As I mentioned in the previous entry, I attended Archon 29, a science fiction convention in the St. Louis area. I didn't get to spend much time at the con, seeing as how I teach midday on Fridays and Mondays which makes weekend travel awkward. Still, it was worth the trip, especially since I could add in some family visits.
Archon organizers made it "easy" on me by scheduling me for a reading, autographing, three panels, and a solo presentation all on Saturday!
The day started with a reading at 10:30 AM. Traffic construction and a late night getting in made this difficult, as well as the fact I was marking up draft on the flight. Anyway, I made it, but the readings were located in the "Hilton Lobby," which was one of the few drawbacks to the programming. There were two people sitting in the lobby, and one was asleep! The other had no idea about readings. So I sat for a while until my family showed up and we went for an early lunch. I'd never completely struck out with a reading, but it's always a danger at a regional con if your name isn't Gaiman or similar. Morning events are never well attended (con goers do party).
My brother was well entertained in the lobby gawking at the costumed fans. "Hey dad, did you see that guy with the wings and the tail?" Or, "Hey, check out the swords." It wasn't really interest on his part, I don't believe, just the normal reaction of so-called "mundanes" to the Fan culture. Luckily for him no Klingons walked by to teach him a few things. Although too many who dress as Klingons at such cons tend to be too fat and near-sighted for combat.
He and my family were interested in the media guests: Marc Singer (of Beastmaster and "V" fame), Melody Anderson (from Flash Gordon and "Manimal"), and Joanna Cassidy (one of the replicants in Blade Runner and Brenda's mother on "Six Feet Under" -- really good role there). They were in the foyer of the convention center when I got back from lunch and I glanced at them as I walked in. I usually don't pay much attention to the media stuff -- I like it okay, but I'm really into the writing and the science. Well, no one was in front of Marc Singer's table and he saw me looking and smiled and waved me over. He's a hell of a nice guy! I mean, I shouldn't be surprised when someone is nice, but he was exceptionally great and embraced the whole experience and seemed like a genuinely happy and friendly fellow. And hey, I shook hands with the Beastmaster!
I checked out the art show, which was pretty good for a regional con with a number of good pro artists with pieces at reasonable prices. The dealer's room, however, was short on book sellers, which was disappointing. One of them had one copy of Star Dragon and that was it. Glen Cook (who is well known for his Black Company series, among others, and is also a book seller) had no copies. Golden Gryphon had a table, and I chatted for a long while with Gary Turner who I've met at previous cons. Picked up the new Robert Reed collection The Cuckoo's Boys and tried to remember if I'd ever picked up the James Patrick Kelly collection or not. Also reminded me I need to read some Ian McLeod sooner rather than later.
Then I went off for autographing. After the reading debacle, I figured I'd sit there for half an hour and doodle, or people watch (always great at cons). Well, I signed several autographs actually. One fellow brought by copies of Star Dragon in hardback and paperback. Another guy wanted my signature for his con book. And a third person, who was signing just before me, realized that she'd seen my book somewhere and was interested in it, so she bought one of the copies I had on me and I signed it. Then I had another 15-20 minutes to go.
But then I had people-watching. There was a devastatingly cute girl getting helped into her "Felicia the Catwoman" costume, which was as high quality as it was sexy. I wish I had my camera with me. I hope Sita doesn't get jealous!
Then I had a bunch of panels, and I had a good time on all of them. I got reacquainted with K.D. Wentworth on "Why do I write?" On "The History of the Internet" I remained quiet for the first 40 minutes and let those with expertise educate me and everyone else before exploring a few topics I was interested in (the effects of the internet on ethics, closed societies like China, and the effective intelligence of people). There was a panel on the influence of science on science fiction, which was right up my alley. It's too bad it was 95% male attendance. I know there are women out there with the interest and ability, but I won't go into this topic here again.
After that panel, I had a couple of people come up and want to buy Star Dragon. I had two more copies with me, sold them for a pittance, and signed them. I hope they like the book as much as they liked my views on the panel. The most interesting part was a question I got after I explained how I'd goofed on the shipboard gravity in Star Dragon in an early draft, and had to do an entire revision to fix it. I was asked, "But couldn't you have gotten away with not changing it?" Frankly, I couldn't understand the question. For me to let such a major science error slip through out of laziness is inconceivable to me. My jaw didn't hit the table, but I think I stammered back my answer, "No, it's wrong!"
I finished up the long day with my solo presentation/slideshow on "Highlights from the Hubble Space Telescope." I've done versions of this at other cons before, and I try to explain some of the science behind the spectacular Hubble images. It's usually standing room only, and this was no exception. I had a few nervous moments before we got the projector, laptop, and screen set up, but it went off well in the end although I had to rush through the end parts. I got a lot of great questions. Science fiction fans are among the most receptive to science, which isn't too surprising I suppose, but it's really nice to see.
I was exhausted and didn't have the energy for the masquerade or parties. There didn't seem to be a hotel bar to hang out at, which is a shame. The best socializing is usually there. I finally caught up on my sleep after a number of short days due to the travel and some telescope proposals. I slept in late Sunday and spent the day visiting family. Now I'm short on sleep again after not getting into Laramie until after midnight on Sunday night and having a demanding little lonely cat who insisted on waking me up repeatedly this morning. Sita, not Felicia, too bad!