World Fantasy Convention

I'm on my way home from the World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga Springs, New York, chaired by my great friend Joe Berlant. Carolyn and I had a fabulous time. Everybody was thrilled with the poetry slam Carolyn ran Thursday night, and I think I acquitted myself adequately on my two panels (which is actually a lot for a World Fantasy Convention; usually, panelists only get one programming event).

For the first time ever, Robert J. Sawyer Books -- the science-fiction imprint I edit for Canadian publisher Fitzhenry & Whiteside -- had a table in an convention dealers' room. Our table was staffed throughout the conference by the vivacious Stephanie Stewart, the US marketing director for Fitz and Whits. The convention was packed -- 1,150 people -- and I had a great time chatting with all sorts of great people, including Doctor Who scriptwriter Paul Cornell, Pyr Books editor Lou Anders, my new Ace editor Ginjer Buchanan and her husband John Douglas, and many writer buddies including Nick DiChario, Rick Wilber, Karina Sumner-Smith, Mark Rich, Nancy Kress; and oodles more.

The highlight for me, though, was the book-launch party we held Saturday night for Matthew Hughes's novel The Commons, the latest book under my RJS Books imprint. As it happened, Carolyn and I were given a giant suite (at no extra charge!), so we had the party in our room, instead of Stephanie's. We were competing with the Tor party, which was packed wall-to-wall -- but ours was always pleasantly busy without ever being uncomfortably crowded. Among the notables who spent considerable time at our party were Asimov's editor Sheila Williams; Asimov's book reviewer (and my former Ace editor) Peter Heck; SFWA Executive Director Jane Jewell; Japanese artist Hikaru Tanaka; and a posse of Writers of the Future winners past and present.

Friday dinner was with Ian Randal Strock of SF Scope, a terrific news site; Saturday lunch was with Aurora finalist John Mierau and my writing student Mark Ladouceur.

Nick DiChario and Bev Geddes stumbled on a fabulous restaurant named Sperry's near the convention center that for some reason wasn't listed in the otherwise-comprehensive convention restaurant guide -- and so wasn't packed. We had a group of 10 for dinner Friday night, and 13 on Saturday night -- and had great service, and it was quiet enough that everyone could hear each other.

I'll get home tonight (there's a two-hour back-up at the Canadian border station, so we're taking a break for dinner and to visit a Barnes and Noble). But I won't be home for long. Wednesday, I leave for Brandon, Manitoba; I'm giving a keynote at the Manitoba Public Libraries conference there, and appearing at the new Brandon writers' festival. Other trips coming up in the next month: Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Victoria, and Kansas. Whew!

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site