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!

The Chesley Award nominations are out

I'm a big fan of many science fiction illustrators and for that matter of illustators in general. I believe that much of the best visual art available today is coming from SF illustrators. I won't even try to list all the major artists, because there are so many great ones working right now that I'd probably slight several simply by failing to think of them right now.

One of the best ways to keep up with SF illustrations is via the Spectrum series of SF art books, the latest of which is Spectrum 15.

Another great source is the Chesley Awards, which ASFA, the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists, presents once each year at the Worldcon (this year in Montreal). The nominations for the Chesley's, which ASFA named after the late SF illustrator, Chesley Bonestell, are now on the ASFA site. If you're in the mood for good SF art, definitely check them out--but allow some time, because there are 11 categories and five or so nominees in each.

I'm particularly happy to report that a couple of pals of mine, Steve Hickman and John Picacio, are up for Best Hardcover Cover. John is, in fact, up for four different awards, as well as a Hugo for Best Artist; way to go, John! Another favorite artist of mine, Donato Giancola, is also on the ballot for the Hardcover and Unpublished Color Chesleys. Oh, yeah: Did I mention that Omar Rayyan, another great guy and great artist is up for the Unpublished Color?

I'll stop now, but you get the point: check out these award pages for examples of wonderful work--and support your local SF illustrators by buying their works at cons.