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After Action Report: Shore Leave 46

July 18, 2026 philgiunta@ptd.net Leave a comment

I’m several days late in posting this as I recover from the “con crud” I picked up at Shore Leave 46 in Lancaster, PA the weekend of July 10-12, 2026. Despite that, I had a blast celebrating my 30th year of attending this wonderful SF convention. Where did the time go?

My Friday began with a 4PM panel called The Short Form with Hildy Silverman, Alex Shvartsman, and Laura Ware. This was a discussion on writing short stories vs. novels. I was the last panelist to arrive with five minutes to spare, which meant that I was the moderator. Unprepared as I was, I came up with enough questions to get us through the first half before we opened it up to audience questions, which filled out the rest of our time.

As this was my only panel of the day, I took time to peruse the dealer room and chat with my friends Jake, Nick, Pat, and Marcella at the Oddity Prodigy Productions table. OPP is a Delaware-based small press that has published three of my short stories since 2020, most recently in their sword and sorcery anthology, Tales of Steel and Sorcery, which was published in June.

After that, I wandered over to the Crazy 8 Press table and chatted with Michael Jan Friedman, Aaron and Jen Rosenberg, Hildy Silverman, Russ Colchamiro, and Bob Greenberger. They kindly invited me to join them for dinner at 7PM at the Manor Chinese Buffet down the road.

From there, I found another longtime writer pal, Richard C. White, who will be publishing my recent steampunk story in his upcoming anthology Southwatch Stories, to debut next year at Shore Leave 47.

I then caught up with a few other friends including artist and photographer Laura Inglis before wandering to the back of the dealer room to the impressive Lost in Space display that included B-9, mannequins of the entire cast, a model of the Jupiter 2, the bridge computer consoles, and other props. I instantly thought of my late friend, Joe Knedlhans, who owned a toy robot museum in nearby Adamstown, PA for 25 years. He would have loved this exhibit.

After dinner with the writers at the Chinese buffet, it was time for Shore Leave’s traditional Meet the Pros book fair where I was launching my new short story collection, Dreams from the Edge of Reality. One of my favorite writers (and people!), Howard Weinstein, shared the table with me. Howie was a mentor to me on a few occasions and has been kind enough to provide blurbs for all of my books over the years. We had a fantastic time. I sold about five copies of Dreams while Howie had a constant groups of adoring Star Trek fans bringing their copies of his Trek novels and comic books from back in the day. I also had the chance to catch up with friends Loretta Painter and writer pal Susanna Reilly who happens to be one of my best and toughest critique partners.

It wasn’t until after Meet the Pros that I noticed the collage near the registration desk honoring the memory of astronomer and longtime Shore Leave committee member and co-con chair, Inge Heyer, who passed away just weeks before. I was honored to see a photo of mine as the second image on the top row from 1998, when Inge and I met up with another friend, Vince Maiocco, to meet Leonard Nimoy at a book signing at the Montgomery Mall. More on Inge’s passing later in this report.

On Saturday, I had no panels until 1PM so writer pal Chris Ochs and I drove out to the Bird-in-Hand Cafe and Bakery for breakfast. It was a quaint cafe and gift shop with seating on the first and second floors. While there, I picked up a few candles for my wife.

With nothing to do until my 1PM panel, I attended one of the many science panels at Shore Leave, this one was about the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Telescope as presented by science guest Kenneth Carpenter, Project Scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope. Dr. Carpenter’s fantastic presentation included the differences between the Roman and Webb telescopes, how the Roman telescope will operate, and images of the telescope under construction.

After that, writer pal Chris Ochs and I decided to sit in on a presentation about submitting to independent publishers. However, when the presenter failed to appear after ten minutes, another writer in the audience stepped in (his name escapes me now) and Chris and I decided to join him. We led an ad hoc presentation covering the importance of reading submission guidelines, finding good critique partners and editors for your work, reading your work aloud as a way of self-editing, the various ways writers are paid for short stories, and more. All told, it was a fun 50 minutes with excellent audience participation.

My 1PM panel was called Where Do You Find the Time? with Aaron Rosenberg, Kelli Fitzpatrick, Russ Colchamiro (moderator) and a fourth writer whose name escapes me right now (I blame age). This was a discussion on time management for writers where each of us offered advice on how to make (vs. find) time to write and exchanged ideas with other writers in the audience.

