fbpx

Posts Tagged ‘Appearance’

My Tentative Worldcon 79 Schedule

No Comments » Written on November 20th, 2021 by
Categories: News
Tags: , ,
Worldcon 76

I’m not willing to get on an airplane yet, but I can do a multi-hour car ride, and so I’ll be attending DisCon III, the 79th World Science Fiction Convention, which runs from December 15th thru 19th. This year’s WorldCon has been plagued with many problems, not least of which included being moved six months, having to scramble for a new hotel, and losing their chair and many of their staff. Between all these problems and the small matter of a global pandemic, actual attendance will be greatly reduced, but like so many conventions they are planning to also include an online track of programming, and I’ll be a part of both. Here’s where you can find me:

Thursday, December 16th
11:30 am | Autographs 1 | Signing.
Come by and I will sign all the things!

2:30 pm | (online) Congressional Room | Language in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.
From The Languages of Pao to Embassytown, authors from all eras have explored the limits of humankind’s greatest invention: language. In this panel, linguists and language experts discuss what works and what doesn’t, and how to walk the line between science and science fiction with respect to language.
With K.A. Doore (mod), Jenn Lyons, Hanne Paine, Nikhil Singh, and Eli K.P. William.

Friday, December 17th
11:30 am | Suite 325 Main Room | Kaffeeklatsch.
Fun small group discussion with me. I believe you have to sign-up in advance. Several other author friends are supplying lots of freebies so there will be gift bags for all participants!

2:30 pm | (online) Kress) | Xenolinguistics.
What makes a language alien, or at least non-human? This may involve grammatical systems not found (so far) in natural human languages, or even modes of communication distinct from spoken, signed, or written language. Will aliens have different understandings of the context in which a communication takes place?
I’ll be moderating and my co-panelists will be Yasser Bahjatt, Jana Bianchi, Ruthanna Emrys, Brenda Kalt. and Juliette Wade.

4:00 pm | SFWA Table | Bonus Signing.
If you missed my “official” signing time earlier in the day (or the line was just too long), I’ll be hanging out at the SFWA table doing an auxiliary bonus signing. Come by and receive a free, autographed, Science Fiction Trading Card!

Saturday, December 18th
9:00 am | Lobby? | Stroll with the Stars.
I am thrilled to report that I will once again be participating in this grand Worldcon tradition. Come start your day with me and other SF luminaries (heh, did you know I was a luminary?) for a leisurely, forty-five minutes as we strut our stuff.

It’s possible that some of the above will be in flux, and/or I’ll have supplementary information to share, but here’s where it all stands as this moment. If anything does change I’ll post an update.

Tags: , ,
Posted in News

Planning for November

No Comments » Written on May 13th, 2020 by
Categories: Freebies
Tags: , , , , ,
20 Books Vegas

Between battling cancer, recovering from chemo, and oh yeah the whole COVID-19 craze, I haven’t traveled far from home this year and don’t expect that to change any time soon. No appearances, lectures, readings, or coneventions. Obviously, I’m not alone in this.

Lots of people have come up with creative solutions and stopgaps. I’ve participated in Stu Segals’ virtual Strolling with the Stars, both as the designated guest and as a viewer of many others. I spend at least three mornings each week sitting in on live interviews of luminaries within the indie publishing community. To no one’s surprise, various conventions have decided to go virtual (a big example being the Nebula Conference later this month), and even my monthly writers’ workshop group has shifted to meeting on Zoom.

At this point, I suspect the only event I’ll be physically attending this year is the annual 20BooksTo50K conference scheduled for November — assuming that in six more months the world will have stopped burning quite so much. It’s three very full days of brilliant presentations focused on the indie business side of writing — as opposed to other professional writing conferences I’ve attended where the emphasis is on craft — from marketing to managing cash flow, cover design to blurbs, pros and cons of KU vs. going wide, newsletter onboarding and general care & feeding of one’s subscribers, back lists and sell through, and on and on.

