Here's where I'll be and what I'll be doing/talking about during Ad Astra this year:
Friday:
Right to Review - 7 pm Ellsemere East - Beverly Bambury (m), Adam Shaftoe, K.W. Ramsey
Readers have more outlets than ever before to voice their opinions
about books and respond to texts on book sellers’ sites such as Amazon
or social networking sites like GoodReads. Yet, like so many other
things on the Internet, this is open to exploitation and the dilution of
dialogue. What kinds of responsibilities do site owners, authors and
readers have in negotiating these new critical environments?
Yay! Panel with Bev and Adam!
Serenity: 10 years Later - 8 pm Franklin - Serenity 10 years Later David Clink (m), Fiona Patton, K.W. Ramsey
It’s been a decade since Serenity flew into the sunset. How do the
series and movie hold up? Is there hope we’ll see the browncoats again
on the larger or small screen? Come and celebrate 10 years of Firefly
fandom.
Gassing about Firefly for an hour is guaranteed to be fun.
Saturday:
Swordplay! The Panel - 11 am Artic - K.W Ramsey and ?
Join our experts and discuss the myths and the truths about Eastern and Western Sword Play and sword-arts.
At this point I'm not sure who else will be up there with me. Chalk this one down as tentative at this point. If anything changes I'll make an announcement.
Books as Comfort Food - 1 pm - Ed Greenwood (m), adrienne everitt, Sandra Kasturi, Fiona Patton, K.W. Ramsey
Some books in our libraries just naturally soothe us. There are books
we go to again and again to seek comfort and ease anxiety. Sometimes
suffering a trauma will send you to a certain book- Let’s explore this
phenomena and talk about what is really going on when we hide in a book.
Looks as if this one doesn't have a room assigned to it yet. No worries. It'll get figured out.
Sunday:
Writing High Fantasy - 10 am Ellsemere East - Marie Bilodeau (m), Catherine Fitzsimmons, K.W. Ramsey, Gregory A. Wilson
What makes an epic fantasy epic? What are the elements of high
fantaty? With fantasy TV going mainstream is now that right time for you
to focus on writing a fantasy novel? What are some should haves when
writing fantasy? How about must avoid?
Okay, so this is this years "WTF how the heck did I end up on this one" panel. Last year it was a panel on book trailers. Oh well, I'm sure I'll have fun and contribute either way. Also I GET TO BE ON A PANEL WITH MARIE! Excuse me while I let out a manly squee.
Beyond Winterfell - 3 pm Beaufort East - David Clink (m), Chris Charabaruk, Sandra Kasturi, K.W. Ramsey
Song of Ice and Fire, Game of Thrones discussion panel. Would you
serve on the wall, forsaking everything? Which house do you thing
deserves the iron throne. How do you feel about HBO’s treatment of the
series? Did you even know about the books before? Join other fans in
exploring the world of George RR Martin
Another topic that's going to be fun gassing about. Fair warning though, since this is near the end of the con I may have gone completely silly.
And that's my schedule, as it is. Keep in mind Ad Astra is still a few weeks away and anything can change at this point.
Showing posts with label Ad Astra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ad Astra. Show all posts
Friday, March 15, 2013
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Survival Strategies For Introverts
The introversion panel at Ad Astra 2012 spawned the idea for this post. After it was over I started thinking, "What can introverts do to not only survive but thrive in an extroverted world?". Here's what I've come up with:
1. Plan ahead and have an escape strategy:
Sounds simple right? You'd be surprised how many people, not just introverts, fail to do this. Look, if you're an introvert at some point you're going to put into an uncomfortable situation, such as attending a party you really didn't want to or presenting to a group of strangers. Having a way to gracefully step away from something you're not comfortable with is critical as it will prevent you from getting too stressed and saying something you didn't intend to. And remember, internalize rather than memorize. You want to be able to give a good reason without sounding like you're reading off a prepared speech. (This also works in keeping down nervousness if you have to give a talk in front of others.)
2. Know your limit:
Now for the reason you have your exit strategy. At some point you're going to hit your daily allotment of dealing with other people. The great thing about being an introvert is we're pretty good with the intake and processing of stimuli. The terrible thing is we get overwhelmed by said stimuli much quicker than extroverts. May have something to do with internalizing and chewing it over rather than constantly sending stimuli outwards. Not a good or a bad thing either way. It just is.
So why do we need to know our limits? Two reasons: First, so we can break them, and second, so we know when to exit. One we've reached our stimuli breaking point we need to back off and recharge, otherwise we run the risk of doing or saying something truly stupid. I know that I can get rather, testy, if I've been surrounded by stimulus for too long without a break and an innocent comment could get me to say something I'll regret. It's important to know what your personal limit is so you can retreat before you make an ass of yourself and derail all the work you're about to do with strategy 3.
3. Break out of your comfort zone:
Now you may be asking, "Didn't he just say to stay within my limit?" No, no I didn't. The reason I recommend knowing your limit is so that you can break it every now and then in a controlled manner in order to increase said limit. Think of it as social weight-lifting. On a regular basis it's a good idea to work your social muscles to failure so that as they recover they become stronger. This means you'll be more comfortable is a wider variety of social situations and less likely to have a knee-jerk negative reaction when placed in an unexpected uncomfortable situation, such as having to train a group of people you've just met or fill in for your boss at a meeting.
