Category Archives: Conventions

Farewell to a Home Away from Home

On Saturday, October 28th, a few hundred longtime attendees of Farpoint and Shore Leave SF conventions descended on the Marriott Delta in Hunt Valley, MD to bid the hotel goodbye. After 40+ years of hosting genre conventions, the hotel will close on October 31. According to the rumor mill, the building will be demolished and replaced by a Tesla dealership or condos or both.

My wife and I spent part of the day wandering the hotel and taking final pictures all while a dog show was in progress. Adorable pooches everywhere, which added an element of fun to an otherwise bittersweet occasion.

It was wonderful to spend time with so many old friends including Sharon VanBlarcom, Steve and Renee Wilson, June Swords, Daniel Patrick Corcoran, Cindy Shockey, Bob Greenberger, Royce Essig, Sashi German, Susanna Reilly, Rhonda Greene, Diane Baron, Blair Learn, Paul Balze, Lance and Cindy Woods, Inge Heyer, Jay and Pam Smith, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Mike McPhail, Ann Hande, Susan Staneslow Olesen, and more. Apologies if I’m forgetting anyone.

While at the farewell party, Farpoint announced their new home at the Hilton Doubletree in Pikesville, MD. Shore Leave will make a similar announcement in the coming weeks.

 

 

After Action Report: FrightReads Book Festival

On Saturday, September 30, I attended the third annual FrightReads Book Festival in Millersville, MD as an author guest. It was my first time there and will certainly not be my last.

It was a magical weekend of hanging out with old friends, making new ones, and putting faces to names I’d only known through Discord or social media.

I managed to sell 14 books (not bad for my first time at this event) and as a bonus, my hotel was directly across the street from the Bass Pro Shops in Arundel Mills and I had a $50 gift card to burn, which meant a new winter jacket!

Many thanks to showrunner Harry Carpenter and his wonderful staff. Check out these pics from the show. I look forward to next year!

All set up and ready for the show!
Photo credit: Jay Smith

My table at FrightReads Book Festival   Rachel at FrightReads Book Festival

My table at FrightReads Book Festival

My table at FrightReads Book Festival

Sharon VB and Laura at the Farpoint Table
Always great to see Farpoint friends! Sharon Van Blarcom and Laura Inglis on Sunday. Not pictured: Cindy Shockey held down the Farpoint fort on Saturday.
Sawney Hatton and Jason Voorhees
Run, Sawney, run!

Girl from The Ring   The Jackal from 13 Ghosts

Michael Myers  Stay Puft Marshmallow Man

Pam and Jay Smith
Wonderful chatting with Pam and Jay Smith. Despite the humidity, Pam braved it out in costume until 4PM on Saturday. It was definitely a shorts and T-shirt weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

Pam and Jay Smith

Krampus   Krampus

Jurassic Park Jeep

GhostBusters Ectomobile

GhostBusters Ectomobile

GhostBusters Ecto 1B Car

After Action Report: Shore Leave 43

As one of the east coast’s longest-running science fiction conventions, Shore Leave celebrated its 43rd year on July 7-9, 2023. Technically, it should have been their 45th, but blame COVID for botching the numbering. Either way, I’m proud to say that I’ve been around for the past 29 of those.

Celebrity guests included Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Robert Picardo, Robert Duncan McNeill, Penny Johnson Jerald, Alaina Huffman, Peter Macon, Aaron Douglas, Grace Park, and Bonnie Gordon.

In addition to myself, the roster of amazing writer guests is too lengthy to list here so check out this stellar lineup on Shore Leave’s website. 

Like the eye of a storm, Shore Leave 43 was graced with a day and a half of fair weather between Mother Nature’s attempts to drown us on Friday and Sunday.

My wife and I arrived on Friday afternoon with ample time to check into our room, collect our registration materials, and grab a quick dinner before my first panel—a lively discussion about the new Quantum Leap TV series. The panel included fellow writers Mary Fan, Rigel Ailur, Lorraine Anderson, and Joshua Palmatier. Panelists and audience members alike compared the original series with the new one, touched on some inconsistencies within each (and between the two), and expressed our hopes and predictions for the next season.

