MidAmeriCon II (WorldCon) schedule

Oh yikes, where did July go? At least I'm no longer jetlagged! Just very, very busy, as per usual. My husband's about to start a new job, which we're quite excited about, but times of transition are always a bit stressful. Plus my day job is asking for more of my time, which makes it extra hard to fit everything in. Nevertheless, I have been writing! I completed a first draft of the Lizaveta short story for the Evil is a Matter of Perspective anthology (which is fully funded, woo hoo!), and I'm still working on revising my draft of The White Serpent (the Cara novella I promised Kickstarter backers. The other stories I promised are also all plotted out. Just need the time to sit down and write them.)

Anyway, I'm very much looking forward to a little relaxation and socialization in the form of Worldcon, a.k.a. MidAmeriCon II, which is happening in Kansas City, MO on Aug 17-21. I've got a full slate of panels plus a reading and signing this year, woo! Here's my schedule:

Thursday, Aug 18

10:30am Reading, Kansas City Convention Center room 2203: there will be cupcakes! That way if nobody shows up, I can eat them all. (It doesn't seem to matter how many non-empty readings I've done, my instant reaction upon seeing I'm scheduled for one at a con is OH GOD WHAT IF NOBODY COMES. I find cupcakes help soothe the authorial fear. Plus I like to reward my readers.) Assuming it's not just me devouring cupcakes, I'll read from the brand-new Shattered Sigil short stories and maybe give away a signed book or two.

Friday Aug 19

5pm: Dwarf Planets and Beyond the Kuiper Belt, room 2503B, with G. David Nordley, Jennifer Brozek, and Mark L. Olson. This is where my day job in the space industry comes in handy! I'm the moderator for this one, so I'm looking forward to leading an in-depth discussion on recent discoveries from the Dawn mission to Vesta and Ceres, the New Horizons mission to Pluto, and more.

7pm: Hard Fantasy--Does it Exist?, room 2209, with Preston Grassmann, Sebastien de Castell, Laurel Anne Hill, Michael Swanwick. My one fantasy-related panel! "Hard fantasy" can be interpreted in so many ways I think it'll be an interesting discussion. ("Hard" magic systems vs. mythic magic? Science fiction in fantasy guise like Kirstein's The Steerswoman?)

Saturday Aug 20

12pm Autographing in the convention center autographing space. Unlike readings, I never stress over these. When people show, great! Otherwise I have a perfectly good time chatting with the other authors at the table if they don't have a reader line, or just relaxing and watching the con flow by. (Seriously, never underestimate the awesomeness of a quiet moment to relax at a busy con.)

Sunday Aug 21

10am: Two Suns in the Sky, room 2503A, with Joe Haldeman and Eva L. Elasigue. Exoplanets and binary star systems! I'm so ready for this one, since I work for the company that built the Kepler spacecraft and photometer, and continues to help JPL run the mission. (I've never worked on Kepler myself, but my friend and hiking partner Dustin Putnam is the controls engineer, and he's generously let me borrow and peruse the presentations he gives on Kepler and its many discoveries.)

11am: Is Mining the Asteroids Feasible, room 2204, with Les Johnson, Dr. Jordin Klare, Jennifer Brozek, and Karl Schroeder. Should be another interesting discussion!


As always, if you're at the con, don't hesitate to come say hi. The best part about cons is the people, and I love meeting new friends. See you in Kansas City!

Worldcon (Sasquan) in Pictures

I know everyone else is busy talking about the Great Hugo Drama, but for me, that's not what Worldcon was about. For me, Worldcon means the chance to hang out with friends and meet interesting new people and hear my favorite authors read from books I can't wait to see released. So I am not kidding at all when I say I had an absolute blast in Spokane last weekend.

Originally I was going to do this lovingly detailed post discussing everything I did at the con and everyone I met. But I've got line edits in hand for Labyrinth of Flame, and I'm pushing hard to get all the prose-level fixes done so I can hand off the book to the copy editor. That doesn't leave me time to write long blog posts. But I can share pictures that capture a few of my con highlights:

I got to meet veteran fantasy author Kate Elliott! I read her recently-released YA novel Court of Fives on the plane to Spokane and loved it. I wanted to steal her Black Wolves ARC - that's her latest adult epic fantasy, coming out this fall. But she only had one ARC with her, so I restrained myself (with difficulty). 

