Balticon 47 Recap
Everything about Balticon 47 went smoothly from the trek down to the voyage home (I made some puns there, you saw that, right?). Above and beyond all of the lively readings, the edifying discussion panels, the launch of ReDeus: Beyond Borders, and the treasures found in the dealer room, was the company of good friends.
No sooner did I check into the Hunt Valley and register with the convention than I met up with Bob Greenberger in the hallway. We walked out to his car so that I could collect my 30 copies of ReDeus: Beyond Borders (ooooohhh, aaaahhh, pretty!). Bob was kind enough to walk me to my car (on the other side of the hotel) and helped load the box into my car. As Bob headed off to the SFWA Gala, I settled into my room and reviewed the Pocket Program.
Friday kicked off with dinner at the Corner Stable in the company of friend, publisher and fellow writer Steve Wilson and his sons Ethan and Christian. It was fun, but not without a bit of hassle. Though we were told the wait would be about 20 minutes, the reality was 45 and the staff was not entirely agreeable when it came to where we could stand in their cramped foyer which was already occupied by about ten other people. The Corner Stable has become a tradition for many of us who attend cons in the area, but this is not the first time I've experienced problems with their service.
We returned to the Hunt Valley Inn well in time to watch veteran SF writer Allen Steele and Dr. Yoji Kondo receive their Robert A. Heinlein awards. Dr. Kondo is an astrophysicist who also writes SF novels under the pen name Eric Kotani. On Sunday at 4PM, Balticon celebrated Dr. Kondo's 80th birthday. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict I was unable to attend.
My only panel on Friday was not until 11PM. It was about "Cover Trends" and my co-panelists included Collin Earl, Richard Allen Leider, Jean Marie Ward and Starla A.Huchton. Get writers and artists together in one room and the topic of what makes a book cover becomes a hot one! Panelists and audience members alike had strong opinions on what elements are needed to make a cover truly "pop."
On Saturday morning, Bob Greenberger led a panel to discuss the offerings of Crazy 8 Press , including and especially the ReDeus series, of which Beyond Borders is the second volume. Steve Wilson and I joined the panel and had the chance to chat up our contributions to this truly divine anthology. We sold two copies of each ReDeus volume after our presentation.
Later that day, I had the privilege of meeting guests of honor Joe Haldeman and Rick Sternbach at their autograph table. Haldeman is a Hugo and Nebula award winner known for such novels as The Forever War, Forever Peace, The Hemingway Hoax, and more including two Star Trek novels, Planet of Judgment and World Without End. Rick Sternbach is an artist and had worked as an illustrator on such films as Star Trek: The Motion Picture and The Last Starfighter as well as television shows Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager.
At 5PM, I joined Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Theodore Krulik in a shared reading session. As Danielle was not feeling well, she asked to read first. She read a few scenes from one of her Bad-Ass Faeries books, and then promptly departed (not to worry, she was feeling much better later that night). Theodore then read an entire short story to fill in some of the time that Danielle had relinquished. I finished our session with a lively reading of the first three scenes from "Root for the Undergods", my comedic tale from ReDeus: Beyond Borders.
After an enjoyable dinner at the Silver Spring Mining Co with Steve and Renee Wilson, their son Christian, Farpoint chair Sharon Van Blarcom, and Paul Balze, it was time for me to step up to the moderator plate for a 9PM panel called "Plotters vs. Pantsers". The panelists included 2012 Compton Crook award-winner T.C. McCarthy (he wears his sunglasses at night...and indoors), Martin Berman-Gorvine, Charles Gannon and Paula S. Jordon. We discussed the differences--and preferences--of planning your stories in advance or writing by the seat of your pants (hence, "pantsers"). We had a packed room for this one and the audience participation was impressive.
Sunday was my busiest day, starting at 9AM with a panel on "Writing and Submitting Humorous SF and Fantasy". The moderator for this was Alex Shvartsman and the other panelists included Collin Earl (moderator from Friday's "Cover Trends" panel), Sarah Pinsker, and Stephanie "Flash" Burke. We covered a lot of ground on what makes a story humorous and how to skillfully add humor to balance drama. The panelists also discussed the fact that NY publishing seems to be challenged when it comes to marketing humorous books, thus the inclination for writers to release such works via small presses or self-publishing.
I had to skip my 10AM panel as it became my turn to feel suddenly ill. I retreated to my room and took a quick nap, after which I felt refreshed enough to take a leisurely stroll around the hotel until lunchtime, which was spent at the Nautilus Diner with buddies Bob Greenberger and Steven H. Wilson. For some odd reason, we spoke much about the topic of writing.
