Because of these several impediments, as well as other technical difficulties, you will find typos and occasional replication of text. In our humble opinion, typos show that the logs are of *live* chats, not canned interviews, and minimal editing of these logs has taken place.

[RachH] Morning, Richard.
[Cybling] If you have questions for our guest, please just ask. But please, let the guest answer one before asking another. Thanks!
[Kimmo] Hello, Richard (he said obediently) :)
[Cybling] Richard, I didn't get a bio of you from the committee...
[Cybling] so you know I have no bib of what you've been up to since we talked...
* Carlton_DarkHeart mutters something resembling a "hello"
[Cybling] at Windycon last year.
[Cybling] Is your novel still on the shelves, and can you tell us about it?
[Richard_Garfinkle] My second Novel All of an Instant is still on the shelves
[Cybling] Can you tell me a little about it?
[Richard_Garfinkle] It's my attempt to write the most insane time travel book ever.
[Cybling] (folks, just a reminder...we have our guests sitting on diningroom chairs at a dining room table...
[Cybling] typing on unfamiliar laptops, so typos *are* required.)
[Cybling] LOL!
[RachH] Better than typing on unfamiliar laps.
[Cybling] You were going for surreal then?
[Richard_Garfinkle] I tried to go somewhat farther then surreal.
[Kimmo] Sounds fun
[Richard_Garfinkle] I hope so.
[Cybling] Theres a style further than surreal?
[Richard_Garfinkle] There's turning reality on its head so that when you
[Richard_Garfinkle] look at it it seems completely unlike reality.
[Cybling] Yikes...sorry...hit the wrong button there, my apologies Richard, folks.
[Richard_Garfinkle] To me surrealism is stretching reality to show the parts you are stretching.
[Richard_Garfinkle] This was much more of an attempt to make a place to look at all of reality at once.
[Cybling] Richard, would you consider this 2nd novel and alternate reality?
[Cybling] and=an
[Richard_Garfinkle] It has an arbitrary number of alternate realities in it.
[Cybling] Cool. NOw your first novel had a protagonist who lived completely in the here-and-now.
[Cybling] No history at all...
[Cybling] are the protags in this 2nd novel hindered in a similar or different way?
[Richard_Garfinkle] They are hindered by dragging their pasts around with them literally.
[Cybling] LOL. What a concept! Richard can we get your book in hardback, tradepaper or paperback?
[Richard_Garfinkle] My first novel's in trade. The second's in hardback, but the trade is due out in DEC.
[Richard_Garfinkle] That's the month, not the computer.
[Cybling] Can we talk a little about your program participation in this year's Worldcon...
[Richard_Garfinkle] OK
[Cybling] You were on the Alternate History Panel...
[Cybling] I'm assuming since your work is in alternate realities?
[Richard_Garfinkle] I get put on AH panels because my first novel had an alternate history nested in an alternate reality.
[Cybling] Cool...you were in the panel with Teresa Nielsen Hayden and Harry Harrison, Steven Barnes and Robert Charles Wilson... what was your position in the panel...
[Cybling] what did you talk about, that is?
[Richard_Garfinkle] Just to the left of Steven Barnes. Seriously, we didn't have positions we mostly just fielded questions from the audience.
[Cybling] Those can be the best panels.
[Richard_Garfinkle] I've noticed that the audiences to AH panels are really into the subject.
[Cybling] Well yes, they have created the Sidewise Awards... so AH fans are *very* serious about the sub-genre.
[Richard_Garfinkle] They also know a lot about history.
[Richard_Garfinkle] You can enjoy SF without knowin too much science, but the AH buffs really know and play with the past.
[Cybling] That is required to know where you are and how it's different from the books. Part of the pleasure in fact... spotting the divergences.
[Richard_Garfinkle] It also makes them harder to write in some respects. Readers are willing to accept all sorts of changes in science, but they demand reasonable changes in history.
[Cybling] Richard, you also did a panel on Voice and Persona: Third Person is Still a Person. Can you tell us a little about this panel?
[Cybling] If you have questions for our guest, please just ask. But please, let the guest answer one before asking another. Thanks!
[Richard_Garfinkle] This panel was oriented toward upcoming writers.
[Richard_Garfinkle] We discussed the differences between first and third person and how to use both limited and omniscienct 3rd person.
[Richard_Garfinkle] I was a bit evangelical on the topic since I love 3rd omniscient.
[Cybling] A lot of folks who come to these chats and who will be reading the logs are aspiring authors, Richard, so you have the same audience. Too bad we couldn't be a fly on the wall there. Sounds like a very informative panel.
[Richard_Garfinkle] We tried to be, and had a few interesting disputes as well as offering advice.
[Cybling] 3rd person is a neglected voice then, one that most writers don't use or don't use well?
[Richard_Garfinkle] It's not that it's neglected, but most of the writing books, courses, and workshops emphasize 3rd limited, neglecting the benefits of having a distinct storytelling voice.
[Cybling] Understood.
[Cybling] Richard...
[Cybling] I wanted to ask you... is this your first WorldCon?
[Richard_Garfinkle] No, I went to LoneStarCon II and Bucconeer.
[Cybling] Excellent...so you've not been overwhelmed by the crowds of fans.
[Richard_Garfinkle] No, but then I don't get mobbed like some people.
[Cybling] Oh, didn't mean that Richard. I meant the sheer overwhelming experience of being in the same place with 5,000 people who are thinking along similar lines to you. Are you planning on doing any other cons in the near future?
[Richard_Garfinkle] I'll be going to WindyCon, but then probably nothing 'til the Millenium PhilCon.
[Cybling] Cool...so if folks want to get your autograph they'll either have to be on the concourse at 11:30 CT today...or at Windycon...
[Cybling] unless they can wait for PhilCon.
[Richard_Garfinkle] Correct.
[Cybling] Richard, do you expect to have another novel out by then? What's in the pipeline?
[Richard_Garfinkle] I just finished a hard SF (actually hard mathematics) novel, but it hasn't been bought yet.
[Cybling] I see, the agent is shopping it around. Well this is good!
[Cybling] Well Richard, we should undo the duct tape now...
[Cybling] and let you get the feeling back in your arms so you can so sign...
[Cybling] those books on the concourse!
[Cybling] Thanks for coming out and joining us today in Chat!
[Richard_Garfinkle] Thank you.