Norwescon 2013 Schedule

Lisa Mantchev described it best when she Tweeted: I’ve never actually been run over by a Zamboni full of glitter, but that’s what it feels like after a really great convention.

That’s how SteamCon was. I arrived Friday afternoon for the Steampunk Reimagines Fairy Tales. This was a writing-focused panel, and I’d like to see future SteamCons make a wider space for a writing track, since this was jam-packed with attendees. Lisa Mantchev was our excellent moderator, and J.R. Boyett, a fellow participant in the FairyPunk project, was another panelist. We talked about how to create stories that best take advantage of the steampunk setting, without making it seem as though you’re just gluing a gear on it.

Later that evening, I had the first of my three panels on Victorian explorers. This was the best of them, because it focused on women explorers, and that’s an area I am reasonably well-read in, because I love some of those stories so much. That session included moderator Carmen Beaudry, Lori Edwards and another exquisitely garbed woman whose name, unfortunately, I didn’t catch. It was AWESOME and we all had a lovely time. I’ll mention some of the names we touched on, and urge you to go look these ladies and their amazing stories up: Harriet Chalmers Adams, Gertrude Bell, Isabelle Eberhardt, Mary Kingsley, Annie Smith Peck, May French Sheldon, and Lady Hester Stanhope, among many others.

Saturday was two more panels on expeditions, first one with Joshua Merrill-Nach on Great Quests of the 19th Century and later one on cryptozooological expeditions with a last minute substitute panelist whose name I know only as “Sean,” unfortunately, but who was terrific. Both panels were pretty full, the second one standing room only.

Sunday morning, I read from “Her Windowed Eyes, Her Chambered Heart” to a small but select audience that included the fabulous Sandra M. Odell. And then I made one last pass through the wonders of the dealer’s room and retreated home. Adieu glitter and goggles!

This will be the first blog post ever done on the iPad, so excuse both brevity and typos.

MidSouthCon is great and everyone is super friendly. Yesterday I had a panel on con etiquette (really, it all just boils down to Wil Wheaton’s law – Don’t be a dick.) then opening ceremonies and a meet the guest event. The con is small but fun, and this is its 30th year, which is nifty. And I got a swell gift basket and got to sit next to Mark Goddard, who Lost In Space fans will recognize as Major Don West.

Today, among other things, I’m giving a talk on electronic publishing where I fear I’ll be just saying more of the same stuff everyone else does, but we’ll see. I do want to talk about it in terms of the various sectors: readers, authors, publishers, agents, and editors, because I think everyone’s got a different horse in this race.

Tomorrow more con, and then I’m flying back Monday and fleeing this strange and frightening day star. Back to Seattle gray!