An example of me following this advice was Ad Astra 2012. Talking in front of a room full of people is something I've never been overly comfortable with and being a panelist this year helped me a lot with that. I was in a relatively safe, controlled environment and was guaranteed an audience that was at least interested in what I had to say. In the end, Ad Astra was a huge confidence boost for me and should help with my jitters the first time I actually have to do a (gah!) reading from something of mine that's been published.
So pick something just outside your comfort zone that you have a little bit of control over and do it. Keep doing this and you'll see yourself better able to socialize and being an introvert won't be some much of a burden.
Okay, so those are the top three strategies for introvert survival and thriving. Now from some little things:
1. Plan ahead and have an escape strategy:
Sounds simple right? You'd be surprised how many people, not just introverts, fail to do this. Look, if you're an introvert at some point you're going to put into an uncomfortable situation, such as attending a party you really didn't want to or presenting to a group of strangers. Having a way to gracefully step away from something you're not comfortable with is critical as it will prevent you from getting too stressed and saying something you didn't intend to. And remember, internalize rather than memorize. You want to be able to give a good reason without sounding like you're reading off a prepared speech. (This also works in keeping down nervousness if you have to give a talk in front of others.)
2. Know your limit:
Now for the reason you have your exit strategy. At some point you're going to hit your daily allotment of dealing with other people. The great thing about being an introvert is we're pretty good with the intake and processing of stimuli. The terrible thing is we get overwhelmed by said stimuli much quicker than extroverts. May have something to do with internalizing and chewing it over rather than constantly sending stimuli outwards. Not a good or a bad thing either way. It just is.
So why do we need to know our limits? Two reasons: First, so we can break them, and second, so we know when to exit. One we've reached our stimuli breaking point we need to back off and recharge, otherwise we run the risk of doing or saying something truly stupid. I know that I can get rather, testy, if I've been surrounded by stimulus for too long without a break and an innocent comment could get me to say something I'll regret. It's important to know what your personal limit is so you can retreat before you make an ass of yourself and derail all the work you're about to do with strategy 3.
3. Break out of your comfort zone:
Now you may be asking, "Didn't he just say to stay within my limit?" No, no I didn't. The reason I recommend knowing your limit is so that you can break it every now and then in a controlled manner in order to increase said limit. Think of it as social weight-lifting. On a regular basis it's a good idea to work your social muscles to failure so that as they recover they become stronger. This means you'll be more comfortable is a wider variety of social situations and less likely to have a knee-jerk negative reaction when placed in an unexpected uncomfortable situation, such as having to train a group of people you've just met or fill in for your boss at a meeting.
An example of me following this advice was Ad Astra 2012. Talking in front of a room full of people is something I've never been overly comfortable with and being a panelist this year helped me a lot with that. I was in a relatively safe, controlled environment and was guaranteed an audience that was at least interested in what I had to say. In the end, Ad Astra was a huge confidence boost for me and should help with my jitters the first time I actually have to do a (gah!) reading from something of mine that's been published.
So pick something just outside your comfort zone that you have a little bit of control over and do it. Keep doing this and you'll see yourself better able to socialize and being an introvert won't be some much of a burden.
Okay, so those are the top three strategies for introvert survival and thriving. Now from some little things:
- Master the head bob and umm - this way people will realize you heard them while your brain is chewing over their problem. The chin-stroke works well too, especially if you have facial hair.
- Take a second before responding to anything and consider your answer - we may know it right away (thank you fast stimuli processing) but we appear more thoughtful if we take a moment and we refine the phrasing of our answer to be more sociably correct.
- Don't be afraid to smile.
- Don't be afraid to observe for a couple minutes before diving into an unknown situation. Again, use your data-processing abilities to give yourself a leg-up in as many situations as possible.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Ad Astra 2012 Con Report
It's Monday afternoon as I write this as it took that long for my brain to reboot. Ad Astra 2012 was a blast but extremely exhausting. I'm glad I took today off so I could nap and recover.
So where to begin on this? This was my first year as a panelist and I have to say I was extremely nervous going in. It didn't help that things were a bit chaotic the first day of the con and the registration for the panelists wasn't available until after 5 for some and later for others. That's not a criticism though. The convention recently transferred to a new hotel and I heard rumblings there were technical issues behind the scenes. Considering how bad it could have been I think the Ad Astra volunteers did a great job of running with things and should be commended on it. I hope things go smoother for them next year.
The funny thing is, the closer I got to my first panel the calmer I became and as soon as it started any nervousness I had disappeared, which is even more amusing to me as my first panel was about introversion. It was fun! I'm an avowed introvert. I spend a lot of time in my own head-space considering things and not a lot of time talking, so I was a bit surprised at how much I actually had to say and that I didn't find myself stumbling for words all that often. In fact, I'd like to think I made a useful contribution to the panels I attended. (The final determination on that of course rests with the audience of those panels.)
A lot of what I experienced is due to As Astra being a very welcoming convention. That was especially evident on the Introversion Is Not A Bad Thing panel as I remember someone making a point that at conventions the norms are hugely skewed in favor of introverts as to make people who in mainstream society would appear closed off suddenly becoming raging extroverts. (I exaggerate for effect of course.)
