No e-mail newsletter this month (March 2012).

Well, as it's nearly the Ides of March and I haven't sent one out, just going to call it that there won't be an e-mail newsletter this month. Finally finished closing the tax books on 2011 which has been a big time sink, and now will find time to put the final touches on issue #7 and send it to the printers. There will be something fun going on in April, namely an honest to goodness issue launch party, but I don't want to plan it or announce it until I have a ship date from the printers. (Too many close calls recently, where I'm waiting at home on the afternoon of the event for the UPS truck to come up the hill...) Working on a few angles for that in terms of guests and turning it into an NC Speculative Fiction Night, but... too many kitchens, too few cooks for thinking on that today.

Heading to Stellarcon!

Well, it's the first weekend in March, so it's time for Stellarcon in High Point! The guest of honor this year is bestselling fantasy novelist Patrick Rothfuss, and there's a great lineup of additional guests of honor and other guest panelists.

Guest of Honor Patrick Rothfuss

Including me! (Not pictured.) Yay! I'm only going for one day, Saturday, from about 9 AM to 6 PM (taking the train if anybody wants to join me for the day trip) but somehow, the awesome folks at Stellarcon found some last-minute room for me:

Character Building Workshop

12:00-1:00 PM

A workshop-style panel in which industry professional provide the tools needed to create realistic and believable characters.

Panelists: Steve Long (moderator), Gray Rinehart, Patrick Rothfuss, Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

The Role of the Publisher in Today's Market

2:00-3:00 PM

With writers now able to bring their works to print themselves, are publishers still needed?  Authors and publishers discuss e-publishing, small-press publishing, and the large publishing houses.

Panelists: John G Hartness, J.L. Hilton (moderator), Misty Massey, Toni Weisskopf, Samuel Montgomery-Blinn

Star Trek vs. Star Wars
4:00-5:00 PM
A lighthearted, audience-participation-encouraged "debate" of the two sf media juggernauts. Good thing we aren't talking Dr. Who vs. Firefly, so we might actually get out of this one alive...
Panelists: Albin Johnson (of the 501st) and Les Rickard (of Starfleet International), who will each bring along one or two non-guest members of their organization to join in, and Samuel Montgomery-Blinn (moderator)


Outside of these, I'll hopefully be stalking Mr. Rothfuss and whomever else is on an interesting panel, setting up a Bull Spec display in the fan table hallway, checking in on the dealer room, talking, etc. Looking forward to it!