Flash Drive

Before those three days of presentations, there’ll be a day of industry professionals making themselves available for conversations and questions. Representatives from Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Microsoft, Podium, Tantor, DreamWorks, Findaway Voices, Publisher’s Weekly, Draft2Digital, PublishDrive, Reedsy, BookFunnel, StoryOrigin, Cover Artists, and so many more. It’s going to be a crazy wonderful opportunity to make some serious connections (and have the following three days to expand on them).

But wait, there’s more. On the fifth day, there will be an Indie Book Fair. I’ve already reserved a table (well, half a table). I’ll be there with a good assortment of my titles, and while I’ll be only too happy to sell them, I’ll naturally sign anything that people bring in. These kinds of events can often be very “hit or miss” bur I’m expecting a huge response because of all the lost opportunities for fans not being able to travel to conventions this year.

Flash Drives

Which is why I wanted to do something special. Something different.

Which is why I arranged for some custom flash drives. What you’re seeing in the images on this page are basically credit card sized (52mm x 83mm) flip drives, the bit that plugs into the USB slot snaps up and unfolds from a hinge and you’re good to go.

I’ve had these made up by the fine folks at usbmemorydirect.com. They feature an image of the Amazing Conroy on one side and the logo of my publishing imprint, Paper Golem, on the other.

My plan is to load up the drives with copies of my books and give them away during the Indie Book Fair on the last day of the 20 Books Vegas conference. Mind you, I have a limited number of these flash drives, and when they’re gone that’s it — unless it’s a huge success, in which case I’ll make more for other conferences in 2021. And… now that I think about it, I’ll probably hold a couple in reserve as a giveaway for the folks on my mailing list.

And that’s my travel plans for the rest of 2020. I hope to see some of you in Las Vegas, and if you are coming out (I should mention the conference is at Sam’s Town) then I hope you’ll come by for a flash drive full of my fiction.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Freebies

My Tentative Philcon 2019 Schedule

No Comments » Written on October 14th, 2019 by
Categories: News
Tags: , ,
Philcon

In just a few days I’ll be away at Capclave, but in less than a month it will be time for Philcon. I have another trip that starts the Monday after Philcon, and so to conserve energy I’ll only be at the convention for a single day, Saturday, November 9th. If you think you see me there on Friday or Sunday, it’s probably not me but some alien doppleganger, so please take appropriate precautions. But on Saturday, here’s where I’m currently expected to be:

Saturday, November 9th
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. | Plaza III | Linguistics in Science Fiction
SF & F writers sometimes invent entire imaginary languages. Sometimes they imply imaginary languages with consistent names. Sometimes they even depict alien thought patterns on the basis of imaginary languages. How much is faking it and how much requires real knowledge?
with Vikki Ciaffone (mod), Aaron Rosenberg, abd Anna Kashina]

12:00 p.m. – 01:00 p.m. | Executive Suite 623 | Readings: Three Authors
This year, in its infinite wisdom, Philcon is meeting the demand from its author guests by cramming them in threes into the hour-long Readings slot, referring to it as 20 minutes each, but ignoring the need to end before the top of the hour or allow time for audience members to get settled in the venue. So, more like 15 minutes each. Maybe. Foolishly, they’ve made me the “moderator” of my time slot, which means I get to choose the reading order. I”m telling you now, I’m going first, so show up on time. And then, please stay for my fellow authors who got stuck in the same time slot as me. Thanks.
with Michael A. Ventrella, and Elektra Hammond

1:00 p.m. – 200 p.m.| Crystal Ballroom Promenade | Signing
Much as with the readings, the convention is this year packing three authors (instead of the usual two) into the signing slot. No problem. I’ll be there ready to sign all the things. I should also have a nice assortment of books for you to purchase, in case you forgot to bring me something to sign (I’m helpful that way). In particular, I expect to have copies of the relaunched titles in the Amazing Conroy series. They’re very shiny. You want one of each. Really.
with Michael A. Ventrella, Jay Smith Hodges

And that’s it. I asked the kind folks in programming to keep it light for me as I don’t know how much energy I’m going to have and they came through.

