Come Selahway With Me…

Yeah, pretty tables! Look at how official we are!

I had a blast in Evansville. I got a chance to tour my university and see all the changes taking place before the con started. All I have to say is WOW. I mean WOW. And geez, where was all this classiness when I was there? 🙂 Seriously, I’m proud to see all the progress taking place.

The con itself was a lot of fun. It was my first time as a special guest and a first time for the con to have a lit track, so it was a good fit. It was a little odd to be part of opening ceremonies and talk to con-goers in that capacity, though it was really cool. It makes me realize the kind of power an author has. You’re shaping worlds that people are entertaining themselves with. You’re encouraging them to think, to feel. That’s powerful, and though you may never know how your work effects people, your writing is essentially carrying on a conversation with them every time they read your work.

The panels were all pretty well-attended and we got some great conversations about genre, world-building, and publishing going. What was really cool is that people made it a point to seek me out or stop by the table after the panels, either to talk writing or books or whatever. That was amazing. It was really nice to be back and to be able to have those sorts of conversations, and hopefully to encourage people to start writing or read things that might be just a little out of their comfort zone. Everyone was warm and welcoming and the whole experience was just so much fun. It was an incredible time and I’m grateful to Stephen Zimmer and John Allen who were there to keep me from freaking out. Jondi Schmitt-Soper was also AMAZING and I owe a lot of the weekend’s awesomeness to her.

Even if she is a Trekkie 😀

Things were not without their hilarity. The pavilion’s temperature went from hot and humid Friday to absolutely freezing on Saturday (hence the hoodies and coats). I may have somehow deactivated my room card fifty thousand times and the hotel staff deserves a medal for dealing with me alone. I know John allowed me to constantly drag him to Dennys with a sigh (dude, we don’t have Dennys here. I’m going to stock up on sweet pancake goodness as much as possible when I can!)

Still, the people attending made it all worth it. I loved talking to young and old readers, picking people’s brains, talking to them about the kind of things I write and what they like. I love getting to know my audience, and this provided a great opportunity to do that.

And I may have gotten a special serenade from Professor Shyguy. I have many, many people to get back for that one, heh, but it was hilarious. All in all it was a really rewarding experience, and I really hope I get to go back next year!