A personal conflict prevents me from attending the entire Capclave weekend this year, so I’ll only be able to make it on Sunday, but I hope we’ll manage to run into each other there nonetheless.

If you are in Rockville that final day, here’s where you’ll be able to find me.

This Was the End
Sunday, September 27, 12:00 p.m. (Monroe)
*Former* editors/publishers of SFF magazines that were forced to shut down talk about what went wrong, what they learned, and what could be done better.
with Shahid Mahmud, Alex Shvartsman, and Ian Randal Strock

In Defense of the Standalone
Sunday, September 27, 1:00 p.m. (Washington Theater)
Too many stories develop into series. How does a standalone novel advance the craft? Do we love them or hate them and why? Can a series be a standalone novel such as Connie Willis’ All Clear and Black Out?
with Mark Roth, A.C. Wise, L. Marie Wood

Author Reading
Sunday, September 27, 2:30 p.m. (Monroe)
Scott Edelman reads from recent and upcoming works.

I hope we manage to connect!

I love Eating the Fantastic’s lightning-round donut episodes, for which I park myself in a heavily trafficked area of a con with a dozen donuts and chat with anybody who’s up for trading five minutes of talk for a freebie. It’s a fun contrast to my usual well-researched one-on-one conversations, in that it’s completely spontaneous, since I never know the identities of my guests until their eyes alight on my donuts and they choose themselves.

In 2016, listeners were able to eavesdrop on the Readercon Donut Spectacular, then in 2017 the Balticon Donut Extravaganza, in 2018 the Nebula Awards Donut Jamboree, and in 2019 — before the pandemic forced me to take a break from such things — the StokerCon Donut Spooktacular.

Because Capclave — which ended the day before yesterday as this episode goes live — not only has a patio, but this year, unlike last, had weather warm enough for us to gather there, I was able to bring back that tradition. On Saturday afternoon, I sat down out on the patio with two boxes of donuts from Donut King in Kensington, Maryland, and waited for potential guests to materialize.

So join us during the lightning-round Capclave Donut Carnival, where you’ll hear R. Z. Held and me bond over rejection, David Hacker explain his love of listening to writers read, Michael Dirda recall why Orson Scott Card once kneeled before him on an elevator, James Morrow share his fascination with Charles Darwin, how Katy Lewis found her husband through Dungeons and Dragons, Michael Walsh’s favorite moment as a con chair (which involved Howard Waldrop, Gardner Dozois, and George R. R. Martin), Bill Lawhorn clarify the creation of the bronze dodo, Sarah Pinsker reveal how and why her first science fiction convention was Capclave, Adeena Mignogna explain why space is cool but space travel gets really hot, Mike Zipzer’s memories of Terry Pratchett’s surprise visit, Sarah Mitchell’s arranging of a secret con wedding, Sunny Moraine opine on how the world’s response to COVID-19 changes our ideas of what would happen in a real-world zombie apocalypse, John Pomeranz chat about how the infamous Disclave Great Flood thrust him into being a hotel liaison — and much more!

Here’s how you can dig into those donuts with us — (more…)

I’ll be at Capclave two weeks from Friday, where I’ll take part in five programing items and record several episodes of my Eating the Fantastic podcast.

If you’ll be in Rockville weekend, too, here’s where you’ll be able to find me.

Author Reading
Friday 8:00 p.m. (Monroe)
Scott Edelman reads from recent and upcoming works.

Rejections Happen
Saturday 10:00 a.m. (Eisenhower)
The life of a writer involves hearing many variations of the word “no.” Rejection comes with the territory but that does not make it easier to experience. Panelists discuss coping with rejection, how to continue writing through them, and what you can learn from receiving a no.
with A. T. Greenblatt, Ef Deal, Nate Hoffelder, and R. Z. Held

Writing Through Adversity
Sunday 11:30 a.m. (Wilson)
Writing is hard enough but writers are also full human beings dealing with obstacles that can make it difficult to maintain a creative practice. From financial and family responsibilities to chronic pain and other mental and physical challenges, panelists talk openly about coping with daily pressures that often interfere with one’s writing life.
with A. T. Greenblatt, R. Z. Held, and Sarah Avery

Help! I Have to Edit My Draft!
Sunday 1:00 pm: (Wilson)
It’s okay to admit that editing your draft is hard work. The task can feel daunting but is a necessary part of the writing process. Panelists discuss the importance of being your own best editor as well as the tips and tricks for making the editing process not so painful.
with Jo Miles, Ken Altabef, Morgan Hazelwood, Richard Peter, and Haviland Sparks

YouCon 2024
Sunday 2:30 pm (Wilson)
In Sarah Pinsker’s novella, “And Then There Were (N-One)” SarahCon represents a multiverse of Sarahs navigating a murder mystery plot. Our panelists share versions of their own multiverse con, from their personalized programming track to events made just for every version of them.
with Sarah Pinsker and Tom Doyle

I hope to you can join me!

