Post Context Stuff
I attended Context 21 this past weekend in Columbus, Ohio. It was the first fan-oriented SF convention I'd attended in years, and it was a rather pleasant experience. Being that it was rather small, my olfactory nerves were not assaulted by the kind of SF fans who do not know what soap or deodorant is, nor did I encounter any so-called "furries" (and if you don't know what a furry is, google it; you'll be appalled). Horror fans are a different breed altogether, and when I use the word "fan", I do not mean horror fans. Most normal people are surprised to hear that horror fans are, for the most part, well-behaved, polite, intelligent, well-groomed, and rather normal despite their taste in books and films. SF fans, on the other hand, can be frightening. Not all of them -- I've met many wonderful SF fans who possess the same qualities commonly found with horror fans -- but for some reason, many SF fans lack these social graces.
And I speak from experience on this, so if any of you feel I am dissing you because you are an SF fan, please refrain from posting on message boards that I'm a meanie poopy head for saying such insulting things about SF fandom. I've already stated there are many wonderful SF fans. But I think because SF fandom is so much bigger than horror fandom, I see much MORE socially unbalanced SF fans. And yes, there are some horror fans that can be just as obnoxious as the SF fans I speak of (a certain self-proclaimed "writer" who is very popular in internet circles due to his psycho-babble, stalking habits, and atrocious writing and grammar skills comes to mind....and no, I am not naming this cretin here...he does not deserve the dignity of being mentioned by name).
So bottom line. Context was fun, and I enjoyed meeting fans from both sides of the fandom spectrum. It was enjoyable because I saw old friends, did some business, met old fans and new ones, signed lots of books, and did not accidentally wander into an orgy of furries (which happened to Brian Keene once) or get trapped in an elevator with a four hundred pound fan who smelled like he/she hadn't bathed in a month (that kind of thing used to happen to me at every SF con, which is why I stopped attending them).
Due to my signing up at a rather late notice, not many fans realized I'd be attending. I'd like to take this time out now to thank those of you who did introduce themselves to me. As always, it was a pleasure.
It was also great to hang out with my colleagues -- Mike Laimo, Gary Graunbeck, Maurice Broaddus, Tim Waggoner, Brian Keene, Michael West and the list goes on. I met Nick Mamatas for the first time and was able to tell him that his message board posts always provide me with much joy and laughter. Likewise, I hung out with Kealan Patrick Burke (who wasn't attending the convention in any official capacity; instead, he showed up in the evening to drink with us) and, along with Brian Keene, the three of us decided that Karl Edward Wagner's "Sticks" is the singular most important and most chilling horror story ever produced. Business was also conducted and I am now in the midst of following up with several publishers on potential projects.
Speaking of publishers, one that really impressed me was one that wasn't even in attendance. One tends to receive various freebies from writers and publishers while attending these things, and I got my fair share of them. While I have looked at everything, I have not had a chance to read it all yet. Despite that, I am very impressed by Thunderstorm Books and their publication of Just Like Hell by Nate Southard, which is so far the only thing I have read. Not only is it a compelling and emotional read, it is a beautifully designed booklet. Published as a paperback of about 100 pages, it is small (4 x 3, a bit smaller than your average paperback book), with excellent design and typesetting throughout. It's superior design demands you pick it up and read it. Thanks to Southard's excellent skills as a writer, it is a story you can't put down. I highly recommend it.
One of the highlights of the weekend was meeting Lawrence C. Connolly, who I've been reading since high school. Brian and I drafted him for a panel Saturday afternoon (it just did not seem right to have him as an audience member). Another highlight was meeting Mark "Dezm" Sylva, who helped proof Clickers II: The Next Wave for Brian and I. Even better was Mark telling me that Clark Arroyo was his favorite character in the book. Mark was even happier when I told him Clark was appearing in the sequel.
So now I'm home trying to finish up with all the follow ups from this convention and trying to get back to new work, existing work, and all my other assorted projects. I have also signed up for Twitter, which Brian Keene, Kelli Dunlap, and Bob Ford convinced me would be more fun than I could possibly have. Hopefully soon I will have my twitter feed up on my blogger and/or myspace blogs.
Next up appearance-wise: signings in Lancaster and Wilkes-Barre, PA and quite possibly a presentation on some sort of writerly topic to the Writer's Group at the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, VA. Yes, you read that correctly. The CIA. I can't tell you anything more about that, though. Seriously. I don't want to disappear without a trace.
