Thank You, Can*Con!
My Great Circle Tour went well. I filmed enough footage for four videos that will appear on Transit Toronto's new channel, and I added about 5,000 words to the newest draft of The Cloud Riders. I saw a lot of fall foliage, drank a lot of good coffee, ate smoked meat at Schwartz's in Montreal and generally recharged my batteries.
A big part of recharging my batteries was attending this year's Can*Con in Ottawa. This longstanding landmark convention for science fiction and fantasy fans and writers was once again a joy to attend. It always feels good to immerse yourself in the community, meeting old friends, and finding new ones (such as the Toronto SFF Writers group!).
And I saw a TARDIS! You know it's a good day when you see a TARDIS (after some serious shenanigans first, of course).
As always, the Can*Con organizing committee did a great job making the best use of their space and creating a welcoming and safe environment for all attendees. My only complaint was that the new hotel, out near Kanata, was a little bit inaccessible by transit for someone whose hotel was located in downtown Kitchener. But what little frustration I had was ameleorated by filming footage of Ottawa's express bus routes, and its western LRT extension now under construction.
While at Can*Con, i was privileged to attend the launch party for Stephen Kotowych's Year's Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction (Volume 3), where my Tales from the Silence story "After the Apocalypse in Moosonee" placed amongst illustrious company. I signed copies, and I had my copy signed by many authors, there were snacks, and a good time was had by all. Thanks again to Stephen Kotowych for putting together this annual celebration of Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy, and thank you for selecting my story to be a part of it. In celebration, I'll be releasing the follow-up story in Tales from the Silence, "Big Fish, Little Fish", shortly on this blog.
So, all in all, an excellent time that inspired me to tackle (or re-tackle) a number of projects, all of which conspired to keep me away from this blog more than I would have liked, but you'll be seeing the fruits of these labours fairly soon. Stay tuned.
