Heading off to Metrpolis Supercon today for a return to an event that I did for the first time last year. Metropolis IL is known for all things Superman, from the statue in the town to the museum, to a festival it holds every year. The Metropolis Supercon is held at the Metropolis Community Center, and will feature a range of guests, including comic book artists, authors, filmmakers, and more. I had a great time last year and made some new friends that I've kept in touch with, so it will be nice to return to the town. The hours are 10-5 on Saturday and 11-4 on Sunday.
The week went by fast. The highlight was without question a pair of fantasy writing workshops I did at Washington County High School, for the classes of Danielle Burke. I worked with a group of sophomores in one class and a group of juniors in the other.
With the help of Danielle, I had given them a small creative writing assignment prior to the workshop, so before I even arrived I had already critiqued the assignments handed in from the class. I talked about the value of the fantasy genre and my own path in becoming a writer, which led into individualized critiques of the assignments done by the students, followed by a period of open Q and A afterwards. The students were really attentive, engaged, and fun to work with.
There were definitely some promising writers in the group, but my goal of showing them that every single one of them could come up with original ideas and concepts for a fantasy-genre story was accomplished without question. Really loved the range of ideas and sub-genres that were reflected in the assignments. Some very creative approaches, interesting plot devices, character concepts, and settings were contained in the writing exercises. Definitely a workshop that I would like to do again with high school students in the future.
The week had a lot of activity, and Fandom Fest announced some great new guests such as John Rhys-Davies, the legendary actor, and Ernest Cline, one of the bright new stars of the literary realms whose Ready Player One was one of the biggest debut novels of all of 2011.
It seemed that the week rushed by with all of the activity and the workshops, as when I looked up the weekend was already upon me and it was time to prepare for Metropolis. So off I go to my second Metropolis Supercon. Friends of mine like actor John Wells, actor and 5 time MMA champion Dale Miller, filmmaker Zach Schuyler, Fandom Fest leaders Ken Daniels and Myra Daniels, author Bobby Nash, and many others will be on hand for what promises to be a fun weekend event. I'll try to remember to get some pictures!
Showing posts with label Metropolis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Metropolis. Show all posts
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Midweek Update-Jackie Gamber's New Book, Metropolis SuperCon, and more
The week has been a whirlwind, with lots of writing on the third Rising Dawn Saga book and helping out with the introduction of fellow SSP author Jackie Gamber's new book Redheart.
Metropolis SuperCon last weekend was an adventure. Metropolis is a small town just across the border from Kentucky, in Illinois. They have definitely embraced all things Superman, ranging from a giant statue of the Man of Steel to a museum, and even an annual Superman-themed festival.
For my part, I was focused on the Con, since this was my first foray into the town. I got there very early on Saturday morning, leaving Lexington about 4am and making the 4 hour plus drive to arrive there close to about 8:30. I forgot about the time zone shift, so I ended up being there at 7:30 local time.
This was a smaller show, and I was arranged next to writer Bobby Nash, and across from artist Sam Flegal. Both guys are friends of mine from the circuit, and they seem to be able to put up with me, which is always good.
There was a room adjacent to the vending area where screenings and some panels were taking place. I participated in a screening of Swordbearer, and an author's Q and A that featured Bobby Nash and myself.
I really enjoyed meeting the people that attended, such as Carson, Aimee, Justine, Kristina, Patrick, and several other wonderful individuals. Kristina ended up being a major highlight of my weekend...she had stopped by my table on Saturday, and had said that she wanted to give The Exodus Gate a try. She sounded enthusiastic, but I did not expect to see her on Sunday, having already read a big chunk of the book and wanting to get The Storm Guardians. That was some of the fastest reader feedback I have ever received during a con!
On the Saturday night, I went with Ken and Myra (who are the honchos at FandomFest/Fright Night Film Fest, and who also help run a number of other smaller shows), to a house where some die-hard horror movie fans that they know wanted to treat us to a steak dinner. And treat us they did...Josh, the guy cooking the food, is evidently an aspiring restraunteur, and he served us a phenomenal steak dinner.
We had a blast hanging out, and because of Josh, Brandon, and Ben, I will never see the Eric Roberts movie Best of the Best in the same light again.