During that panel a term for those who straddle the line between introverts and extroverts came up - ambiverts. Those are people who can be introverted or extroverted, or at least communicate effectively with both sides, as the need arose. It was a great panel, and a wonderful way to start the convention.
I was honestly amazed at how well attended the panels I was on were, especially the one on criticism. That was one I expected the panelists to exceed the audience (which did happen in a couple panels I went to as a guest rather than a panelist). Even the panel I had on Sunday at 10:00AM was pretty well attended, and the audience didn't seem terribly hung over either. The only one that really didn't work out was the Lost Girl panel. Due to a scheduling conflict my fellow panelist was double-booked, and when only one attendee showed up we made the decision to transfer over to the Sherlock panel she was also scheduled for in the next room.
The final panel I did was one on book trailers, and I honestly don't remember signing up for it and was worried I'd have nothing relevant to contribute. I really find most book trailers tedious and have absolutely nothing to do with their production and distribution. I was honestly worried I'd be an outsider slagging on the whole idea while marketing mouthpieces said what a wonderful promotional tool they were, yadda, yadda, yadda. The reality was much different.
First off, the marketing people who were on the panel were intelligent and truly passionate about the books they sold and that came across. They were also willing to put up their own work for evaluation and listen with an open mind to the feedback provided. Passion can't be reliably faked, and I can usually tell when someone is nodding while thinking I'm a jerk for stating honestly that something didn't work for me. So I have nothing but praise for my fellow book trailer panelists, though I do think the person who created the first trailer we watched, thankfully not produced by anyone in the room or any company they were affiliated with, should be smacked upside the head not only for creating something so horrible but for posting it online. It was bad, very bad, so bad it became good and then crossed back over to bad again.
Aside from panels I attended three book launches, a couple parties, and came in second place to Toronto's resident super-villain Dr. Holocaust in an evil laugh contest, which wasn't so bad as the Doc went all out and I did get some compliments on my own laugh. I may have pulled something in my back to do it though. Time for some evil laugh training before my next attempt.
One of my fellow panelists said in conversation that now that I've started doing panels I'm doomed to keep on doing them, and you know, I think he's right. At Ad Astra 2012 I got to see a lot of old friends and made a few new ones. I'm looking forward to next year.
So where to begin on this? This was my first year as a panelist and I have to say I was extremely nervous going in. It didn't help that things were a bit chaotic the first day of the con and the registration for the panelists wasn't available until after 5 for some and later for others. That's not a criticism though. The convention recently transferred to a new hotel and I heard rumblings there were technical issues behind the scenes. Considering how bad it could have been I think the Ad Astra volunteers did a great job of running with things and should be commended on it. I hope things go smoother for them next year.
The funny thing is, the closer I got to my first panel the calmer I became and as soon as it started any nervousness I had disappeared, which is even more amusing to me as my first panel was about introversion. It was fun! I'm an avowed introvert. I spend a lot of time in my own head-space considering things and not a lot of time talking, so I was a bit surprised at how much I actually had to say and that I didn't find myself stumbling for words all that often. In fact, I'd like to think I made a useful contribution to the panels I attended. (The final determination on that of course rests with the audience of those panels.)
A lot of what I experienced is due to As Astra being a very welcoming convention. That was especially evident on the Introversion Is Not A Bad Thing panel as I remember someone making a point that at conventions the norms are hugely skewed in favor of introverts as to make people who in mainstream society would appear closed off suddenly becoming raging extroverts. (I exaggerate for effect of course.)
During that panel a term for those who straddle the line between introverts and extroverts came up - ambiverts. Those are people who can be introverted or extroverted, or at least communicate effectively with both sides, as the need arose. It was a great panel, and a wonderful way to start the convention.
I was honestly amazed at how well attended the panels I was on were, especially the one on criticism. That was one I expected the panelists to exceed the audience (which did happen in a couple panels I went to as a guest rather than a panelist). Even the panel I had on Sunday at 10:00AM was pretty well attended, and the audience didn't seem terribly hung over either. The only one that really didn't work out was the Lost Girl panel. Due to a scheduling conflict my fellow panelist was double-booked, and when only one attendee showed up we made the decision to transfer over to the Sherlock panel she was also scheduled for in the next room.
The final panel I did was one on book trailers, and I honestly don't remember signing up for it and was worried I'd have nothing relevant to contribute. I really find most book trailers tedious and have absolutely nothing to do with their production and distribution. I was honestly worried I'd be an outsider slagging on the whole idea while marketing mouthpieces said what a wonderful promotional tool they were, yadda, yadda, yadda. The reality was much different.
First off, the marketing people who were on the panel were intelligent and truly passionate about the books they sold and that came across. They were also willing to put up their own work for evaluation and listen with an open mind to the feedback provided. Passion can't be reliably faked, and I can usually tell when someone is nodding while thinking I'm a jerk for stating honestly that something didn't work for me. So I have nothing but praise for my fellow book trailer panelists, though I do think the person who created the first trailer we watched, thankfully not produced by anyone in the room or any company they were affiliated with, should be smacked upside the head not only for creating something so horrible but for posting it online. It was bad, very bad, so bad it became good and then crossed back over to bad again.