My current plan is to slink off from my signing to have a late lunch with an old friend, and then maybe come back and chill in the lobby for a while (assuming I have sufficient spoons). Seriously, the lobby is the place to be. All the cool kids are there. Join us.

Tags: , ,
Posted in News

My Preliminary Capclave 2019 Schedule

No Comments » Written on September 28th, 2019 by
Categories: News
Tags: , ,

Autumn has begun and so my thoughts turn toward the trip down toward the Washington, D.C. area for one of my favorite events: Capclave.

They’ve posted the “Preliminary” schedule and as such it could change. Likewise, having just started chemo, my own ability to safely attend is a matter of discussion in my household (I’ll be monitoring the next couple weeks of blood tests closely). But, as of right this moment, here is my schedule:

Friday, October 18th

5:00 p.m. | Monroe – Psychos
What is a psychopath and are they really running the world? Do psychopaths have an advantage when it comes to running countries and major corporations? What can we do about it? What if we developed an accurate test (as in Sawyer’s Quantum Night) to see who is a psychopath?
J. L. Gribble, Larry Hodges, Robert Sawyer, Michael A. Ventrella (M), and me.

Saturday, October 19th

1:00 p.m. | Washington Theatre – A Matter of Style
Some writers have a poetic flow to their writing, others do not, both work. They can include it from the first word on paper or insert it later. How flashy should your prose be? How can writers prevent the language from hurting the story? Which writers in the field have the most interesting styles?
T. Eric Bakutis, Sunny Moraine, James Morrow (M), A.C. Wise, and me.

4:00 p.m. | Monroe – Writing under Duress
Tips, cheats, and strategies to keep writing even after life punches you in the throat. General self-care for writers.
Kelly E. Dwyer, LH Moore, Diana Peterfreund, Jamie Todd Rubin (M), and me.

5:30 p.m. | Wilson – Reading
I’m sandwiched between Chuck Gannon at 5pm and Jack Campbell at 6pm, which sounds pretty awesome to me. As for me, I will probably read my short story “Crossing the Line” from the recent The Expanding Universe 5 anthology.
Come early, stay late. Bask in the SFness of it all.

8:00 p.m. | Atrium – Mass Signing
This is your opportunity to get my signature on something! And not just me, but probably many many others authors. But come see me first. Why? Because I asked you to. Thanks.
endless talent and beauty and also me.

Sunday, October 20th

11:00 a.m. | Eisenhower – Its a Narrative Matter: First, Second, and Third
There are challenges and expectations for each type of perspective. Discussion of the various points of view and which ones work best for individual stories. Why might an author choose to redo the story from a different tense?
Meriah Lysistrata Crawford (M), Robert Sawyer, Alex Shvartsman, K.M. Szpara, and me.

Again, all of this could change without notice (especially when Rob Sawyer realizes we’re scheduled to do two panels together and he activates that restraining order he has). But for now, this is anyone’s best guess.

In addition to all of the above, as my energy levels allow, I’ll probably be spending large chunks of the con just chilling in the lobby. Come on over and say hello.

Tags: , ,
Posted in News

My Tentative 2019 ConFusion Schedule

No Comments » Written on January 6th, 2019 by
Categories: News
Tags: , , ,

Despite my insistence that I’m cutting waaaaaay back on my convention travel, later this month I’m treating myself to a trip to Detroit to attend ConFusion, or more properly, Storming ConFusion. Why? Because it’s freaking awesome, okay?

The theme this year is The Princess Bride, so expect swashbuckling, princesses, giants, iocain poisoning at the bar, everyone having Inigo Montoya on their name badges, miracle pills, rats of unusual size, and a creepy guy with six fingers (not that I’m judging).

Here’s my schedule as I currently understand it to be. Which is not to say that it won’t change or that my understanding isn’t horribly, horribly flawed:

Friday, January 18th
04:00 p.m. | Erie | An Author’s Guide To Newsletters
Keeping up with the shifting landscape of social media can me a tall order for busy writers. E-mail newsletters are a simple, effective way to let your most engaged fans know where to find you and your work. Our panelists have tips on how to set up and maintain an effective newsletter.With Angus Watson (M), Marissa Lingen, Natalie Luhrs, and Patrick S. Tomlinson.

