I just got an update from my airline that they’ve changed my itinerary. I will now not arrive until 2pm tomorrow which means that I will miss my autographing session. I believe that is the only thing affected by this change.

Besides my blood-pressure, of course.

I’m impressed that my travel karma is inserting pre-emptive scheduling chaos although this does give me the opportunity to plan ahead for it.  Makes me wonder what time I will actually arrive…

This will be my first Dragon*Con and I’m very much looking forward to it. Since it is a costume friendly con, I’m bringing the full Regency wardrobe for evening wear. I’ll also have the sandalwood handfans for folks who would like them. But where can you get one? Just find me at any one of these exciting activities.

Friday

Dragon*Autographs
01:00 pm Location: M301 – M304 – Marriott (Length: 1)
Edited to add: An airline itinerary change has me arriving AFTER my session. Sorry. Feel free to find me after any of the other panels/events.

Dragon*Reading
05:30 pm Location: Roswell – Hyatt (Length: 1)
I’ll be reading from Shades of Milk and Honey and performing The Broken Bridge, which is the shadow puppet play that occurs in Chapter 10.

Saturday

Broad Universe Reading!
11:30 am Location: Greenbriar – Hyatt (Length: 2.5)
Description: Discover new writers, rediscover ones you know! Up and coming women writers read from their own works and others. (I’ll be reading a new short story.)

Sunday

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
11:30 am Location: Hanover C – E – Hyatt (Length: 1)
Description: A roundtable discussion about science fiction and fantasy book covers by industry pros, discussing what’s good, bad and could be better.

Monday

Joining a Writer’s Group
11:30 am Location: Manila / Singapore / Hong Kong – Hyatt (Length: 1)
Description: Whether it’s a national organization like SFWA, RWA,or HWA or a local group…What’s in it for you?

From March 25-27 I’ll be attending MidSouthCon 29 as the Author Guest of Honor.  This will be my first time as a GoH and I couldn’t be more pleased for it to be at a convention that focuses on literacy and education. This Memphis based convention has been running for almost thirty years.

Besides the usual programming with writers, gamers, editors, artists and scientists, they also hold a seminar for educators and librarians, a writers’ conference with workshops by award winning authors and editors, and annual student art and writing contests. They are doing a lot of wonderful outreach which can only strengthen the field.

The other Guests of Honor are: Artist Guest of Honor, Nene Thomas; Gaming Guest of Honor, Monte Cook; Comics Guest of Honor, Kurt Busiek; Costuming Guest of Honor, Kelldar; Editor Guest of Honor, Jackie Gamber; and Toastmaster, The great Luke Ski.

I’m very much looking forward to attending and hope to see some of you there.

Ta-da! Here is my schedule for NasFic in Raleigh, NC. Who will I see there?

Thursday

3:00 PM – RCC 305B
Schmoozing: How to Network at a Con
Davey Beauchamp [m], Dan Kimmel, Mary Robinette Kowal

4:00 PM —  RCC 305A
Reading
I’ll be reading from Shades of Milk and Honey. Not surprisingly…

Friday

10:00 AM — RCC 306B
Longevity Panel
Mary Robinette Kowal, Henry Stratmann

2:00 PM – RCC 306B
Editing: The Necessary Evil of Publishing
John Hertz [m], Dan Hoyt, Chris A Jackson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Stanley Schmidt, Lawrence M Schoen

3:00 PM — RCC 203
Revive Fandom’s Relevance to the 21st Century
Mary Robinette Kowal, Mur Lafferty, Amy H Sturgis

8:00PM –Raleigh Hospitality Suite
Shades of Milk and Honey Launch
This will be a gentle reception with Regency music, games and a shadow puppet play.

Saturday

10:00 AM — RCC 306A
Creative Insults
Dan Hoyt, Mary Robinette Kowal, James Daniel Ross, Alex Wilson

1:00 PM – MAR Alumn
Writers Workshop — Section 3
Mary Robinette Kowal, Lawrence M Schoen

5:00 PM — RCC Boardroom
Kaffee Klatch
Come chat!

9:00 PM — RCC 306C
Great First Lines
Mary Robinette Kowal, Lee Martindale, John Pierce, Matthew Rotundo

Sunday

RCC Exhibit Hall — 10:00 AM
Autographs
Carl Frederick, Chuck Gannon, Mary Robinette Kowal

I’m sitting in the Detroit Airport waiting for my flight back from Penguicon.  It was great fun which, as usual, left me a bit fatigued. I was going to blog but am just past the point where I’m willing to spend $13 for internet access at a hotel.  Smart phones, you know, I can keep up with email that way.

