When I attended Chessiecon in Timonium, Maryland in 2018 — where in addition to taking part in programing, I recorded conversations with Jo Walton and Stephen Kozeniewski for episodes of Eating the Fantastic — I didn’t stay at the official con hotel. Instead of the Red Lion, I used miles to get a room next door at the Red Roof Inn. And I haven’t thought of that hotel since.

Until earlier this evening, while watching the first episode of the HBO series We Own This City, during which a drug bust went down on the same side of hotel where I was staying!

In the screen grab above, you can see a SWAT team on the second floor approaching the suspect. I no longer remember my exact room number, only its general location, but in my memory, I was in the middle right of that first floor, maybe even staying in the room by which you can see the housekeeping cart parked.

I look forward to seeing whether the remaining five episodes take me back to any other Baltimore geography out of my past.

Chessicon is held — sometimes in Baltimore, sometimes in the Baltimore suburbs — every year over the Thanksgiving weekend. I’m only able to make it for a single day this time around, so if you’re hoping to hear me pontificate, here’s where you’ll be able to find me —

The Collusion of Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction
Saturday 1:00 p.m., Salon C
We like to think of stories as falling into separate genres, but often a story will end up crossing genres. This panel examines, and will point out concepts and that might fit into any or all of the referenced genres. It should also include some examples of stories that illustrate these concepts, and how they do so, and what the purpose of cross-genre stories might be.
with Michelle Sonnier, Margaret Carter, and Ef Deal

Short SF/F Stories vs Novels
Saturday 5:00 p.m., Salon D
So, you’ve written a story. It has a bgeginning, a middle and an end. But have you actually completed a story? Or, have you written more words than there is story to tell? A look at how to fine-tune your writing for the story you have.
with Michelle Sonnier, Ef Deal, and D. H. Aire

Hope to see you there!