Cascadiacon
Sep. 7th, 2005 04:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deborahjrossThis is not an Official Report. i don't have a lot of empathy with Official Reports, the kinds that list all the panels you were on and all the famous writers/editors/agents you had lunch with. I let other people do that. It seems to me the whole point of hanging out with such people -- when they are friends, and I don't hang out otherwise -- is to create a relaxed, safe environment to talk shop or just decompress for a bit. The bigger the con, the greater the need for such time.
To begin with, I was a bit crabby. I'd just gotten back from Laguna and barely had time to do my laundry, work a day, and pack, before I was off again. I think I'm still suffering from a travel surfeit from last year. But I did my best to be present, enjoy what there was to be enjoyed, and move on. I may very well cancel out of all cons this year, except for LosCon, that being the excuse to have only a short visit with Dave's parents.
And there was much to be enjoyed. My traveling companion and room mate (one of 2 with Caryn Cameron from B.C., Canada) was new writer Becca Morn. She's local to Boulder Creek, and we met through our M.D. (it's a very small town). This was Becca's first con, and I was happy to make introductions to many sorts of writerly and editorial people. It was also nice to have company when I wanted it, without any obligation. And Becca came away from the con with some solid contacts to help sell her book, so I celebrate with her.
As usual, I had a fairly heavy panel schedule; since I go to work, this is Good, even if I did 2 panels on basically the same subject (shared worlds/being the jr author). I began with a Kaffeeklatch, together with Tor editor Beth Meacham. (See, I got to drop a big name, anyway.) Beth edited the EXORDIUM series by Sherwood Smith and my lovely husband, Dave Trowbridge, back in the 1990s, so I knew her slightly. We had a grand time talking writer/editor shop, each giving a different perspective to the questions posed by the audience (is that what they're called at a Klatch?)
Whoever invented Kaffeeklatsches deserves a medal. They're a fairly new phenomenon, at least to me, the last five years maybe, and I highly recommend them. i enjoy them both as guest and audience, and find the intimacy of the setting a refreshing change from formal panels. So I encourage anyone out there not to be shy, but to avail yourselves of this opportunity!
Much of the rest of the con is a blur. It was a looong con -- we were there Thursday to Tuesday morning. I think 2 or 3 nights is about it for me. I did make it to the gym twice, and out walking every day. Some of the latter was not my doing. The con had around 3500 members, and had scheduled events at 2 hotels about a 15 minute walk apart. Happily, it did not rain, which is a plus, given Seattle. The definite down side was the time it took to get from one to the other (and not very wheelchair friendly route), but it was good to get the extra walking and fresh air.
Didn't make it to any dances, alas, including Regency, although John Hertz (who taught Regency dance at our wedding) was there in his propeller beanie (which he does not wear to Regency dances). Did make it to occasional meals. ugh -- the hotel restaurant was one of the worst. Food mediocre, prices sky high, service slow. Breakfast and lunch weren't too bad. Fortunately,, there were quite a few restaurants within a block or two. A Denny's (mediocre, but reasonable prices), a great Japanese hole-in-the-wall with wonderful food cheapo, and -- Becca and I discovered on our last night -- a splendid "pan-Asian" restaurant, incredible food for very modest price. The owner came out to chat with us and said he'd stolen his chef away from Benihana and then designed a cuisine with dishes from all over the Pacific rim -- mostly Chinese, but also Thai, Korean, Indian and Hawaiian. Later the chef came out and we talked about food (he was the owner's brother, the two of them clearly delighted to be working for themselves) and life and stuff. Really felt welcomed, not to mention the incredible food -- or did I say that? It was the last night and I at least was in need of TLC and no more hotel food.
Did come back all fired to finish THE SEVEN-PETALED SHIELD. I read an excerpt from the beginning (at 10 on Monday morning -- and 4 people came! a triumph!) Now I just need to get my eyes uncrossed enough. Rose, bless her heart, welcomed me home by offering to do my laundry. Slept badly in post-con jitters mode. But am slowly unwinding, finished Ch. 24. And am now off to do DDR and sweat out some anti-endorphins.
To begin with, I was a bit crabby. I'd just gotten back from Laguna and barely had time to do my laundry, work a day, and pack, before I was off again. I think I'm still suffering from a travel surfeit from last year. But I did my best to be present, enjoy what there was to be enjoyed, and move on. I may very well cancel out of all cons this year, except for LosCon, that being the excuse to have only a short visit with Dave's parents.
And there was much to be enjoyed. My traveling companion and room mate (one of 2 with Caryn Cameron from B.C., Canada) was new writer Becca Morn. She's local to Boulder Creek, and we met through our M.D. (it's a very small town). This was Becca's first con, and I was happy to make introductions to many sorts of writerly and editorial people. It was also nice to have company when I wanted it, without any obligation. And Becca came away from the con with some solid contacts to help sell her book, so I celebrate with her.
As usual, I had a fairly heavy panel schedule; since I go to work, this is Good, even if I did 2 panels on basically the same subject (shared worlds/being the jr author). I began with a Kaffeeklatch, together with Tor editor Beth Meacham. (See, I got to drop a big name, anyway.) Beth edited the EXORDIUM series by Sherwood Smith and my lovely husband, Dave Trowbridge, back in the 1990s, so I knew her slightly. We had a grand time talking writer/editor shop, each giving a different perspective to the questions posed by the audience (is that what they're called at a Klatch?)
Whoever invented Kaffeeklatsches deserves a medal. They're a fairly new phenomenon, at least to me, the last five years maybe, and I highly recommend them. i enjoy them both as guest and audience, and find the intimacy of the setting a refreshing change from formal panels. So I encourage anyone out there not to be shy, but to avail yourselves of this opportunity!
Much of the rest of the con is a blur. It was a looong con -- we were there Thursday to Tuesday morning. I think 2 or 3 nights is about it for me. I did make it to the gym twice, and out walking every day. Some of the latter was not my doing. The con had around 3500 members, and had scheduled events at 2 hotels about a 15 minute walk apart. Happily, it did not rain, which is a plus, given Seattle. The definite down side was the time it took to get from one to the other (and not very wheelchair friendly route), but it was good to get the extra walking and fresh air.
Didn't make it to any dances, alas, including Regency, although John Hertz (who taught Regency dance at our wedding) was there in his propeller beanie (which he does not wear to Regency dances). Did make it to occasional meals. ugh -- the hotel restaurant was one of the worst. Food mediocre, prices sky high, service slow. Breakfast and lunch weren't too bad. Fortunately,, there were quite a few restaurants within a block or two. A Denny's (mediocre, but reasonable prices), a great Japanese hole-in-the-wall with wonderful food cheapo, and -- Becca and I discovered on our last night -- a splendid "pan-Asian" restaurant, incredible food for very modest price. The owner came out to chat with us and said he'd stolen his chef away from Benihana and then designed a cuisine with dishes from all over the Pacific rim -- mostly Chinese, but also Thai, Korean, Indian and Hawaiian. Later the chef came out and we talked about food (he was the owner's brother, the two of them clearly delighted to be working for themselves) and life and stuff. Really felt welcomed, not to mention the incredible food -- or did I say that? It was the last night and I at least was in need of TLC and no more hotel food.
Did come back all fired to finish THE SEVEN-PETALED SHIELD. I read an excerpt from the beginning (at 10 on Monday morning -- and 4 people came! a triumph!) Now I just need to get my eyes uncrossed enough. Rose, bless her heart, welcomed me home by offering to do my laundry. Slept badly in post-con jitters mode. But am slowly unwinding, finished Ch. 24. And am now off to do DDR and sweat out some anti-endorphins.
