I’m home from Worldcon … technically. Both my brain and body are still on London time, which means I’m tired when I should be awake and unable to sleep when I should be tired. But in this brief moment of lucidity, before I launch into a full Loncon3 report—as well as recaps of my meals at The Fat Duck and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal—I thought I’d share my personal highlight of the convention.

It occurred an hour or two into a party being thrown by the publishing company Gollancz. I was in a back room of the Aloft Hotel bar with Robert Reed, Ellen Datlow and others when I spotted the great Brian Aldiss standing by a pool table watching the action. And since I don’t get to see Aldiss often—in fact, the last time was likely during the 2000 Nebula Awards ceremony at which I was Toastmaster and he was named a Grand Master—I immediately left my group, because such opportunities are not to be missed.

I introduced myself and reminded him of when we’d last met. Joined by Rani Graff and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro, we chatted for awhile, a discussion which eventually led to Aldiss reminiscing about the first London Worldcon, held in 1957. I pulled up a site filled with numerous photos from that event, which delighted him. Luckily, looking at all of those images of dead friends made him wistful rather than maudlin.

A wonderful moment … but not yet the most wonderful moment. (more…)

I’m at the London Worldcon right now. If you are too, then why not drop by the Exhibit Hall to see photographs and descriptions of my 10 favorite dishes?

And if you’re not at Loncon3, don’t worry. I’ve got you covered. You can check it all out below.

Get ready to drool … (more…)

I was supposed to have dinner at Bryan Voltaggio’s newest restaurant, Aggio, back when it opened, but an ice storm forced me to cancel. That an ice storm was the cause will show how early in the year this was. I wanted to try again, but life was far too busy for me to make it happen, until Saturday, when I finally had that dinner … and also the crazy idea of making it at all-Voltaggio day at the same time.

Which meant that before the evening’s meeting of the Seersucker League—aka me and Charlie Newton—first came breakfast at Family Meal and lunch at Volt. (more…)

If Instagram had existed in 2004, back when the Worldcon took place in Boston, it would have looked a little something like this …

William Tenn and Scott Edelman

(more…)

Yet another couple has discovered that years before they met, one of them had photobombed the other. Last time, it was a photo taken at Disneyland. This time, it was at the beach.

This gives me hope.

Because, you see, my wife and I were both at the first comic book convention I ever attended, and while we did not meet until four years later, I’ve always wondered whether there might be a photo out there of us side by side … sitting in the audience, wandering the dealers room, waiting for an elevator … and not knowing the future that lay in wait for us.

There’s still a chance one might turn up, isn’t there?

SFWA will have a presence at this year’s Baltimore Book Festival, held September 26-28. If you make it to the Inner Harbor that weekend, here’s when you’ll be able to find me.

How can I get my writing noticed?
Saturday 4:00-5:00
You’ve finished a story or book and now you’d like to get it published and start buzz about your work. But in this modern age, the avenues for publication and promotion are dizzying, and they often tangle together. What are your options? What will bring you the most word of mouth? The most reviews? The best pay? Should you go it alone or seek a major publisher? Come talk with publishers, editors, con organizers, and reviewers about your options.
with Elektra Hammond, Don Sakers, Peggy Rae Sapienza, Mike Underwood, and Jean Marie Ward

Reception and Meet & Greet with authors, music, and food
Saturday 5:30 -7:00
Join the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America at our reception, autographing session, and Meet and Greet with our program participants at the Baltimore Book Festival.
with Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Jeanne Adams, Jill Archer, Catherine Asaro, Jack Clemons, Brenda Clough, Charles Gannon, Ronald Garner, Em Garner, Herb Gilliland, Anne K Gray, Elektra Hammond, Justina Ireland, Jim Johnson, Alma Katsu, Cheryl Klam, L. Jagi Lamplighter, John Maclay, Marrisa Meyer, Sunny Moraine, Christine Norris, Ellen Oh, Sarah Pinsker, Caroline Richmond, Don Sakers, Karen Sandler, Peggy Rae Sapienza, Rori Shay, Alex Shvartsman, Dawnyell Snyder, Bud Sparhawk, John Tilden, Mike Underwood, Jean Marie Ward, Fran Wilde, Ilene Wong, and Karlo Yeager

Science Fiction and Fantasy Mysteries
Sunday 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Mysteries in science fiction are one of the trendiest new subgenres. What happens when you add “What if?” to “Whodonnit?” Join our panelists to discuss detectives, procedure, body disposal in the past, present and future, and more. They will talk about how you can extrapolate all that into the future for science fiction mysteries.
with Jeanne Adams, Sarah Pinsker, and Don Sakers

Hope to see you there!

