As you read this, I will be wending my way home from the Grand Masquerade in New Orleans. It’s been an interesting trip, full of companionship and chaos, and was my first-ever visit to the Crescent City. The Grand Masquerade is not held every year, and I can see why; the logistics involved in running […]
Read MoreLego-inspired cosplay at CONvergence, July 2015 Recent articles quote a number of folks involved — either directly or peripherally — in the comics industry, decrying the state of modern comic conventions, and how the cosplayers, are, essentially, ruining everything. Perhaps I oversimplify their statements, but the sentiment is accurate, if not precise. Denise Dorman, wife […]
Read MoreGeek.Kon is THIS WEEKEND in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin! I will once again be attending as a special guest, and I’m involved in several panel discussions and other events. The main guests of honor include: actor Jason Carter (Marcus Cole from Babylon 5), writer Enrica Jang, voice actress Christina Kelly, voice actor Jerry Jewell, writers, cosplayers, […]
Read MoreI’ve been contemplating attending the World Fantasy Convention for several years now. It’s more or less a trade show for writers, editors, and artists in the field, and is expensive to attend. Also, as a nobody writer, it’s been made clear to me that this is a highly clique-ish endeavor; it’s where a lot of […]
Read MoreLast week I attended Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana, along with 60,000 of my closest friends. I was working the Onyx Path booth during the show, and had a great time. It was wonderful to catch up with friends — many of whom I hadn’t seen in a year or more — and to enjoy […]
Read MoreThe author with Sarah Hans, author, editor, and all-around snazzy dresser I just returned from Motor City Steam Con in Livonia, Michigan, and man, are my gears tired. Motor City Steam is a first-year convention with a Steampunk theme. This was my first time taking my enthusiasm for Steampunk out of state, and I wasn’t […]
Read MoreGen Con recently announced the selections for it’s Industry Insider Program for 2016. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate the Industry Insider committee for a doing a great job of bringing greater diversity to the program. I was part of the program in 2015, and was grateful for having had the honor. I […]
Read MoreI’ll be at OdysseyCon over the weekend of April 8-10, and will be speaking and/or moderating on a number of panels. Here’s my full schedule: Saturday, April 9 10 AM: Artisanal RPG Design: Threat or Menace? — With Margaret Weis 11:30 AM: Will Horror Fiction Ever Get Respect? — I’ll be moderating, with panelists Paul […]
Read MoreTwo fannish acquaintances of mine passed away recently. By Fannish, I mean people who are part of the science fiction fandom community. I first met Fred Duarte at an Armadillocon back in the late 1980s. Later, when I moved to Austin, Texas in 1993, he and his wife Karen Meschke were two of the people […]
Read MoreA few people don’t know this: I am the inspiration for a comic book character. In John Kovalic’s Dork Tower, he occasionally features a fellow named Bill Blyden who manages Pegasaurus Games, a local game shop. If you know much about me, it isn’t a stretch to figure out that the character is based on […]
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