This episode’s guest is Randee Dawn, whom I first met — in the flesh anyway — at last year’s D.C. Worldcon, where she impressed me by emceeing an entertaining afternoon of Fannish Pictionary in which I participated. After our paths crossed again during another round of Pictionary at the Chicago Worldcon, and I saw she’d also be at Maryland’s Capclave, I invited her to break bread with me there.

Our schedules were so tight the only time we had without a conflict was a Saturday morning breakfast. When Randee suggested we start the day with dim sum, we decided to head over to A & J Restaurant at 10:00 a.m. just as it opened.

Randee Dawn’s debut novel, the humorous pop culture fantasy Tune in Tomorrow, was released in August by Rebellion Publishing. She’s a former editor at The Hollywood Reporter and Soap Opera Digest, and these days covers show business for Variety, The Los Angeles Times, Emmy Magazine, and Today.com. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and online publications such as Stories We Tell After Midnight, Even in the Grave, Another World: Stories of Portal Fantasy, and more.

She co-edited the anthology Across the Universe: Tales of Alternative Beatles. Her love of all things Law & Order led her to appear in one episode and later co-author The Law & Order: SVU Unofficial Companion. Once a month she hosts Rooftop Readings at Ample Hills Creamery in Brooklyn.

We discussed the way her soap opera and gaming backgrounds led to the creation of her fantasy debut novel Tune in Tomorrow, what made her decide it was time for her to write funny, why her first instinct is always to turn her ideas into novels rather than short stories, how Law & Order fan fiction conquered her fears of showing her writing to others (and eventually led to her appearing as extra on the franchise), the reason she doesn’t read her reviews, and much more.

Here’s how you can join us — (more…)

Capclave kicks off in four days, and I’ll be there, in person, taking part in six programing items and recording two episodes of my Eating the Fantastic podcast. (Three, if there’s no rain and I can pull off one of my lightning-round donut episodes out on the patio.)

Will you be in Rockville, Maryland, too?

If so, here’s where you’ll be able to find me.

Networking in Publishing
Friday, September 30 4:00 p.m. (Washington Theater)
Networking can be a valuable part of your professional writing career. It can help you identify mentors, learn tricks of the trade, and otherwise find community in your writing career. But it doesn’t come easy for everyone. How might writers address social anxiety, financial barriers, and other challenges to navigating professional spaces?
with Ty Drago, Irene Gallo, and Christopher Rowe

Reading
Saturday, October 1, 2:30 p.m. (Monroe)
Not yet which new story I’ll read, so perhaps I’ll allow the audience to vote.

Critical Reading
Saturday, October 1, 4:00 p.m. (Truman)
Reading critically is a valuable skill, whether you’re a beta reader, reviewer, professional editor, or avid reader. How do you process the elements of a story as you read? What techniques help build these skills? Panelists discuss the art of reading beyond just pleasure.
with Christopher Rowe, Michael Dirda, Natalie Luhrs, and Jennifer R. Povey

Positive SF
Saturday, October 1, 5:30 p.m. (Eisenhower)
Many people are craving stories right now with gentle plots and hopeful themes to contrast the recent dystopic trends in publishing, media, and real-life dramas. Panelists discuss what makes for positive science fiction and some of their favorite examples of the brighter side of science fiction.
with Bill Lawhorn, Suzanne Palmer, and Jeanne Adams

Responding to the Moment: Writing for Today’s World
Sunday, October 2, 10:00 a.m. (Washington Theater)
From space-faring billionaires and a global pandemic to climate activism, cryptocurrencies, and a racial justice reckoning, there is much about today’s world to inspire interesting literary questions. How does science fiction, fantasy, and horror help us navigate these political environments? What stories are useful for better understanding our current world? Our panelists talk about how societal and cultural aspects of today impact the ideas they seek to explore in their writing.
with Tom Doyle, Adam R Shannon, Suzanne Palmer, and A. T. Greenblatt

Community-Building: Making Space for New Perspectives
Sunday, October 2, 11:30 a.m. (Jackson)
Science Fiction and fantasy have conquered culture! And it opened up more opportunities for fandom to celebrate together the things they love online and in person. But it’s also created challenges for new people coming into an established community and for long-time fans to accommodate new voices and perspectives. How can we ensure these environments grow in a way that’s respectful and inclusive for all?
with Jean Marie Ward, Ingeborg Heyer, Suzanne Palmer, and Courtni Burleson

I hope to see you there!

