Tag Archives: peter david

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: Farpoint 26

Farpoint 2019Although I woke up to a gray, soggy morning, the skies cleared an hour before I began my trek to Farpoint’s 26th annual SF convention in Hunt Valley, MD.

 

After collecting my registration materials and checking into my room at the Hunt Valley Marriott Delta, I opened the program book directly to my second place winning story from last year’s Farpoint Writer’s Contest!  Click here to read “All That Matters is What You Believe.”

Farpoint 2018 Story

In between reuniting with several friends, I scored a set of Stranger Things trading cards from friend and artist Laura Inglis, dealer room coordinator for Farpoint, Laura also created the cover art for all three of my paranormal mystery novels.

Stranger Things Cards

After my wife arrived later in the evening, we enjoyed dinner at the Nally Fresh in Timonium and returned to the hotel in time for the 10PM book fair. I shared a table with fellow writer pals Steven H. Wilson and Michael Critzer. Sitting in one place for two hours allows for plenty of quality time for catching up with friends in addition to selling books and happily, I did both!

Afterward, I spent some quality time at the bar with two glasses of Pepsi and fellow writers Kelli Fitzpatrick, Erik Bakutis, Heather Hutsell, Aaron Rosenberg, Russ Colchamiro, Keith DeCandido, Derek Tyler Attico, and David Mack. It was a fun end to a long day.

Saturday began with the Firebringer Press Presents panel at 11AM in Salon C hosted by Steve Wilson, Michael Critzer, and yours truly. Although our audience was small, we chatted about our current releases and upcoming projects.

At 1PM, Steve and I hosted the second stop on our book tour for Firebringer Take Two, the double horror novel consisting of Steve’s vampire tale, Freedom’s Blood and my paranormal mystery, Like Mother, Like Daughters. The launch was held in the con suite complete with lunch and dessert. Steve and I both read excerpts from our respective stories and sold several copies of the new book as well as a few backlist titles.

Farpoint 26 Book Launch
June Swords and I after setting up for the Firebringer Take Two book launch. Ethan and Christian Wilson in the background.

My next panel was supposed to be Fandom in Miniature, a discussion of SF toy collecting, at 3PM with Ethan Wilson, Thomas Atkinson, and Cindy Woods. Unfortunately,  I found myself stuck in the endurance test known as Wallace Shawn’s autograph line. He was friendly and loquacious, engaging everyone in conversation. It was a true pleasure to meet him.

Meeting Wallace Shawn
Meeting Wallace Shawn
Grand Nagus - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Grand Nagus Zek – Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

After sharing a wonderful dinner with Steve Wilson, June Swords, and Renfield, Evon and I decided to call it a night.

After packing up my car on Sunday morning, I dared one more pass through the Wallace Shawn autograph line. Thankfully, it was a bit shorter this time and I made it out in time to chat with writer pals Aaron Rosenberg, Russ Colchamiro, Heather Hutsell, and Michael Jan Friedman before my next event.

Vizzini - Princess Bride
Vizzini – Princess Bride

At 1PM,  I joined Peter David in the ballroom to co-host the screening of Dreams with Sharp Teeth, the 90-minute documentary about legendary writer Harlan Ellison, who passed away in June 2018. It was a wonderful tribute and, judging by their reactions, the audience seemed to enjoy it.

Dreams with Sharp Teeth Harlan Ellison

The final event of the con was Wallace Shawn’s 3PM stage talk during which he answered questions about his career as an actor and playwright. In addition to Deep Space Nine and Princess Bride, he spoke about working with Woody Allen on Radio Days and spending a year in India as a young man. Some of his responses were intentionally cryptic. For example, when it came to playing Grand Nagus Zek on DS9, Shawn said that he had channeled someone he knew personally, but would not reveal any further details. Similarly, when asked about his favorite books, he preferred to keep that a secret.

Wallace Shawn at Farpoint Wallace Shawn at Farpoint

On my way out, I finally had the chance to take a brief tour of the dealer room and found a few vintage Star Trek items at incredibly low prices from a dealer who was selling off his personal collection.

Vintage Star Trek
Star Trek candy boxes from 1976 and Star Trek: The Motion Picture plastic cup (1979)

Of course, no SF convention would be complete without a vast array of talented cosplayers and those pictured below are only a small sampling from the weekend.

Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman (photo credit: Blair Learn)

 

Xena and Gabrielle
Xena and Gabrielle (photo credit: Shore Leave)

 

Romulan
Romulan (photo credit: Shore Leave)

 

Iron Man
Iron Man (photo credit: Shore Leave)
Catwoman
Catwoman (photo credit: Shore Leave)
Bender from Futurama
Bender from Futurama (photo credit: Frank J. Hernandez)

Dreams with Sharp Teeth

At Farpoint 26 SF Con next month, it will be my honor to co-host, with Peter David, a screening of Dreams with Sharp Teeth, the 2008 documentary about one of the most awarded writers in history, Harlan Ellison (1934-2018).

The film stars Harlan, Neil Gaiman, Robin Williams, Ron Moore, Peter David, and others. Harlan was one of my inspirations to become a writer, and he was best friends with Peter. I was grateful  when producer and director, Erik Nelson, granted permission.

Harlan Ellison_Phil Giunta ICON 1999

 

Celebrating Milestones…

2018 marks two milestones for two of my favorite annual science fiction conventions in Hunt Valley, Maryland and the 25th anniversary of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, my second favorite Trek series.

Next month, Farpoint celebrates its 25th anniversary with celebrity guests Matt Frewer (Max Headroom, Orphan Black, Eureka, Timeless), Nana Visitor (Deep Space Nine), Nora McLellan (Killjoys), and Hugo award-winning author Timothy Zahn.

Additional writer guests include Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, Howard Weinstein, Robert Greenberger, Aaron Rosenberg, David Mack, Keith RA DeCandido, Heather Hutsell, Dave Galanter, Steven H. Wilson, Mary Fan, Phil Giunta (hey, that’s me!) and more…

In July, Shore Leave celebrates 40 years with the return of William Shatner as well as Deep Space Nine cast members Chase Masterson and Aron Eisenberg. From Dark Matter, Melissa O’Neil and Alex Mallari, Jr. will also join us.

Writer guests include many of the same from Farpoint including Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, Howard Weinstein, Robert Greenberger, Aaron Rosenberg, David Mack, Keith RA DeCandido, Heather Hutsell, Steven H. Wilson, Mary Fan, Dave Galanter, Phil Giunta (hey, that’s me again!) as well as Dayton Ward, Lorraine Anderson, Scott Pearson and more.

So far, 2018 is shaping up to be a great year! Keep an eye on my Upcoming Events page for updates on these and other conventions and author events.

What? No more cons for the rest of 2017?!

Sorry for the delay since my last post.  Once spring arrives, my workload around house and yard often becomes all-consuming. I was also a writer guest at the Great Philadelphia Comic Con for two days and had a great time with writer pals Bob Greenberger, Aaron Rosenberg, Peter David, Russ Colchamiro, and new friend, Heather Hutsell.

Phil's Table at Great Philly Comic Con

Crazy 8 Press at Great Philly Comic Con

It was great to see some excellent celebrity guests as well including Bruce Boxleitner (Babylon 5, TRON, and more) and Paul Freeman (Raiders of the Lost Ark, and more). There were many others, but those were the only two gents from whom I sought autographs. I had met Mr. Boxleitner about 15 years ago at Shore Leave where I had a Babylon 5 photo signed, but this time around, I wanted to get a few TRON items autographed.  As an Indiana Jones fan, it was fantastic to meet the gracious and genial Paul Freeman (Belloq).

Bruce Boxleitner (TRON, Babylon 5) Paul Freeman (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

One lesson I learned at this con is that I’ve reached a point where I’m starting to run out of room to display all of my books. I know, that’s a good problem for a writer to have!  So, the display is going vertical, ladies and gents. I ordered a six-shelf book rack, which just arrived today.

Book Rack

Although I’ll rearrange the books for better visibility. I was just toying with ideas when I set up the above picture.

Even though I’m not doing any more cons for the remainder of 2017, I do have three or four single-day library events and book fairs lined up where I can use this and of course, when I’m back on the con scene next year.

My reasons for taking a hiatus from the convention scene are many. First, I’m doing two fairly expensive home renovations this summer. Secondly, the sheer number and complexity of upcoming projects at my full-time job are daunting and will require some weekend and after-hours work. Thirdly, my writing time has been significantly drained by the editing work on the third volume in the Middle of Eternity series. Finally, I’m just burned out and I simply cannot do everything and be everywhere.