Aside from panels I attended three book launches, a couple parties, and came in second place to Toronto's resident super-villain Dr. Holocaust in an evil laugh contest, which wasn't so bad as the Doc went all out and I did get some compliments on my own laugh. I may have pulled something in my back to do it though. Time for some evil laugh training before my next attempt.
One of my fellow panelists said in conversation that now that I've started doing panels I'm doomed to keep on doing them, and you know, I think he's right. At Ad Astra 2012 I got to see a lot of old friends and made a few new ones. I'm looking forward to next year.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
My AdAstra Schedule... Wait. What?
So it seems I'm going to be on a few panels at this years AdAstra convention. How did this happen you might ask? I responded to a twitter comment from @AdAstraSociety thinking I was saying I'd love to attend a panel about Apple products and such when what I was actually saying was that I'd like to be a part of said panel. Yay for miscommunication! (Entirely my fault by the way.)
Oh well, in for a penny in for a pound as the saying goes. After signing up for one panel the lovely convention people sent me a list of others and asked if I'd like to be on a few additional, and being the glutton for punishment I am I found some that I thought I could contribute to. Here's the list:
Oh well, in for a penny in for a pound as the saying goes. After signing up for one panel the lovely convention people sent me a list of others and asked if I'd like to be on a few additional, and being the glutton for punishment I am I found some that I thought I could contribute to. Here's the list:
- Introversion Is Not A Bad Word - Friday 7:00PM - Floor 2 Salon 3
- Does society reward extroverts? Do we marginalize introverts?
Too often, introverts carry the negative label "anti-social" while
extroverts are labeled with the positive "people person." With
the SF community dominated by introverts, it's time to talk
about the difference between "shy," "anti-social" and ""; the
positive aspects of , and what we introverts can do to be better
understood by our extroverted friends and colleagues who
insist on pulling us out of our shell. - Criticism and Critique in the 21st Century - Saturday 11:00AM - Floor 2 Salon 4
- Developments in social media and web 2.0 technology
continue to blur the line between amateur and professional
critics. As North American colleges and universities produce
record numbers of graduates, the media consuming public is
transforming itself into something that feels it ought to be
included in larger critical conversations. The purpose of this
panel would be to explore how professionals and amateurs
work together to evaluate genre media,
- All About Apple... Love or Hate - Saturday 2:00PM - Arctic
- Flawless design or Flawless marketing?
- The Future is Fascist: The Military Command Structure As The Preferred Form of Organization in SF - Sunday 10:00AM - Melville Room
- While a hierarchical rank system may be the best form of
organization for military spacecraft, it is not the way we
organize everything in society. Why is this structure so
prevalent within SF as the way to run, not just military units, but
cities and whole societies? Is SF anti-democratic?
- Lost Girl - Sunday 12:00PM - Arctic
- As this show grows in popularity what does it mean for the
future of Lost Girl? Now an international sensation, what
makes this show a success?
Monday, April 11, 2011
Ad Astra 2011 Con Report
So this marks the second time I've been to Ad Astra. I meant to announce I was going on this blog beforehand, but since I was really, really busy up to the time I left and I wasn't going to be on any panels I ended forgetting to do it. Whoops.
How was the con you ask? Awesome. Maybe not as awesome as last year for me, but that might have more to do with the fact that this is my third con, the other being ConCept in Montreal, so I actually now have some experience with them so the blush is off the rose as they say. Going to a convention is no longer new and fresh, so that alters my perception of it.
Still, I met a lot of awesome people that I hope the see again. It seems that at every convention I go to I end up running into Erik Buchanan and Marie Bilodeau who are published by Dragon Moon Press. Both are very lovely people and I hope if you've ever at a con you get a chance to meet them. Fair warning though, after meeting them you will be compelled to by any and all books they put out. I'm up to date on Eric's books, but slacking behind on buying Marie's. Hmmmm... they're both in a collection coming out in August... so I could order that and some of hers at the same time, or wait until SFContario and make a mass purchase and get it all signed... hmmm.... decisions, decisions.
Oh, and before I forget to say it, if you have a chance go and see one of Marie's storytelling shows. I caught her performance on Friday night at the con and it was amazing.
Also on Friday night I attended a panel on using conventions to your advantage with Justine Lewkowicz, Scott Edelman, and Ian Keeling. Justine hosts an online show called Bookends which I will likely add to my every growing list of things to keep tabs on, especially if she's even half as engaging and personable on camera as she is in person. All three panelists handed out some great advice, both during that panel and when I ran into them at other panels or at the bar.
So what were some of the other highlights of the con? Oh, getting for me personally, getting to say to Howard Tayler how much I enjoy his webcomic and the Writing Excuses podcast he's a part of. That, and seeing the awesome boots he had on. Seriously, these boots were impressive. I think they could withstand a force five hurricane they looked so solid. With those boots I think Howard's about a third of the way to becoming a superhero.
Another Howard related moment was seeing the look on his face after Mercedes Lackey stated, in the very first panel of the convention I was at and that they both were on, that she was a fan of Schlock Mercenary, his webcomic. I swear he became a bit choked up at hearing this, and was speechless for a minute. It's not everyday that one of the giants of SF/Fantasy says she loves your work.
