Confusion this year was jam packed with notable names and I just want to give a quick run down of the authors and literary attendees, some of which I even got a chance to chat with and may be appearing in future Awesome Author Interviews! Now, in no particular order:








Authors:
Jim C. Hines
Ann Leckie
Catherynne Valente
Alaya Dawn Johnson
Kelley Armstrong
Christian Klaver
Cherie Priest
Courtney Allison Moulton
Robert Jackson Bennet
Diana Rowland
John Scalzi
Wesley Chu
Delilah S. Dawson
Mark Oshiro
Brent Weeks
Mur Lafferty
Mari Brighe
Pablo Vazquez
Brigid Collins
Annalee Flower Horne
Jason Sanford
Natalie Lurhs
Scott H. Andrews
Bradley P. Beaulieu
Aimee Carter
Miriam Weinburg
Michael K. Elliott
Sam Sykes
Douglas Hulick
Megan E. O'Keefe
Alex Kourvo
Brian McClellan
Saladin Ahmed
Tom Doyle
Cassandra Rose Clark
Merrie Haskell
Susan Dennard
Gwenda Bond
Michael J. DeLuca
Michael Damian Thomas
Elise Kova
Max Gladstone
Justin Landon
Kameron Hurley
Patrick Tomlinson
Amal El-Mohtar
Kristine Smith
Anna Carey
Gordon Smith
Doselle Young
Andrea Phillips
Lynne M. Thomas
Sarah Gibbons
Laura Resnick
Melissa F. Olson
V.E. Schwab
Michael R. Underwood
Sunil Patel
Steve Buchheit
Stina Leicht
Scott H. Andrews
Ferrett Steinmetz
Elizabeth Shack
Tobias S. Buckell
David M. Stein
Matt Pearson
Patrick Tomlinson
Catherine Shaffer
Lawrence Schoen
Adam Rakunas
Greg van Eekhout
Andrew Zimmerman Jones
Jon Skovron
Marko Kloos

Agents, etc.:
Cameron McClure (Agent - Subterranean Press)
DongWon Song (Agent)
Miriam Weinberg (Agent - Tor)
Devi Pillai (Editorial Director - Orbit Books)
Yanni Kuznia (editor - Subterranean Press)
Michael Damian Thomas (editor)
Navah Wolfe (editor - Saga Press)
Jackie Morgan (book reviewer)
Patrick Nielsen Hayden (editor)
Paul Kemner (editor?)

Whew! I wish I had time to tell you more about these amazing people and what they write or do, but this isn't even the exhaustive list, so you'll have to cut me some slack. Needless to say, you couldn't turn around without bumping into a talented author this year at Confusion.

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.

Later today we head off to Confusion, and I'd like to discuss Con preparation in general. First, it is a good idea to be prepared for any panels or events that you are participating in. If you are planning on presenting slides, make certain that the room you are scheduled in has a screen and the necessary audio/video equipment. Test your computer and any programs you will use (and then don't forget to pack your computer!), and print out any notes or flyers ahead of time, as it is almost guaranteed that your printer will be out of ink, paper, or just quit unexpectedly the day of the Con. Also, I find that bringing along some candy greatly encourages audience participation at panels. Additionally, if you are selling books, make sure you have enough change on hand and a sharpie for signing autographs.

On a more personal note, you may want to bring along snacks to keep you going between meals and your favorite brand of pop in case the hotel or convention center only sells a brand that you don't drink. If you are not staying at the hotel that the Con is taking place, then you may want to check shuttle bus schedules to the Con so that you won't miss any important events or have trouble parking at the Con. If you are planning on wearing a costume or multiple costumes, it might be helpful to make a checklist of not only the clothing that you will need, but also the accessories and makeup.

More general tips that can apply to any vacation trip:
1. Make sure to pack underwear, socks, toiletries, and medication.
2. Make sure to pack items such as cameras and swimsuits.
3. Organize pet and/or child care well ahead of time and confirm well ahead of time.
4. Take out the garbage.
5. Make sure not to leave any clean, wet clothes in the washer.
6. Perhaps clean up your house a bit before leaving because it's always nice to come home to a clean home.

Speaking of which, back to the laundry!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.

