(Note: These are excerpts from the original newsletter that was published on this date. The Queen's Own address has been updated. The current President of Queen's Own is Herald-Mage Adept Danya Winterborn. For more information, see http://www.dragonlordsnet.com/qo.htm.)
[Begin Excerpt]
Dear Misty fans:
Queen's Own was formed over two years ago because Misty's books are very special. Her characters come alive as one reads, and they stay alive in our memories. And talking about Talia and Vanyel can brighten a dull day!
The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you informed of new books and tapes by Misty, to tell you of her convention appearances, and to allow her to communicate with all of you. And to allow all of us to become friends.
| Coming in July: | Coming in August: |
|---|---|
| Knight of Ghosts and Shadows | Children of the Night |
| Magic's Price |
Misty's birthday is June 24th. Send your cards to the Queen's Own address, with Misty's name on them, in time for me to forward them.
I reluctantly made the decision some months ago that Queen's Own is going to have to ask for yearly dues. The trusty Xerox machine is leaving blothches and blots, blank spaces and spots, and I no longer trust it. Having the newsletter printed elsewhere and collated will save me time (and paper cuts), but I do need help with that expense. This is still a not-for-profit organization, and I expect to manage with dues of eight dollars for ten issues a year. Our "year" will start with the September issue.
Queen's Own membership buttons are still available. [Ed. note 2002: Out-of-date pricing info omitted, as well as checking account info and dues payment information. Memberships in the current incarnation of Queen's Own are free.] Your membership year will still start with the September issue.
Patricia Riggs has volunteered her many organizational skills to become our archivist. She is the keeper of those bits and pieces of information you just have to know. If you have a question about Misty's books, filk, the club, or even about a zine or convention, send it to Patricia WITH A SASE. (Send requsts for Chris Johnson's The Helpful Handout of How to Become a Herald to me.) Please rememebr to include a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope whenever you write to anyone for information. And send Pat information on zines and cons so she can keep her records up to date. (Would you like to be her assistant? She could use some help.) Pat is also our Herald registrar. If you don't have time to finish your Herald requirements but know the names of your persona and Companion and want to make sure no one else has used them, send them to Pat. [Ed. note 2002: Out-of-date address withheld. The list is online at http://www.dragonlordsnet.com/qolist.htm.]
Misty and Larry will be attending Once Upon a Con, sponsored by the IFGA, in Denver on Memorial Day Weekend. If anyone has a flyer for this convention, please send it to me (or Patricia) so we can pass the information on.
June 1-3 will find Misty and Larry in Jackson, Mississippi, attending Springfest 90. Other Guests of Honor are Walter Koenig, Robert Aspirin, Steve Jackson, and Michael Scott. Dale Jewell very kindly sent me flyers for this con, so send a SASE to me for registration information. I attended last year and had a wonderful time. Southern hospitality exists, and the folks at Springfest are proof of that.
Misty and Larry will be guests at OURCON in Alabama, July 6-8. Doris Mager of SOAR (Save Our American Raptors) is also attending. [Ed. note 2002: Out-of-date contact info withheld.] This is an inexpensive convention, with lodging on the college campus, and I urge anyone living in the area to attend. I wish I could!
New Jersey is hosting a filk con June 8-10! No, Misty will not be attending, but many of us Queen's Own members from our tri-state area will wear our buttons and attempt to find each other. I can copy a flyer for you, so send a SASE to me for more information. The con will be held at the Holiday Inn in Cherry Hill.
Our new member Sandra Montague informs me that members wishing to sew a costume for convention wear can find patterns similar to Herald's Whites in both Butterick and McCall pattern books. And I suggest that if your sewing skills are rusty or untried, please, please, use inexpensive material for your first effort. Use a plain cotton or cotton/polyester blend (or anything you find on sale) for your first attempt. And doublecheck every measurement before you cut!
George Elliot wrote to tell us about the American Poetry Association's New Poetry contest. Quoting from George's letter: "The letter they sent me said, 'All adults who write poetry are welcome to enter. Entry is free.' There are 152 prizes, including a $1,000 grand prize. Interested poets may send one original poem, no more than 20 lines long, with name and address on the top of the page. Entries should be mailed to [Ed. note 2002: Out-of-date address withheld.]. Poems postmarked by June 30 are eligible to win, and a new contest will start July 1, 1990. (Each poem, whether it wins or not, will be consdiered for publication in the American Poetry Anthology, a hardback collection of contemporary verse.)"