Shore Leave 43 Program Book and Badges
Shore Leave 43 Program Book and Badges

After that, my wife and I caught up with several friends in the hotel lobby before getting ready for Shore Leave’s traditional two-hour Friday night book fair, Meet the Pros, at 10PM. As usual, it was a bustling event.  I sold four copies of the new hot-off-the-press crime noir anthology, Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin, one of which went to writer Dayton Ward, famous for Star Trek novels and other media tie-in work. A few readers had purchased books in advance and brought them to me to deface with my autograph.

Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin Book Cover

Keith DeCandido at Meet the Pros
Keith DeCandido at Meet the Pros.
David Mack at Meet the Pros
David Mack at Meet the Pros.
Dayton Ward (standing at right, with yellow lanyard) at Meet the Pros Book Fair.
Dayton Ward (standing in aisle at right, with yellow lanyard) at Meet the Pros Book Fair.
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle between Keith DeCandido (L) and David Mack (R).
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle between Keith DeCandido (L) and David Mack (R).
Derek Tyler Attico (foreground) and Mary Fan at Meet the Pros.
Derek Tyler Attico (foreground) and Mary Fan at Meet the Pros.
Meet the Pros Book Fair
Across the hall: Hildy Silverman and Bob Greenberger at Meet the Pros.

After the book fair, I spent another hour chatting with a few of the writers in the hotel lounge before calling it a night.

This was the first time Shore Leave scheduled me for a 9AM panel, but I was awake and alert on Saturday morning for Providing Actionable Writing  Critiques. Fellow panelists included Joshua Palmatier, Amy Sisson, Laura Ware, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, and John Coffren. We covered a lot of ground including the value of critique groups, proper etiquette for providing and receiving a critique, different types of editing (developmental vs. line editing), evaluating an editor for your work, and what editors look for when selecting stories or novels.

Since my next panel wasn’t until noon, my wife and I watched a presentation about NASA’s planetary defense program known as DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test). Panelists included:

Lindley Johnson, NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer and Program Executive of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO).

Kelly Fast, Near-Earth Object Observations Program Manager for NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office.

Timothy C. Miller, Chief Scientist of the Seeker and Information Processing Group at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab

The panel was moderated by Joshua A. Handal, Program Analyst for the Planetary Defense Coordination Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The goal of the DART mission was to launch a small craft at an asteroid in an attempt to alter its course. In November 2021, the craft was launched on a SpaceX rocket from Vandenburg Space Force Base in California and successfully impacted the asteroid Dimorphos in September 2022. The presentation included footage and images from the mission. It was a remarkable achievement!

At 11AM, I ambled to the room next door for What Makes a Good Detective? with panelists Christopher D. Abbott, Lorraine Anderson, Lauren Ware, T.J. Perkins, and Melissa Scott. Panelists and audience members alike offered their opinions on what traits a good detective should possess.  Discussions ranged from earth-based sleuths—such as Holmes, Poirot, Columbo, Jessica Fletcher, and others—to detectives in science fiction and fantasy settings.

My final panel of the weekend was just a few doors down from the previous two and in a room that was adequately air-conditioned (unlike most of the rooms in what we call the “glass hallway”). I had the privilege of speaking about Pacing Your Fiction in an Attention-Short World along with Michael Jan Friedman, David Mack, Russ Colchamiro, John Coffren, and Christopher D. Abbott. The panel ended up focusing more on the topic of pacing and flow of story based on theme and genre than on writing for readers with shorter attention spans. Nevertheless, it was an edifying discussion.

For almost 30 years of attending conventions, one of the major attractions for me were the celebrity guests. I enjoyed their Q&A sessions and obtaining their autographs despite the often long lines. The appeal of this faded about three or four years ago, but to kill time before dinner, my wife and I sat in for Ben Browder and Claudia Black. Each had a microphone, but that didn’t prevent the audio from being muddled. Still, what I heard was entertaining as they discussed their work on Farscape and the final seasons of Stargate SG-1.

Claudia Black & Ben Browder at Shore Leave 43
Claudia Black & Ben Browder at Shore Leave 43
Claudia Black & Ben Browder at Shore Leave 43
Claudia Black & Ben Browder at Shore Leave 43
Claudia Black at Shore Leave 43
Claudia Black at Shore Leave 43
Author Dinner at Shore Leave 43
Bob Greenberger (standing) chats with Sherri Cook Woosley and Andrew Hiller at the Authors Dinner.

