Thanks for the great advice Richelle!  I have a question - something I saw Jim mention in his "How I Got Published" section on the site - conventions?  That's something I hadn't heard recommended in the past, but I'm starting to see it mentioned in more and more writers' groups.  What kind of conventions should an author attend - I mean, are there conventions specifically for authors, or just scifi/fantasy conventions where authors/editors may be attending as a guest?  And how do you approach someone at a convention about your own writing eloquently?  Thanks for any advice any of you can give me.