Speaking of Mercedes Lackey, I only saw her a couple times over the con but she came off as a lovely person and a real trooper. She was there to the very end of the convention, even showing up to give a couple of the male convention runners a significant kiss during the closing ceremonies. All in all, just a lovely and fun person who I hope I get the chance to meet and talk too in depth at some point.
Speaking of the closing ceremonies, they had a raffle and I won something! I ended up walking way from the con with a piece of artwork by Howard Tayler, a print in color with signatures from the Guests of Honor at the con. It was the one piece of artwork I really and truly wanted, and I ended up getting it. Even though E-bay beacons with the siren call of seeing it, I will resist. I want that sucker framed and on my wall, and it will be a cold day in the entirety of Hell before I give it up. Seriously, it's awesome. I may have to take a picture of it and post it up some time.
So, summing things up, I had an awesome time, slept and ate way too little, walked from one end of the hotel to another (seriously, I should grab a pedometer before the next con and track how much walking I actually do), met a ton of awesome people, and snagged a load of books to review so expect some Dork Reviews on those in the near future.
How was the con you ask? Awesome. Maybe not as awesome as last year for me, but that might have more to do with the fact that this is my third con, the other being ConCept in Montreal, so I actually now have some experience with them so the blush is off the rose as they say. Going to a convention is no longer new and fresh, so that alters my perception of it.
Still, I met a lot of awesome people that I hope the see again. It seems that at every convention I go to I end up running into Erik Buchanan and Marie Bilodeau who are published by Dragon Moon Press. Both are very lovely people and I hope if you've ever at a con you get a chance to meet them. Fair warning though, after meeting them you will be compelled to by any and all books they put out. I'm up to date on Eric's books, but slacking behind on buying Marie's. Hmmmm... they're both in a collection coming out in August... so I could order that and some of hers at the same time, or wait until SFContario and make a mass purchase and get it all signed... hmmm.... decisions, decisions.
Oh, and before I forget to say it, if you have a chance go and see one of Marie's storytelling shows. I caught her performance on Friday night at the con and it was amazing.
Also on Friday night I attended a panel on using conventions to your advantage with Justine Lewkowicz, Scott Edelman, and Ian Keeling. Justine hosts an online show called Bookends which I will likely add to my every growing list of things to keep tabs on, especially if she's even half as engaging and personable on camera as she is in person. All three panelists handed out some great advice, both during that panel and when I ran into them at other panels or at the bar.
So what were some of the other highlights of the con? Oh, getting for me personally, getting to say to Howard Tayler how much I enjoy his webcomic and the Writing Excuses podcast he's a part of. That, and seeing the awesome boots he had on. Seriously, these boots were impressive. I think they could withstand a force five hurricane they looked so solid. With those boots I think Howard's about a third of the way to becoming a superhero.
Another Howard related moment was seeing the look on his face after Mercedes Lackey stated, in the very first panel of the convention I was at and that they both were on, that she was a fan of Schlock Mercenary, his webcomic. I swear he became a bit choked up at hearing this, and was speechless for a minute. It's not everyday that one of the giants of SF/Fantasy says she loves your work.
Speaking of Mercedes Lackey, I only saw her a couple times over the con but she came off as a lovely person and a real trooper. She was there to the very end of the convention, even showing up to give a couple of the male convention runners a significant kiss during the closing ceremonies. All in all, just a lovely and fun person who I hope I get the chance to meet and talk too in depth at some point.
Speaking of the closing ceremonies, they had a raffle and I won something! I ended up walking way from the con with a piece of artwork by Howard Tayler, a print in color with signatures from the Guests of Honor at the con. It was the one piece of artwork I really and truly wanted, and I ended up getting it. Even though E-bay beacons with the siren call of seeing it, I will resist. I want that sucker framed and on my wall, and it will be a cold day in the entirety of Hell before I give it up. Seriously, it's awesome. I may have to take a picture of it and post it up some time.
So, summing things up, I had an awesome time, slept and ate way too little, walked from one end of the hotel to another (seriously, I should grab a pedometer before the next con and track how much walking I actually do), met a ton of awesome people, and snagged a load of books to review so expect some Dork Reviews on those in the near future.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Importance of Checking Convention Websites
So you register for a convention that's going to be months ahead in the future. You've been there before, had a great time, so signing up for the next year is a foregone conclusion. No need to check the website for the con, as you've already made your decision, right?
Wrong! You can miss out on opportunities that way, especially if you're attempting to become an author.
I'm signed up for Ad Astra this year and looking forward to it. As I've said before, I had a blast last year and I'm looking forward to going and seeing some great people and attending some interesting panels. And that is what this post is all about.
Recently I checked out the website for Ad Astra to see if they'd started posting what panels were going to be run this year, and lo and behold what do I find but a "speeddating" event matching up writers with editors/agents/publishers. Oh what fabulous day! Surely I will attend this and find someone who will take by newly written novel (which I'm still in the process of writing but hope to have done by the end of March, nearly 48000 words written so far thank you very much).
But there's gotta be a catch. So, wanting to be sure I get a chance to get in and dazzle the literary gatekeepers instead of being left out in the cold I emailed the con staff asking if registration for the even was required. Turns out this was a good idea as, yes, registration would be required but they were still sorting things out and would put my name down as interested. Whoo Hoo!