The rest of my Saturday was spent wandering around the con, taking breaks in my room, and eventually going to Longhorn Steakhouse with writer buddy Chris Ochs and the team from Oddity Prodigy Productions. By the time we returned, the masquerade awards were just starting and I’m embarrassed to admit that I did not take pics of any of the amazing cosplayers at this year’s Shore Leave. I ended up sitting with several other writers in the lounge straight through the awards and 10-Forward before crashing for the night.

Sunday saw me at two panels separated by Inge Heyer’s memorial. At 10AM, it was a discussion about Criticism vs. Critique with Hildy Silverman, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, and Rigel Ailur and at noon, Hildy and I gathered for our third panel together. We were joined by Christopher D. Abbott and Scott Pearson to chat about the importance of self-editing and various ways to go about it.

In between those panels was the memorial for Inge Heyer during which many of Inge’s friends, both new and old, shared their memories of her. Since the aforementioned picture with Leonard Nimoy was included on the collage, I recounted the story behind it, reaching almost 30 years into the past…

Inge, Vince, and I had arrived at the Waldebooks in the Montgomery Mall at 8AM as Inge was expecting a massive line for Leonard Nimoy, who was slated to arrive at 10AM. Instead, we were the first ones there for about the next hour. However, by the time the anointed hour rolled around, there was a long queue behind us. Vince and I each had a copy of Mr. Nimoy’s I Am Spock memoir along with one Star Trek item as permitted by Mr. Nimoy. Once we were finished, Vince and I took a seat while Inge went back in line again… and again… and again. She had brought with her copies of Nimoy’s past books as well as other Star Trek memorabilia and managed to get them all signed.

At the end of the event, Inge asked the manager at Waldenbooks if we could have a group photo with Mr. Nimoy. Since we were the first ones in line at 8AM, Mr. Nimoy agreed and the rest is history.

The audience at the memorial enjoyed the story. Another fond memory of Inge will always be her enthusiasm as a science communicator and presenter at Shore Leave and other conventions. While working for the Hubble Space Telescope, she often brought enormous stacks of photos taken by the Hubble and gave them away at the cons. I have a collection of them and now, each time I flip through them, I will think of Inge and hope that she is out there in the cosmos exploring those places that are out of reach to mere mortals except through data and images.

“The Cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the Universe to know itself.” – Carl Sagan

After my final panel, it was time to get on the road home. As I write this, the Saturday after Shore Leave, I’m beginning to recover from the cold I picked up there. I’m off from work next week for a home renovation project and hope to be back to 100% by then.

Onward!

Blog, Conventions

Farpoint 2023 Recap

February 12, 2023 philgiunta@ptd.net

Farpoint’s 30^th 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

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

Andorian — Photo credit: Danielle Ackley-McPhail

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 – Starblazers

Blog, Conventions

After Action Report: Philcon 85 – In the Presence of Giants

November 22, 2022 philgiunta@ptd.net

In GPS we trust and that’s precisely what I did on my way to Philcon when my usual route through the City of Brotherly Love turned into a parking lot. If you know the area, you probably guessed the Schuylkill Expressway and you would be correct.

So instead of ol’ Ben Franklin, it was Walt Whitman what got me into New Jersey this time. I landed at the Cherry Hill Doubletree around 4PM, checked in, schlepped my baggage to my room, then proceeded to con registration to collect the usual accoutrements (badge and program book) before I was sent up four floors to con ops to pick up my tent card and free drink tickie for the opening reception.

In the lobby, I reunited with friends Ef Deal, Serg Koren, and Susanna Reilly. It was wonderful to catch up with them before my 7PM panel, Writing: The Long and Short of It adroitly moderated by writer pal, Hildy Silverman. Fellow panelists included Elektra Hammond, Marilyn “Mattie” Brahen, and Jim Stratton. We discussed such topics as developing short story plots, number of characters and points of view, and crafting short stories as standalone works versus passing off the opening chapter of a novel.

Photo credit: Michael Ventrella

As that was my one and only panel of the evening, I stopped by the freebie table where I picked up a few gems including a copy of Nate Segaloff’s authorized biography of one of my literary heroes, Harlan Ellison.

At 9PM, I attended an edifying panel on Finances for Creative Professionals led by veteran writer Susan Shwartz with James Stratton, Nate Hoffelder, David M. Axler, and Russell J. Handelman. The discussion went beyond tax deductions and touched on wills, trusts, long term care insurance, and literary executors. I walked out of there with a short list of items to take care of in the coming year.

