It's about time for me to get on the road again, as I'm getting convention
invitations, making travel plans and scheduling booksignings.
If you're a fan of paranormal romance, science fiction, fantasy or horror, one
great way to meet your favorite authors and discover new authors is to attend a
science fiction convention. Authors attending these conventions participate in
panel discussions about writing and other interests, they do autograph sessions
and they may read from their work. The panel discussions give you additional
insight into authors because they often talk about their personal interests
that have nothing to do with their work. For instance, I always seem to end up
on panels about the TV series
Firefly
. Most authors can also be found just
hanging out in the convention's hospitality suite or attending room parties, so
you have the chance for more personal interaction (just don't act like a scary
stalker fan).
For those who are aspiring writers in addition to being readers, there's often
a writing workshop or seminar presented in conjunction with the convention, and
many conventions invite editors or agents to be guests, so there's the chance
to make career connections.
Don't worry if you don't consider yourself the kind of person who'd be into
science fiction conventions. They're usually not like what you see spoofed on
television or in movies like
Galaxy
Quest
. You'd be surprised at the variety of
people who attend. While there may be some people wearing costumes, you won't
stand out if you don't wear your Spock ears. Best of all, the cost is usually
pretty reasonable, in the neighborhood of $30-$40 for a weekend membership that
gets you into all the events.
Wikipedia has a fairly comprehensive table of conventions around the world, but
here's a sampling of upcoming events that may be of interest:
In April, I-CON in Stony Brook, New York, features
Charlaine Harris as a
special guest. Their web site is:
www.iconsf.org
In May, Balticon in Baltimore has an impressive lineup of authors, including
Naomi Novik,
bestselling author of the Temeraire series. Their web site is:
www.balticon.org
Also in May, Wiscon in Madison, Wisconsin, is the leading feminist science
fiction convention. For more information, visit:
www.wiscon.info
In June, ApolloCon in Houston is one of my favorites. I generally attend, and
the crowd is very congenial. Visit:
www.apollocon.org
In July, Conestoga in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is having a mini-convention devoted to
urban fantasy within the convention, and the convention's author guest of honor
is
Diana Gabaldon. I'll
be going to this one, too. For info, visit:
www.sftulsa.org/conestoga
In August, Armadillocon in Austin is focused on literary science fiction and
fantasy (translation: less focus on things like movies and television, and
usually with an editor guest or two). Check out
www.armadillocon.org
In October, author
Laurell
K. Hamilton is the special guest at Archon in the St. Louis area. Visit
www.archonstl.org/32
for details.
Also in October is my home convention, FenCon in Dallas. Visit
www.fencon.org for
information.
Then there's the World Science Fiction Convention, taking place in Denver in
August, with a wealth of authors, and the World Fantasy Convention in October
in Calgary.
And there are many, many more, with generally at least one convention every
year in most major metropolitan areas. Check one out, and see how many authors
you can meet or discover.
Shanna Swendson writes "Fairy Tales for Modern Times" and is the
author of the Enchanted, Inc. series about a Texan in New York City, a
magical NYC. Visit her
website or blog
for more information.
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