A Recent Convention I Attended

Some comments I posted (elsewhere) about a recent convention I attended.

(Snip)

I attended a few panels before the lunch break. My panel was the last of the day : world building. I tried to be my witty, deadpan self. Some of it landed. Some of it really didn't. My "The multiverse fixes everything," got a few chuckles, though I learned a few lessons. First, never joke about "Time travel fixes everything," in a group of SciFi diehards. And never talk Tolkien when there are Tolkien fans in the crowd. I was right about Tom Bombadil rescuing the hobbits, though.

All in all, I'd give my performance a 6 out of 10. I ramble too much.

Some of the most profound moments I had was when a couple of people came up and told me that they had bought THE REVENANT AND THE TOMB. People remembered my book a full year after reading it, and felt the need to tell me how much they enjoyed it. I had two other people ask me if I was coming back next year. I gave them a non-committal answer, because I really didn't know if I was coming back. Then I got into a discussion with a third individual and I asked them if they were coming back next year. Their answer was (and I think this is the exact context): "If you're going to be there, definitely." That gave me a genuine moment of pause. I often remark about how I have fans and that's a new thing for me. But now, it seems, I have fans that will actually attend an event that I am at. It's a little bit beyond those guys waiting for your next book to come out. So now I feel a little obligated to go back next year. Because part of this gig, in my opinion, is fan service. The good kind. Not the Ghostbusters reboot kind.

So, unless something comes up, I'll be going back next year.