At 5:30PM, my wife and I made our way to the McCormick Suite for the third annual Authors Dinner organized by Keith DeCandido and Wrenn Simms with food provided by the incomparable Andy Nelson’s BBQ on York Road. As always, it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends and fellow writers, some of whom only see each other once or twice a year.

Author Dinner at Shore Leave 43
Authors Dinner at Shore Leave 43

Afterwards, my wife and I spent time chatting with a few more friends before calling it a night.

With no panels on my schedule for Sunday, we packed up the car, checked out of our room, and attended a presentation on the Hubble Telescope. A Third of a Century Discoveries with Hubble was hosted by Kenneth G. Carpenter, Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Operations Project Scientist.

The presentation covered Hubble’s inception, an overview of its myriad discoveries in it’s first 30+ years of service, including new data from 2023. Dr. Carpenter also touched on the James Webb Space Telescope, comparing and combining images from both orbital observatories, and concluded with a brief look at the upcoming Roman Space Telescope to be launched in 2027.

On our way out, we made the goodbye rounds and in some cases, it was the first time we had a chance to see or chat at length with some of our friends who had been at Shore Leave all weekend. It happens. Cons are hectic.

Of course, no genre convention would be complete without a cadre of amazing cosplayers. I didn’t have time to take pics of all of them, but my friend Blair Learn caught a few that I missed. There were so many more than what you see below. You’ll just have to come to Shore Leave next year and see for yourself.

As always, the Shore Leave committee delivered a fantastic weekend and I look forward to #44!

Agent Carter at Shore Leave 43
Photo credit: Blair Learn

Anime at Shore Leave 43

Classic Trek Uniforms

Frank and Gina Hernandez

Henry Jones, Sr. at Shore Leave 43
Photo credit: Blair Learn
Chief Engineer Pelia at Shore Leave 43
Photo credit: Blair Learn

R2 Unit at Shore Leave 43

Xenomorph Containment Team at Shore Leave 43
Photo credit: Blair Learn
Mandalorian at Shore Leave 43
Photo Credit: Blair Learn

Farpoint 2023 Recap

Farpoint’s 30th anniversary has come and gone and it was a fantastic weekend filled with amazing cosplayers (far more than pictured below), lively discussion panels, cooperative weather, and most importantly, quality time with friends.

Vintage Paperbacks
Treasures from the dealer room at Farpoint.
Saturday Night at the Writers Lounge
Saturday Night in the lounge with Keith DeCandido, Russ Colchamiro, Glenn Hauman, Christopher D. Abbott, Mary Fan, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Wrenn Simms, Michael Jan Friedman, Phil Giunta, Jonathan Roth. Out of frame: Heather Hutsell and Aaron Rosenberg
Blair Learn and the Famous Farpoint Snow Shovel
Blair Learn and the Famous Farpoint Snow Shovel
Horse on Wall
It’s those horses in every hotel room. They stare… neigh, they judge. Neigh, I say!
Captain Phasma
Photo credit: Blair Learn
The Guinans
Photo credit: Paul Balze
Andorian
Photo credit: Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact
Toy Story
Photo credit: Laura Inglis
Dumb and Dumber and The Mask!
Dumb and Dumber and The Mask!
Evil Queen
Photo credit: Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Carmen San Diego meets Seven of Nine
Carmen Sandiego meets Seven of Nine
Admiral Kirk - Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Photo credit: Blair Learn
Admiral Kirk - Star Trek II
Admiral Kirk – Star Trek II
Captain Avatar
Captain Avatar – Starblazers

 

After Action Report – Lehigh Valley Comic Con

Enjoyed a fantastic day at the final Lehigh Valley Comic Con of 2022. It was a bleak and soggy day and attendance seemed lower than the August show, but I sold a few books, caught up with old friends, and as always, the cosplayers were outstanding. Looking forward to returning next year, hopefully with a few new titles.

My table at Lehigh Valley Comic Con

Writer pal Chris Ochs at Lehigh Valley Comic Con

Chewbacca Ewok

Spiderman

Santa Claus Ghostbuster   Santa Claus Ghostbuster

Tie Fighter Pilot

Rogue from X-Men Peacemaker

Stormtrooper Two Face from Batman