For the last few years, I’ve spent late November in Los Angeles, but I have different plans this year. Instead, hot on the heels of Thanksgiving, I’ll be traveling to Timonium, MD and making my first-ever visit to Chessiecon.
I’m looking forward to seeing plenty of familiar faces as well as many new ones. This convention weekend also represents the one month mark before the release of Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard, so I’m likely to be a little bit anxious.
In any case, here’s my tentative schedule of what I’ll be doing, where and when, at the convention:
Friday, November 27th
3:00 p.m. (Greenspring 2) The Klingon Guy Talks About Alien Languages
The title pretty much says it all. They’re giving me a room and an hour to answer your questions about the creation and use of alien languages in fiction and elswhere. Come on by for some linguistic fun and games.
Saturday, November 28th
10:00 a.m. (Greenspring 1) Reading
To no one’s surprise, I’ll like read from my forthcoming novel, Barsk
11:15 a.m. (Atrium) Signing
This is your chance to have me sign all the things! Seriously, all of them!
6:45 p.m. (Atrium) Mass Signing
Authors, artists, and musicians gather in one room for signing/book-selling/chatting with fans. This is your chance to have me sign all the things you didn’t have me sign earlier in the day!
Sunday, November 29th
10:00 a.m. (Chesapeake 6) KaffeeKlatch
Sign up for this intimate chat and ask me all the stuff. We’ll talk about Life and Death, Klingon, Hypnosis, Language, and anything else you want. And, if I can convince my publisher, there’ll even be prizes!
1:45 p.m. (Greenspring 1) How Much Do I Worry About My Own Canon?
Writing a series? Sure, you don’t want to get major things wrong, or contradict yourself. But are you creating a work of art for which you have to bend the rules sometimes—or even do so deliberately, for effect, as M. John Harrison does in ringing the changes in his Viriconium stories? Or is our increased awareness, through the internet, of fan readers, their concerns and reactions (and their attempts to write coherent fanfic) boxing us in? As major franchises mess with their Canon, what about us writers?
I have to say, that looks like a pretty good way for me to round out the Thanksgiving weekend. I hope you’ll come out and say “hi!”
See you at Chessiecon!
Tags: Appearance, Barsk, Conventions, Traveling
