As you know, I was one of the Guests of Honor at Immortal ConFusion a few weeks back, which means there’s one thing you’ve all been wondering since then …

How was the food?

Because when I wasn’t pontificating on panels, getting intimate with a kaffeeklatsch, hanging in the bar, or leading new friends in a ukulele singalong, I was out on the streets of Michigan seeing what gustatory delights could be found. I didn’t get out much—after all, I was in Michigan on the con’s dime, and I wanted to make sure they got their money’s worth—but still, I did manage to visit three restaurants, thanks to the kindness of the committee.

Joe’s Coney Dog

I’m not sure I’m the best judge of what makes a good coney dog. I grew up in Brooklyn, for several years living about a mile from Coney Island. To me, a Coney Island hot dog means a Nathan’s hot dog with mustard, sauerkraut, and nothing else. Others might add a little relish, but little else, with the dog itself being a major player in the concoction.

So when I found myself in Dearborn, surrounded by dozens of restaurants proclaiming a Coney Island heritage, I knew I had to see what this was all about. I prevailed upon my hosts to bring me face to bun with a coney, and so on Saturday, we hit the road and ended up at Joe’s Top Dog.

I ordered the Jim Padilla special—which is a hot dog topped with ground beef, chili, mustard, and onion—for the full experience, and when it arrived, I stared at it and thought, “How the heck am I supposed to eat this thing?”

I also thought, “Is there really a hot dog under all those toppings?” (more…)

One of the unexpected pleasures of last weekend’s Immortal ConFusion was that someone had dumped several decades worth of Locus back issues on the freebie table, which meant I was able to dig though copies from the ’80s and ’90s and sit round with my friends who were there remarking about how much our absent friends had changed.

One article that amused me contained the results of the annual Locus poll, and what made it especially amusing was that in 1991, the editors decided to be more playful than usual. In addition to being asked which novels, magazines, etc., we most liked, we were also asked, “Which author would you most like to meet, marry, publish or murder?”

While the “meet” and “publish” results were mildly interesting, it’s the “marry” and “murder” answers that appeared in the September 1991 issue that were the most fun.

And the author Locus readers most wanted to marry 22 years ago was …

(more…)

As you know, I was at the Dearborn, Michigan convention Immortal Confusion last weekend. So was John Scalzi. And even though he hates me so much that he broke a tooth while there just to avoid jamming with me on the ukulele, I still think he’s a nice guy.

Why do I think that?

Well, one reason is the essay you’re about to hear him read.

Last Friday, John was the first item of programming at the con. He read some unpublished fiction which you won’t get to witness yet, because I’m not a spoilery guy. But he also read one of his most popular essays, “Who Gets To Be a Geek? Anyone Who Wants to Be,” which spoils nothing for no one. And also proves his menschiness.

Enjoy!

I’ll be in Dearborn, Michigan this weekend to take part in Immortal ConFusion, where I’ll the Editor Guest of Honor. Other Guests of Honor include Charles Stross (Pro), Jennifer Ouellette (Science), James David Nicoll (Fan), and Mary Robinette Kowal (Special).

If you’re heading there, too, here’s where you’ll be able to find me. (And maybe even my ukulele!)

Opening Ceremonies
Friday 8:00 PM (Michigan)
Welcome to Immortal ConFusion! Join our Guests of Honor and Subterranean Press Special Guests for introductions and speeches. A number of artists will also be on hand to caricature the GoHs and display their work afterwards.
Alastair Reynolds, Charles Stross, James Davis Nicoll, Jennifer Ouellette, Kat Howard, Maria Dahvana Headley, Mary Robinette Kowal, Scott Edelman

Dessert Reception With Guests Of Honor
Friday 9:00 PM (Erie)
This is a great place to walk right up to your particular favorite author or panelist for a quick chat or just to meet someone new. People, food, drink will be on hand.

Kaffeeklatsch
Saturday 11:00 AM (Model T)
Join Editor Guest of Honor Scott Edelman for coffee, tea, and conversation. Limited to 10 participants, please sign up in Ops.

(more…)

Sean Howe, whose history of Marvel Comics in the ’70s, Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, was one of my favorite reads of the year—how could it not be? I was there—shared this poster the other day for Phil Seuling’s 1970 Comic Art Convention.