Later, I meandered over to the opening reception where I used my drink ticket for a Pepsi (no booze for me) and chatted with writer buds Aaron Rosenberg and Russ Colchamiro from Crazy 8 Press and Neil Clarke, founder and editor of Clarkesworld Magazine before calling it a night.

Since I didn’t have a panel until noon on Saturday, it was time for more book shopping. Philcon’s dealer room never disappoints when it comes to vintage SF as you can see…

My noon panel was also my second and final one of the con (they took it easy on me this year). Horror Without Gore was moderated by Bram Stoker award nominee Carol Gyzander and included Amy Grech, Gary Frank, and Martin Joseph Berman-Gorvine. Through a lively discussion, we determined that yes, you can write a fine horror story without graphic blood and guts through the use of suspense, atmosphere, and psychological terror. Photo credits (below): Alp Beck.

The rest of the afternoon was spent sitting in on such panels as State of the Short Fiction Market moderated by Stephanie Burke with participants Neil Clarke and Margaret Riley followed by We ARE Living in Philip K. Dick’s Future, Aren’t We? with Michael Swanwick as impromptu moderator (in lieu of Gregory Frost), Ken Altabef, Lawrence Kramer, and Anatasia Klimchynskaya. The group analyzed aspects of contemporary society in the context of how it compares to Philip K. Dick’s dystopian vision. The short answer to the panel’s title is… yes we are.

After that, it was time for a delightful dinner in the hotel restaurant with friends Susanna Reilly and Francis Barron after which, fatigue set in and a power nap was in order. By the time I awoke, it was well past 8PM and I decided to stay in my room, write for a bit, watch some TV then call it a night.

The highlight of the con occurred on Sunday during my noon autograph session when Nebula-award winner Michael Swanwick invited me to his home in Philly for a small after party. I grew up in the section of the city where he has lived for decades but never knew it until we connected on Facebook three years ago. While there, I was honored yet again to meet SFWA Grand Master Samuel R. “Chip” Delaney. Michael and Chip are legends in science fiction literature and beyond and for two and a half hours on Sunday evening, I was in the presence of giants much in the same way as when I met another literary hero, Harlan Ellison, back in 1999. I drove home that night with treasured memories and an invitation from Michael to return next year. I look forward to it!

Blog, Book Signings, Conventions, Events

My Curtailed Convention: Shore Leave 42 After Action Report

July 18, 2022 philgiunta@ptd.net

I couldn’t have asked for better weather for my drive to Shore Leave 42 SF Convention in Hunt Valley, MD. Due to construction on Route 78W, I took Route 222S to 30W and finally to 83S. This brought me past Adamstown, PA on Route 272.

Renown for being the “Antiques Capital of the U.S.A.,” Adamstown is also the home of Out of This Word Collectibles (formerly the Toy Robot Museum) owned by my friend, Joe Knedlhans. Although my wife and I had already scheduled a visit with Joe in August, I thought it would be fun to pay a surprise visit (as well as stretch my legs and fill up the tank for the rest of the trek).

As always, it was fantastic to see Joe and his collection of 2,000+ toy robots from the past 50 years. I only wish I’d had time to roam the antique shops along “the strip,” but Shore Leave beckoned and after about 30 minutes, I was back on the road.

I arrived at the Hunt Valley Marriott Delta Hotel around 4:30PM. My first stop was the con’s COVID checkpoint table, which was set up outside the hotel. After showing my ID and vaccination card, I was given a green paper wristband. This permitted me to go inside and collect my con badge and program book. So far, so good… until it came time to check in to my room.

A few days before the con, a severe thunderstorm had knocked out the power and the hotel’s computers (it also brought down trees and branches all over the back of the property). As a result, the line at the reservation desk stretched through the lobby and out the door. It took me about an hour to check in, drenched in sweat the entire time. Hardly an auspicious start, but in the end, a minor speed bump.

Friend and Farpoint con-chair Sharon VanBlarcom texted me while I was waiting but by the time I’d checked in, schlepped all of my stuff up to the room, showered, and taken a power nap, it was nearly 7PM. So I brought dinner back to my room and wrote for a few hours before gathering my books for Meet the Pros at 10PM.

Horse Picture — Horse on wall keeps staring at me!

Attendance at Meet the Pros was low compared to previous years, but provided a wonderful opportunity to chat with several friends I hadn’t seen since 2019. I shared a table with Scott Pearson with whom I traded hilarious stories of our experiences with the late and legendary Harlan Ellison. By the end of the two hours, we had each sold five books. Not too shabby, given the smaller crowd.