Saturday, January 19th
12:00 p.m. | Erie | Showing Your Work: Showcasing Research in Genre Fiction
Authors are often cautioned to avoid info-dumps in our work: lengthy explanations of science and history have fallen out of fashion in favor of subtly weaving in relevant research without drawing attention to it. But William Goldman broke this rule throughout The Princess Bride; most memorably in Wesley’s fight scene with Montoya, where the two spend the entire fight discussing real swordsmen who influenced the theory and practice of renaissance fencing. Panelists will discuss when it’s a good idea to shine a light on your research, and recommend examples of research-dumps that manage to entertain and delight readers.
With A. Carina Spears (M), Michael Cieslak, Nino Cipri, and Lucy A. Snyder.

4:00 p.m. | Erie | Autograph Session
Meet your favorite authors and get your books signed! Limit 3 items per person, please. Bonus points if you bring a copy of The Moons of Barsk for me to sign. Also, I’ll be giving away copies of my trading card. Such a deal!
With E. D. E Bell, Delilah Dawson, T L Greylock, Sarah Hans, Derek Kunsken, Cassandra Morgan, Cherie Priest, John Scalzi, A. Carina Spears, Ferrett Steinmetz, James L. Sutter, and Phil Tucker.

Sunday, January 20th
12:00 p.m. | Rotunda | Reading
Three authors, one hour (well, probably only 50 minutes), and lots of words spoken aloud.
With Jeffrey Chapman, and Cat Rambo.

Flying to Detroit in January is always potentially fraught, but I think it will all work out. Mind you, I’ll still be making an offering to the weather gods.

See you at ConFusion!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in News

My Tentative Philcon 2018 Schedule

No Comments » Written on November 8th, 2018 by
Categories: News
Tags: , , ,
Philcon

As I write this, it’s the last day of the second of four conventions I’m doing this month. I get a week off before heading to my third, which will be Philcon. Alas, I’ll only be there for a single day, Saturday, November the 17th, but it will be a very full and long day. I’m looking forward to visiting with some folks I rarely get to see, and this year’s Principal Speaker is one of my favorite authors, Steven Brust, so I’m especially psyched! Here’s my tentative schedule:

Saturday, November 17th
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Crystal Ballroom Three | The Fiction of Steven Brust
Really, the title says it all. What a great panel to get to be on. I’m smiling as I type this!
with Joan Wendland (mod), and Carl Fink

1:00 p.m. – 02:00 p.m. | Executive Suite 623 | Reading
This year the convention is squeezing three readers into an hour. Interesting trick. They’ve listed me as “moderator” which I’m choosing to believe means I get to pick who’s reading first. Just so you know, that will be me. My current plan is to read to you from an exciting new novelette that’s coming out next month from Future SF.
with Gordon Linzner, and Susan Shwartz

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.| Autograph Table | Signing
I’ve been paired with Gordon Linzner again, and since this time he’s listed as “moderator” that probably means he gets to choose who sits on the right and who sits on the left. Either way, come by and I will sign stuff for you.
with Gordon Linzner

That’s pretty much it. Other than the above, I expect to be hanging out in the lobby, or the bar, or the restaurant, or to have slipped off-site for a meal, so your ability to find me may be a matter of luck.

Though, for those who are more into stalking, it’s fair to say that I’ll be spending a good deal of time in Steven Brust’s autograph line from 4:00 to 5:00 pm. I have all his books and somehow most of them have never been signed. Fortunately, I have a suitcase…

Tags: , , ,
Posted in News

My 2018 Baltimore Book Festival Schedule

No Comments » Written on September 14th, 2018 by
Categories: News
Tags: , , ,
Baltimore Book Festival

I’ve had most of September to recover from the excesses of the 76th Worldcon, but the end of the month offers a weekend packed with two separate events

I’ve already posted my tentative schedule for Capclave, now it’s time to talk about what I’ll be doing before that at the Baltimore Book Festival.