Highlights include: learning that Scalzi is creeped out by my cat puppet; looking across the table and realizing that I’m having breakfast with Mary Turzillo and Geoffrey Landis; talking shop with Tobias Buckell and Patrick Rothfuss; staying up waaaaaaaaaaaaay too late talking to Merrie Haskell; and hanging at the airport with Cherie Priest. There was other fun stuff, too but that gives you a brief overview.

My flight doesn’t go until 7:45 but it’s a direct flight, so that’s nice.  I got here really early because there was an easy ride to the airport and I happily took advantage of it.

I’m flying out to Penguicon today and will be having a whole slew of fun-filled adventures while I’m there.  I’m taking a red-eye so I won’t actually arrive until EARLY Friday morning.  Here’s my schedule while I’m there.

Friday

Author Reading – 6pm

Three authors for the price of one! Cherie Priest, Mary Robinette Kowal, and The Ferrett

Saturday

Puppetry 101 – 10am

The history of puppetry, the different types, and the basic elements of manipulation

Aliens: Form and Function – 12pm

How do aliens in written and media SF influence the kinds of story that one tells about them? How do the demands of the story influence the aliens’ natures?

The Timeshredder, Mary Robinette Kowal, Michael Z. Williamson (m)

The Intersection of Puppetry and Science Fiction – 2pm

Much like science fiction and fantasy, puppetry is often seen as a childhood interest. Mary Robinette Kowal, professional puppeteer and Campbell award-winning author, talks about the what the speculative fiction community can learn from the world of puppetry.

Don’t Be Evil: The Google Books Settlement – 5pm

It’s well-known that Google’s slogan once was “Don’t be evil.” Did Google crossed the line with the Google Book Settlement? How does it impact authors and readers?

Jim C. Hines, Tobias S. Buckell (m), Steve Piziks, Mary Robinette Kowal

Mass Autograph session – 6pm

All our authors at the Con are pen-ready to sign your books!

Mary Turzillo, Cherie Priest, Karl Schroeder, Tobias S. Buckell, Doselle Young, Patrick Rothfuss, Michael Z. Williamson, Sarah Monette, Mary Robinette Kowal

Sunday

Adapting a Novel to a Podcast – 9am

With our constantly-on-the-go culture, why not make your work even more available (and safe!) for our commuter-based society! Two veterans of aural performance help you get started.

Mary Robinette Kowal, Daniel J. Hogan

Short Story Markets – 10am

Finding markets for your short stories in a rapidly-changing world.

Mary Robinette Kowal, Mary A. Turzillo, Michael Z. Williamson (m)

Orycon starts tomorrow, which I’m very much looking forward to. Here is my schedule and I hope to see some of you there.

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I’m heading up to Montreal for Anticipation, the 2009 WorldCon. Here is my convention schedule.

Thursday

Twitter, Facebook, My Space: Social Media and Writing
14:00, P-513B
What’s all the buzz about the new social media? Writing short-short-short stories on Twitter??? Good grief! Is this networking or a new way to write? Can tweets and Facebook updates be about more than what you ate?
James Strauss, Jenny Rae Rappaport, Mary Robinette Kowal, Walter Jon Williams, John Picacio

Friday

The Campbell Awards (Not a Hugo, Honest!)
17:00, P-511A
Jay Lake and other previous winners explain why you should read and vote.
Elizabeth Bear, Jay Lake, Mary Robinette Kowal, Wen Spencer

Saturday

SF and the Arts
10:00, P-524A
There is a wide variety of art in the genre that has nothing to do with paper or a computer….
Elaine Isaak, Frank Roger, Leigh Adams, Mary Robinette Kowal, Stephen H. Segal, Jill Eastlake

13:00, D-Vitre
Writing Workshop S
Critique session for previously submitted manuscripts
Jay Lake, Mary Robinette Kowal

15:30, P-513C
Puppetry Demonstration
Beginning with an overview of puppetry, we’ll talk about how it relates to SF. I’m planning on bringing some rehearsal puppets to let people try.

19:00, P-513B
Radio Theater – “The Cold Equations”
Two-time Aurora nominee Joe Mahoney directs a reading of his sf audio adaptation originally broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: Tom Godwin’s “The Cold Equations.”
Joe Mahoney, Mary Robinette Kowal

Sunday

9:00, Outdoors
Stroll With The Stars
A gentle, friendly 1 mile stroll with some of your favorite Authors, Artists & Editors. Leaving daily 9AM, from the Riopelle Fountain outside the Palais (corner of Ave Viger & Rue de Bleury), returning before 10AM.
Farah Mendlesohn, Lou Anders, Mary Robinette Kowal, Paul Cornell, Stu Segal, John Picacio, Felix Gilman

11:00, P-522A
Author Reading
Readings by me, Tony Pi, Daniel Duguay and Frank Roger. I’m planning to read “Evil Robot Monkey” and either something from Shades of Milk and Honey or Scenting the Dark. There are advantages to having a story that’s only 970 words long.