So, I have previously stated that participating in conventions can be good way to network as an author and become a recognized face, particularly if you write speculative fiction (science fiction, dark fiction, horror fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, steampunk, etc. etc. etc.). That being said, cons can get a little confusing as far as knowing which one is the best fit for you and your genre. There are too many conventions even just in the Midwest to go over all of them here and there are other websites that do a decent job of breaking them down for you like upcomingcons.com. However, I will give you a heads up on a con coming up next weekend (January 21-24th) in Novi, Confusion.

Confusion is listed as a science fiction con, but also embraces fantasy and is what is known as a fandom con. For the most part, in this type of con people who love science fiction and fantasy (books, movies, television series, graphic novels, etc.) congregate to discuss their favorites. But there is a lot more to Confusion than just the fandom aspect. There are several different tracks which have talks and events for multiple interests: Art, Comics, Costuming, Fandom, Film Room, Gaming, KidFusion, Literature, Media, Music, Science, and TeenFusion.

"My inner geek is excited, but where does the author in me fit in?" you might wonder. Well, of course your first stop is to check out the panels on the literature track. Based on what you like to write, do you feel like any of those could help you in your writing? But don't stop there. There is a lot of cross-over between panels and there may be authors speaking on topics in the Media track or the Science track as well. But, even if you'd rather have more fun at a convention than "work", you could certainly run into another author or editor or publisher or just lover of stories like the ones that you write while you are competing in the costume contest. In fact, my suggestion, especially if you have never been to a con before, is to go to one with the goal of having fun and seeing what it is all about, and then decide if it seems like a good match in the reader and networking department. If it is a good match, then go ahead and put yourself forward for participating in a similar con either on one of the panels or as a volunteer. Participation not only has the benefit of networking, and recognition, but many cons also give compensation on your registration if you volunteer or participate in a certain number of panels.

One word of warning though: DO YOUR HOMEWORK as far as researching a con and what it is all about before you commit to it. Not all cons are the same. Some cons don't have multiple tracks or may only be vaguely related to your genre (i.e. The con is mainly a horror con and you write steampunk). Another example, some cons are more than happy to have you distribute flyers about your upcoming novel or sell your books out of your backpack to other convention-goers while others strictly prohibit such actions (GenCon allows NO SELF PROMOTION/ADVERTISING unless you have an authorized dealer booth).

Confusion is a great local con to begin with that is still fairly small but chock full of goodness. They are generally pretty reasonable about flyer distribution and welcoming to those willing to participate in the con. I will be there this year participating on three panels (Forensics and the Science of Crime, Hell Hath No Fury: Ways to Motivate, Impede, and Change Female Characters, and Writing About Science) and in the Autograph Session 2. Personally, I choose to wear costumes at conventions to make myself more memorable, but other writers prefer a more professional look when networking. Whichever you decide, I hope to see you there next weekend!!!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.

I first met John at my writers group, where he is currently second in command, and I was raving about his prompts and the way that he read them before I even knew his name. He is what I would describe as an intellectual, but still a friendly, comical guy from Wisconsin. If you ever get the chance to hear him read one of his stories, do it. They are excellent on their own, but superior when you are able to hear them in his voice in your head.

1. What do you wish that people would ask you about your writing?

I'd like people to ask me why I choose to set my stories in historical periods. One value of an historical approach, to me, is that it splits the difference between something new (and therefore exciting) and something familiar (and therefore accessible). It also provides a rich, wonderful context to a story that might not be present in a more conventional setting.


2. Which of your characters would you most like to meet and why?

I'd like to meet The Padre from my short piece that will be published on Pseudopod this year. He's a man driven by conviction that sometimes compels him to take actions that are morally repugnant. At the same time, though, he has a deep and abiding sense of morality and a phenomenal intellect. It'd be interesting to have a conversation with somebody whose attitudes towards life are so markedly different from my own.


3. When you were studying history at university, did you ever think that you would turn that education into writing historical fiction...with vampires?

I think I always knew I'd be writing fiction here and there; I love telling stories. The vampires part would have surprised me, though. I don't honestly like most vampire fiction, because I think it devolves too easily into tired tropes and cheap thrills (The vampires are actually the good guys! The vampires are secretly running the world! The vampires are fascinated by the main character's quotidian personal problems!). That's not to say that there isn't good vampire fiction out there, of course. But it's definitely not something I thought I'd be undertaking myself.

John writes historical fiction and his flash fiction story Lost Art has been published by Daily Science Fiction. Listen for his story, Cuernavaca that will soon be aired on Pseudopod.

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.