Meeting Kate Elliott was extra-special because she (along with the also-awesome Alison Croggon) helped motivate me to keep plowing through Labyrinth of Flame's first draft, at a time when I was struggling to balance writing and work and life and feeling like I was failing on all fronts. I can't thank her and Alison enough, and it was lovely to meet Kate in person at last. (One day I hope to thank Alison in person, too!) 

The r/Fantasy fan table! Awesome mod Melissa is on the left, while Kate Elliott (right) types away for her AMA.

Another highlight was hanging out with folks from r/Fantasy, both at the fan table and the excellent Drinks With Authors party. Huge thanks to moderator Melissa Shumake and author Megan O'Keefe, who did a fantastic job of organizing on short notice! 

Giveaway table at the Drinks With Authors party

One of the best moments at the party was running into a friend from Caltech I hadn't seen in twenty years - Divya is a fellow mole from Blacker Hovse, and she's also an SF writer, how cool is that! We had no idea we were both authors. Can't wait to check out her work.

Moles reunited after 20 years! Me and S.B. Divya

Similarly, I was delighted to meet up with a friend I first met years ago when we were both skating at the U.S. Adult National Championships. Sharon's not only a figure skater and SF fan, but a mountaineer/climber - we joke that we were separated at birth. I hadn't seen Sharon in ages, so it was great to catch up.

Figure skaters for the win: Sharon Reynolds and me

I also got to see a former member of my critique group: Catherine Montrose (who writes as Catherine Cooke) moved from Denver to Seattle a while ago, and we still miss her lots! 

Without Catherine's insightful critique, the Shattered Sigil books wouldn't be half as good

Lots more awesome folks I didn't get pictures of (like Karen Bovenmyer, and Joel Pearson, and Luke Matthews, and Lyndsey Zusi!) Amid all the socializing, I did go to some actual programming at the con.

Martha Wells reading from the 2nd of her upcoming new Raksura duology. Cannot wait for these books!

Jo Walton, Jack Campbell, Chip Hitchcock, and Ann Leckie discuss the work of C.J. Cherryh (my all-time favorite science fiction writer)

Plus I did a signing, and a pop AMA ("Ask Me Anything") on r/Fantasy, and hung out with my book reviewer brother Matt Hilliard and his girlfriend Rachel. Oh yes, and managed two separate trips to the local climbing gym! Once to take Labyrinth of Flame Kickstarter backer Melissa climbing, and once with anyone I could drag away from the con.  

Climbing with Joey Hewitt and Alex Ristea

Alex posted a few more pics of our climbing fun on twitter:

Climbcon at Sasquan

On belay

Time to get flexible

Dead arms are fun

My one comment on the Hugos is that I did go to as many WSFS business meetings as possible, so I could support the E Pluribus Hugo proposal for changing the method of tallying nominations to a system that will be better representative of fandom's broad range of tastes. 

I was disappointed my flight left too early on Sunday for me to participate in the final vote on the proposal (though I convinced a friend to go and vote for EPH, so at least the proposal didn't lose a vote!). At the airport I was glued to my smartphone, hitting refresh on Rachael Acks's liveblog of the business meeting, hoping to see if EPH passed. Which it did, hooray! The proposal still has to be ratified at next year's Worldcon in Kansas City before it can take effect, but I hope that by 2017, the new (and better) system will be in place. 

Even before then, this next year I encourage everyone - regardless of political persuasion or taste in SFF - to nominate whatever 2015 books you've read and loved. I think a lot of Worldcon members are scared to nominate because they feel they haven't read widely enough in the field, or if they are voracious readers, it's too hard to winnow their list down to only a few choices. (I've certainly been guilty of that last.) Heck with that! Get out there and nominate, even if you have to throw a dart to choose between your favorites. The more people participate, the more likely it is the Hugos will have a shortlist of great reads from all over the SFF spectrum.

And now, back to line edits...

WorldCon Plans

Can't believe in less than 2 weeks I head to Spokane for the WorldCon (a.k.a. Sasquan)! It'll be my 4th time attending a WorldCon, and despite all the acrimony over this year's Hugo awards, I'm hoping to have just as good a time as I did in years prior. Since I mostly go to cons to hang out with friends and talk about books and enjoy a little break from parenting & day job responsibilities, I'm fairly certain that's exactly what'll happen.