20:00, Location: P-517ABC
Hugo Awards
No description needed. I’ll have a pretty dress.

<h3>Monday</h3>

10:00, P-513C
Characterization Workshop for Costumers
Good costumes are better costumes when they have a character behind them. Use characterization to bring your costuming to the next level. Give your original design a backstory and personality. Our panel will discuss ideas and show you how.
Mary Robinette Kowal, Toni Lay

11:00, P-521A
Kaffeeklatsch
A chance to ask those burning questions.

I got in about 11:30 to the airport here in Detroit and immediately hooked up with my roomie, Alethea Kontis. We headed over to the overflow hotel, checked in and walked over to the real hotel to register. The moment we walked into the lobby, we ran into the Scalzis. Since none of us had panels, we spent the rest of the day hanging in the bar with them, adding Cherie Priest, Doselle Young, Yanni Kuznia, Bill Shaffer, Elizabeth Bear, Anne Murphy, Sarah Monette and about a bajillion other people.

Eventually a group of us splintered off to get dinner at the Mediterranean place next door. The hotel menu has ZERO vegetarian food on it and two fish items, both appetizers. Foodwise, the weekend looks bleak for me.

When we got back, I found out that Scalzi and my Schmoozing 101 panel had been moved to 10:00pm that night, into the slot vacated by Wil Wheaton. We had some audience members who were there to see us, but most of the session was waving people off who’d come to see Wil read. It was still fun.

I gratefully dropped into bed back at the hotel and now I’m off to my slew of panels today.

I think I forgot to mention that I was going to Penguicon this weekend, because, you know, I’m not doing enough traveling. A lot of good friends are going to be there so it should be good fun. Let me know if I’ll see you there.

May 2, 2009
10:00 am — Ballroom 7
Making Fiction Work In Audio

What to avoid when writing a story to podcast, and what to change to adapt one. Concise language, appropriate pacing, holding attention, choosing a performer to read, and more tips from two of the leaders in podcast fiction: Steve Eley of Escape Pod and Rick Stringer of Variant Frequencies.
Steve Eley, Mary Robinette Kowal, Rick Jackson, Rick Stringer

11:00 am — Ballroom 7
Can I Be Your Friend? Bringing Authors and Readers Together

Facebook, LiveJournal, WordPress, MySpace, Twitter, website, etc. — SF/F/H authors are encouraged to engage in self-promotion on the web. Some, like John Scalzi and Wil Wheaton, make it look easy. But where’s the line on privacy and personal details for the authors? And what about fans bent on making the transition to troll or stalker? No one said this was going to be easy.
John Scalzi, Jim C. Hines, Wil Wheaton, Mary Robinette Kowal, Daniel Hogan, Dr. Philip Kaldon

1:00 pm — Poolside 1
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Character Development. Bringing your imaginary friends to life. Discussion of what makes a character live on the page. Heroes, villains, supporters. Different methods and ways of making your characters real to your audience.
Elizabeth Bear, David Crampton, Mary Robinette Kowal, Sarah Hoyt, Dan Hoyt, Cherie Priest, Jeff DeLuzio, Sarah Monette

3:00 pm — Poolside 3
Johnny Can’t Read and Nobody Thinks It’s a Problem

Illiteracy is a major problem in our society, or perhaps it’s not, given the lack of attention it gets. Can children read? Are they reading? Should they read more? How can we get them to read? How can we read more as adults? Our panel of mostly experts will discuss the issue.
David Crampton, Richard Herrell, Mary Robinette Kowal

7:00 pm — Poolside 1
Lie to Me!

Authors telling lies….what will happen next?! (PS – the audience gets to lie too!)
Elizabeth Bear, John Scalzi, Mary Robinette Kowal, Sarah Hoyt

8:00 pm — Poolside 1
Schmoozing 101!