The three of us returned to the hotel just in time for the Firebringer Press panel at 2PM. Steve and his son, Ethan, were already there by the time I wheeled in with a suitcase full of books (yes, I've graduated to rolling luggage now that I have four titles). Steve and I chatted about current and future offerings including Steve's newly released e-novella, Mutiny Springs Eternal , from which he read the opening scenes. I then read an excerpt from By Your Side , after which we chatted about small presses and publishing in general. I managed to sell a copy of By Your Side before our session came to a close.
Immediately after, I was honored to share autograph table space with Bob and Keith RA DeCandido and although I sold no books, it was great to hang out with these fine gents.
At 6PM, I ventured into the Valley ballroom to watch the Family Wilson, Stephanie "Flash" Burke, Paul Balze, June Swords, Renfield, and others in their hilarious live action, low-budget parody, The Avengers...and Shwarma After.
It was time then for our final group dinner for the weekend at Basta Pasta, near the Timonium Crowne Plaza, home to Farpoint . After saying good-byes to Cindy Shockey and the Family VanBlarcom, it was back to the hotel where I hung out with Christian and Ethan Wilson until I could no longer keeps my eyes open.
Monday morning's final Balticon panel for me at 11AM dealt with "Why Good Writing Still Matters". Moderator Leona Wisoker was prepared with notes and questions for fellow panelists Hildy Silverman, Jennifer Povey and Ian Randall Stock. We discussed what makes good writing and storytelling, styles of writing, character arcs, story arcs, and the importance of reading in order to become a better writer.
Then another great con came to an end for me. Overall, a wonderful weekend with fantastic friends and enlightening discussions. With such beautiful weather, I took the opportunity to walk outside as often as possible between panels on Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures were far milder than the scorching heat of last year's Memorial Day weekend. Also, I couldn't leave the show without perusing the used book dealers. On Saturday, I found two early printings of Joe Haldeman's The Forever War and Worlds (which he signed for me), as well Heinlein's Space Cadet. Before hitting the road on Sunday, I went back and snagged Stephen King's The Colorado Kid, and Harlan Ellison's Doomsman--a book that I owned back in 1998 until Harlan insisted on trading with me for another of his books, but I'll save that story for a later time...
No sooner did I check into the Hunt Valley and register with the convention than I met up with Bob Greenberger in the hallway. We walked out to his car so that I could collect my 30 copies of ReDeus: Beyond Borders (ooooohhh, aaaahhh, pretty!). Bob was kind enough to walk me to my car (on the other side of the hotel) and helped load the box into my car. As Bob headed off to the SFWA Gala, I settled into my room and reviewed the Pocket Program.
Friday kicked off with dinner at the Corner Stable in the company of friend, publisher and fellow writer Steve Wilson and his sons Ethan and Christian. It was fun, but not without a bit of hassle. Though we were told the wait would be about 20 minutes, the reality was 45 and the staff was not entirely agreeable when it came to where we could stand in their cramped foyer which was already occupied by about ten other people. The Corner Stable has become a tradition for many of us who attend cons in the area, but this is not the first time I've experienced problems with their service.
We returned to the Hunt Valley Inn well in time to watch veteran SF writer Allen Steele and Dr. Yoji Kondo receive their Robert A. Heinlein awards. Dr. Kondo is an astrophysicist who also writes SF novels under the pen name Eric Kotani. On Sunday at 4PM, Balticon celebrated Dr. Kondo's 80th birthday. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict I was unable to attend.
My only panel on Friday was not until 11PM. It was about "Cover Trends" and my co-panelists included Collin Earl, Richard Allen Leider, Jean Marie Ward and Starla A.Huchton. Get writers and artists together in one room and the topic of what makes a book cover becomes a hot one! Panelists and audience members alike had strong opinions on what elements are needed to make a cover truly "pop."
On Saturday morning, Bob Greenberger led a panel to discuss the offerings of Crazy 8 Press , including and especially the ReDeus series, of which Beyond Borders is the second volume. Steve Wilson and I joined the panel and had the chance to chat up our contributions to this truly divine anthology. We sold two copies of each ReDeus volume after our presentation.