JFG
I attended Context 21 this past weekend in Columbus, Ohio. It was the first fan-oriented SF convention I'd attended in years, and it was a rather pleasant experience. Being that it was rather small, my olfactory nerves were not assaulted by the kind of SF fans who do not know what soap or deodorant is, nor did I encounter any so-called "furries" (and if you don't know what a furry is, google it; you'll be appalled). Horror fans are a different breed altogether, and when I use the word "fan", I do not mean horror fans. Most normal people are surprised to hear that horror fans are, for the most part, well-behaved, polite, intelligent, well-groomed, and rather normal despite their taste in books and films. SF fans, on the other hand, can be frightening. Not all of them -- I've met many wonderful SF fans who possess the same qualities commonly found with horror fans -- but for some reason, many SF fans lack these social graces.
And I speak from experience on this, so if any of you feel I am dissing you because you are an SF fan, please refrain from posting on message boards that I'm a meanie poopy head for saying such insulting things about SF fandom. I've already stated there are many wonderful SF fans. But I think because SF fandom is so much bigger than horror fandom, I see much MORE socially unbalanced SF fans. And yes, there are some horror fans that can be just as obnoxious as the SF fans I speak of (a certain self-proclaimed "writer" who is very popular in internet circles due to his psycho-babble, stalking habits, and atrocious writing and grammar skills comes to mind....and no, I am not naming this cretin here...he does not deserve the dignity of being mentioned by name).
So bottom line. Context was fun, and I enjoyed meeting fans from both sides of the fandom spectrum. It was enjoyable because I saw old friends, did some business, met old fans and new ones, signed lots of books, and did not accidentally wander into an orgy of furries (which happened to Brian Keene once) or get trapped in an elevator with a four hundred pound fan who smelled like he/she hadn't bathed in a month (that kind of thing used to happen to me at every SF con, which is why I stopped attending them).
Due to my signing up at a rather late notice, not many fans realized I'd be attending. I'd like to take this time out now to thank those of you who did introduce themselves to me. As always, it was a pleasure.
It was also great to hang out with my colleagues -- Mike Laimo, Gary Graunbeck, Maurice Broaddus, Tim Waggoner, Brian Keene, Michael West and the list goes on. I met Nick Mamatas for the first time and was able to tell him that his message board posts always provide me with much joy and laughter. Likewise, I hung out with Kealan Patrick Burke (who wasn't attending the convention in any official capacity; instead, he showed up in the evening to drink with us) and, along with Brian Keene, the three of us decided that Karl Edward Wagner's "Sticks" is the singular most important and most chilling horror story ever produced. Business was also conducted and I am now in the midst of following up with several publishers on potential projects.
Speaking of publishers, one that really impressed me was one that wasn't even in attendance. One tends to receive various freebies from writers and publishers while attending these things, and I got my fair share of them. While I have looked at everything, I have not had a chance to read it all yet. Despite that, I am very impressed by Thunderstorm Books and their publication of Just Like Hell by Nate Southard, which is so far the only thing I have read. Not only is it a compelling and emotional read, it is a beautifully designed booklet. Published as a paperback of about 100 pages, it is small (4 x 3, a bit smaller than your average paperback book), with excellent design and typesetting throughout. It's superior design demands you pick it up and read it. Thanks to Southard's excellent skills as a writer, it is a story you can't put down. I highly recommend it.
One of the highlights of the weekend was meeting Lawrence C. Connolly, who I've been reading since high school. Brian and I drafted him for a panel Saturday afternoon (it just did not seem right to have him as an audience member). Another highlight was meeting Mark "Dezm" Sylva, who helped proof Clickers II: The Next Wave for Brian and I. Even better was Mark telling me that Clark Arroyo was his favorite character in the book. Mark was even happier when I told him Clark was appearing in the sequel.
So now I'm home trying to finish up with all the follow ups from this convention and trying to get back to new work, existing work, and all my other assorted projects. I have also signed up for Twitter, which Brian Keene, Kelli Dunlap, and Bob Ford convinced me would be more fun than I could possibly have. Hopefully soon I will have my twitter feed up on my blogger and/or myspace blogs.
Next up appearance-wise: signings in Lancaster and Wilkes-Barre, PA and quite possibly a presentation on some sort of writerly topic to the Writer's Group at the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, VA. Yes, you read that correctly. The CIA. I can't tell you anything more about that, though. Seriously. I don't want to disappear without a trace.
JFG
posted by JFG at 10/01/2008
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