The BBF is an incredible, free, three-day event that takes place along Baltimore’s scenic inner harbor. Panels, readings, book sellers, food and drink. What’s not to love?

Because I’m due down at Capclave on Saturday and Sunday, I’ll only be on programming at the festival on Friday, and even then only over a three-hour span. Here’s where you can find me:

Friday, September 28th
11:00 a.m. (SFWA Tent) What’s Your Writer Origin Story
Our panel of authors will tell you what led to their chosen career, and which books and stories inspired them along the way.
With Elektra Hammond, Kosoko Jackson, and Kenneth Rogers Jr.

12:00 p.m. (SFWA Tent) Autographing
Come by and I will sign all the things. If you forgot to bring something for me to sign, I’ll have my SF Trading card to give you and The Ivy Bookshop has promised to bring a few copies of The Moons of Barsk for that important impulse buy.

1:00 p.m. (SFWA Tent) Self-Pub, Traditional, and Hybrid, Oh My!
There are many roads to publication in this day and age. Find out which one is right for you, the positives and negatives of each, and the things our authors wish they had known.
With Jonathan P. Brazee, Vera Brook, Kenneth Rogers Jr., and Nancy Schrock.

That’s it for my programming, but all weekend long under the SFWA Tent, you’ll find lots of writers all talking about books. It should be glorious.

I’ll be swinging back by late Sunday afternoon on my way home from Capclave, and I’ll be hanging out in the SFWA tent (no surprise).

See you in Balitmore!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in News

My Tentative Capclave 2018 Schedule

No Comments » Written on September 12th, 2018 by
Categories: News
Tags: , , , ,
Capclave

It’s nearly time once again for one of my favorite small conventions, Capclave, where reading is not extinct.

This year it happens to fall on the same weekend as the awesome Baltimore Book Festival. I”ll be doing the Festival on Friday, and then continuing on to the convention. And on Sunday, after finishing at the convention I’ll pause on the way home for another stop at the festival. This will also be the first road trip in the new car, and joining me on the drive will be my co-author and friend, Jonathan Brazee.

This year’s ConChair has just sent out the schedules. Here’s mine, but keep in mind some of it may change.

Saturday, September 29th
1:00 p.m. | Lincoln | Reading
I’ve been paired with Steven H. Wilson for an hour of reading. I’ll start and hand off to him at 1:30pm. I have no idea what Steven will be reading, but I expect to read to you from a new work in progress.
with Steven H. Wilson

3:00 p.m. | Washington Theater | How to Remember EVERYTHING!
Mnemonics and You! Come hear me explain how memory works and how to enhance yours.

7:30 p.m. | Eisenhower/Jackson | Mass Signing
A double-sized room full of authors armed with pens. Also cake. What could possibly go wrong? Bring your books, we’re hungry to sign all the things. I’ll also have Barsk bookplates and trading cards.
with everyone!

Sunday, September 30th
10:00 a.m. | Eisenhower | Ask Me Anything – Author Edition
Ask the panel of authors absolutely anything about what they do – writing, getting published, elevator pitches, getting an agent, dealing with writers block, writers workshop etc. Includes many non-writer-parts-of-being-a-writer, such as being your own boss, setting schedules, and so on.
with Jonathan Brazee, J. L. Gribble (M), Suzanne Palmer, and Alyssa Wong

2:00 p.m. | Eisenhower | My Characters Have a Life of Their Own
What to do when you meant for character X to be the protagonist, but at some point in the draft character Y took over?
with Sarah Avery (M), Brenda W. Clough, Mark S. LaPorta, and Alan Smale

If you’ve never been to Capclave, you owe it to yourself to come and experience its glory. And if you have, you’ve probably already booked your hotel room and paid your registration. Either way, I look forward to seeing you there.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in News

« Older Entries
Simple WordPress Themes