Welcome to the second episode of Eating the Fantastic during which you’ll be able to take a seat at the table for a meal during last month’s incarnation of Rockville, Maryland’s Capclave, following last episode’s lunchtime get-together there with writer Suzanne Palmer. This time around, you’re invited to dinner with science fiction writer Lawrence M. Schoen.

Lawrence M. Schoen was a finalist for the 2007 Astounding Award for Best New Writer, and in the years since has been nominated for the Hugo Award (once), the Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press Award (twice), and the Nebula Award (six times). He’s twice won the Cóyotl award for Best Novel — for two books in his critically acclaimed Barsk series: The Elephants Graveyard (2015) and The Moons of Barsk (2018). He also was the 2016 winner of the Kevin O’Donnell Jr. Service to SFWA Award.

His most well-known creations are the space-faring stage hypnotist, the Amazing Conroy, and his alien animal traveling companion, a buffalito named Reggie who can eat anything — which he then converts into oxygen via … flatulence. For more than 10 years, he’s hosted the Eating Authors series, which has shared the most memorable meals of more than 500 writers. In addition to all that, he founded the Klingon Language Institute, plus is a hypnotherapist specializing in authors’ issues.

We discussed how he was able to release 12 books in a difficult year affected by both a pandemic and chemo, the pseudonym he was relieved he never had to use, what caused him to say “you find the answers to the problems of your life by writing a story about it,” the RPG improv which led to the creation of his Barsk universe, what he learned at the Taos Toolbox workshop which caused him to completely rewrite one of his books, the all-important power of the subconscious, how transcription software affected his style, why he doesn’t want people to read the final paragraph of his second Barsk novel, his relationships with the indie side of publishing, the many joys of mentoring, how he uses hypnotism to help other writers, and much more.

Here’s how you can take a seat at the table with us — (more…)

Six years ago, I started inviting you to tag along with me for culinary conversations during conventions, though the events of 2020 forced me to switch things up so the chatting and chewing often occurred with hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of miles between me and my guests.

But we’re slowly moving on to whatever our new normal will turn out to be, which means this episode, you’ll get to come with me as I attend my first true convention in nearly two years — last month’s Capclave in Rockville, Maryland. I was able to harvest two con conversations for you there, something I haven’t been able to do in far too long — the first, this episode’s lunch at Mykonos Grill with Suzanne Palmer.

Suzanne Palmer is a multi-award-winning science fiction writer. Her novelette “The Secret Life of Bots” won a Hugo Award in 2018, as well as the Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press Award, plus her story “Waterlines” won the 2020 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. She’s published three novels with DAW Books about an interstellar repo man — her debut novel Finder in 2019, followed by Driving the Deep (2020) and The Scavenger Door (2021).

Her love of narrative science fiction extends beyond the written word, for when she was obtaining her Bachelors degree of Fine Arts in sculpture from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, her thesis exhibition consisted of an entire museum of artifacts from a fictional world, including clothing, coins, furniture, manuscripts — and an 8′ tall horned creature covered with fur. I found that part of her background, unknown to me until I started preparing for my conversation, fascinating, since as longtime listeners know from my interview with the team at Submersive Productions in Episode 86, I love immersive theater.

We discussed her recurrent dreams of accidentally impaling someone with her Hugo Award trophy during the ceremony, the Ray Bradbury story she copied out of a library book by hand word for word as a child, the differences between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (and why some readers have difficulties with the latter), the way a friend’s urgings she do NaNoWriMo caused her to take her writing more seriously, the spark that gave birth to her interstellar repo man Fergus Ferguson, how the pandemic affected the writing of her latest novel, and much more.

Here’s how you can take a seat at the table with us — (more…)

Mass gatherings are still on hold, so it looks like 2020 will be the first year since I was 14 during which I won’t get the chance to attend at least one face-to-face meatspace convention. As has happened with many recent cons, next weekend’s Capclave has also transformed into a virtual event.

Which means whatever part of the planet you happen to inhabit, you can easily be there.

