World Fantasy Convention, San Jose – Day 2

The second day of World Fantasy proved to be just as full of pleasant surprises and meetings as the first. Among the highlights: Attending Jay Lake’s Guerilla Cheese Party, at which everyone was treated to the musical stylings of Ken Scholes with his guitar and harmonica.  Who says writers can’t be multitalented?  I think the pinnacle of that performance was likely Ken’s rendition of U2’s “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” sang as if in duet by Queen Elizabeth II and Bob Dylan.  When someone asked him how he had worked out whose voice sings which lines, he replied,Continue readingWorld Fantasy Convention, San Jose – Day 2

World Fantasy Convention, San Jose – Day 1 – Poe’s 200th Birthday

After attending the World Science Fiction Convention last year, not to mention lots of other events over the years, I had a pretty good idea what to expect from a convention like this, but I was surprised at how condensed and homey this convention is, in the heart of downtown San Jose. First of all, the venue here is palatial and compact.  Everything takes place within the hotel, unlike World Con last year where the convention venue sprawled over hundreds of square miles and numerous events were scattered all over downtown Denver.  World Fantasy ’09?  All in one place, inContinue readingWorld Fantasy Convention, San Jose – Day 1 – Poe’s 200th Birthday

Upcoming Appearance at the World Fantasy Convention

Here’s some exciting news (at least for me ;).  I’ll be doing a reading at the World Fantasy Convention in San Jose, CA, next week.  The convention runs from Thursday, October 29, to Sunday, November 1. Friday, October 30, at 9:00 p.m. I will also be participating in the Group Booksigning on Friday evening at 8:30. So if you’re attending WFC this year, look me up!

Author Interview Series #55 – Chloe Neill

Continuing a tradition of encountering really interesting people at conventions, I met author Chloe Neill this summer at OSFest, the Omaha Science Fiction Education Society’s annual sci-fi convention.  Although she’s not a katana-wielding vampire badass like the main character in her Chicagoland Vampire series, she perhaps could be with some training.  Neill grew up in Arkansas (maintains a touch of the accent) and now makes her home in Nebraska, where she recently launched her pro writing career with her first novel Some Girls Bite, out this year from Penguin.  She managed to wrangle us some interview time in the midstContinue readingAuthor Interview Series #55 – Chloe Neill

Author Interview Series #54 – Jeanne Cavelos

This week I have the distinct pleasure of interviewing a person who has had a tremendous impact on me (and hopefully my writing career!), Jeanne Cavelos.  Jeanne is a former senior editor at Bantam Doubleday Dell, and these days is the brains and (most of) the brawn behind one of the premier writing workshops for genre fiction, the Odyssey Writing Workshop.  In addition to Odyssey, she also teaches fiction writing at St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH.  One doesn’t have to look very hard to find praises being sung for the quality of the Odyssey experience, and that is dueContinue readingAuthor Interview Series #54 – Jeanne Cavelos