So, checking a con's website every now and then even if you've already signed up is a good idea. Otherwise, you may miss out on a great opportunity.
Wrong! You can miss out on opportunities that way, especially if you're attempting to become an author.
I'm signed up for Ad Astra this year and looking forward to it. As I've said before, I had a blast last year and I'm looking forward to going and seeing some great people and attending some interesting panels. And that is what this post is all about.
Recently I checked out the website for Ad Astra to see if they'd started posting what panels were going to be run this year, and lo and behold what do I find but a "speeddating" event matching up writers with editors/agents/publishers. Oh what fabulous day! Surely I will attend this and find someone who will take by newly written novel (which I'm still in the process of writing but hope to have done by the end of March, nearly 48000 words written so far thank you very much).
But there's gotta be a catch. So, wanting to be sure I get a chance to get in and dazzle the literary gatekeepers instead of being left out in the cold I emailed the con staff asking if registration for the even was required. Turns out this was a good idea as, yes, registration would be required but they were still sorting things out and would put my name down as interested. Whoo Hoo!
So, checking a con's website every now and then even if you've already signed up is a good idea. Otherwise, you may miss out on a great opportunity.
Friday, September 3, 2010
The Dork Review: Objects of Worship
Wow, it's been awhile since I've done a book review. You'd think I hadn't been reading. Truth is I read a lot, but a lot of it lately has been non-fiction and/or really niche items that would only be interesting for a limited amount of people, like books about kendo or samurai, or the book's been nice and all but not worthy of the effort of a blog post.
Alright then, so what makes Objects of Worship by Claude Lalumiere worthy of me taking the time to review it? Because it's freaking awesome!
Ok, maybe I'm going a bit overboard with the praise, but I really did enjoy this book. It's a collection of short stories by a Montreal author, all of it work that has appeared elsewhere. To be honest, I generally prefer to read short stories in this format. Grabbing a bunch by the same author at the same time just works better in my opinion. The stories tend to be more consistent in tone and structure, at the very least in the skill level in which they are executed.
Now, before I bought this book I hadn't read anything by Lalumiere. I was taken in by the sales pitch put forth by the publisher, Brett Alexander Savory of Chizine (real nice guy BTW), and picked this up at Ad Astra earlier this year. I think the phrase that sold me was "gay zombies raising a human child". Yes, there are zombies in this book, in more than one story. Don't worry, they're good stories and not tired retreads of an already exhausted concept. Add in at least one Cthulu-like being, a few superheros, and a dash of weird family values and you've got one heck of a mix. Sprinkle a bit of sex, in a few different forms, and you're done.
Pick it up direct from the publisher here, as you aren't likely to find this in any bookstore. That's both the unfortunate and wonderful thing about small publishers. When you find them they can be gems, but like most gems they're hard to find lying around.
EDIT: Turns out I was mistaken. This and many other fine CZP books can be found in stores across North America. Go out and find them, and if your store doesn't have any, ask for them to get some in.
Alright then, so what makes Objects of Worship by Claude Lalumiere worthy of me taking the time to review it? Because it's freaking awesome!
Ok, maybe I'm going a bit overboard with the praise, but I really did enjoy this book. It's a collection of short stories by a Montreal author, all of it work that has appeared elsewhere. To be honest, I generally prefer to read short stories in this format. Grabbing a bunch by the same author at the same time just works better in my opinion. The stories tend to be more consistent in tone and structure, at the very least in the skill level in which they are executed.
Now, before I bought this book I hadn't read anything by Lalumiere. I was taken in by the sales pitch put forth by the publisher, Brett Alexander Savory of Chizine (real nice guy BTW), and picked this up at Ad Astra earlier this year. I think the phrase that sold me was "gay zombies raising a human child". Yes, there are zombies in this book, in more than one story. Don't worry, they're good stories and not tired retreads of an already exhausted concept. Add in at least one Cthulu-like being, a few superheros, and a dash of weird family values and you've got one heck of a mix. Sprinkle a bit of sex, in a few different forms, and you're done.
Pick it up direct from the publisher here, as you aren't likely to find this in any bookstore. That's both the unfortunate and wonderful thing about small publishers. When you find them they can be gems, but like most gems they're hard to find lying around.
EDIT: Turns out I was mistaken. This and many other fine CZP books can be found in stores across North America. Go out and find them, and if your store doesn't have any, ask for them to get some in.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Ad Astra 2010 Con Report
Ad Astra was awesome!
This was the first time I've spent the whole weekend at a science fiction/fantasy convention. The only other experience I've had was a Star Trek convention in Niagara Falls years ago, and then I only spent a day at that con. This experience was completely different.
Alright, so here's how the weekend started. Friday I finished work, got home, and finished those last few bits of packing that can only happen when you're just about to leave. Then I was out the door and driving to Toronto, hoping to get there before the start of the con. I made it, with enough time to spare to check in and drop off all my stuff before heading to the opening ceremonies.
