Rogues In Saratoga Springs: World Fantasy 2015

I'll be on the road again this week and attending World Fantasy in Saratoga Springs NY, November 5th-8th. The con organizers have graciously put me on a panel the opening day-- Thursday, November 5th at 4pm. Here is a description along with the panel participants from WFC's website:

The Rogue
Assassins, thieves, rogues of all stripes, it seems that no quest party™ is complete without a wisecracking roguish sidekick. But is there more to the Rogue than that? 
Ellen Kushner (mod.), Alistair Kimble, Cinda Williams Chima, James Alan Gardner, Ryk E. Spoor

About World Fantasy:

The World Fantasy convention will always be special to me--I attended my first one in 2010 when it was held in Columbus, Ohio. This particular convention is less fan-oriented and more professional, by which I mean, this is a great place to hang out at the bar and meet writers, editors, and literary agents.  Another aspect of the con that I like is that the membership is capped, so one has to purchase their ticket early enough in the year to be sure of getting a spot, otherwise there is a waiting list.

So many of the friends I have in the writing community became friends of mine in Columbus back in 2010. That first convention was interesting, since I went by myself and decided to wing it. Given my day job and the fact that I get paid to talk to people made meeting others not that difficult--but even so, I sat at the bar and the other writers and professionals were friendly and didn't mind talking to a stranger. At that convention I realized the old saying about writers was true--they like to drink. But no one got out of control and I found all my interactions with others to be quite engaging and informative.  I've learned so much about the industry over the years simply by attending conventions--but especially World Fantasy.

Anyway, World Fantasy will always have a special place in my heart, and I'm really looking forward to attending this one and having a chance to hang out with friends.

Lone Wolves & Loose Cannons

I attended Bouchercon, the world mystery convention, earlier in October. This year it was held in Raleigh, NC, a city I'd never visited before.  A friend of mine, and a very generous one at that, Mark Van Name (be sure to check out his Jon & Lobo series, published by Baen Books), allowed me to stay at his home while I was in town.

The trip to North Carolina was really two trips in one: the convention/writing and friends/food/entertainment.

Bouchercon:  This was my first time attending Bouchercon, and I have to say, I really enjoyed myself. I met so many wonderful writers and fans of crime fiction. I was on an early morning panel (8:30am), but unlike other conventions I've attended, people were up and about and filled the room!  The panel was Lone Wolves & Loose Cannons in Crime Fiction. The other panelists were gracious and friendly and well-read.

While my name tag is blocked, at least my fellow panelists name tags can be seen: Bruce deSilva, Andrew Grant, Mick Herron, and Ben McPherson.

An aspect of Bouchercon that I think other conventions might try is the schedule and signing after each panel. My panel was at 8:30am and ran until around 9:20am. Just outside the room there was a table setup for the authors on the panel to sign books and chat with fans until the next panel began (which wasn't until 10:00am). This was a lot of fun. I signed a copy of an anthology I have a story in, an iPad cover, and a bunch of Bouchercon programs which had my photo and bio inside.  I enjoyed chatting with people after the panel, and even though we were signing and chatting, we had plenty of time to make it to the next panel at 10:00am.

There was a great bar at one of the convention hotels (which were next door to each other and easily accessible) and I spent a fair amount of time there (and even chatted and had a few beers with Tim Akers (a great guy and wonderful fantasy writer, and oh yes, pre-order his book that is coming out in January 2016 -- The Pagan Night) who was attending with his father who writes mysteries). The attendees were friendly, and more than one author and agent strolled up, introduced themselves, and joined us for drinks.

I'm looking forward to attending future Bourchercons, since this one was run so well and everyone I met was friendly.

Friends & Food

I already mentioned Tim Akers, but another friend, Mark Van Name graciously put me up at his house. I got to meet his family and circle of friends, and went out to a few nice dinners and a couple of great lunches.

If you're ever in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area of North Carolina, I highly recommend the following restaurants:

[one] -- this restaurant was amazing. The executive chefs have worked in some of the best restaurants in the world--The French Laundry and Alinea to name just two. The tasting menu (which they created just for our group on short notice) was delicious and varied. The presentation was creative and the choreography of the wait staff delighted. If you go to just one restaurant in that area, make it [one].

Panciutto -- this restaurant featured locally harvested food and generous portions. The restaurant itself had a rustic vibe, which suited the menu. The crafted cocktails and food I ordered were delicious. The food, combined with the atmosphere, and the company (about 8 of us) made the evening a delight.

lucettegrace -- this was a wonderful surprise, and so close to the convention in Raleigh.  The lunch items were simple, but so delicious (try the Traditional French Ham Sandwich--a house made baguette, soft butter, naturally cured ham, and Parrano Cheese), and we ordered a bunch of pastries (all rich and delicious) and later, we shared a selection of macarons. If I had closed my eyes, I would have sworn I was in Paris, relaxing at a left bank patisserie.