I will say that after the nonstop Hugo discussion (and freakouts) over the last months, I'm interested to see what happens at the ceremony. I may even for the first time ever attend the business meetings, as I think the E Pluribus Hugo proposal to adopt a system of nomination that will produce a result more representative of the variety of the electorate and resistant to slate voting is an excellent idea, and I'd like to vote for it. (I hope people won't be scared off by the seeming complexity of the proposed system. I can imagine it's a little intimidating if you're not used to mathematical analysis, but as voting systems go, SDV-LPE is actually not that complex, and it's been thoroughly tested.)

I got skunked on panels this year - no surprise when I don't currently have a contract with a major publisher - but I do have an autographing slot, so if you're at the con, come say hi!

Autographing: Thurs, Aug 20 from 1-1:45pm in CC Hall B. 

Other than that, I'll be wandering the halls and attending panels and hanging out in the bar and the local rock gym and thoroughly enjoying myself. Hope to see some of you there!

My WorldCon in Pictures

Oh gosh, I had such a great time at WorldCon.  Since the con, I've seen a lot of thought-provoking discussion about the aging of WorldCon.  I've heard many authors say that other cons offer better promotional opportunities and chances to connect with newer/younger readers.  But I don't actually go to cons to sell my books.  I go to cons to get inspired and meet awesome people, and in that respect WorldCon kicks ass.  (Though I do very much believe the lack of diversity at WorldCon is a bad thing, and one I hope the con will address.  Just think of how many *more* awesome people there'd be to meet if a greater variety of people came.)

I had countless great conversations with friends, met a whole host of fascinating new folks, and came back all fired up to work even harder on Labyrinth of Flame.  (Which is why this post is so late.  As I dig my way out from the mountain of day-job and real-life tasks that piled up while I was gone, when I do get spare time, all I want to do is write more of Dev and Kiran's story, not blog posts!)

I'm not even going to try and name all the wonderful people I met and hung out with, or give you a detailed day-to-day con report.  After all, Labyrinth of Flame calls!  But I do have some fun pictures and links to share from my various unofficial events.

First up: the BookSworn open suite party, which I co-hosted along with a whole gang of author-friends on the first night of the con.  SO MUCH FUN.  

The BookSworn & Friends party gang.  Front row: Zack Jernigan, Martha Wells, Doug Hulick.  Middle row: Stina Leicht, Betsy Dornbusch, me, Katy Stauber.  Back row: John Hornor Jacobs, Brad Beaulieu, and a photo-bombing Sam Morgon of JABberwocky Lit agency.

I put up a post on the BookSworn website that has a lot more pictures and commentary about the party - head on over and check it out!  

I also had a wonderful time at the group signing that fellow author Mike Martinez organized at The Twig bookstore.  We ended up with 9 authors: Kevin Hearne, Drew Karpyshyn, Mike Martinez, Betsy Dornbusch, me, Brian McClellan, Kay Kenyon, Scott Lynch, and Myke Cole.  I sold & signed some books - met some wonderful fans who came all the way out to the signing specially for me (wow!).  Though my favorite was the young girl walking past with her family who stopped and begged her dad to buy Whitefire Crossing for her - it seems she'd read Tainted City but not book 1 in the series.  Of course I also had fun chatting with my fellow authors; it was a particular thrill to meet Kay Kenyon and Scott Lynch, whose books I've loved for years.  Kay has a new book out (A Thousand Perfect Things) that I'm really excited to read, and of course I'm counting down the days until Scott's release of The Republic of Thieves.

At our table outside the bookstore (which was right beside a popular farmer's market): Mike Martinez, Betsy Dornbusch, me, Brian McClellan.  