The con was packed with panels. I hit three on the first night, even with time to squeeze in some much needed dinner. I nearly had a geek out moment when I saw the two lovely ladies running the con and the Guests of Honor sitting at a table not too far away. Thankfully I didn't completely spaz out, and was able to finish my meal in relative dignity. My favorite panel of the night probably was the Working with Small Presses panel, because it gave me a greater insight into that part of the business and now I think I'll start submitting work to them before attempting to hit the big boys. I like the sense of freedom that was there. I'd have a lot more control over my book, and the panelists came across as very friendly and welcoming. This is important to note, as there was one glaring example of the opposite on a later panel.
After the small press panel there was one on World Building. It was a hoot as well. I must admit, I'm not a big fan of the Forgotten Realms, but I do have to say that I enjoyed listening to Ed Greenwood. I ended up going to a few other panels he was on and it was always a fun experience. The one on System vs. Setting for role-playing games with Ed on Saturday was a real treat.
Another nice thing about the World Building panel was hearing Erik Buchanan, author of Small Magics and Cold Magics (which launched at the con, go Erik), talk about how he ended up putting a lot of fencing terms in one of his books and the comparison between western and Eastern sword-fighting styles. I found this interesting because I love sword-fights, and I trained in Ona Ha Itto Ryu, a style of kenjutsu or Japanese sword-fighting. I had a chance to talk to Erik after the panel and mention it to him, even gave him the name of the dojo I went to in case he was interested. I always love meeting people with similar interests.
Speaking of meeting people, I originally intended to head to the Meet and Greet but somehow ended up going to the Con Suite with Liz, another convention goer, and chatting with her and a few others for the next few hours. It was amazing how quickly 1AM snuck up on us.
I was up early on Saturday, from a mixture of, I think, excitement and the fact that my body is used to getting up early for work. I was out of bed before 6:30AM and ready and willing to hit panels all day long, which I did. The first one was on the Life of An Anthology, and one of the panelists was John Robert Colombo. Now, you may be wondering why this name is important. It's because Mr. Colombo was one of the editors for Tesseracts 14, for which I sadly did not get accepted for. However, when he I got to chatting, and I introduced myself as someone who had submitted and didn't get in he asked me what I'd submitted, and he remembered it! Well, OK, he didn't remember all the details but he mentioned that he and the other editor, Brett Alexander Savory did have a discussion about it, and that Mr. Colombo graded my work as an 85. The main reason I didn't get in was that there were so many works graded at a 90 level. Still, getting an 85 out of a professional editor and creator of anthologies, not too shabby. Mr. Colombo did suggest I ask Mr. Savory about it as he might remember more, which I ended up doing on the last day of the con, and that led me to getting Mr. Savory's card and picking up a couple of books from Chizine Publications, the press he co-runs. Yeah, I'm a sucker for new books, what can I say.
I think I floated through the rest of the day. Really, I was just really blown away by how well my first submission had done. Yeah, I didn't get published, but I was a heck of a lot closer than I'd ever been, and I know my work has improved since I wrote that story. Maybe I'm not as hopeless as that small part of my brain keeps insisting I am. If I take nothing else away from the con, I'll take a renewed sense of hope that I can get my writing out there published one day.
Anyways, enough about hope and all that crap, now on to the rest of the day, or as I call it, the endless sea of panels. I don't think there was a single free moment throughout the day. In fact, there were panels I would have loved to go to booked at the same time, so I had to make choices all day long. So for Saturday and Sunday I targeted the panels that would be the most use to me as a writer, and even then I missed good ones. Oh well, just means I'll have to go next year.
Saturday night there was a launch party for Cold Magics. I ended up running into Liz from Friday night again, and found out we both went to the same university but a few years apart. Small world indeed! The party was a blast. Erik had been selling it all day long at the panels, saying there would be really good chocolate. He wasn't kidding! The chocolate was dark and had some hot pepper in it, so it had a nice bittersweet taste with a little bite at the end.
I also ended up meeting a different Liz at this party, one who is involved in running a convention out in Montreal this October. A few years ago I kept on meeting interesting women named Carrie, with a few variations on the spelling, this year it seems the name is Liz. It's been years since I've been in Montreal, and it would be nice to go to a con outside of Ontario, so I'll have to check the money situation and decide. The con sounds like it would be as much fun as Ad Astra.
Sunday was a blast as well, and I wasn't nearly as tired as I expected considering I'd only gotten 5 hours of sleep each night for the last two days. The only real negative experiences I had during the convention were on Sunday, both involving the same individual who I have now lost a lot of respect for, and that's all I intend to say on that subject. I debated mentioning it at all, but in all fairness to myself I had to put something about it out there so at least I feel better and don't have it bottled in.
Wow, this post went a lot longer than I thought it would. Final word on Ad Astra is I had fun, I'd do it again, and I have some great memories from it. The good outweighs the bad by an astounding amount.
This was the first time I've spent the whole weekend at a science fiction/fantasy convention. The only other experience I've had was a Star Trek convention in Niagara Falls years ago, and then I only spent a day at that con. This experience was completely different.
Alright, so here's how the weekend started. Friday I finished work, got home, and finished those last few bits of packing that can only happen when you're just about to leave. Then I was out the door and driving to Toronto, hoping to get there before the start of the con. I made it, with enough time to spare to check in and drop off all my stuff before heading to the opening ceremonies.
