Growing up as a military brat, I always had this sense that once I left a place, I would never be back. While looking for a house in the Baltimore area before sixth grade, my family briefly stayed at a hotel, the Hunt Valley Inn. Therefor, it’s always a bit bizarre to be back there as an adult in a completely different context, such as for a convention.
That background aside, I had an amazing weekend at my second Farpoint.
Friday
This is a relatively local convention for me, so I drove up to the hotel after I finished working from home on Friday. I didn’t have anything scheduled until much later that evening, but it was lovely to meet up with my roommates for the weekend and enjoy a chill dinner catching up with them in person.
I had a great time catching up with all of my writer friends during the late-night Farpoint book fair, to the backdrop of costume karaoke from the ballroom.
Saturday
The real work began Saturday morning, as I had the opportunity to present my Alternate History: Creating Stories by Changing the Past workshop. The audience was small but very engaged, which is the best of both worlds. The histories we played with were “What if the countries of South America connected to create a southern hemisphere version of the United States in the 1700s?” and “What if the Roman Empire developed electricity two-thousand years ago?”
We ended up with a very different modern world in both accounts, and a lively debate regarding the possibilities of “togas on Mars.”
Download the PDF version of the full PowerPoint here: Creating Stories by Changing the Past Farpoint 2019
Afterward, I spent the afternoon participating in an autograph signing and book reading. Both went well, and I spent time with my cosplayer friends in the afternoon.
- Daphne by Jazmine Cosplays
- Xena by Jessica Crouse Cosplay
Sunday
I was able to sleep in a bit later the final morning of the convention before another reading and autograph session.
Finally, I participated in my only panel for the weekend! Despite it being the very last time slot, we had great attendance for our discussion of “So You’ve Finished a Book: Now What?” The conversation ran the gamut from the immediate (put it away for a few days if possible and come back with fresh eyes) to the technical (editing and revising is a thing!) to the ridiculousness of the publishing industry (there’s no one right way to let the world see your book these days).
Then it was time to head home and actually spend some time with my husband before I headed off to New York City for meetings with the day job!
Book sales were down for everyone at Farpoint, due to a variety of reasons, but I still did my part to support the local geek economy.
- False book container by La Wren’s Nest
- Sabine Wren Star Wars Rebels print by Angela McKendrick Studios
- TARDIS print by Betsy Mott
- Adorable Doctor Hooves key chain!
- Stargate: Homeworlds edited by Sally Malcolm (signed by contributors Keith R.A. DeCandido and Aaron Rosenburg)
- The Midnight Front (Dark Arts #1) by David Mack
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