Looking down the table: Betsy, Mike, Kevin Hearne, Drew Karpyshyn

Kay Kenyon and Scott Lynch talking to readers

Signing books for Cheryl, an absolutely lovely reader I'd corresponded with on Twitter

Back at the con, I had some particularly great conversations at the Reddit r/Fantasy fan table, and even did a "live" AMA (Ask Me Anything) - click here to read it!  r/Fantasy moderator Steve Drew and the rest of the Redditors who came to WorldCon did a spectacular job on short notice; the fan table was THE place to hang out in the dealer's room, and Steve & the gang came up with a bunch of neat ideas to involve fans unable to attend the con.  (If you've never checked out the r/Fantasy forum, I highly recommend it.  Lots of author-reader interaction & interesting discussion.)  

r/Fantasy moderator Steve Drew and author Stina Leicht at the r/Fantasy fan table.  (Author Wesley Chu sitting behind the table, frantically typing away for his live AMA.)  Sorry for the light flares - all I had was my cell phone camera!

Stina tries on the Helm - a piece that Steve Drew brought & had authors sign, which will be auctioned for charity.

Steve Drew was also one of the co-organizers of the con's biggest unofficial event: the Drinks With Authors party, along with the ever-awesome Justin Landon of Staffer's Book Review and author Myke Cole.  Talk about a great party!  Tons of people came - and since they were smart enough to hold it off-site in a bar with far more space than any hotel suite could provide, we even had room to breathe while talking. :)  Steve's got the best pics of the event, but here are a few I snapped:

Redditors Dave Wohlreich and Ian Everett guard the books.  So many were donated by publishers & authors they had to give them away in lots.  

The party's back room. (The front area by the bar was even more packed.)

Reviewer Justin Landon and author Wesley Chu hold an impromptu handstand competition.  (Wes won.)

Last but very definitely not least, WorldCon was awesome because I got to hang out with my brother Matt.  (He reviews SFF books both on his own site and for Strange Horizons, and there's nobody better at detailed, thoughtful analysis.)  We don't get to see each other that often, and since we both love SFF, what better venue for some quality sibling interaction?

Matt by a seriously huge prickly pear cactus during our visit to the Alamo. 

So, yeah.  Good times. Next year WorldCon is in London, and alas, I cannot go.  (Aside from the expense, my son starts kindergarten right around the time of the con.)  I may give Dragon*Con a try instead - I've been a little leery of attending the bigger media cons, thinking it might be a bit too overwhelming for an introvert like me - but hey, always good to step outside your comfort zone.  Still, I'm pretty sure that when WorldCon returns to the US in 2015 (Spokane won the bid), I'll be back.  

My WorldCon Schedule

I am so looking forward to going to WorldCon in San Antonio next week. Four straight days of hanging out with author-friends and fellow SFF fans is awesome enough, but as a parent I can't help but drool over the chance for FIVE WHOLE NIGHTS of blissful, uninterrupted sleep.  Even if that sleep starts at 3am after I leave the parties.  Because y'all, I can sleep in.  I...I think I've forgotten what that feels like!  

Better yet is the chance for uninterrupted writing time. Yeah, I'm at the con to be social, but I totally plan on locking myself in my hotel room for at least a short while each day to write.  It's amazing how much progress you can make when you've got the chance to sit down and really focus (again, without any cries of "Mommy!").

I'll have plenty of time for both socializing and writing, since this year the programming committee didn't assign me to any panels, readings or signings.  That's the way it goes with big cons; some years you're loaded up (at last year's WorldCon I was on a whole slew of panels), some years you get nada.  But despite the lack of official programming, I've still got a few planned events:

8pm Thurs Aug 29, Rivercenter hotel Suite #3436: The BookSworn & Friends Party

Those of us from BookSworn have ganged up with a bunch of other SFF author friends to host a truly awesome open suite party.  Free booze, free food, and LOTS of free books & other swag!  Well okay, you want a free book, you gotta eat a bug.  They're not alive, and they're heavily flavored - it's no sweat, I promise. Even if you cringe at the thought of bug-eating, come for the awesome company and conversation, because it's gonna be a blast.  Check out our official poster (design by the insanely talented John Hornor Jacobs):

11am-1pm Saturday Aug 31: group signing at The Twig bookstore

I'm joining fellow authors Scott Lynch, Myke Cole, Brian McClellan, Betsy Dornbusch, Mike Martinez, Kevin Hearne, and Drew Carpyshyn for a group signing at local independent bookstore The Twig.  The store's a short distance away from the con hotel, right in the middle of the San Antonio farmers market, so it should be a fun time.

