All Balticon, all the time

The con definitely kept me busy today. I slept as late as I could, but that was only until ten a.m. Then, after a shower and a quick email check, I made my way to the main ballroom for the Liars Panel. As usual, I was the moderator. Joining me were Steven Brust, Ada Palmer, and Fran Wilde. All three were funny and entertaining, and we earned over $400 for Balticon's charity, which buys books for kids who would not otherwise be able to afford them.

After lunch with some friends and another chat with artist guest of honor Donato Giancola, I picked up from the art show the two pieces I ended up purchasing.

Next up was a panel titled, "It's Not Torture If It's the Good Guys." The discussion covered all sorts of topics related to the use of violence in fiction, and though at times I felt we wandered a bit, overall it went well, and the SRO audience seemed very much to enjoy it.

After a little bit of work, I joined the Baen Traveling Roadshow for a presentation on upcoming Baen titles; I spoke briefly about my books.

A short break, and it was time for dinner, which Baen hosted for the Baen authors in attendance. Though the service wasn't great, the food was decent, and the discussion remained good throughout.

The evening ended with some time talking with friends and then loading some of the stuff into the car.

Tomorrow morning, I head for a night in the country.

Quick notes from Balticon

I had no early panel, so I got to sleep late for the second straight day.  It was delicious, better than dessert.  I won't have that luxury for the next three days, so I quite enjoyed it today.

I spent some time studying a painting by the artist guest of honor, Donato Giancola, and then had the opportunity to discuss it with him.  That conversation was a lot of fun.

In my panel, "It's All For a Good Cause," we talked about various ways to help with charities.  The audience was quite small, but I think we all enjoyed the hour we spent together.

Speaking of trying to do good things, did I mention that the LYG shirts are now available for order?  If not, pop over to LYG.org, pick up some shirts, start some conversations, and help us try to change the world!

Dinner was a decent but no better meal at Azumi.  I don't think I'll go there again, though, unless someone I trust recommends it.  The sushi wasn't up to par, and what they claimed was Australian Wagyu beef was nowhere near the quality of other such meat I've tasted.  Azumi's value is just not up to its cost.

I enjoyed some late-night conversations with friends, and now I must prep for tomorrow's panels!

Balticon and barbecue

I enjoyed the treats of sleeping late and lunch at a nearby Shake Shack before my con duties began in earnest.

First up was a panel on writing snappy dialogue. Four other writers and I spent an hour discussing dialogue tips and tricks and answering audience questions. I'm never sure whether such panels really helped the audience, but we certainly tried to be useful.

I stayed in the same room for the next panel, which immediately followed the first. This one focused on writing major minor characters. Again, we shared a lot of ideas, but whether we provided information the audience members could really use is hard to know.

I had less than an hour to change and work with the tech crew before it was time to take the stage for my role as MC for the opening ceremonies. Despite having to start late and bring in two remote guests via Skype, the show overall went off well, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Dinner was a late meal at the nearby Dinosaur BBQ, a place I've visited before. I had planned to eat my traditional combination plate until I saw this menu entry.

Click an image to see a larger version.

When you spot something this odd and potentially gruesome or great, your reaction will be either to flee or to know you must order it.

You know how I reacted.

Oh, yeah, I ordered it.

It was mighty tasty, though the two sides were weak. It was not, however, a sandwich you could reasonably pick up. Instead, I used a knife and fork to cut it into more manageable bites.

Tomorrow, I get to sleep late again!

Planning to be in Baltimore this coming weekend? Come on by Balticon!

I'll be there, and I'll be busy. I'll fill you in on my activities in the next couple of days, but key among them will be having the privilege once again of acting as the Master of Ceremonies for the Opening Ceremonies of the con.

If you'll be at the con, definitely come by one of my panels and say, hi!

Raising money to buy books

Balticon's main charity is BSFS Books for Kids, a longstanding focus of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society (BSFS) on buying books for area kids who could not otherwise afford them.  The Liars' Panel, an event I've run many times, raises money for this charity by making people pay a buck each to challenge a panelist when they think that person is lying.  If the panelist is telling the truth, all those dollar bills go into bowls that runners use to collect the cash.  If the panelist is lying, the panelist pays ten dollars into a bucket.

