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Trip Report: SheVaCon
As reported elsewhere, we left Maine earlyearly last Wednesday, arriving at Roanoke about lunchtime Thursday.
Our room at the Tanglewood Holiday Inn wasn't ready when we arrived, so we betook ourselves down to the Tanglewood Mall and wandered about for a while. It's rather a sad mall; thinly populated, but by the time we'd walked around, explored the more interesting stores, disconcerted, bewildered and/or amused the shopkeepers and had a great sandwich at the coffee shop -- turkey, cream cheese, lettuce and cranberry sauce on whole wheat -- our room was ready and we spent the next while schlepping and hauling.
After schlepping and hauling, Kinzel did a bit of computer work and I read. Along about eight o'clock, Stephe Pagel arrived, bearing a copy of Crystal Soldier, which we took down to dinner with us, being unwilling to let it out of our sight. The hotel restaurant was short-handed, and the arrival of dinner was somewhat delayed. We did get to chat a bit with Crystal, the SheVaCon programming chair, and with Ray Chatterjee, the nice man who had sponsored our Special Guestness. After dinner, we repaired to Stephe's room and talked all over the globe, then to bed.
Friday morning, we helped Stephe get Meisha Merlin's table ready for business as the place started to fill up. Saw Laura Underwood, Lee Modesitt, Dave Hartwell, Bud Webster, Tee Morris, Allen Wold, Janna Oliver, David Coe, and Steve White in very short order, and at some point wandered off for lunch and a little work before the evening panels.
I was lightly scheduled for the convention -- three panels and a reading. My first panel, of which I was moderator, was "Kick Butt Babes," and the panelists beside myself numbered six: Julie Cochrane, Julie Goodman, John Ringo, Lee Modesitt, David Coe and Tee Morris. It was a... lively panel. I'm not sure we established any univeral hallmarks of kick-butt-babeness or brought much light to the subject matter; nonetheless, the audience seem to enjoy themselves.
After the panels, Kinzel and I retired to the Meisha Merlin table to take over while Stephe and Laura headed out for their panel. We chatted with a bunch of folks, sold some books and generally had a grand time until closing time, whereupon we locked up and talked our way down the hall, across the lobby and up to our room, where we both turned into pumpkins.
Saturday, Kinzel was scheduled heavily, starting with a two-hour writers workshop first thing. Sabu in hand, I staked out a table in the lobby outside the dealer's room and got a little bit of work done on Crystal Dragon before the gamers started filling up the space and I left for the Meisha Merlin table.
Some hours later Kinzel arrived, eyes squinted against an incipient headache. He went upstairs and vegged out after presenting his apologies to the moderator of his next panel and was much more the thing by the time we were both called upon to talk about the "Corruption of the Hero," with David Coe, Allen Wold, and Vickie Holt. It was a difficult topic, subject to many interpretations, and David did a masterful job of moderating.
While Kinzel was resting his aching head, I was a panelist on "Researching Your Story," moderated with exquisite even-handedness by Tony Ruggiero. Eric Flint, Allen Wold, Stephen Euin Cobb, and David Coe filled out the panel, and oh! the books available for research! Great fun was had by all.
At six o'clock, we read a short scene from Crystal Soldier for a small but appreciative audience, then met Ray Chatterjee and a group from Baen's Bar for dinner at the Texas Steakhouse, where I am pleased to report that the chicken Caesar salad was very good, indeed.
Back at the hotel, we spent some time at Baen's Bar, then mooched down to the Nth Degree party, from which I retired pretty early.
Sunday, I went early to open the Meisha Merlin table while Stephe attended his panel. Kinzel relieved me about an hour later and I went upstairs to pack us up, we having taken the decision to leave early and try to beat the storm home. Many farewells were said, and we hit the road about four, on our way north.
Our room at the Tanglewood Holiday Inn wasn't ready when we arrived, so we betook ourselves down to the Tanglewood Mall and wandered about for a while. It's rather a sad mall; thinly populated, but by the time we'd walked around, explored the more interesting stores, disconcerted, bewildered and/or amused the shopkeepers and had a great sandwich at the coffee shop -- turkey, cream cheese, lettuce and cranberry sauce on whole wheat -- our room was ready and we spent the next while schlepping and hauling.
After schlepping and hauling, Kinzel did a bit of computer work and I read. Along about eight o'clock, Stephe Pagel arrived, bearing a copy of Crystal Soldier, which we took down to dinner with us, being unwilling to let it out of our sight. The hotel restaurant was short-handed, and the arrival of dinner was somewhat delayed. We did get to chat a bit with Crystal, the SheVaCon programming chair, and with Ray Chatterjee, the nice man who had sponsored our Special Guestness. After dinner, we repaired to Stephe's room and talked all over the globe, then to bed.
Friday morning, we helped Stephe get Meisha Merlin's table ready for business as the place started to fill up. Saw Laura Underwood, Lee Modesitt, Dave Hartwell, Bud Webster, Tee Morris, Allen Wold, Janna Oliver, David Coe, and Steve White in very short order, and at some point wandered off for lunch and a little work before the evening panels.
I was lightly scheduled for the convention -- three panels and a reading. My first panel, of which I was moderator, was "Kick Butt Babes," and the panelists beside myself numbered six: Julie Cochrane, Julie Goodman, John Ringo, Lee Modesitt, David Coe and Tee Morris. It was a... lively panel. I'm not sure we established any univeral hallmarks of kick-butt-babeness or brought much light to the subject matter; nonetheless, the audience seem to enjoy themselves.
After the panels, Kinzel and I retired to the Meisha Merlin table to take over while Stephe and Laura headed out for their panel. We chatted with a bunch of folks, sold some books and generally had a grand time until closing time, whereupon we locked up and talked our way down the hall, across the lobby and up to our room, where we both turned into pumpkins.
Saturday, Kinzel was scheduled heavily, starting with a two-hour writers workshop first thing. Sabu in hand, I staked out a table in the lobby outside the dealer's room and got a little bit of work done on Crystal Dragon before the gamers started filling up the space and I left for the Meisha Merlin table.
Some hours later Kinzel arrived, eyes squinted against an incipient headache. He went upstairs and vegged out after presenting his apologies to the moderator of his next panel and was much more the thing by the time we were both called upon to talk about the "Corruption of the Hero," with David Coe, Allen Wold, and Vickie Holt. It was a difficult topic, subject to many interpretations, and David did a masterful job of moderating.
While Kinzel was resting his aching head, I was a panelist on "Researching Your Story," moderated with exquisite even-handedness by Tony Ruggiero. Eric Flint, Allen Wold, Stephen Euin Cobb, and David Coe filled out the panel, and oh! the books available for research! Great fun was had by all.
At six o'clock, we read a short scene from Crystal Soldier for a small but appreciative audience, then met Ray Chatterjee and a group from Baen's Bar for dinner at the Texas Steakhouse, where I am pleased to report that the chicken Caesar salad was very good, indeed.
Back at the hotel, we spent some time at Baen's Bar, then mooched down to the Nth Degree party, from which I retired pretty early.
Sunday, I went early to open the Meisha Merlin table while Stephe attended his panel. Kinzel relieved me about an hour later and I went upstairs to pack us up, we having taken the decision to leave early and try to beat the storm home. Many farewells were said, and we hit the road about four, on our way north.
no subject
I'm usually so wiped by the time I get upstairs, I want to browse the Internet before writing. And the Ethernet always collapses, annoying me so I shut down for the night.
Must save for laptop wireless card...