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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

My Curtailed Convention: Shore Leave 42 After Action Report

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).

Robot Display Case   Robots on Display!

  Robots on Display!.   Robot Display Cases

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.

Broken Trees from the Storm  Broken Trees from the Storm

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

Scott Pearson at Meet the Pros

Meet the Pros Book Fair

Richard White at Meet the Pros

Crazy 8 at Meet the Pros

Heather Hutsell and John Coffren at Meet the Pros

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.

Author Dinner at Shore Leave 42

Author Dinner at Shore Leave 42

Author Dinner at Shore Leave 42

Author Dinner at Shore Leave 42

Author Dinner at Shore Leave 42

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.

In Memoriam

Nevertheless, despite my curtailed convention, I enjoyed my 26th 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
Photo Credit: Shore Leave
Princess Leia Cosplayer
Photo Credit: Shore Leave
Viper Pilot Cosplayer
Photo Credit: Derek Tyler Attico

After Action Report: Shore Leave 40

Shore Leave 40Clear skies and milder temperatures ushered in Shore Leave’s 40th anniversary SF convention in Hunt Valley, MD this past weekend. Celebrity guests included William Shatner, Ming-Na Wen, Allison Scagliotti, Peter Williams, Peter Kelamis, Chase Masterson, and Aron Eisenberg.

After checking into the hotel and collecting my convention materials (badge and program book), I made an initial round of the dealer room and convention areas to get the lay of the land—which hasn’t changed much in the 25 years I’ve been attending Shore Leave.

For me, Friday’s events kicked off at 7PM with an hour-long discussion panel called “Anthologies: Share the Love,” which turned out to be a lively round-table discussion among several writers about what attracts readers to short story collections, themed anthologies versus mixed genre, and what draws writers to submit to anthologies. In addition to myself, participants included Keith R.A. DeCandido, Richard White, Joshua Palmatier, Christopher Bennett, Jenifer Rosenberg, and our moderator, Greg Cox.

It should be noted that while my wife was with me—and had begun attending Shore Leave three years before I—she did not stay at the con beyond Friday evening. Following Shore Leave, we were scheduled to begin a weeklong vacation in Rehoboth Beach, DE. Evon wanted to get there a few days sooner, so we planned for her to leave on Saturday morning with our friends Steve and Renee Wilson, with whom we rent a house for a week each summer. I would then join then on Sunday evening.

At 10PM on Friday, it was time for Meet the Pros, where all 45 writers in attendance gathered to sell and sign books. It was also where I finally had the pleasure of meeting Michael and Denise Okuda, who collectively worked in graphic design, and other capacities, for Star Trek: The Next Generation through Enterprise. I’d brought with me three of their Star Trek reference books to be autographed including the Star Trek Chronology, Star Trek Encyclopedia, and Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual.

Phil with Michael and Denise Okuda

During the remainder of Meet the Pros, I managed to sell a few books and catch up with fellow writers Diane Baron, Kelly Meding, Heather Hutsell, Michael Jan Friedman, Bob Greenberger, Aaron Rosenberg, Russ Colchamiro, David Mack, Kelli Fitzpatrick, Derek Tyler Attico, Lorraine Anderson, and others.

Saturday began at 9AM with “Science Fact” an edifying discussion panel about incorporating real science into your fiction and what scientific advancements have been most exciting to write about. My fellow panelists included Christopher Bennett, Marie Louise Davie, and moderator Kelli Fitzpatrick. The panel afforded me the perfect opportunity to chat about the SF novel I’m currently writing and the various sciences involved including advances in personal communication and space ship propulsion as well as the soft sciences such as the socioeconomic effects of the events in the story.

Allison Scagliotti Autograph

After that, it was back to my hotel room to change for my photo ops with Ming-Na Wen and Allison Scagliotti, and William Shatner. First, however, I stopped by Allison’s autograph table and picked up a Warehouse 13 photo. It was an honor to meet her, given how much I enjoyed her character on the show.

Phil with Ming-Na Wen and Allison Scagliotti Phil with William Shatner

A minor delay and some scheduling confusion caused a brief imbroglio with the photo op lines, but everything worked out well in the end. At the start of my photo op with Allison and Ming-Na, I stood between them and said, “fanboys, eat your hearts out,” which got a laugh out of Allison. Ming-Na didn’t hear me until I repeated the comment after the photo was taken and it gave her a chuckle.

After that, it was time for two more discussion panels. The first, Firebringer Press Presents, was supposed to be a one hour update about what books are forthcoming from Firebringer—the small press I work with most and owned by the aforementioned Steve Wilson—but we were scheduled opposite Ming-Na’s stage talk and she was only at Shore Leave for one day. Needless to say, our panel had no audience other than my friend Omar who just happened to cross paths with me in the hallway and wanted to catch up. Thus, Ethan Wilson, Diane Baron, and I sat and talked with Omar for about 25 minutes before abandoning the room.

However, I returned to the room at 4PM for my final panel of the day, “Robert Heinlein’s Five Rules of Writing,” moderated by Laura Ware. My fellow panelists included Jim Johnson, Lorraine Anderson, and Dayton Ward. We managed to actively fill the entire hour expounding on each of Heinlein’s Rules of Writing, which are:

  • You must write.
  • You must finish what you write.
  • You must refrain from rewriting except to editorial order.
  • You must put your work on the market.
  • You must keep your work on the market until it sells.

The final task of the day was obtaining a Ming-Na autograph, which I managed to do surprisingly quickly during the official 5PM autograph session.

Ming Na Autograph

Then it was out to dinner at Andy Nelson’s BBQ with several writer friends, then back to the hotel to hang out with Farpoint Con Chair Sharon VanBlarcom for a few hours before finally crashing in my room.

Sunday began with an overpriced breakfast buffet in the hotel’s Cinnamon Tree restaurant before my 11AM panel, “The Writing Life” with Heather Hutsell, Roberta Rogow, Richard White, and Diane Baron. The panel covered such topics as writing schedule, obstacles and distractions to writing, and overcoming burnout.

As that was my final panel for the day, I packed up my car, said my final goodbyes to as many friends as I could track down, then hit the road to meet up with my wife and friends in Rehoboth Beach, DE, from which this blog post was written.

All told, it was a triumphant 40th birthday celebration for Shore Leave! Kudos to the Star Trek Association of Towson, organizers of the convention. Next stop,  Farpoint SF convention in February.

Farpoint-Shore Leave Plaque Star Trek Dinos Star Trek Dinos

Dalek and TARDIS        R2 Unit

Big Hero 6BorgStormtroopers