Today, I had the privilege of participating in and moderating a Liars' Panel with Joe Haldeman, Mur Lafferty, George R.R. Martin, and Jody Lynn Nye.  Over the course of 85 minutes we answered questions I had previously distributed to the panelists and told both lies and outrageous truths.

I'm happy to report that this panel set a Balticon record by raising $850 for the charity.

In this photo, four of the people who took care of the money--Boots, Rebecca, Eric, and Christine--join me with the baggie of cash I then delivered to the con.  (Jennie, who ran the money-collecting effort, took the photo, and a few other folks, whose names I unfortunately don't have, helped collect bills from the audience.)

Everyone laughed a lot, we all had a good time, and we did a little good.  Not a bad outcome for a con panel.

Later, I introduced George R.R. Martin's reading, at which he entertained a very large audience full of fans of his series.  The reading was quite entertaining, if dark, and the audience loved both it and the brief Q&A session afterward.

My last con activity of the day was a large group dinner with the returning and current guests of honor and many con staffers.

Everyone at Balticon treated me very well, and it was a great pleasure and honor to act as the Toastmaster for the con.

Busy day

I worked until the wee hours and so awoke at 9:30 after not much slumber, but today was not the day for sleeping late.

First on my agenda as Balticon 50's Toastmaster was introducing artist and friend John Picacio, who then did an hour-long presentation on his art.  I generally try to keep introductions short, because the real starts are the people doing the presentations, and I kept to that practice here.  John showed a lot of very cool art and offered some insights into his creative process.

After a half-hour break, I debuted a new spoken-word/comedy show:  Mr. Poor Choices III:  That Moment When.  A blend of old and new material, the show seemed to come off well, and everyone in the audience laughed every time they should.  I would have preferred a bigger crowd--under a hundred folks showed up--but I had a good time entertaining those in the house.  The two women who were signing the show deserve special mention, because I gave them a lot of challenging work, and I even dragged them into the act at times, yet they stayed cool.

After an interval of only twenty minutes, I conducted an interview with Guest of Honor George R.R. Martin.  (You can read about it and see a few clips from it in this Baltimore Sun online story.  Having to watch these clips over my fat gut is a sobering experience.)

I dashed straight from that event into the Baen Traveling Road Show, where editor Jim Minz gave me a chance to discuss my most recent works.

I grabbed a snack--a hot dog--and then it was time to introduce George R.R. Martin and John Picacio for their writer/artist chat.  We ultimately agreed the flow would work better if they just jumped into it, so I enjoyed this conversation from the audience.

My final event of the day was a publisher dinner with Jim Minz and many Baen writers.

Tomorrow looks positively slack by comparison, with only three more events.

Opening ceremonies, Balticon 50 style

I devoted most of today to work and prep for Balticon 50's opening ceremonies.  I grabbed a completely unhealthy but delicious lunch at a nearby Shake Shack and then returned to business.

Tonight's opening ceremonies required more than the usual amount of work because it was by far the biggest OC I've ever managed as toastmaster or master of ceremonies.  In addition to the traditional introductions of guests, we presented five different sets of awards and at the end brought on stage a total of 19 past and current Balticon author guests of honor.  Seeing all those notable writers on one stage was quite a treat, both for the audience and for me.  I'm honored they let me handle the event.

Dinner was a meal with friends at Dinosaur BBQ, whose meats were way better than I had expected and whose spiced mac-and-cheese was absolutely delicious.

I'd write more, but tomorrow I have to participate in five major events, two of which are my newest comedy show and an interview with Guest of Honor George R.R. Martin.  So, it's time to grab a little sleep!

Balticon kicks off with a feast

Specifically, the con tonight hosted a dinner, The Feast of Ice and Fire, in honor of its main guest, author George R.R. Martin.

Click an image to see a larger version.

I was lucky enough to attend, thanks to the con.