7pm Saturday Aug 31: Drinks With Authors

The ever-awesome team of Justin Landon of Staffer's Book Review, Steve Drew of Reddit's r/Fantasy, and author Myke Cole put this event together.  I'm just one of many, many authors participating - I think it'll be standing room only, and you should see the stacks of free books Justin's already accumulated to give away!  Trust me, you don't want to miss out.

That's it for the official stuff!  Otherwise, I'll be hanging around, attending panels, maybe doing an impromptu AMA over at the Reddit r/Fantasy fan table, and having a generally terrific time.  If you're at WorldCon and you see me in the hall, please, say hi! I love meeting new friends.

WorldCon in Pictures

I'm back from WorldCon, and wow, what a great con. My panels were all a lot of fun - including the "Develop Your Story Idea" one, in which we started off with a group improv story based on elements suggested by the audience.  I'd been a bit nervous about that one, since I don't think well on my feet, but it turned out to be a blast!  I got to meet some author-friends for the first time, like Teresa Frohock, Mazarkis Williams, Anne Lyle, E. J. Swift, and Doug Hulick - all of which were even more awesome in person than they are online.  Others, I was delighted to reunite with (folks like Kameron Hurley, Stina Leicht, Brad Beaulieu, Katy Stauber and her husband Chet Hoster, Martha Wells, Ian Tregillis, Corry Lee, my wonderful roommate Karen Bovenmyer - and my brother Matt Hilliard, book blogger and Strange Horizons reviewer extraordinare, who was attending his very first Worldcon).

The Night Bazaar party was a hit - we must've had something like 100 books to give away between the lot of us.  We stuck to last year's giveaway plan: "Eat a bug, get a book."  Enough intrepid folks chowed down on cheddar crickets and sour cream-n-onion worms to carry off every single one of those books by the night's end.  (Nobody was brave enough to try the scorpion taffy, though, to our amusement.)  My editor Jeremy Lassen even brought a few hot-off-the-press final copies of The Tainted City for me to give away!  A few lucky bug-chomping partygoers managed to pry those from my hands, once I finished bouncing up and down and admiring them.  Sometime later this week I might try to make a more coherent con report, but with the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' conference coming up this weekend and a ton of catching up at work and home to do before then, right now I'll stick to showing off pictures.  Sadly, I don't have nearly as many pics as I'd like - I was too busy talking instead of picture-snapping! - but here's a few postcards from WorldCon:

Part of the Night Bazaar & Authorpalooza gang - back row: Katy Stauber, Brad Beaulieu, Teresa Frohock, Stina Leicht, Doug Hulick.  Front row: Anne Lyle, Martha Wells, Courtney Schafer, and half of E.J. Swift.  (Not at all in view: Betsy Dornbusch, Mazarkis Williams)

Bugs on the left, Scotch on the right: Chet Hoster sets up the bar for the Night Bazaar party

Jeremy Lassen (in his inimitable sartorial style) and I show off copies of The Tainted City 

Kameron Hurley (center) and E. J. Swift (right), chatting to a few early partygoers

Partygoers Don Hunt and Josh Vogt - Josh was one of the original reviewers for The Whitefire Crossing, which he liked enough to chow down on a bug to get one of our few precious copies of The Tainted City. What a guy!

E. J. Swift (author of Osiris) and me, hanging out on the party couch

Teresa Frohock and the elusive Mazarkis Williams, captured on film for the very first time

Me and Dave Palumbo, the cover artist for both The Whitefire Crossing and The Tainted City

Doug Hulick and Brad Beaulieu (and Mazarkis Williams, horning in on the picture...what a camera hog! :)

Jeremy Lassen using his sales skills to convince innocent partygoers to snarf bugs in exchange for books

Corry Lee and I snuck out for a little rock climbing at a gym near the hotel.  We soon discovered that Chicago routesetters are on crack and humidity makes chalk-coated holds quite slimy (ew!), but we had fun nevertheless!

Me playing on the rock wall - felt good to get off my butt after a few days of sitting on panels!

Jeremy Lassen at the "Forthcoming from Night Shade" panel

Filing into the ballroom for the Hugo awards

And look what was waiting for me when I came home:

A happy three-year-old and a box of author copies: yay!!!

Countdown to WorldCon

Three days until I leave for WorldCon in Chicago...and a mountainous pile of things to get done before then, both at day job and at home.  But since I don't want to entirely neglect my little blog this week, here are a few quick bits of news, a fun link, and a picture...