Over the weekend, we also made the discovery that Myra Daniels can evidently make magic hotdogs, the eating of which produces immediate sales results. I am not kidding, in that the three hot dogs that I had over the course of the weekend immediately preceded sales of books, almost instantly, following a few slower stretches. Michael Gordon, a comic creator who came down with Bobby, tested Myra's Magic Hot Dogs himself...lo and behold, he made an immediate sale after consuming one of the hot dogs. No more proof needed! Unfortunately, Myra ran out of hot dogs, otherwise I might have been able to reach the New York Times Best Seller list if I could have eaten enough of them. I have asked her to stock me up with the Myra's Magic Hot Dogs before all of my future Cons! LOL
Sunday went smoothly enough, as the Con concluded and I made the trip home in some of the calmest weather I've been in for quite some time.
This week is rushing by fast. I have been working to help get the word out on Jackie Gamber's new book Redheart, a fantastic YA Fantasy adventure that is the first book of her Leland Dragon Series. She's a fellow SSP author, so I consider her family, but I can say with the utmost of confidence that she is one gifted writer. She won the very respected Mary Shelley Award, among others.
Matthew Perry did the cover art and illustrations. I will post them below so you can take a peek at it all.
I encourage you to pre-order one of the limited edition versions of Redheart. They are going to be very beautiful hardcovers for sure. Check out the packages here, at the Seventh Star Press online store.
You get far more value than the amount you pay, without a doubt.
Well, I have to get back to work, as there's lots to do, including getting ready for my 4th event weekend in a row, at the Troy Book Lover's Festival in Troy, Ohio. Thankfully, the drive won't be too far (just outside of Dayton).
I'll be checking back in shortly.
Metropolis SuperCon last weekend was an adventure. Metropolis is a small town just across the border from Kentucky, in Illinois. They have definitely embraced all things Superman, ranging from a giant statue of the Man of Steel to a museum, and even an annual Superman-themed festival.
For my part, I was focused on the Con, since this was my first foray into the town. I got there very early on Saturday morning, leaving Lexington about 4am and making the 4 hour plus drive to arrive there close to about 8:30. I forgot about the time zone shift, so I ended up being there at 7:30 local time.
This was a smaller show, and I was arranged next to writer Bobby Nash, and across from artist Sam Flegal. Both guys are friends of mine from the circuit, and they seem to be able to put up with me, which is always good.
There was a room adjacent to the vending area where screenings and some panels were taking place. I participated in a screening of Swordbearer, and an author's Q and A that featured Bobby Nash and myself.
I really enjoyed meeting the people that attended, such as Carson, Aimee, Justine, Kristina, Patrick, and several other wonderful individuals. Kristina ended up being a major highlight of my weekend...she had stopped by my table on Saturday, and had said that she wanted to give The Exodus Gate a try. She sounded enthusiastic, but I did not expect to see her on Sunday, having already read a big chunk of the book and wanting to get The Storm Guardians. That was some of the fastest reader feedback I have ever received during a con!
On the Saturday night, I went with Ken and Myra (who are the honchos at FandomFest/Fright Night Film Fest, and who also help run a number of other smaller shows), to a house where some die-hard horror movie fans that they know wanted to treat us to a steak dinner. And treat us they did...Josh, the guy cooking the food, is evidently an aspiring restraunteur, and he served us a phenomenal steak dinner.
We had a blast hanging out, and because of Josh, Brandon, and Ben, I will never see the Eric Roberts movie Best of the Best in the same light again.
Over the weekend, we also made the discovery that Myra Daniels can evidently make magic hotdogs, the eating of which produces immediate sales results. I am not kidding, in that the three hot dogs that I had over the course of the weekend immediately preceded sales of books, almost instantly, following a few slower stretches. Michael Gordon, a comic creator who came down with Bobby, tested Myra's Magic Hot Dogs himself...lo and behold, he made an immediate sale after consuming one of the hot dogs. No more proof needed! Unfortunately, Myra ran out of hot dogs, otherwise I might have been able to reach the New York Times Best Seller list if I could have eaten enough of them. I have asked her to stock me up with the Myra's Magic Hot Dogs before all of my future Cons! LOL
Sunday went smoothly enough, as the Con concluded and I made the trip home in some of the calmest weather I've been in for quite some time.