Here are the four programming items on which you’ll be able to find me —

Breaking the Genre Boundaries
Saturday, October 17, 10:30 a.m.
What is the purpose of genres? How do they help and hinder authors and readers? How do bookstores know how to shelves slipstream or multi-genre books? How do some authors intersect SF/Fantasy with Horror, Romance, Erotica, Literary fiction, young protagonists, Mystery, Thriller, and other elements? Who does this well and who tries to overload a book?
with Kenneth Altabef, B. Sharise Moore, Joshua Palmatier, Troy L. Wiggins, and A.C. Wise

Reading
Saturday, October 17, 3:00 p.m.

When To Outline and When To Pants It
Sunday, October 18, 1:30 p.m.
“Fleshing out a detailed outline” versus “Diving right into an idea and seeing where the story goes” is one of the perennial debates of the writing craft. What are the advantages of each approach? What are the weaknesses and limitations? Our panelists will discuss when to prefer one approach over the other, and when it’s a good idea to switch to the opposite style even when it’s not your preferred method.
with Beth Cato, Mary Fan, Carolyn Ives Gilman, Alan Smale

Kaffeklatsch
Sunday, October 18, 3:00 p.m.

I hope to see you there!

Capclave is coming in just a few weeks, and though you’d normally find me there multiple days, this year I’ll only be attending on one of them, because a shift in the con’s usual dates means it now conflicts with both the Baltimore Book Festival (where I’ll be on three panels) and Baltimore Comic-Con (from which I hope to steal a comics guest to record an episode of my Eating the Fantastic podcast).

But that one day I’ll be in attendance, oh, what a busy day it will be. On Friday, September 28, you’ll be able to find me on five Capclave panels!

Here’s when I’ll be pontificating and what I’ll be pontificating about—

Secret Origins of Writers
Friday 4:00 p.m. Washington Theater
To MFA or not to MFA. Pros and cons of workshops like Odyssey, Clarion, Taos Toolbox and MFA programs such as Stonecoast and Iowa Writers Workshop.
with J. L. Gribble, Suzanne Palmer, Jack Skillingstead, and James R. Stratton

Rituals For Creativity
Friday 5:00 p.m. Jackson
How do you prepare to write each day? Do you have a special space or time of day? Do you need to have a particular snack near by or listen to just the right music? Authors share their rituals from the ordinary to the strange that help them create the right atmosphere to write.
with Will McIntosh and Irette Y. Patterson

Editing the Short Story
Friday 8:00 p.m. Eisenhower
Panelists talk about the work of editing short fiction, keeping things interesting and on-pace and making sure all the elements of a good story are in place when there are only so many words to work with.
with Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Scott H. Andrews, Suzanne Palmer, and Hildy Silverman

Dealing With Rejection
Friday 9:00 p.m. Eisenhower
Everyone in the field has to deal with rejection at some point. Panelists will talk about how they handle rejection, and in the case of editors, panelists will offer suggestions on how NOT to handle rejection
with Neil Clarke, Barbara Krasnoff, and Michael A. Ventrella

Gardner Dozois Memorial Panel
Friday 10:00 p.m. Eisenhower
Gardner Dozois was an editor, writer, and the GOH at the first Capclave. His Year’s Best anthologies and years at the helm of Asimov’s had significant influence on the genre. Panelists will discuss Gardner’s legacy.
with Wendy S. Delmater, Craig L. Gidney, Darrell Schweitzer, and Ian Randal Strock

I hope to see you there—and maybe even the following two days at the Baltimore Book Festival!

A week from tomorrow, I’ll be at Capclave, a local con I’ve attended ever since Disclave died and Capclave was born.

If you want to track me down, here’s where I’ll be when not schmoozing in the bar or con suite—

So You Want to Be A Writer
Friday, October 6, 5:00 p.m., Salon A
Authors discuss how they became a writer, and why you should(n’t). Writers share their experiences and offer advice to those interested in becoming a professional writer. Pay it forward.
with Brenda Clough, Bud Sparhawk, and Alan Smale

Reading
Friday, October 6, 9:00 p.m., Bethesda
I haven’t yet decided what to read. I might put it up to a vote!

Abusing Authors
Sunday, October 8, 10:00 a.m., Rockville/Potomac
Panelists answer whatever questions the audience has on writing, editing, character development, agents, and others. Includes many non-writer-parts-of-being-a-writer, such as being your own boss, setting schedules, and so on.
with Lawrence M. Schoen, Sarah Avery, Michael Ventrella, Ian Randal Strock, and Will McIntosh

Reading Outside Your Genre for SF/F Writers
Sunday, October 8, 3:00 p.m., Bethesda
Panelists discuss the non-genre works that have influenced them and why it’s important to read outside of genre.
with M’Shai Dash, Natalie Luhrs, Malka Older, and James Morrow

Hope to see you there!