I hadn’t seen it in decades, and boy, did it bring back memories. Because as I’ve already told you, I was there, too.

It was my first convention, one at which I met many who would eventually become part of my karass.

And now you’ll have to to excuse me … I think I’ve got something in my eye …

I just ran across a yellowing four-page flyer, “A Field Guide to the Readercon 2 Program Participants,” and it gives an interesting snapshot of who we were back in 1988. Both in that some of the attendees are sadly no longer with us—such as Algis Budrys, Stan Leventhal and John Morressy—but also for the ways in which those of us still around have progressed—such as Patrick Nielsen Hayden and Teresa Nielsen Hayden, who back then had just been named (respectively) Tor Books’ administrative and managing editors.

Wonder how that worked out for them?

Take a look below to see what (almost) a quarter of a century has done to us.

Let’s hope that those of us still around have every day in every way continued getting better and better. We can dream, can’t we?

Comic book artist Mike Zeck—who drew the Drax the Destroyer/Thanos story I’d written that was published a lifetime ago in Logan’s Run #6, recently uploaded to Facebook some photos he’d taken at the 1971 Phil Seuling 4th of July Comic Art Convention. (They’re here, but unless you’re Facebook friends with him, I don’t think you can see them.)

I enlarged his pics of the dealers room until they were nothing but pixels, because I was on the hunt for a very special photo—one of me and Irene from the years before we met on my first day at work at Marvel Comics. I’ve always hoped that serendipity would deliver to me a photo of us in the same room at some early con, perusing boxes of comics, unaware of each other’s presence, blind to the future that lay ahead.

When I mentioned this to Mike, he sent along his outtakes, and though I didn’t find that Holy Grail of me and Irene, I did come across one photo which included me in the crowd. Check it out below and see if you can spot me.

Did you find me? Probably not. I’m a little … incomplete. So let me give you a hint.

Got it figured it out now?

I wish I could have shared the following videos while Chicon7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention, was still ongoing, as that would have hewed to Edelman’s Schadenfreude Rule of Convention Reporting. But alas, I was far too busy. (Future posts will show you just how busy.)

First up, on Thursday, August 30, Adam-Troy Castro read his short story “My Wife Hates Time Travel,” recently published in Lightspeed. Since you weren’t there, you don’t get any of the chocolate chip cookies he was handing out in support of his new novel Gustav Gloom and the People Taker—which should teach you to show up in person next time.

And then, on Monday, September 3, I read “A Most Extraordinary Man,” a sequel of sorts to Saki’s “The Open Window,” which will be published in the anthology The Monkey’s Other Paw: Revived Classic Stories of Dread and the Dead from NonStop Press. (more…)

I just noticed that when I redesigned my site early last year, a special set of photos disappeared. But they are too good to remain MIA. And so …

One evening in Toronto back at Torcon 3—the 2003 World Science Fiction Convention—I needed to step away from the parties for a moment, and my kindly boss asked if he could borrow my camera until my return.

“Sure,” I said, feeling that if I couldn’t trust my boss, who could I trust?

But when the camera was returned, this is what I saw—plus a couple of dozen pics of science fiction’s finest giving me the finger.

View them at your peril, for your opinion of these kindly souls may change forever!

I’ll be in Salt Lake City next weekend attending the World Horror Convention, which was last in that city in 2008.

As you can see from this photo of Gary Braunbeck, Lee Thomas, Nicholas Kaufmann, and me, things got UGLY back then!

But I’m not up for a Stoker this year, so there’ll be no need to wrassle other nominees. My pal Gene O’Neill, though, who’s up for three Stokers, had better watch out.

Aside from the awards banquet, where I’ll be a co-presenter for one of the categories, you’ll be able to find me on a Stephen King panel at 10:00 a.m. Friday (will any of you be awake?) along with Rocky Wood, Jason Brock, Blake Casselman, and Michael R. Collings. I’m sure that the average audience member will know as much about King as I do, but I’ll do my best.

Where else will you be able to find me? Well, if you’ve been following my con-going exploits, then you surely already know! (more…)