I’m once again late in posting a con report, and I can’t even blame con crud this time! Instead, I was busy finally finishing the first draft of my next novel. Good news: It’s done, and now you get a con report!

I missed out on Balticon last year because I was on a cruise with the spouse and friends, which means I was determined to make it this year. Balticon is the first convention I ever attended (as a fan), back in 2004. Twenty years(!) later, this remains one of my favorite events, and I’m honored that I now get to attend as a participating author, panelist, and all-around professional nerd.

Friday

I headed toward the Inner Harbor in Baltimore on Friday after work. As usual for events in this area, I parked in the garage across the street from the building where I worked for almost 10 years (it’s condos now, which is very weird). After checking in at the con, I headed straight to my first scheduled event, an author reading slot I shared with Mark Van Name.

With Steel Legacy‘s release about a month prior, this was the first convention featuring the book! I read the prologue for those who joined us and answered some questions about finishing a 7-book series. Then, Mark read a poignant, unreleased short story with a lovely touch of magical realism.

Left: Baby’s first convention! Right: With Yakira Heistand/Sage Kelly

The benefit of being good friends with the person in charge of convention programming is having the perfect place to hang out between events. I helped her check in other program participants while we enjoyed the time to catch up in person.

My single panel that evening was on how to speak “editor,” where we had an excellent blend of editors who work on behalf of publishers (working with the author toward traditional publication) and those like me who are hired by an author before the submission or self-publication process. The discussion was fun and lively, and I hope the authors (at any stage or type of publication journey) were able to take away valuable information!

I closed out my evening having dinner with a new friend I’d met about 5 minutes beforehand. The instant knowledge that the people around you share your interests and will probably be fun to hang out with is one of my favorite things about attending conventions and events, no matter the genre.

Saturday

Sleeping in on Saturday was weird, but that’s because I was unable to attend the convention that day. Instead, I had a fantastic afternoon and evening celebrating a friend’s wedding!

So fancy!

Sunday

Sunday, however, I was back at the convention hotel bright and early! First up was my signing slot. I completely neglected to take pictures of my table because I was too busy having fun spending time with my amazing editor who also happens to be a longtime friend.

With Carrie Moore

The rest of the day was a bit of a blur. The downside to being friends with the person in charge of programming is that they know exactly what you can speak about AND handle, which is how I ended up on four panels throughout the rest of the day–and moderating three of them.

Luckily, all of my fellow panelists were knowledgeable and engaging, which made my job so much easier. I had a blast, even if I was thoroughly peopled out by the end of the day. Don’t forget that if you attended Balticon in person, you’re still able to watch recordings of the two virtual panels I moderated on the “romantasy” genre and making the transition between writing fanfic and original content. Access to the recordings was sent by email last week.

Final Haul

  • How to Score at a Crime Scene: Nat Cabrera’s Guide to Malicious Compliance in the Workplace (Hawthorne Path #1) by Emmett Bryce

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One thought on “Con Report: Balticon 58”

  1. Pingback: May Wrap-Up & June Goals | J.L. Gribble, Author, Editor, Worldbuilder

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