In addition to the five courses on the menu, the meal also came with its own souvenir:  a special Balticon 50 glass.

Martin ate each course at a different table and was a very genial and entertaining host.

Tomorrow, the con begins in earnest, and I fulfill my first duty as Toastmaster by hosting the opening ceremonies.  I'm quite looking forward to it!

A stopover on the way to Balticon

I usually visit here on the way back from the con, but this year, that's not possible, so I'm making my annual stop at The Inn At Little Washington a few days earlier.  I find this place restful and peaceful, a lovely location in the middle of nowhere.

I particularly like the small garden, complete with water features and carp, which sits off the dining room and is a great place for afternoon tea and contemplation.

Tomorrow, I hit the road, and then the con starts.

Balticon news

This year's Balticon is the 50th occurrence of that esteemed convention, a gathering that is as close to a home SF con as I have.  I've been going to it for almost as long as I've been attending SF conventions.  I was lucky enough to have my first novel, One Jump Ahead, win the Compton Crook Award for Best First SF, Fantasy, or Horror novel there, and for a few years I've been the MC for its Opening Ceremonies.

This year, as the con just announced, I have the honor of being Toastmaster for the con.  With George R.R. Martin as the Guest of Honor, my pal John Picacio as the Artist Guest of Honor, and a host of wonderful guests--including a great many of the past Guests of Honor--this Balticon promises to be a great con.

I'm pleased and honored to get to be its Toastmaster.

On the road again: Balticon, day 5

Morning went to sleep, afternoon to driving, evening to catching up, settling in at home, and work.  I'm behind on many fronts, so I have to buckle down now on several to catch up.

Lunch featured this oddity from a Sonic Drive-In along the highway:

Click the image to see a larger version.

For those of you who have never seen this concoction before--and I had not--this is a Cheesy Bacon Pretzel Dog.  I'm not at all sure that this thing should exist, but given that it does, I had to try it.

The verdict?  Not bad, not bad at all.  Weird, and definitely not good for any human, but also tasty enough.

And now, more work, as normal life resumes for me.

On the road again: Balticon, day 4

After a reasonable amount of sleep--I am still exhausted and catching up--I headed down the road to The Inn At Little Washington, one of my favorite places to spend an evening.  (I've never stayed more than one night.)  There is nothing to do in this small town except relax and enjoy the resplendent Inn.  That's perfect for me and makes this a wonderful place to relax.

Because I knew dinner would be so large, my only food during the day was a small tea in the Inn's garden.

Dinner, as I always make it here, was in the kitchen table, where you get to enjoy both watching a world-class kitchen in action and consuming the amazing food they are creating for you.  Chef/proprietor Patrick O'Connell was in Ireland chairing a Relais & Chateaux meeting, but his Executive Chef, Evan Pope, was running the show and doing an excellent job.  I hope to provide a full review later.

Now, to chill a bit and then, I hope, sleep a ton.

On the road again: Balticon, day 3

My convention work day began with my presenting the Baen Traveling Roadshow, a fun sneak peek at upcoming Baen books.  What makes this event special is that we get to see not only the covers of the books, but the original art behind those covers.  I've led this event for some years now at Balticon, and it's always fun.  As usual, we nearly filled a big room, everyone in attendance seemed interested and attentive, and we gave away quite a few free books.

We then dashed out for lunch at at nearby Noodles & Company.  A small frozen yogurt from a neighboring shop topped off the meal. 

After a work break, I joined a memorial event for Peggy Rae Sapienza, a friend and fan whom I quite miss.  (I wrote about her death back in March, when I learned of it.)  As you would expect, the mood in the room was at best bittersweet as a large crowd of people told stories about how Peggy Rae had touched them.  I went second and discussed my first two interactions with Peggy Rae, the same two I covered in that earlier blog post.  Peggy Rae was a good woman who performed an amazing amount of work for SF fandom, and everyone I know who knew her will miss her.

In the small break available to me, I strolled through the dealers' room, said hi to some friends, and then found the location of my next panel.