The con was packed with panels. I hit three on the first night, even with time to squeeze in some much needed dinner. I nearly had a geek out moment when I saw the two lovely ladies running the con and the Guests of Honor sitting at a table not too far away. Thankfully I didn't completely spaz out, and was able to finish my meal in relative dignity. My favorite panel of the night probably was the Working with Small Presses panel, because it gave me a greater insight into that part of the business and now I think I'll start submitting work to them before attempting to hit the big boys. I like the sense of freedom that was there. I'd have a lot more control over my book, and the panelists came across as very friendly and welcoming. This is important to note, as there was one glaring example of the opposite on a later panel.
After the small press panel there was one on World Building. It was a hoot as well. I must admit, I'm not a big fan of the Forgotten Realms, but I do have to say that I enjoyed listening to Ed Greenwood. I ended up going to a few other panels he was on and it was always a fun experience. The one on System vs. Setting for role-playing games with Ed on Saturday was a real treat.
Another nice thing about the World Building panel was hearing Erik Buchanan, author of Small Magics and Cold Magics (which launched at the con, go Erik), talk about how he ended up putting a lot of fencing terms in one of his books and the comparison between western and Eastern sword-fighting styles. I found this interesting because I love sword-fights, and I trained in Ona Ha Itto Ryu, a style of kenjutsu or Japanese sword-fighting. I had a chance to talk to Erik after the panel and mention it to him, even gave him the name of the dojo I went to in case he was interested. I always love meeting people with similar interests.
Speaking of meeting people, I originally intended to head to the Meet and Greet but somehow ended up going to the Con Suite with Liz, another convention goer, and chatting with her and a few others for the next few hours. It was amazing how quickly 1AM snuck up on us.
I was up early on Saturday, from a mixture of, I think, excitement and the fact that my body is used to getting up early for work. I was out of bed before 6:30AM and ready and willing to hit panels all day long, which I did. The first one was on the Life of An Anthology, and one of the panelists was John Robert Colombo. Now, you may be wondering why this name is important. It's because Mr. Colombo was one of the editors for Tesseracts 14, for which I sadly did not get accepted for. However, when he I got to chatting, and I introduced myself as someone who had submitted and didn't get in he asked me what I'd submitted, and he remembered it! Well, OK, he didn't remember all the details but he mentioned that he and the other editor, Brett Alexander Savory did have a discussion about it, and that Mr. Colombo graded my work as an 85. The main reason I didn't get in was that there were so many works graded at a 90 level. Still, getting an 85 out of a professional editor and creator of anthologies, not too shabby. Mr. Colombo did suggest I ask Mr. Savory about it as he might remember more, which I ended up doing on the last day of the con, and that led me to getting Mr. Savory's card and picking up a couple of books from Chizine Publications, the press he co-runs. Yeah, I'm a sucker for new books, what can I say.
I think I floated through the rest of the day. Really, I was just really blown away by how well my first submission had done. Yeah, I didn't get published, but I was a heck of a lot closer than I'd ever been, and I know my work has improved since I wrote that story. Maybe I'm not as hopeless as that small part of my brain keeps insisting I am. If I take nothing else away from the con, I'll take a renewed sense of hope that I can get my writing out there published one day.
Anyways, enough about hope and all that crap, now on to the rest of the day, or as I call it, the endless sea of panels. I don't think there was a single free moment throughout the day. In fact, there were panels I would have loved to go to booked at the same time, so I had to make choices all day long. So for Saturday and Sunday I targeted the panels that would be the most use to me as a writer, and even then I missed good ones. Oh well, just means I'll have to go next year.
Saturday night there was a launch party for Cold Magics. I ended up running into Liz from Friday night again, and found out we both went to the same university but a few years apart. Small world indeed! The party was a blast. Erik had been selling it all day long at the panels, saying there would be really good chocolate. He wasn't kidding! The chocolate was dark and had some hot pepper in it, so it had a nice bittersweet taste with a little bite at the end.
I also ended up meeting a different Liz at this party, one who is involved in running a convention out in Montreal this October. A few years ago I kept on meeting interesting women named Carrie, with a few variations on the spelling, this year it seems the name is Liz. It's been years since I've been in Montreal, and it would be nice to go to a con outside of Ontario, so I'll have to check the money situation and decide. The con sounds like it would be as much fun as Ad Astra.
Sunday was a blast as well, and I wasn't nearly as tired as I expected considering I'd only gotten 5 hours of sleep each night for the last two days. The only real negative experiences I had during the convention were on Sunday, both involving the same individual who I have now lost a lot of respect for, and that's all I intend to say on that subject. I debated mentioning it at all, but in all fairness to myself I had to put something about it out there so at least I feel better and don't have it bottled in.
Wow, this post went a lot longer than I thought it would. Final word on Ad Astra is I had fun, I'd do it again, and I have some great memories from it. The good outweighs the bad by an astounding amount.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Not Dead, Just Busy
Just a quick post to say I'm not dead, nor have I given up. The last few months have been very hectic, and a bit thrilling as well. Friday I got confirmation that I am now a full time government of Ontario employee! And then, as if that wasn't enough, I went to my first full Sci-Fi Convention, Ad Astra. It was a blast, and expect a more full report later when I have time to write it all down.
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