News about DragonCon

If I missed you at WorldCon in Denver, you can find me this Labor Day weekend at DragonCon in Atlanta.

I’ll be “reading,” ie., talking about the upcoming books in the Jason Wander series and beyond with whoever drops in, August 30, Saturday, at 5:30 p.m. (Williams).  I’ll be signing September 1, Labor Day, Monday, at 10:00 a.m. at Marriott M301-304.  Stop in!  I’ll also be stopping by the Heinlein Society’s Blood Drive, which runs throughout the Con, to donate a pint, and urge you to do the same. 

If you’re unfmiliar with DragonCon, it’s “the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the US,” attracting about 25,000 fans, all in costume, and most of F/SF’s cult celebs (Batman, Bobba Fett…the list goes on), none in costume.

What else is new?  Devi Pillai at Orbit sent me a peek at Calvin Chu’s early rendering of the cover for Jason Wander Book 5, Orphan’s Triumph, which Orbit will release in Spring, 2009.  It’s great.  I’ll modestly call it spectacular.  I’ll post a final version.

What happens at WorldCon stays at…Nah

For those of you who waited in line to get your Jason Wander books signed, thanks.  For those of you who waited in line thinking you were in the adjacent line to get your Connie Willis books signed, thanks for making me look more popular.  For those of you who got to the head of the line and couldn’t tell you weren’t in Connie’s line, dude, get that prescription checked!

Denvention boasted spacious, modern, albeit far flung venues.  Probably the least costumed Con I’ve attended.  That may have been a function of those far flung venues, coupled with hot summer days.

In my Con-going experience, every panel has an audience member or panelist who just loves to hear themself talk, though eventually no one else in the room does.  EXCEPT every panel I was on at Denvention, which were genuinely balanced, vigorous and terrific.

The Heinlein Society blood donation drive drew like the Con was full of ersatz vampires – which it was.

Neatest thing, for me:  A video of Heinlein’s WorldCon 1976 speech, in his hometown of Kansas City.  All I had seen of Heinlein “in person” before that was a sterile interview snippet with Walter Cronkite during the first moon landing.  This one was particularly revealing because Heinlein had to ad lib due to a death in his family that robbed his usual extensive preparation.  The speech was as crisp as Heinlein’s characteristic white dinner jacket and as trimmed as his Boston Blackie moustache.