Stealth Geeks Unite

Sometimes, things from your sordid past may come back to haunt you, especially on the Internet. This morning, I was going through my list of publishing and book-related blogs, catching up on the news of the day (and procrastinating), when I saw a mention of the Stealth Geek FAQ on the Bookseller Chick blog. That was something I did ages ago, like in 1995, on the alt.tv.x-files newsgroup as a joke, and it really took off. For a long time, that was my main claim to fame on the Internet. It got posted to various web sites and passed around. I even got interviewed by some reporters. Unfortunately, all those old sites are still out there, and the link posted in that blog was to the old one, not to the current version, which is housed on my web site. (You can find it here.) The basic premise is that there are some people who don't really look like geeks, but who still have maintained the positive inner qualities associated with geekdom. A Stealth Geek may look like any average person instead of like the stereotypical geek, but can discuss the finer points of difference between the various Star Trek series (spotting any continuity issues), has a Firefly quote for every occasion and probably has an opinion on the Star Wars originals vs. prequels issue.

I like to think that I'm a Stealth Geek. I can do all of the above, but I tend to look pretty out of place at all these science fiction conventions I go to. People always seem surprised when I come out with some finer point of knowledge about some geeky topic because the first impression is that of the "cute" girl (a very new position for me to be in, let me tell you!). And, yeah, I did bust out the Infamous Red Stilettos at A-Kon (sometimes I can't help myself -- just as I'm prone to wearing pastels, even though my wardrobe is usually mostly black, when I'm in New York, I have a bad habit of being contrary and dressing more fashion-forward than I usually am when I go to a con).

Even more so, though, it seems like Stealth Geekdom is a good metaphor for my books. On the outside, they look like chick lit novels, those books read by fashion-forward women with a thing for shoes. They're shelved as chick lit in general literature. But on the inside, they're fantasy novels with a few shoe references. Stylish on the outside, geeky on the inside. Yeah, I've written Stealth Geek novels.

And now I've found a new publishing blog to read, as there is an anonymous editor posting as The Stealth Geek. As I am theoretically the Stealth Geek Goddess, I don't think there's enough room for confusion to amount to trademark infringement. I'm the one with the killer red shoes and fabulous hair. :-) Anyway, the blog is full of news on geeky subjects, like sf/fantasy books, movies and TV shows, and some of the tidbits seem a little insidery, so it's not just a typical fan blog.

In other news, I noticed a few people mentioning Candace Havens as an author in the "if you like this, you'll like this" category. You are aware that her latest book is now available (as of, like, yesterday), right? Go forth and purchase (and nag the bookseller about my books, while you're at it).

And then in geek news, registration is now open for the next Browncoat Ball, being held this fall in Philadelphia. You know you want to go. I went to the first, and it was a blast, and now I can't wait.