although it never matters how many times I’m up there, I always feel like, “OMG, they are going to realize I’m not a REAL writer.” I guess 10 years of writing still doesn’t qualify me in my own mind. Regardless, they all let me talk anyway.

The next topic, “Pleasing Editors and Agents: What are the Worst Mistakes?” was populated by publishers Billie Johnson, Becca Buckley and Lee Emory, as well as, agents Verna Driesbach and Holly Sullivan McClure. Half-way through, I was thinking, “Why are these people so negative? I don’t think I care for many of them.” Then, I relooked at what the topic was and realized they were supposed to be talking about the negatives. Once in context, I settled in and learned all the things I should never do when approaching a publisher/agent. Ok, no long winded spiels and go away when you’re done. These are BUSY people.
Next, Steve Scarborough taught us about “Detectives, Then and Now.” He had a great slideshow and it was neat to learn Edgar Allen Poe was an original detective writer. The covers at the end of the show were awesome too. Nothing has changed much over the last 50 years, scantily clad women still sell.

Madeline Gornell, Marilyn Meredith, Sunny Frazier, Michael Orenduff and Morgan St. James gave the next topic, “Promotion: Old and New, In Person and On the Net.” Great panel, but I just have to say Marilyn Meredith and Sunny Frazier are my idols when it comes to marketing and promotion. Both have prolific presence on the net and in person and seem tireless. They make me tired and I’m considerable younger than either of them. I want to be just like them.

The last panel of the day, “How to Spot a Lie,” was given by Mark Bouton. Here I have to admit my restlessness. I love going to Las Vegas for the conference, but I hate sitting in a conference room all day. I don’t get away from parental responsibilities very often and I hate losing all that time. So, because I had the privilege of reading Mark’s book on this top, I figured I knew pretty much what he was going to talk about. So, I went to the gym, and then sat around the pool until dinner time. After grabbing some pizza at Sbaro’s, I wandered around the hotel just watching people. I played my $20 daily allotment on the slot machines. I was trying to win a 2010 Camaro so I figured each time I pushed the button, it was another chance at the car. I was up past $200 at one point, but thanks to my compulsive nature (and I’m not alone, that’s how casinos make their money) I kept playing and lost it all. After that, I headed to the lounge where I heard as show. Keith and Bert were entertaining the sparse crowd with requests from Bruce Springsteen to Kid Rock to Toby Keith. It was cheesy and a perfect Vegas show. About midnight, a class reunion (Mojave High School classes 1977-1986) came in. That’s when the fun and dancing began. I joined in, had a great time and headed back to my room at 2am. I tried to sneak in so I wouldn’t disturb Wendy, but she woke up. We talked a bit, and then I was asleep before I hit my pillow.

I flew into Las Vegas on Thursday night. I actually had a pretty good flight with only a few minor panic attacks. I was able to get a window seat on the wing (seat 23F to be exact) on my Allegiant flight. I like, actually I have to sit on the wing. For some reason, it makes me feel safer. Does this make sense? NO! But, I don’t care. I liked this particular seat because I had 1 1/2 windows and could look through the front one and see the ground and the sky and stuff and then look back and do my assessment of the functionality of the wing. Flaps in place? Check! Lights working? Check! Creepy, hairy monsters not standing there? Check!!

Flying into Vegas at night is amazing. That is a beautiful city when you’re above all the lights. I had paid for a Gray Line Shuttle to the Orleans and went to stand in the appropriate line behind the sign when I got in. Two shuttles pulled up. The drivers talked to people in both lines and everyone split into the buses. My sign was right in the middle of them and I went to ask one driver if it went to the Orleans. He said no, the other shuttle would. I turned and asked the other driver the same question. He said no too. What? He asked who said it was the right shuttle and I told him the other driver. He told me to sit tight. Then the drivers had a conference in the street before one of the drivers came back and said, “Since no one else wants to take you, I guess I will.” Nice. Of course, I got on the shuttle.

I was the last person on the shuttle and the driver asked me something. I yelled from the back of the bus and he said I should come up closer. I did. Then, we talked a bit about what I was there for. Then the questions started. Why is it when you tell someone you’re a writer, they want to ask advice? It doesn’t matter what the topic is. So, I ended up discussing the difference between men and women and the way they communicate. I explained what I knew about style and common male/female motivation. I noticed the ring on the driver’s finger and realized he was asking for advice on how to relate to his wife. I shared what I new and when we got to the Orleans he said he felt he knew how to be a better communicator and was glad he picked me up. Glad I could help.

I ran into some friends and fellow conference attendees in the lobby and then checked into my room. I was sharing with Wendy who writes under the name W.S. Gager. She has two books in print, The Case of Infatuation and The Case of the Accidental Intersection (Both excellent I should add). I chatted with her a while then fell happily into slumber.

What would my life be like without hockey in it? From October through March, do I have an identity aside from being a hockey mom? What would it be like to have to drive over 2 hours to strap a pair of skates on and take a few laps around the ice? What happens to the kids who have been picked up by the Eugene Generals if they have no where to play even though their contract goes through 2011 and try-outs for other teams are over?

All of these questions and about seven hundred more have been racing around my head since about 3pm today. That’s when I got an email stating the Lane County Board of Commissioners is considering immediately shutting down the Lane Ice Arena. Although this ice rink has been around for 20 years, a study done while the county was considering the viability of the rink suddenly deems it a hazard. Because of this, they are stating they might not allow ice to go back in and that will be the end of hockey (as well as figure skating, speed skating and skate parties) in Eugene. But because of the distance to the next closest rinks (Portland or Medford), ice hockey will be essentially over for the Willamette Valley.

I hate to say I saw it coming, but when the County is already ignoring a facility that could be an immense asset and decides to remove the ice to “assess” any upgrades, it has to make you wonder what they will do when the ice is gone. Well, exactly what they are doing. Although, I thought they would honor their contract with the Generals. I guess I was wrong. Now, they just want to say, “Sorry it costs too much to fix and we have other priorities.” I don’t think they are looking at the whole picture.

We can’t afford to lose a safe, constructive place where our youth can go, be active and enjoy themselves. Ice hockey affords kids from 3-18 years old a way to learn team ethics, sportsmanship and dedication. If you’ve never seen a group of Mites out on the ice, you haven’t lived. They are probably the cutest, funniest things ever, especially a goalie when the gear is bigger than he or she is. When they fall, they look like a turtle. But they get up and keep going and growing. The Eugene Junior Generals Bantam Team took second place in both the San Jose Winter Classic and the State Championships last season. These boys and girls played hard all season long and improved exponentially under the tutelage of Coach Flint Doungchak (also the Generals Manager) and Ross Friesen (whose daughter, Nikki who plays with the Bantams was chosen as one of the elite to make regional Selects). Along with the youth league, there is an adult league with a variety of levels, a women’s league (Eugene Xtreme) and special hockey. This doesn’t even touch the surface of all that is offered at our ice arena.

The Board of Commissioners is supposed to make a decision on shutting down this valuable resource in the next 7-10 days. There is a petition you can sign to help draw attention to the value of the rink at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/icecenter/. Donations are also being accepted to try and offset the $125,000 -1.2 million estimated to fix the rink. This is necessary if Lane County decides it does not want to find the money to save this community asset. I’m hoping this community will come together behind what it loves and won’t allow the government to say what is and is not important to us. After all, when I moved from Michigan, I chose to live in Creswell (15 miles from the rink) so that we would be close to the rink. My boys love ice hockey and so do I. It would be tragic to let the County take that away from us and so many others.