I’ll be arriving in London a week from today to attend Loncon 3, the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention, and it occurred to me that this will be the 40th anniversary of my first Worldcon, Discon II. And since the con’s on the other side of an ocean, and some there might know me by name only, I figured I’d share a photo from that long-ago time in Washington, D.C.

Yes, that’s me on the right, taking a break from the con and sitting by the White House fence with three friends some of you may recognize.

So if you’re looking for me at the ExCel convention center, well, now you know what I look like.

I haven’t changed, have I?

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, then you already know the drill—as each month ends, I gather the dreams I’d previously posted to Twitter to see what sense their surreality makes when all in one place.

And so … here’s what happened in July as I slept, starring Joel McHale, Donald Trump, Mariah Carey, Will Sasso, and many others.

July 2014

I dreamt I was with my (long dead) grandmother, posing for a photo with her since none exist IRL. My awareness of her death dId not wake me. Jul 31

I dreamt a friend told us he had cancer and was going deaf, “But the good news is — I’ll be dead before anyone realizes I can’t hear them.” Jul 31

I dreamt I was at a con where I took a donut, sliced it in half and used a cookie to make a sandwich. WHY HAVE I NOT DONE THIS IN REAL LIFE? Jul 31

I dreamt comic book artists I used to know in the ’70s showed up at Readercon, and when we chatted, the friendliest was Bernie Wrightson. Jul 30

I dreamt I offered my parents individually wrapped Life Savers, and Dad (dead IRL) demurred, while Mom took a cherry and gave me a lemon. Jul 30

I dreamt Jon Stewart and I were watching a member of The Daily Show staff try out a new bit … and I was the only one who was laughing! Jul 29

I dreamt I was fighting beside The Thing as part of a quartet — NOT the Fantastic Four — and he was shot in the neck. Bleeding, he fell. Jul 29

I dreamt I wandered a Worldcon and spent more time paying attention to racking up @fitbit steps than what was going on around me. Jul 28

I dreamt I lived in a Boston brownstone, used a shotgun to scare a burglar, then waited for police since (I assumed) guns are illegal there. Jul 28

I dreamt I interviewed a politician who’d edited a science fiction magazine when he was a kid. But he refused to answer questions about it. Jul 27 (more…)

Before heading off to Wooster last week to visit the Ohio Light Opera, I checked Yelp in search of a worthy restaurant to stop at for lunch, not wanting to rely on whatever fast-food monstrosity happened to be visible from the highway. About 2 1/2 hours out (which based on our planned departure, would be just the right time for lunch), in a little town called Acme, I found a spot called Brady’s Restaurant, which at first seemed as if it would not be a place anyone would want to eat.

There were lots of one- and two-star reviews for Brady’s on Yelp, complaining about the “terrible service,” turkey that “always tastes gamey,” and “the absolute most disgusting meatloaf ever” … but as I read on, I came across this review by Greg B.—

Good food at decent prices. If your some snooty tourist who is used to eating hormone injected slop that’s full of who know’s what, then don’t come here. The meet is locally raised and some of the fish is from right up the road. The people who own this place are decent hardworking people who give allot to local charities. The original owner was a hard working business women who employed 100’s of people in the area and never turned someone down in need. My family fell on hard times many years ago and Mrs. Brady was always willing to help us out and even brought us christmas gifts one winter when my wife passed away. The night she delivered the gifts, my children and I watched her through the candlighted window as she walked over 30 yards in her work dress through a snow drift to bring my kids a christmas ham and I’ll be damned if I will stand for some jerk with a smartphone disparage her and the business she created. This place serves good food at decent prices. IF you want something fancy, then go up the highway . The Brady’s don’t need your cash. Excuse me, you people with your bad reviews probably pay with credit cards because you spend your paycheck before it came in.

Which had me saying, I don’t care what all those other reviewers say—I’m in! (more…)

A friend who’d spotted all the sharing I was doing on social media this weekend about the sights in Wooster, Ohio wondered what the heck had brought me there, and the answer is—why, the Ohio Light Opera, of course!

Back in 2012, we saw three of their performances, and this year, we decided to make it four. The reason it’s worth driving hundreds of miles to Wooster (or in the case of other audience members, flying in from far greater distances) is that the OLO is dedicated to staging not just excellent productions of Gilbert and Sullivan classics, but also lesser-known operettas which can be seen no where else.

For example, Emmerich Kálmán (with whose daughter I can be seen above) was considered one of the masters of the operetta early last century, yet his works are now rarely performed. Except at the Ohio Light Opera, which this year launched its eleventh Kálmán production. And while the OLO also did a Pirates of Penzance this year—and I’m sure the production was wonderful—the world has no shortage of G&S, so what drew us to Wooster were the once popular but now mostly forgotten operettas which make OLO unique.

Here’s what we saw (with a few photos smurched from the OLO Facebook page) … (more…)