CoNZealand/WorldCon schedule

I've been meaning to write about what it's like to live in the wonderful yet weird zone of Level 1, a.k.a. total freedom from COVID. New Zealand achieved the holy grail that I hardly dared dream of back in lockdown: complete elimination of the virus within the borders. We're enjoying life as more-or-less normal, with schools and restaurants and ski areas and bars all open, no masks or distancing required, albeit with a lot fewer tourists and a lot more uncertainty over the future. But I know how fortunate we are here. It's a bizarre and almost guilty feeling to watch the news and see what troubles others are facing.

Who knows how long NZ's blessedly virus-free status will last? The borders remain closed to all but returning citizens and permanent residents, who must complete a 14-day mandatory quarantine under Ministry of Health supervision. Yet one slip-up in quarantine procedures could lead to a disastrous new outbreak like the one Australia is currently struggling to contain. I'm glad the NZ government has a plan for how they'll stamp out new flare-ups (hooray for competent leadership!), but as Kiwis get complacent and testing rates fall, I worry NZ won't be able to detect viral spread before it snowballs.

I can't control the future, but I can seize the day while it's here. We've been exploring and enjoying as much as we can. The first 3-day weekend after lockdown ended, we headed down to the Catlins, an area on NZ's wild and rugged southern coast full of gorgeous waterfalls and sea cliffs and wildlife.

Nugget Point

Purakaunui Falls

Then for my son's 2-week July holidays, we headed to the "north of the south": Abel Tasman National Park and the Marlborough Sounds, for some glorious winter sunshine and plenty of kayaking, boating, and trekking.

Abel Tasman NP (I can never get over the color of the water!)

Split Apple Rock

Kenepuru Sound

The fun's not over yet: next week, I head to Wellington, which is where the 78th World Science Fiction Convention, a.k.a. ConZealand, was originally supposed to take place. The convention is all virtual/online now, but since my Air NZ flights to Wellington weren't cancelled, I decided to still use them and turn the Wellington trip into a kind of writing retreat. (I'm so close to finally finishing the infamous Cara novella, The White Serpent!) Plus it'll be fun to get together with some of the Wellington-area SFF folks.

I'm interested to see how well ConZealand will work as a virtual convention. I know the conrunners have put a ton of work into making it happen, and I know from friends who attended the SFWA Nebula con that online cons can still be a really fun experience. So, I'm excited to try it out, and if you too are attending, I hope to see you there! Here's my schedule:

Panel: Can Living in a Small Space on Earth Prepare You for Living in Space? 
29 Jul 2020, Wednesday 16:00 - 16:50 New Zealand Time, Programme Room 3

Could you live in a self-contained space that must supply food, water, and protection from a hostile environment for days and weeks at a time?  Some people have done this on sea, others on land.  Can these experiences help us survive in space or on another planet?  How can off-earth living spaces be engineered based on what we learn from building and living in small spaces here?

Katrina Archer (M), M. Darusha Wehm, Courtney Schafer, David D. Levine

Panel: Juggling for Writers: Making Progress When You've Got a Million Responsibilities 
30 Jul 2020, Thursday 16:00 - 16:50 New Zealand Time, Programme Room 4

In addition to writing, many authors work a day job and/or have child or elder care responsibilities. Tips and tricks from people who have been there, and are there, on balancing multiple roles and finding your balance.

(Note: I'm moderating this one, and boy am I interested in hearing what the panelists have to say, since this is definitely something I've struggled with in the last years!)

Erin Wilcox, Jen Zink, Courtney Schafer (M), Holly Black, Sam Hawke

Panel: Access to Space 
31 Jul 2020, Friday 16:00 - 16:50 New Zealand Time, Programme Room 1

It's hard to go into space ... but it's getting easier. With reusable boosters, increasingly capable robots, better space suits and now the first steps toward asteroid mining, is the tomorrow of yesterday's sf finally just around the corner?

Courtney Schafer, Bill Higgins, Dr. L. Suzanne Casement (M), Dave Taylor, Dr Stephen Dedman

Meetup: SpecFicNZ Get to Know Us
31 Jul 2020, Friday 19:00-19:50 New Zealand Time

Are you a Kiwi or Pasifika writer interested in meeting other SFF writers from the region? SpecFicNZ is the association for creators, writers and editors of speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy and horror) in or from New Zealand. If you're not yet a member, come find out what resources and opportunities we have to offer. If you're already a member, come hang out with friends both old and new.

Reading: Courtney Schafer 
2 Aug 2020, Sunday 11:00 - 11:25 New Zealand Time, Reading Room 1

If you've been wondering what the heck I've been up to writing-wise these last few years, now's your chance to find out. I plan to read a short bit from The White Serpent (the Cara novella) and another short bit from my brand-new fantasy novel, The Dreaming Sea. 

Anyway, hope to see some of you next week at CoNZealand, and if you want to do some virtual travel by looking at more pics of our NZ adventures, I've been posting some on Twitter.

ConFusion Schedule

My one convention of the year so far (and likely my only con this year) is coming up this weekend. I'm heading out to Detroit, Michigan for ConFusion. This will be my first time attending, so I'm excited to see what it's like. I chose to give ConFusion a try because a lot of my author-friends have gushed over how much fun they've had in past years, so fingers crossed I'll have an equally wonderful time! I'm on the following panels:

Self-Publishing for Fun & Profit (Friday Jan 20th at 7pm), with Michael Underwood, Elise Kova, and Dira Lewis. We'll be looking at the current state of self-pub in all its myriad forms, and pondering where it might go in the next 10 years. I'll be happy to share some of the lessons learned from my Kickstarter experience.

Pimp Your Mars Rover (Saturday Jan 21st at 5pm), with Karen Burnham, Martin L. Shoemaker, and Bill Higgins. "What would a vehicle need to traverse the unforgiving surface of Mars? A perfect panel for those interested in engineering the next buggy." I may be a signal and image processing engineer rather than a mechanical engineer, but back when I was working at JPL in my undergrad days, I did design some hardware for a Mars lander (which sadly never made it to planetfall, as the rocket failed on launch). In any case, it's always fun to geek out about engineering and science, so I look forward to this one.

Pantsers Rule! Or So They Tell Me (Sunday Jan 22nd at 10am), with Diana Rowland, Michael Ceislak, Andrea Phillips, John Klima. In which we will discuss the joys and horrors of writing by the seat of your pants, and other alternatives to outlining. (I'm actually somewhere in the middle between a pantser and an outliner.)

Aside from the panels, I'll be hanging out at the bar. I don't actually drink, as I hate the taste of alcohol--although my God, on Friday I will likely be wishing that wasn't so. But my favorite part of a con is always the bar conversations. Well, and I also plan to spend a nice solid chunk of time each morning holed up in my room taking advantage of blissful solitude to make progress on those infamous Shattered Sigil short stories. In any case, if you'll be at the con, I'll see you there!

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!