One more thing...

Two weeks after I returned to Colorado I was browsing the mystery section of a bookstore and was approached by an older gentleman, who asked, "this may be a stupid question, but, are you the law enforcement guy who writes mysteries."  I had no idea how this man knew me or recognized me, and I must have had a puzzled look on my face, so he added, "I recognized you by the hat and the way you wear the hat, tilted like you're wearing it now."  He then told me he had attended the Lone Wolves panel at Bouchercon and had enjoyed the panel.  Looks as if I'm doomed to wearing hats and attiring myself a certain way. Oh, darn.

Murder Under The Oaks - Bouchercon 2015

I'll be leaving for Raleigh, North Carolina around midnight tonight to attend Bouchercon 2015, the world mystery convention. Even though this is my first Bouchercon, the organizers were kind enough to invite me to participate in the program!

I'll be a panelist on Lone Wolves & Loose Cannons in Thrillers with some wonderful writers. My fellow panelists will be: Andrew Grant, Ben McPherson, Bruce DeSilva, and Mick Herron.  It's an early panel--8:30am on October 9th.

I'm looking forward to Bouchercon for many reasons (like being able to hang out with friends such as Mark Van Name), but given my law enforcement background and some of the straight-up crime fiction I've been writing lately, I'm excited to attend a mystery con.

World Fantasy Convention 2014

Next week I'll be heading to Washington, D.C. for World Fantasy.  Technically, it's being held at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City, which is actually in Arlington, VA--but close enough, I suppose for them to say D.C.

The convention programmers have been gracious enough to have me on a panel (one we pitched to them).  Programming is at a premium at World Fantasy since they limit the number of panels, and convention goers are lucky if they are put on even one panel.  Many thanks to my good friend, Mark Van Name who persuaded convention programmers to allow us this panel--he was also gracious in offering his services as a moderator.

Here is a description of the panel which is going to be on the first night of the convention, November 6th:

Fantasy and the Reality of Law Enforcement
Time:  9:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m., Thursday, Fairfax
Panelists:  Mark L. Van Name (M), Griffin Barber, Alistair Kimble
Description:  Fantasy writers who are also law-enforcement workers discuss how fantasy fiction portrays law enforcement, and compare those practices to real-world law enforcement.  They will talk about where fiction differs from reality and discuss what works in stories and what really is fantasy.  In discussing such works as The City and The City (China Mieville), Finch (Jeff VanderMeer), London Falling (Paul Cornell), and Servant of Empire (Raymond Feist), they will contrast the real and fantasy worlds of law enforcement.

Here is a link to the entire programming schedule.

MARCON & 1632 Mini-con

I began writing this post just before leaving MARCON on Monday, May 12th. However, due to some horrible travel conditions while connecting in Chicago that saw me miss a conference for my day job, well, I forgot to post on the convention.

I won't bore anyone with the travel details--I'd rather not relive the experience. Though, I'm still missing my luggage which contained all of my favorite dress shirts and some nice slacks. Okay...moving on.

MARCON was a lot of fun, and one of the things that struck me most was how young the convention was--as in they attract a lot of younger people. MARCON itself has been around for 49 years--that's pretty incredible for a regional con. But I think it survives because its organizers are not afraid to cater to all ages. Their programming was diverse and offered panels and events for everyone.

The Hyatt Regency in Columbus is the hotel, which is connected to the convention center. A huge plus. There were no death marches in intense heat (like at World Con in Reno or San Antonio). Also--the bar at the hotel is adequately stocked, 53 feet long, and well-staffed. World Fantasy in 2010 was held at this venue and to this day is my favorite convention that I've attended.

So, my role at the convention. I was there as a guest, which was a first for me and my room was comped by the convention. Very nice. I was scheduled to speak on 1632 panels (I have two novelettes published in the Grantville Gazette with a serial planned involving the Knights of Malta) as well as a panel on character battles (stuff like Rambo vs. James Bond, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer vs. Sherlock Holmes or Dracula or Doc Savage) and another panel on Sherlock Holmes (what we like and don't like about the various incarnations).

I also taught a workshop with Griffin Barber (San Francisco Police Department) on Law Enforcement for Writers.

And I got to hang out with a bunch of friends and had dinner the last night of the con with Robert Waters and Chuck Gannon (Nebula Award nominee and ultra great guy).

Oh, and I suppose this is the biggest news for me at MARCON: I met up with Eric Flint to discuss our novel project which is moving forward quite nicely. For the curious: the novel is an urban fantasy set in the present and leans pretty heavily on my experience in law enforcement--until we get further along (contract and all that), I'm not going to say much more about it.