This one, "It's for a Good Cause," focused on how writers can user their work to help charities.  I talked about the giveaway program I created with Children No More, my fourth novel, and I also discussed some of the charitable work that PT does.  I enjoyed learning about the ways the other panelists used their fiction to help causes of interest to them. 

My final panel of the day--and of the con, because I'll be leaving in the morning--was about "How To Keep Writing After the Workshop."  The question the con posed the panelists was how one could stay in contact with fellow workshop attendees and also keep writing after a workshop.  We focused on the writing part, with all of us agreeing that the only secret was that there was no secret:  you sit in a chair and do the work, or you don't.  The audience remained interested as the conversation wandered, so all went well.

Dinner was a good but not remarkable meal at Azumi, a well-reviewed local Japanese restaurant.  The fish was fresh and tasty, but the omakase menu did not feature any outstanding dishes, and it did unfortunately contain a few disappointing elements.  Though I enjoyed the meal overall, I feel no need to eat there again. 

And now, to sleep.

On the road again: Balticon, day 2

Despite sleeping almost nine hours, I awoke exhausted; I clearly have a lot of catching up to do on sleep.

Lunch had to be brief, and the nearby options are limited, so we ended up at a Chipotle for an unremarkable but completely reasonable meal. 

My first panel came with the title, "Reading As a Writer."  Five of us discussed how we read, what we read, and what we recommended people read to see examples of great craftsmanship in different areas.  The very small room stayed packed, people seemed interesting, and as best I can tell, it went well.

I roamed the con for a bit, checked out the art show and the dealers' room, and did some work I needed to accomplish.  I'm still not done with it, but getting closer.

My other panel today was supposed to focus on how to handle exposition, though the title, "Gadgets in Fiction: How Do You Work Technology into your Story?" made it sound more limited in focus than it actually proved to be.  We discussed a wide range of topics related to technology in fiction--and, on occasion, in the real world.  The packed room seemed interested throughout, and I generally enjoyed the discussion.

Dinner took us to Brian Voltaggio's Aggio in downtown Baltimore.  I hope to write a full review of the meal later, but in case I fail to do that, let me give you the one-line version:  Go there and order pasta. 

Party crawling and work filled the rest of the evening.

Tomorrow, my panels begin at 10:30 a.m., which is not my favorite time by a long shot, but which I agreed to accept so that I could host the always popular Baen Traveling Roadshow. 

On the road again: Balticon, day 1

Today, I slept as late as my schedule permitted.  Having the extra rest was grand.  I awoke still tired and could easily have slept around the clock, but I definitely felt better than the day before.

For lunch we headed to The Food Market in Hampden, where we enjoyed a delicious and interesting brunch.  I particularly liked a dish called The Smoky Bowl, which mixed traditional breakfast ingredients--eggs, English muffin, bacon, and potatoes--with a smoky Gouda cheese. 

At the con, I spent time with some friends and also devoted a fair amount of energy to making sure we were all set for the Opening Ceremonies.  It was once again my privilege to emcee that event, which went briskly and well, at least as far as I can tell.  (You'd have to ask the audience to be certain.)

After spending time at the various meet-the-guests events, I headed out to see Tomorrowland, which I will review separately later. 

Tonight, I will once again sleep a larger than normal number of hours, a prospect about which I am unreasonably happy.

Tomorrow, my first panels of the con.

On the road again: Balticon, day 0

Wow, was I tired today.  I awoke after two hours and forty-five minutes of sleep and felt like a zombie.  That is not enough sleep for me. 

Most of the day went to the drive from Raleigh to the con, a drive that ended up taking us through rush hour traffic--the only kind D.C. seems to have. 

Dinner was a delicious meal at Woodberry Kitchen; by good fortune, Kyle was able to come.  As I've said many times, if you're in this area, you should absolutely eat at Woodberry.  Everything we tried was very good, with the tomato soup with "adorable grilled cheese" and the sharp cheddar mac and cheese side dishes being particular favorites.

Tomorrow, the con starts in earnest.  For those planning to attend, look me up and say hi.  I'll be emceeing the opening ceremonies on Friday, and then on Saturday and Sunday I'll be participating in six panel discussions.