Phil at Meet the Pros — Photo credit: Bob Greenberger

After packing up, I stayed around for a few minutes to chat with fellow writers Richard White and Kelly Meding. That’s when Bob Greenberger snuck up behind me, planted a smooch on my cheek, and ran off. The man is nefarious! Michael Jan Friedman on the other hand limited himself to hugs.

Afterward, I went to the bar to hang out with some of the other writers and had an interesting conversation with David Mack during which he recalled a keynote speech he gave at another conference a few years earlier. In his speech, David compared the writing life to a wheel. Sometimes, you’re on top and it feels wonderful. Then the wheel spins and grinds you into the ground. The key is to stay on the wheel. Don’t let go. When you let go, that’s giving up.

Never. Give. Up.

A short time later, I had a similar conversation with fellow writer Derek Tyler Attico who reiterated the importance of staying in the game. In both cases, this was advice I needed to hear as I’ve been burned out in recent months while trying to balance writing with other obligations.

My first event on Saturday morning was the 11AM Climate Fiction discussion panel. For this, I was an audience member. The fantastic panelists were Jennifer Rosenberg, Rigel Ailur, Diane Baron, and Kelli Fitzpatrick who, as always, served as a brilliant and well-informed moderator. In addition to our current concerns about climate change, they also covered how climate change is tackled in fiction both as the main plot of a story as well as the setting.

My own panel schedule was light this time around. I thought I had added my name to more than three panels prior to the con, but that was all I had. On Saturday at 1PM, I moderated a discussion about self-editing called “Always Submit Your Best Work.” Panelists included David Mack, Chris Ochs, and Joshua Palmatier. We discussed everything from developmental editing to line editing, from reading your work aloud and the importance of rhythm and cadence to the value of critique groups.

Keith DeCandido and his wife Wrenn Simms reserved the McCormick Suite at 5:30PM for an author dinner with food from Andy Nelson’s BBQ on York Road. All writers were invited. Food and company were fabulous and it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends I might have otherwise missed during the weekend. This is a wonderful community and I’m proud to be part of it for nearly 30 years.

The dinner was followed by a brief memorial to writer David Galanter who lost his battle with cancer in December 2020. By 8PM, I decided to retire to my room and relax for the rest of the evening so as to avoid any further potential exposure to COVID. I was already seeing people posting alerts to Facebook from their contact tracing apps stating that they were near someone who recently tested positive for COVID. No Masquerade or 10-Forward for me this time.

Of course, I knew the risks of attending, but those alerts worried me enough that I left the con by 11AM on Sunday morning after notifying two of my co-panelists. I hated to do that, but I didn’t want to risk my health any further.

I’m sure the celebrities were wonderful as always, but I didn’t see any of them. That might seem odd coming from someone who, for 25 years, collected autographs and photo ops from hundreds of actors at cons. I was also an avid memorabilia collector who hunted through the dealer rooms for SF treasures both vintage and new.

About three or four years ago, I lost interest in all of that and now, it’s strictly the time spent with friends and fellow writers that draws me to cons. Well, that and selling my books, of course.

Unfortunately, the Hunt Valley Marriott Delta is in dire need of repairs and renovation. The conditions we encountered at the hotel sparked complaints both at the con and on Facebook. There was no AC in the hallways and only one elevator in service. A chair in the bar was broken. Decorative cabinets in the hallway across from the elevators had cracked and broken doors. Weeds were growing in the gutters and parts of the roof required attention. In my room, the hot water in the bathroom sink was little more than a trickle and there was white paint speckled all over the wallpaper and vanity. I couldn’t figure out what they’d painted. The drop ceiling?

Of course, the hotel’s problems do not reflect on Shore Leave. Con chairs Inge Heyer and Don Ramsey and the entire Shore Leave team did a fantastic job as usual, and spending a weekend with friends after two years apart was good for my soul.

As I roamed the con, my thoughts turned to those who had left us since we last gathered. Shore Leave dedicated a few pages in the program book as a memorial to them. There were also a number of con veterans who, for one reason or another, chose not to attend this year. Some had tested positive for COVID. Others were concerned about exposure. Their absence left the weekend feeling “off” to me.

Nevertheless, despite my curtailed convention, I enjoyed my 26^th Shore Leave and look forward to returning next year!

