I’m back from dark and damp Missoula, Montana, home of MISCON. This was my first time to Montana, and only my second Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention. Unlike the World Con I attended in Reno last year which hosted more than 5,000 attendees, MisCon hosted less than 1,500. Authors George R. R. Martin (he signed my copy of one of his books) and Ken Hite were the author guests of honor, and attendees were able to get up close and personal to their favorite authors over the course of the convention. But I also got to meet and mingle with several new-to-me authors: J. A. Pitts, Peter Orullian, Brenda Carre, and Eldon Thompson, to name a few.
It was also fun getting to know some of the wonderful volunteers who worked so hard to make the events fun, in spite of the uncooperative weather. We had percherons in the parking lot, an art show, the iron throne from HBO’s Game of Thrones, tons and tons of gaming, films, and all the other great stuff you’d expect. The other attendees were as friendly as they were colorful.
The writers track explored everything from the Psychology of Evil to What Makes a Monster to Plotting to Revising. I’d submitted an early draft of the first three chapters of GLAMOUR to the Writers Workshop, and received critiques from three separate professionals in the Fantasy/Urban Fantasy genre: Diana Pharaoh Francis, M. J. Engh, and Deby Fredericks. All three authors spent considerable time analyzing my work and provided not only helpful feedback, but also positive encouragement. In fact, the Writers Workshop was so helpful to me; I plan to be back again next year. Rumor has it Jim and Shannon Butcher will be the guests of honor. I’m already doing the happy dance…