And Stephanie Wong of Arrow's Message suggests that anyone who needs help writing a story use the local library: "There are books to help you with basic structures and plot development. The one I read, Plot by Ansen Dibell, is especially good because it has humor and applies specifically to what we're doing: short stories and fantasy/fiction."
One of our regional chapters, The Illinois Arrow, has sent me a copy of their newsletter. If you are interested and live in the Illinois area, contact them at [Ed. note 2002: Out-of-date address withheld.]. Congratulations, Holly Williams, Stephanie Cottrell, and Jecca Feldman.
Stephanie Wong's first issue of her zine, Arrow's Message, is on my kitchen table. Have you ordered your copy? She and her contributors have done a great job. The cover, by Kiri Namtvedt, is magnificent! Send your stories, poems, and/or artwork [Ed. note 2002: Out-of-date address and subscription info withheld.].
The deadline for submissions to the first issue of R. Nathaniel Waldbauer's Tales of Valdemar and Beyond is September 1st. Send your stories, poems, and/or artwork to him at [Ed. note 2002: Out-of-date address withheld.]. You don't need to decide between the two zines; you can write for both! Support our zines!
There is one among us who, because of his physical surroundings, cannot meet our Herald criteria. Yet he has consistently shown grace under pressure, and he demonstrates a nobility of heart and soul that makes me feel very small. I nominate to full Herald status, Gabrin, the Shadow Herald. May your Companion Pilane truly carry you to freedom one day.
Congratulations to all of you who have attained Herald status. You have all shown real talent. Now, please send your stories, poems, and artwork to our zines.
Halloo from the Herald Housemother!
It has never been my intention to make money from Queen's Own. The club was started with the permission of Misty and DAW; they never asked us to do it. THe fact that there is no staff or "corporate headquarters" is stressed only so you will be understanding when the cats get paw prints on your mewsletter or hide your fan message under the refrigerator. This is a labor of love, and I have been rewarded a thousand times over by meeting all of you.
One of the joys of fandom is the vocabulary. Do you know the word "GAFIA?" It stands for Getting Away From It All. Some of our members have gafiated. Queen's Own, for various reasons, is no longer as important to them as it once was. Please don't feel betrayed or abandoned by friends whose interests have changed but wish them well. May all their memories of Queen's Own be pleasant ones.
I can be reached evenings at [Ed. note 2002: Phone withheld.]. No calls after 11 PM; I'm not coherent by that hour anyway.
Thanks, hugs, and lots of jelly beans (no green ones) are hereby awarded to Ana Casacuberta and Joane Gise who have nearly finished organizing by correspondence files.
If the address label on your Queen's Own newsletter is incorrect in any way (even misplaced commas or spaces), please let me know. Type or print the proper form very carefully. These aged eyes cannot always distinguish between "1", "l" or "I". Please help me! (And don't forget to tell me if your address changes for the summer!)
[Ed. Note 2002: Fan messages are not being posted online because of the personal information they contained.]
[Ed. Note 2002: Personals are not being posted online because of the personal information they contained.]
| Memorial Day Weekend | "Once Upon a Con" |
| June 1-3 | "Springfest 90" |
| June 5th | the next QO newsletter |
| June 24th | Misty's birthday |
| July 6-8 | "OurCon" |
How about a persona who goes about exposing corruption in Valdemar? Can you call him Heraldic Rivera??
P.S. Bright blessings to you all!
Judith
[End Excerpt]
Queen's Own is the official Mercedes Lackey Appreciation Society. Our purpose is to share our enjoyment of Misty's worlds. We are a fan-run not-for-profit organization, not a business. Our address of publication: P.O. Box 749, Laguna Beach, CA 92652 USA. This newsletter is published solely to inform and entertain the club's membership; no infringement of anyone's copyrights is intended.
Newsletters are published on (or near) the first of each month.
Editor/President Herald-Mage Adept Danya Winterborn (L.A. Malcor; AOL-IM SN Shashtah; Legend@malcor.com)
There was no art for this edition of the newsletter. If you have a clue who they were, please contact Herald-Mage Adept Danya at Legend@malcor.com. If you would like your art to be featured in the online version of the QO newsletter, send .gifs or .jpgs to Legend@malcor.com or hardcopy to Queen's Own, P.O. Box 749, Laguna Beach, CA 92652.
Mercedes Lackey does not receive mail at the Queen's Own address. Fanmail to Mercedes Lackey and releases for fan fiction should be sent to:
Mercedes Lackey
c/o High Flight Arts and Letters
P.O. Box 2970
Claremore, OK 74017
Zhai'helleva,
Herald-Mage Adept Danya Winterborn