- The Audible narrator for The Whitefire Crossing and The Tainted City emailed me again: he's finished recording The Tainted City.  He said, and I quote (and yes, there were really that many question marks), "Now when do I get to start on book three????????"  Alas, I am not a fast writer!  But at least it shouldn't be long now before the first two books are available on Audible's site.

- Got a lovely review for The Whitefire Crossing from Anne Lyle (author of The Alchemist of Souls and the forthcoming The Merchant of Dreams) on her blog.  I'm especially delighted she liked the book since I thought Alchemist of Souls was such a great read.  Always a thrill to get a good review from someone whose writing you've enjoyed!

- Only a few days left to enter my giveaway for The Tainted City over at Goodreads - don't miss out.

- Today at the Night Bazaar, I share my thoughts on "science vs. magic". (Hint: I like both.)

- Coming to WorldCon?  Don't forget to visit the Night Bazaar party on Fri night (see the above flyer, designed by the ever-awesome Teresa Frohock).  And if you see me at a panel (here's my schedule) or walking the halls, don't hesitate to say hi! 

- My favorite link of the day: Nathan Bransford explains the publishing process (so hilarious and so true.  I am currently in the phase represented by the unsuspecting guy walking down the hallway with a reviewer about to drop on his head.)

- Last but not least, I'll leave you with a picture of one of my favorite places: Mt Whitney, in the Sierra Nevada.  Pic is from a trip I did with my husband back in 1999: we climbed the Mountaineer's Route, spent the night on the summit (stargazing is spectacular at 14,395 feet!), and descended the regular trail.  The pic is of morning alpenglow on the needles of Whitney's south ridge, as seen from our camp at Iceberg Lake  - and yes, the rock and clouds really were that intense a gold in color.

Alpenglow on the Needles of Mt. Whitney's south ridge

WorldCon Schedule, and Talking About Pseudonyms at the Night Bazaar

(Edited to add new panel info!)

I am so excited about rover Curiosity's safe landing on Mars!  (For more squee over that, plus the less exciting but still potentially interesting explanation of why I thought I wanted a pseudonym as an author but changed my mind, head on over to my post today at the Night Bazaar.) 

I'm nearly as excited about WorldCon, which is coming up at the end of this month.  (I'm anticipating the con with even more enthusiasm this time around, since I can relax and enjoy myself without feeling guilty about not using every toddler-free moment for writing!)  I got my panel assignments last week, and they all look great.  Here's my draft schedule:

Fri Aug 31:

9am "Acquiring an Agent"  (Room: Columbus CD)
Aspiring authors talk about landing an agent for their manuscript.

10:30am "The Basics of Character Building" (Room: Gold Coast).  I'm moderating this one - my very first time as moderator, eeek!
We often talk about world-building, but what does it take to create a character from scratch? How do you choose a name? How do you choose personality traits -- both strengths and flaws? Do you create the character first and then the world, or vice versa? How does the character affect the unfolding of the plot?

7pm until very, very late: Night Bazaar Sequel Party!  (Suite 2576 in the Hyatt Regency).  Free books, free food, free booze, and excellent company - cannot wait.

Sat Sep 1:

9am "Writing Groups: Good, Bad, or Inefficient" (Room: Field) I admit to groaning at seeing the time for this one, coming right after our Night Bazaar party.  Good thing I don't drink!
Some writers crave the company of other writers, seeking not only feedback on their work, but also support and/or commiseration. Others prefer to work in solitude or only seek input once a work is finished. And yet others fall somewhere in the middle. What are some of the benefits and pitfalls of being in a writer\'s group? Is face-to-face better than on-line, or vice versa? How do you handle personal or professional issues within the group and still keep it functioning? Are there any \'best practices\' for forming or nurturing a group?

12pm "World Building" (Room: Crystal C)
How does a writer 'build' a world for a story? Physical geography, economics and politics of a society, religions, conflicts.

3pm "Develop Your Story Idea" (Room: Haymarket) This one will be interesting. I've never been (or attended) a panel quite like it - could be fun!
We will take an idea or two from the audience and work on how we would turn it into a story.

And after that I am free to have fun and attend interesting panels and hang out with friends both old and new!  It's gonna be so awesome.