Ross Lockhart just Facebooked this photo of me & Jetse de Vries taken in a room party at World Fantasy Convention, San Jose. It pretty much sums up the whole WFC experience for me. FUN!
San Jose was the third World Fantasy Convention I’ve attended and by far my favourite. Not sure why exactly, but at a guess I’d say it’s because I’ve finally gotten over the bunny in the headlights factor. I feel that I fit in. Like I’m part of the circus instead of just a misdirected tourist or a fortunate bystander. I’ve learnt that you don’t have to be a big time player to deserve a ringside seat. Or something. Of course, my sense of entitlement probably owes much to the generous behaviour of my traveling companions Garth Nix, Jonathan Strahan, Sean Williams and Deb Biancotti, and other good folks I’ve made friends with along the way.
It’s been a difficult year so I went to WFC expressly to cheer up and have fun. To soak up the vibe and to be with my people. To look the industry square in the face and ponder the significance of my own participation. I need ponder no longer. I know where I belong. I returned home content, with nothing to prove, yet everything to aspire to.
Full marks to Garth Nix, WFC guest of honour and Australian ambassador of awesome. He spent what I suspect amounts to thousands of dollars shouting drinks and picking up the dinner checks for his friends and colleagues, never missing a beat when it came to introductions and the opportunity to facilitate a connection or talk up the talents one of his countrymen. Garth is the truest kind of gentleman, sharing what he refers to as his ‘good fortune’, never succumbing to the temptation of self aggrandisation, transcending all such pathetic pantomimes by sheer force of style.
Sir, I raise a sea breeze* in your honour! May all your future novels be best sellers.
Entire WFC 2009 photo set here
*official drink of Australian spec fic writers abroad
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Garth Nix took a bunch of us out to dinner in the Fairmont hotel grill the other night. I completely scored by being seated next to Peter Straub, one of my favourite authors and we got on like a house on fire. What an utterly adorable man.
I’m sitting in the hotel bar with the last of the Aussie attendees, waiting for a limmo to take us to the airport. I missed out on seeing the Star Trek exhibit that’s showing in the museum across the road but we’ve all just ordered food off the Star Trek Menu. I’ve just ordered a photon burger. Paula Guran, Mary Robinette Kowall and Doug Cohen are sitting with us. Paula is sharing drinking stories and singing the praises of Graham Joyce and Michael Marshall. John Joseph Adams and his buddies were hanging with us too — they managed to see the Star Trek exhibit before it closed for the afternoon… D’oh!
This was my third WFC and the best one yet.
Continue Reading...So here I am in the Fairmont hotel bar sitting with Anna Tambour, Jonathan Strahan, Deb Biancotti, Danel Olson and, as Jonathan puts it, we’re within vigorous spitting distance of Sean Williams who’s in a meeting with his agent. Sean, Deb and I have just returned from a visit to the Winchester Mystery House, a whacking great mansion that apparently took 38 years to build. Sadly, we didn’t encounter a single ghostly presence, however Deb, Graham Joyce and I did manage to interface accidentally with the occult yesterday when we went to have a squiz at the nearby Rosicrucian temple.
We got there just before 12 when a ritual was scheduled to begin & were invited to participate!
I found it quite a peaceful experience but Graham insisted a dark presence was lurking behind in the periphery at the edge of the light…
Here are some of my WFC photos, as yet unculled and unlabeled. I was planning to write a more informative blog post but it’s really noisy in the bar and interesting folks keep rocking up to chat so I think I’ll chuck in the towl and just leave you with a piccy.
Having a ripper time. Wish you were here…
Continue Reading...… is underway right now in the Presidential suite, Fairmont Hotel, World Fantasy Convention.
your friendly bar staff Cat, Deb, Kirstyn, Sean, Jonathan, Garth, Jason & Liz