The first draft of my science fiction novel was supposed to be completed last year, but again, home projects and prepping the second anthology for publication consumed the first half of 2016. I managed to complete only the first four chapters in the novel. Disappointing.

Even after Elsewhere in the Middle of Eternity was released in July 2016, I ended up spending a large portion of my writing time recording two of my three stories from that book on audio for podcast, which turned out to be an utter waste of about three weeks since a decision was made not to podcast anything unless ALL of the stories would be recorded. Well, most of the other writers either had no time, no interest, or no resources to record their stories. Thus, the podcast was cancelled.

I did manage to complete four short stories for various publications and contests between August and December. Then, as now, my novel saw only a modicum of progress, but two more chapters have since been finished. Still, the paltry progress is frustrating.

On the bright side, I shall be stepping down as editor of the Middle of Eternity series after book three is submitted to the publisher, which should permit me to fully focus on the SF novel.

What else have I been up to in my writing life? Well, one of those four short stories that I wrote in the latter half of 2016, “Once More, With Feeling,” was just published in a mixed genre anthology titled, The Write Connections, published by the Greater Lehigh Valley Publishing Group.

Two more of those stories have each been submitted to separate contests, the first (“So Hungry…”) to the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable paranormal fiction contest, and the second (“The Celestials”) to the annual Rehoboth Beach Reads short story contest sponsored by Delaware publisher, Cat & Mouse Press. I took second place in the 2016 Rehoboth contest and my story was published in the anthology, Beach Nights. Even if I don’t win one of the top three monetary awards this time around, I hope to at least see my story published in this year’s anthology, Beach Life.

The fourth story (“The Forest for the Trees”) will be included in the upcoming Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity, tentatively slated for release in July 2018. That tale is an 11,000-word fantasy piece set in late 17th century Finland. So much research was involved in the great famine of the time as well as Finnish mythology.

Speaking of Meanwhile in the Middle of Eternity, I am off to edit a few more submissions this evening. The good news is that I have a three-day weekend ahead of me and maybe—just maybe—I can make some time to write…

Lastly, there is a good chance that my paranormal mystery novella, Like Mother, Like Daughters (written and submitted to the publisher in 2014), will finally be released in October as an ebook and audio book! Many of my readers have asked when the next story starring psychic-medium Miranda Lorensen will be released. Well, this is it, folks! It’s Miranda’s origin story and also involves her daughter, Andrea, who has a paranormal adventure of her own. Catch more of Miranda in my first two novels, Testing the Prisoner and By Your Side.

 

The Power of Presentation

The Write Stuff writers conference this weekend proved my point yet again about the power of presenting. After delivering a fun and engaging session first thing Saturday morning on “Writing the Compelling Short Story,” I proceeded to sell 10 books at the afternoon book fair. Compare that to last year where I worked only as a volunteer and sold one book.
Going back further in the time to 2014 when I last presented at the Write Stuff, my sales at the book fair were higher than one year later, when I was the conference chairman. 
 
With one exception, it never fails that delivering a quality solo presentation—or participating in a discussion panel—and connecting with an audience will generate books sales for an up and coming writer. Whereas merely showing up and sitting at a table with your books without first building a rapport with the attendees will almost always fail to generate decent sales unless you’re already a well-established name/best-selling author. 
 
After decades of attending conventions like Shore Leave and Farpoint and becoming a regular participant in discussion panels there, I can always count on selling at least a few books at these conventions. Whereas at Philcon or Balticon, where I am a relatively fresh face, sales are few or nonexistent right now. These things take time. 
 
The aforementioned exception to my rule was last year’s Great Philadelphia Comic Con in April in Oaks, PA. There, I had no presentations or discussion panels. I merely set up a table and proceeded to sell about a dozen books. It was an amazing weekend and I will be returning to the Great Philly Comic Con again in two weeks along with writer pals Steven H. Wilson of Firebringer Press and Bob Greenberger, Peter David, Aaron Rosenberg, and Russ Colchamiro of Crazy 8 Press.
All told, the Write Stuff conference was a fantastic three days filled with brilliant presentations, excellent information, and most of all, camaraderie with generous and supportive writers. Keynote speaker Michael Hauge was outstanding.
Kudos to two-time Conference Chairman Charles Kiernan and the entire Write Stuff committee for their herculean efforts!
Michael Hauge at Write Stuff 2017
Michael Hauge at Write Stuff 2017
Write Stuff Book Fair 2017
Write Stuff Book Fair 2017