ATTENTION WISCON plus BONUS MYSTERY OBJECT

[truepenny]

ATTENTION WISCON: I will be in the dealers' room Saturday, pretty much from 10-6. You can find me behind elisem's table. Please feel free to stop by, say hello, and/or get me to sign books. WHICH I WILL BE HAPPY--NAY, DELIGHTED!--TO DO.

BONUS MYSTERY OBJECT: I have no idea what this is. It was moving against the current, so I'm guessing it's alive, but educated guesses and wild speculations are all welcome. (And, yes, I am the world's worst (possibly)wildlife photographer.






I mean, yes, turtle, if it is alive. But a kind of peculiar looking turtle if so.

Comments

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Turtle?

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I forgot to say I was actually guessing turtle. I'm just still not entirely convinced it was alive. Undead maybe.

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

I am going to go with undead turtle, myself.

Educated guess

[the-star-fish.livejournal.com]

Turtle, possibly a snapper judging from the size of the head & neck.

Re: Educated guess

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

If so, something must have happened to its shell. Which you can't see properly because I take crap pictures. But the top of the shell looked more like a flat rock than what (google tells me) snapping turtles look like.

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

Snapping turtles have very domed shells, yes, if the ones that I see crossing the road are any indication. They also have fairly prominent long tails, so if you didn't really see a tail then it probably wasn't a snapper.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

I think that the thing that looks like the head in my terrible photos was actually the tail, so snapping turtle who has survived some sort of disaster is maybe the best guess.

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

An UNDEAD snapping turtle!!!

Which is its own kind of frightening right there. I mean, snapping turtles are pretty scary all on their own...

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

How about a softshell turtle?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_softshell_turtle

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apalone_spinifera

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Wow, those are awesome.

The Google image search makes me think that it was not a softshell, either spiny or smooth, but this is all based on my very dubious ability to spot identifying features.

[heresluck]

Yay, Wiscon! I am bummed I cannot be there, though I do have an excellent excuse. Maybe next year?

[orangemike.livejournal.com]

Next year, in Madison!

[galdrin.livejournal.com]

The Loch Wisc Monster !!!

[batwrangler.livejournal.com]

Some map turtles' shells seem to flatten out as they get older/bigger. Musk turtles also tend to have smooth carapaces. Another thought is that it could be a live snapping turtle heavily caked in mud that hasn't had a chance to soften and wash off yet.

[coffeeem.livejournal.com]

Okay, after reading all the comments, I come firmly down on the side of ZOMBIE SNAPPING TURTLE. Not because I have any useful knowledge, but because OOOH AWESOME.

[desperance.livejournal.com]

I am just sayin', but today is World Turtle Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Turtle_Day), so your post is totally appropriate. If that is a turtle. Which we think.

[ashnistrike.livejournal.com]

We're missing Wiscon for the first time in 8 years, alas. Enjoy!

[orangemike.livejournal.com]

Alas, indeed. Hope to see you back next year.

[theladymoon.livejournal.com]

it does look like a turtle...

[ride-4ever.livejournal.com]

Look, Ray, turtles!

[ashbet]

I'd guess snapper, possibly alligator snapper, based on the vague body shape.

Turtles' spines/ribs are fused to their shells, so shell trauma can kill them -- but I've also seen some turtles with warped shells that show that they survived grievous wounds and lived for many subsequent years.

Or Zombie Turtle is always a good option ^___^

I thought you might want to see Ursula Vernon's lovely review of "The Goblin Emperor", if no one else had brought it to your attention yet :)

http://ursulav.livejournal.com/1588153.html

(The discussion in the comments is fun and passionate, and I think you'll be amused by the line about Mildmay reading the phone book!!)

I've been really enjoying your writing ever since my (adult) daughter introduced me to "Boojum," I *adore* the Doctrine of Labyrinths series, I immensely enjoyed " The Goblin Emperor," I've devoured all your short fiction, and I just finished the two Iskryne books and am looking forwars to the third!)

(Is there a projected publication day for "Apprentice," or are you still writing? And any news about the first two DoL books being e-published? You might want to check out the e-pub back-catalogue and new material being published by CJ Cherryh, Lynn Abbey, and Jane Fancher: http://www.closed-circle.net/ )

Best wishes, and hoping you can get some restful sleep!

-- Andi <3