Now, though, I will crash!

On the road again: Balticon, day 4

Today, I drove away from the con and into the wilds of Virgina, all the way to The Inn At Little Washington.  Chef/Proprietor Patrick O'Connell has relentlessly pursued his singular vision here, and the result is a wonderful experience in a delightful setting with fantastic food.  As with each year's trip here, dinner was at one of the two tables in the kitchen and featured a lovely tasting menu. 

If I were richer than I will ever be, this is one of the places to which I'd love to retreat for a month to finish a novel in a quiet setting that would lend itself well to writing and walking. 

Tomorrow, I head home. 

On the road again: Balticon, day 3

My day began entirely too early with a 10:00 a.m. panel that assembled all the attending Compton Crook Award winners:  Michael Flynn, Maria V. Snyder, Myke Cole, Chuck Gannon, and me.  Moderator Jonette Butler asked about our experiences with the award, and then we fielded questions from the small but very attentive audience. 

I had a short break to work on my show before I had to head out to moderate the ninety-minute Liars' Panel.  With fellow panelists Chuck Gannon, Gail Z. Martin, and Jo Walton, we answered questions--sometimes truthfully, sometimes not--entertained the audience, and raised almost three hundred bucks to buy books for kids who could not otherwise afford them.

Less than half an hour after leaving that room, I was on stage performing my new stand-up show, Mr. Poor Choices II:  I Don't Understand.  A mix of new and old material, all in a new framework and at a better pace, I think this was the best show I've done.  The audience of 150 to 200 people all laughed when they should and seemed to have a good time.

I am now, though, wrung out, so I'm calling it a day.

On the road again: Balticon, day 2

With con activities, work, and preparation for the new comedy show making me insanely busy, I'm going to keep these con posts short. 

I worked in the morning to prepare for the Baen Traveling Show, then led that discussion and slide show.  Fans packed the large room, we gave out tons of swag, other attending Baen authors--Chuck Gannon, Steve White, and Iver Cooper--spoke, cover designer Jennie Faries shared her perspective with the crowd, and everyone had a good time. 

I spent the next few hours grabbing lunch at a local pizza joint, checking out the dealers' room and the art show, and working on tomorrow's comedy show. 

Next up was a panel, "Titles Without Stories," in which three other writers and I made up plots to go with titles that audience members tossed at us.  The room was small, hot, and crowded, and though I didn't do as well as I would have liked, I think everyone present enjoyed themselves. 

After that, I worked more, with a lot of my energy going to the show tomorrow.  I'm still trying to decide just what mix of new and old material to feature, because I definitely have too much in my draft set list.  I'll probably decide at the very last minute. 

I spent the evening at Kyle's eating tasty Indian food, watching a ridiculous movie (I, Frankenstein), and enjoying what proved to be a very good card of UFC fights.  The final fight, a bantamweight championship bout between champ Renan Barao and challenger T.J. Dillashaw, was amazing.  Dillashaw entered the octagon a 6:1 underdog, but he dominated and ultimately finished Barao in a finish that no fight analyst predicted. 

More work on the comedy show followed.

Here's hoping I don't bomb on stage tomorrow!

On the road again: Balticon, day 1

The con began in earnest today, and with it, my responsibilities here.  I spent most of the normal business day working, though part of the time went to finalizing the agenda for the con's Opening Ceremonies, at which I was the MC.

It's always difficult to judge one's own performance, but as best I can tell, the OC went well, the audience had a good time, we hit all our goals, and we ended on time. 

One of my jobs as MC is to introduce all the guests, including the previous year's Compton Crook Award winner--in this case, Myke Cole.  That person then introduces this year's winner of the award (Chuck Gannon).  I particularly enjoyed doing that tonight, because I remember with fondness winning that award at the 2008 Balticon. 

Dinner was a delicious meal at a local restaurant I quite enjoy, Woodberry Kitchen. 

Tomorrow, my panels begin. 

The day after tomorrow, I have to premiere my new comedy show, and I'm still not ready for it.  Yikes!