Later that day, I had the privilege of meeting guests of honor Joe Haldeman and Rick Sternbach at their autograph table. Haldeman is a Hugo and Nebula award winner known for such novels as The Forever War, Forever Peace, The Hemingway Hoax, and more including two Star Trek novels, Planet of Judgment and World Without End. Rick Sternbach is an artist and had worked as an illustrator on such films as Star Trek: The Motion Picture and The Last Starfighter as well as television shows Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager.
At 5PM, I joined Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Theodore Krulik in a shared reading session. As Danielle was not feeling well, she asked to read first. She read a few scenes from one of her Bad-Ass Faeries books, and then promptly departed (not to worry, she was feeling much better later that night). Theodore then read an entire short story to fill in some of the time that Danielle had relinquished. I finished our session with a lively reading of the first three scenes from "Root for the Undergods", my comedic tale from ReDeus: Beyond Borders.
After an enjoyable dinner at the Silver Spring Mining Co with Steve and Renee Wilson, their son Christian, Farpoint chair Sharon Van Blarcom, and Paul Balze, it was time for me to step up to the moderator plate for a 9PM panel called "Plotters vs. Pantsers". The panelists included 2012 Compton Crook award-winner T.C. McCarthy (he wears his sunglasses at night...and indoors), Martin Berman-Gorvine, Charles Gannon and Paula S. Jordon. We discussed the differences--and preferences--of planning your stories in advance or writing by the seat of your pants (hence, "pantsers"). We had a packed room for this one and the audience participation was impressive.
Sunday was my busiest day, starting at 9AM with a panel on "Writing and Submitting Humorous SF and Fantasy". The moderator for this was Alex Shvartsman and the other panelists included Collin Earl (moderator from Friday's "Cover Trends" panel), Sarah Pinsker, and Stephanie "Flash" Burke. We covered a lot of ground on what makes a story humorous and how to skillfully add humor to balance drama. The panelists also discussed the fact that NY publishing seems to be challenged when it comes to marketing humorous books, thus the inclination for writers to release such works via small presses or self-publishing.
I had to skip my 10AM panel as it became my turn to feel suddenly ill. I retreated to my room and took a quick nap, after which I felt refreshed enough to take a leisurely stroll around the hotel until lunchtime, which was spent at the Nautilus Diner with buddies Bob Greenberger and Steven H. Wilson. For some odd reason, we spoke much about the topic of writing.
The three of us returned to the hotel just in time for the Firebringer Press panel at 2PM. Steve and his son, Ethan, were already there by the time I wheeled in with a suitcase full of books (yes, I've graduated to rolling luggage now that I have four titles). Steve and I chatted about current and future offerings including Steve's newly released e-novella, Mutiny Springs Eternal , from which he read the opening scenes. I then read an excerpt from By Your Side , after which we chatted about small presses and publishing in general. I managed to sell a copy of By Your Side before our session came to a close.
Immediately after, I was honored to share autograph table space with Bob and Keith RA DeCandido and although I sold no books, it was great to hang out with these fine gents.
At 6PM, I ventured into the Valley ballroom to watch the Family Wilson, Stephanie "Flash" Burke, Paul Balze, June Swords, Renfield, and others in their hilarious live action, low-budget parody, The Avengers...and Shwarma After.
It was time then for our final group dinner for the weekend at Basta Pasta, near the Timonium Crowne Plaza, home to Farpoint . After saying good-byes to Cindy Shockey and the Family VanBlarcom, it was back to the hotel where I hung out with Christian and Ethan Wilson until I could no longer keeps my eyes open.
Monday morning's final Balticon panel for me at 11AM dealt with "Why Good Writing Still Matters". Moderator Leona Wisoker was prepared with notes and questions for fellow panelists Hildy Silverman, Jennifer Povey and Ian Randall Stock. We discussed what makes good writing and storytelling, styles of writing, character arcs, story arcs, and the importance of reading in order to become a better writer.
Then another great con came to an end for me. Overall, a wonderful weekend with fantastic friends and enlightening discussions. With such beautiful weather, I took the opportunity to walk outside as often as possible between panels on Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures were far milder than the scorching heat of last year's Memorial Day weekend. Also, I couldn't leave the show without perusing the used book dealers. On Saturday, I found two early printings of Joe Haldeman's The Forever War and Worlds (which he signed for me), as well Heinlein's Space Cadet. Before hitting the road on Sunday, I went back and snagged Stephen King's The Colorado Kid, and Harlan Ellison's Doomsman--a book that I owned back in 1998 until Harlan insisted on trading with me for another of his books, but I'll save that story for a later time...
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