I didn’t have much of an opportunity to take pictures of the many wonderful cosplayers this year. The following are just a few that were captured by others at the con.

Babylon 5 Cosplayers — Photo Credit: Shore Leave

E.T. and Elliott Cosplayer — Photo Credit: Shore Leave

Guinan Cosplayer — Photo Credit: Derek Tyler Attico

Star Wars Cosplayers — Photo Credit: Shore Leave

Princess Leia Cosplayer — Photo Credit: Shore Leave

Viper Pilot Cosplayer — Photo Credit: Derek Tyler Attico

Blog, Conventions

After Action Report: Philcon 82

November 11, 2019 philgiunta@ptd.net

The 82nd annual Philadelpha SF Convention (Philcon) has come and gone and, for me, it was one of the best yet. I participated in four edifying and—in the case of Compassionate Representation of Mental Illness in Fiction—intense discussion panels.

I was not scheduled for any panels on Friday, which allowed me to browse the dealer room and pick up over 20 classic SF paperbacks before enjoying dinner at Houlihan’s with Sharon Van Blarcom and Sarah Yaworsky from the Farpoint Convention and fellow writer Chris Ochs.

Saturday was a busy day with three discussion panels and an autograph session. I was honored to share the autograph table with Hugo and Nebula award-winning SF author Michael Swanwick. We had a delightful conversation about classic speculative fiction authors such as Robert Silverberg, Harlan Ellison, Phil K. Dick, Philip José Farmer, and others.

How to Discover New Authors Panel — Saturday Discussion Panel – How Does a Reader Discover New Authors? – Photo Credit: Michael Ventrella

Discussion Panel-Your Story Doesn't Start until Page Eleven? — Sunday Discussion Panel – Your Story Doesn’t Start until Page Eleven? – Photo Credit: James Beall

In between panels, I sat with Farpoint Chair Sharon Van Blarcom at the Farpoint Convention table. Once we closed up at 6PM, I joined Sharon, Farpoint committee member Brian Sarcinelli, and Shore Leave Co-Chair Inge Heyer in the hotel restaurant for about an hour before joining writer pals Aaron Rosenberg, Glenn Hauman, Heather Hutsell, and several others for dinner at Whole Hog BBQ.‌

One of the highlights of the weekend was the launch of the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign by Oddity Prodigy Productions for their upcoming horror anthology, Scary Stuff. My ghost story, “Burn After Writing” will be included in the book. Scary Stuff is an homage to the classic EC Comics titles such as Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, Creepy, etc. Click here to learn more about the project including the contributing authors and the various donation levels. Thank you for supporting small press authors!

Sunday morning saw me at two discussion panels–Your Story Doesn’t Start Until Page Eleven? and Rituals for Conjuring Novel Titles. Both of which were fun and engaging for the panelists and the audience.

As I was packing my car to leave on Sunday, I noticed this massive Christmas tree directly across from the Crowne Plaza hotel on Park Avenue. Although still a bit early in the season, it was a cheerful ending to a succesful weekend. As always, I look forward to returning next November!

Blog, Gratitude, Writing and Publishing

Call Me the Tin Man…

March 24, 2019 philgiunta@ptd.net

Anniversaries have been on my mind over the past few years. Last September, my wife and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary while November marked my 25th year as an IT support tech—a career that I hope to change as soon as humanly possible before it destroys my health.

Traditionally, each anniversary is symbolized by a specific, unique material. Appropriately, these materials increase in strength, resilience, or value with each passing year. For example, first anniversaries are associated with paper, fifth with wood, 25th with silver, 50th with gold, and so on.

Tenth anniversaries are marked by aluminum or tin. That being the case, you can call me the Tin Man in 2019, although I’d like to think that I have a heart.

As I reach my first decade as a published author, I am immensely grateful to the critique partners, mentors, editors, publishers, and fellow writers who helped me along the way. While writing is a solitary endeavor, publishing is a team effort.

Deepest thanks to Steven H. Wilson, Howard Weinstein, Aaron Rosenberg, Robert Greenberger, Paul Kupperberg, Nancy Sakaduski, Weldon Burge, Joanne M. Reinbold, Susanna Reilly, Stuart S. Roth, and all of my fellow members of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group.

Below is an image of every book I have written or contributed to over the past ten years. I never dreamed my writing would take me this far. With three novels and nearly two dozen short stories out in the wild, I hope to continue crafting powerful fiction that changes lives and inspires readers as well as young writers.