Conventions offer a chance to meet some of the top names in the field. How can you take advantage of that without coming off like a weasel? Learn about the etiquette of talking to editors and how to effectively “work a room.”
John Scalzi, Mary Robinette Kowal

May 3, 2009
8:00 am — Poolside 1
National Novel Writing Month

Every November hordes of would-be writers as well as established pros unite to attempt to produce 50,000 words in one month. Good idea or waste of time? Does it help or hurt writing? What about the pressures of deadlines in general? Does slow and steady win the race, or does the pressure cooker of trying to produce so many words in the last hour really work?
David Crampton, Jim C. Hines, Mary Robinette Kowal, Daniel Hogan

9:00 am — Poolside 1
How to Give an Effective Reading

Learn to make your words sound as great out loud as they do on the page. Using both demonstration and audience participation, we will explore voicing, narration, and pacing.
Mary Robinette Kowal

11:00 am — Poolside 1
Finding Your Voice

1st Person vs 3rd Person writing. Discussion of pros and cons of different voices in writing. Benefits of the “God” point of view for an author and a reader. Benefits of the main character as narrator for the author and reader. Limitations of both.
Elizabeth Bear, Mary Robinette Kowal, Sarah Hoyt, Dan Hoyt, Sarah Monette

As always, cons are both fun and exhausting.  Lunacon hit me particularly hard, not because of the pace while at the con, but because I opted to come home every night instead of staying at the hotel. On the face of it, this seems completely reasonable since home was only forty-five minutes away and I have longer commutes than that on a regular basis in the city.  In practice, however, it meant that I missed out on all the hanging out in the bar and unwinding that makes up much of con time.

Still, it was a fun con and it was nice to see the host of folks.  I particularly enjoyed stumbling onto the branch of MaltCon 09.3 surrounding Laura Anne Gilman. Next time, I will have to bring my own flask so I can share. Despite my complaints about travel, I did get to spend time in the bar with Chuck Gannon, Mike Kabonga, and Neal Clarke, of the Hugo-nominated Clarkesworld magazine, today before Rob whisked me back to the city on the bike. (By whisked, I mean, drove slowly through traffic.) I also met some lovely, lovely people including, but not limited to, Kate Baker,  Chris McMahon, Jill Friedman, Racheline Maltese and Tom Crosshill.

All in all, it was a good weekend.

I’m heading for Lunacon . Will I see some of you there?

Friday
How to Avoid Publishing Scams 6:00 PM (Brundage B)
Warning signs, what to ask, and what to look out for.
Participants: Sean P. Fodera[M], Mary Robinette Kowal, Joshua Palmatier, Ian Randal Strock,

The Worst Advice I Ever Got? 7:00 PM (Brundage B)
About writing. About critiquing. About the publishing business. About marketing.
Participants: Barbara Campbell[M], Mary Robinette Kowal, Nick Pollotta, Shane Tourtellotte, Michael A. Ventrella,

Saturday
Sports and Fantasy 1:00 (Brundage A)
SF is filled with sports and games, but fantasy isn’t (quiddich being a conspicuous exception). How come everyone in the future is involved in physical activities, but no one in fantasy seems to have extracurricular hobbies when they’re not dragon slaying or wenching? Why aren’t there more Robin Hood style town archery contests or Tom Brown’s Schooldays style contests between villages?
Participants: Pauline Alama[M], Alma Alexander, Sam Butler, Mary Robinette Kowal, Chuck Rothman,

Gender Balance in Fantasy 12:00 PM (Grand Center)
We’ve come a long way from the days when it didn’t occur to Tolkien to put any female characters in The Hobbit. Nowadays, the perky girl protagonist is as much a staple of the genre as the pig boy who’s destined to be king. Have we reached a good balance, or are we just creating new cliches?
Participants: Alma Alexander[M], Esther Friesner, Daniel Hoyt, Mary Robinette Kowal, Mercedes Lackey,

Sunday
Reading 12:30 – (Elija Budd)
A chapter of Shades of Milk and Honey OR a new short story, depending on audience choice.

I’ll see you at Wiscon, one of my favorites.

See you at Lunacon.

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I’m heading for my first Philcon this year. I figure it’s close plus the SFWA regional meeting is there and I’d like to attend.

Here’s my preliminary schedule.

Friday
10:00PM Websites for Writers – Event #16

Saturday
12:00PM Sherlock Holmes and Science Fiction
2:00PM Science Fiction and Romance
3:00-5:00PM Crafting: Hand Puppets (Yep, I’m going to teach on the kids’ track.)
8:00PM Beyond Philip Pullman- Is Atheism the Last Taboo?

Sunday
10:00AM Towards a Theory of Science Fiction
11:00AM Reading (I’ll bring a couple of options and let the audience pick)
12:00PM Presenting your art: tips for approaching art directors, publishers, and galleries
1:00PM The News from Mars

Will I see any of you there?