Conference noted::sf

    Could it be "Demon Download" by Jack Yeovil?  This was another
    shared-world setup, based on a scenario called (I think) "Highway
    666".   It was a Car Wars type future with heavily-armed vehicles
    duking it out on American roads.  A demon invades the software of
    one such tank and wreaks much havoc.  It is opposed by various
    civilians, the US Cavalry, and a nun-assasin sent out from Rome. 
    It was a bit much for my taste, but would have made a good
    graphic novel.
    
    /jlr

	The books in question are:

	Here be Demons,
	Welcome to Hellywood
	and one other..

	The are written by one Freda Friechman (or something like that)

    Thats definately the Books in .2... The middle one of the sequence is
    Demon BLues...
    
    The Authors name sounds correct but not quite..!!
    
    Bob

    You're thinking of Esther Friesner.
    
    I read the first book and was appalled.  The characterizations shifted
    so much that I was sure somebody or several somebodies were possessed.
    No, they just radically changed in different spots.  
    
    I also wasn't impressed with the ending.  I don't remember much of the
    story now, but I remember feeling that the ending was forced.  All in
    all, I gave it a thumbs down.  
    
    But hey, that's what makes horse races.  :-)
    
    
      Scott

    Thats the one!  -1
    
    HEre be Demons was rather forced at the end.... the follow up Demon
    Blues is better.... the third is called "Hooray for Hellywood" and I
    should start that one this weekend....
    
    Any one know anything about the author?
    
    Bob

    
    Hi Bob,
    
    I just got around to catching up in SF for the past couple of months...
    
    Esther is middle aged - I would guess ~40, if I remember correctly; and
    although I don't find her books quite as funny as some authors, they
    seem pretty good (though I'm not a big humor reader). If you ever get a
    chance to go to a reading of Esther's somewhere, I would recommend it;
    she is very animated at readings, and is one of the better storytellers I
    have listened to (though I guess I am biased - I got a private reading
    from her once when I drove her from Lowell to South Station in Boston...)
    
    I'm pretty sure she lives in New York City (or vicinity), though it's
    been more than a year since I have seen her... She tends to go to the
    local Readercons, though she missed the last one in July - I would
    guess she will be at Readercon 6 next July (if you are really
    interested, you could bother me about it periodically - we haven't 
    done the bid guest invitation for next year yet though; better yet, if
    you join the Readercon Committee you can talk to a couple of people who
    adore Esther and will tell you all about her ;-) )
    
    Dave

    
    Whoops !
    
    Sorry Bob, I guess Worcester, Massachusetts (where Readercons are
    currently held) isn't particularly local to Scotland ! Next time I see
    her, or someone from Readercon talks to her, I'll ask if she ever gets
    over to Scotland (maybe she'll go to the Worldcon in a couple of years).
    
    :-)
    
    Dave
    
    

    Many thanks for the Info Dave...
    
    to be honest I prefer Pratchet for humour, but bought the books on
    advise from a friend.  I beleive she would tell a very good story, but
    I do not think it transfers to print very well.
    
    I will hopefully be attending the con in Glasgow but will have to wait
    and see...
    
    Thanks Again
    
    Bob

Hi again Bob,

Had a chance to toggle the brain last night, and I remembered that Esther Lives
in Connecticut, not NYC (though they are sort of next door). She is married and
has two children.

I have to agree that I like Pratchet better, as well as Douglas Adams.

Some of the other things she published (I found a list of some of her writings)
include

	Mustapha and His Wise Dog
	Harlot's Ruse
	Spells of Mortal Weaving
	The Silver Mountain
	New York By Knight
	The Witchwood Cradle
	Elf Defense
	Druid's Blood
	Sphynxes Wild
	The Water King's Laughter
	Hooray for Hellywood
	Gnome Man's Land

and three which are listed as `forthcoming', but should be out by now :
	
	Harpy High
	Unicorn U.
	Wishing Season

There are also a couple of dozen short works listed as having been 
published in various anthologies and magazines like Asimov's, Amazing, 
Pulphouse, Fantasy & S.F...

Esther won the Romantic Times award for best new fantasy writer in 1986.

Dave

    Just happened to glance through this conference for the first time
    today...glad to see someone's reading my wife's books!
    
    Walter Stutzman
    DECmessageQ Integration Team
    Rocky Hill, CT

    Re: .9
    
    >Elf Defense
    
    This I've read, and liked very much.  Lawyers vs. elves -- guess who
    wins?  My major complaint is that the protoganist had a back story that
    must have been in another book, but I don't know which book.
    
    >Gnome Man's Land
    >Harpy High
    >Unicorn U.
    
    These are in the Mel-Brooks style of fantasy that's arisen lately --
    lots of wisecracking and bad puns.  If you're in the mood for that sort
    of thing, they're pretty amusing.  Tim's solution to the final showdown
    in the third book is inspired.