This week is rushing by fast. I have been working to help get the word out on Jackie Gamber's new book Redheart, a fantastic YA Fantasy adventure that is the first book of her Leland Dragon Series. She's a fellow SSP author, so I consider her family, but I can say with the utmost of confidence that she is one gifted writer. She won the very respected Mary Shelley Award, among others.
Matthew Perry did the cover art and illustrations. I will post them below so you can take a peek at it all.
I encourage you to pre-order one of the limited edition versions of Redheart. They are going to be very beautiful hardcovers for sure. Check out the packages here, at the Seventh Star Press online store.
You get far more value than the amount you pay, without a doubt.
Well, I have to get back to work, as there's lots to do, including getting ready for my 4th event weekend in a row, at the Troy Book Lover's Festival in Troy, Ohio. Thankfully, the drive won't be too far (just outside of Dayton).
I'll be checking back in shortly.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Six Straight Weeks on the Road....
As seems to be the norm, this week has been quite busy again. A lot of preparation going on, as I will be hitting the road pretty extensively the next six weeks.
Each of these events will have a showing of Swordbearer. I will also have a table/booth at each event for those that would like books or collectibles (and I will have copies of Steven Shrewsbury's new one Thrall available for the first time on the Convention circuit!).
This weekend is ConNooga, in Chattanooga TN, it will be followed by MystiCon in Roanoke VA, Metropolis SuperCon in Metropolis IL, the Troy Book Lover's Festival in Troy, Ohio, Millennicon in Cincinnati, and finally....MidSouthCon in Memphis, TN.
Quite a run, but it is what you have to do when you want to do this fulltime.
I have had a little fun this week...got a card swiping setup through Intuit (the folks behind TurboTax, Quckbooks, and other accounting software). It works with Android based phones, so I am finally coming into the 21st century with my new mobile device. It will be a G2.
Thankfully, I've been with the same carrier for 8 years (T-Mobile) so I was able to get a manager to approve a great deal on the phone. It will bring some convenience to people that stop by my booth who want to use credit cards or debit cards. I'm looking forward to having this option, as there have been many times that people have been unable to get a book because I could only take cash. I hope this will help some new reader-friends get underway, and of course every little bit helps me scrape through the travel costs on these events.
Work continues to progress on the next Rising Dawn Saga book. Really enjoying this one alot. There's a big quest to look forward to in this one... :)
Also excited about a forthcoming announcement of a new SSP writer...who brings a whole new dimension to SSP! :) More on that VERY shortly, but this person is really first class, as an individual and as a writer. The family continues to grow! :)
That's about it for now...gotta get back to sorting, packing, preparing! LOL
Each of these events will have a showing of Swordbearer. I will also have a table/booth at each event for those that would like books or collectibles (and I will have copies of Steven Shrewsbury's new one Thrall available for the first time on the Convention circuit!).
This weekend is ConNooga, in Chattanooga TN, it will be followed by MystiCon in Roanoke VA, Metropolis SuperCon in Metropolis IL, the Troy Book Lover's Festival in Troy, Ohio, Millennicon in Cincinnati, and finally....MidSouthCon in Memphis, TN.
Quite a run, but it is what you have to do when you want to do this fulltime.
I have had a little fun this week...got a card swiping setup through Intuit (the folks behind TurboTax, Quckbooks, and other accounting software). It works with Android based phones, so I am finally coming into the 21st century with my new mobile device. It will be a G2.
Thankfully, I've been with the same carrier for 8 years (T-Mobile) so I was able to get a manager to approve a great deal on the phone. It will bring some convenience to people that stop by my booth who want to use credit cards or debit cards. I'm looking forward to having this option, as there have been many times that people have been unable to get a book because I could only take cash. I hope this will help some new reader-friends get underway, and of course every little bit helps me scrape through the travel costs on these events.
Work continues to progress on the next Rising Dawn Saga book. Really enjoying this one alot. There's a big quest to look forward to in this one... :)
Also excited about a forthcoming announcement of a new SSP writer...who brings a whole new dimension to SSP! :) More on that VERY shortly, but this person is really first class, as an individual and as a writer. The family continues to grow! :)
That's about it for now...gotta get back to sorting, packing, preparing! LOL
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