A sort-of reportoid of World Fantasy Con

[deborahjross]

I'd forgotten how much I have enjoyed and benefited from previous WFCs. I get in these hermit-moods of not wanting to go anywhere, especially anywhere that involves getting on an airplane (this didn't) and being in a hotel (alas). WFC is definitely a "working" con -- a place to network with other writers, not to mention agents/editors/publishers/booksellers and undoubtedly a publicist or interviewer or two in the mix.

It was lovely to connect with Lace and Blade authors, some of whom I already know in person, others only by page and phosphor.

Equally grand to meet other cabals, secret and not-so. Friday night was the mass autographing, basically an enormous room set up with tables and chairs. Authors retrieved name tents and sat where they liked, then readers poured in, creating this rather Brownian swirl of seekers and accidental-meetings. I sat with the Book View Cafe contingent. [I launch there as an official member on November 10 -- stay tuned for further juicy details!] To celebrate BVC's first year and first publication -- the eBook anthology ROCKET BOYS AND GEEK GIRLS, we had cake. Cake was deposited right in front of me, or maybe the cake came first. This put me in the convenient position of cutting and distributing the cake.

"Hey, there!" I call out. "Want some cake? How about some free online fiction by award-winning authors?" Lure them in with sweets, deepen the seduction with free stories... "and by the way, we also offer..." By the time the room was clearing out, we still had some cake left, so I went around looking for victims... sartorias graciously accepted a piece. As did Tim Powers, although he claimed it was for his wife.

Lunch meeting with editor went splendidly. We Haff Mayde Planz for the next 2 Darkover books, hooray!!

The early-morning SFWA meeting was... well, if I told you, you'd have to kill me.

In between, there were several expeditions in search of non-hotel food, two Thai dinners and an Indian tandoori lunch. This is of note for several reasons, the principal being that these are 2 cuisines I love and davetrow loathes, so my spice-demons got happy. Secondly, although the hotel food was pretty good, it was hideously overpriced. Telling myself it's a business expense goes only so far.

The publisher's dinner was as usual incredible and incredible fun. The elegant private room and specially-designed menu were wonderful, but the highlights were davetrow andsartorias in action, sending me laughing so hard, the other end of the table were undoubtedly wondering what had been slipped into our salads.

In between all this, I managed some very helpful networking with other writers, with booksellers -- scheming signings for Hastur Lord and other reader-inspiring events -- talking craft and market and mentoring (from both sides) -- dispensing encouragement and admiration in liberal quantities. Celebrating with friend Juliette Wade as she now has an agent to represent her first novel (yep, I remember that giddy feeling, although I did it the other way around, book offer first, agent after, but that's just details.) Got to actually listen to a couple of fabulous panels.

Now rather blitzed, so please for to not take anything I've said seriously. Hope to sleep tonight. Write tomorrow. Write as in WIP. Also exercise. Also practice piano. Also grocery shop. Probably in that order. No, snuggle with nice husband comes first.

Comments

[tcastleb.livejournal.com]

Yay, all around! I'm glad you got lots of business done and had a good time, too. Wish I could have been there too; I would have certainly helped you find a good home for a piece of cake. :>)

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Yes, we would have had fun together -- I'd have deputized you to distribute the cake

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Oh that DAW dinner was so elegant and delicious and the company so fine!

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Yum! to both.

I should have also mentioned the readings -- ideally, I would have been 3 people to hear everything. The 2 readings I made it to were superb: janni reading the opening from her forthcoming Icelandic-saga-based YA (whose title my addled brain cannot retrieve) and jaylake reading the story he originally wrote for LACE AND BLADE 3 but decided it was't exactly write, and he and calendulawitch concocted a very sexy tale set in late 15th C Venice. It was interesting to hear not only "what I'd missed" but to get that glimpse into the writer's decision -- he actually understood the market and could look at his work objectively enough to say, "nope, bad fit."

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Janni's book? Thief Eyes--and a terrific cover for a book that promises to be excellent.