#balticon

[apatosaurus]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

[tryslora]

Balticon Wrap-Up

This past weekend I attended Balticon and participated in programming and once again, I had a blast.

For anyone who has come to my website/social media from the convention, welcome! If you’re looking to find me on other social media, I recommend Bluesky and Mastodon for random chit-chat and quick commentary, or Pillowfort/Tumblr/Dreamwidth for blogging. You may also get random fandom content on Pillowfort/Tumblr or well, anywhere I can boost someone else’s posts. I may be writing original work now, but I am still a fan at heart.

I am Tryslora everywhere. <3 Hope to meet new folks!

Balticon is one of my childhood conventions (I grew up in SFF fandom starting when I was 12 years old). I went in high school, in college when I could make it there, and it was my husband’s second ever SFF convention back when we were first dating. We continued going as adults until our son’s frustrations with traveling, and the kids activity schedules impinged on our ability to attend conventions. After all, the long drive made it one of the more difficult conventions to attend.

Last year, my son was doing his second co-op in Baltimore, and we realized that hey, if we get to see him (and there’s a chance he might settle in Baltimore for a while eventually) then we can go back to Balticon! And we are so glad we did.

On the fandom side of things, I enjoy spending time in the gaming room (Hal Haag, we miss you, and I think of you every time I game at Balticon). Spent some money in the dealers’ room, and have a list of things I plan to buy after the convention as well. I tried to buy lovely art, but was overbid, then missed the auction because I was on a panel. Sadness!

But, panels! I had a blast, and was so excited to get to see friends I’d made last year, and make new ones. I was on five panels between Saturday and Sunday.

Before I get into the panels I was on, I’d like to compliment the programming group at Balticon, headed by Yakira Heistand. The selection was amazing, and there are some virtual panels I’m hoping to watch recordings of once they are posted. There were so many things I wanted to go see, and nowhere near enough time. Fantastic work!

Book Covers For Indie Authors

My first panel of the convention was Sunday morning. We had a great discussion of what goes into making a cover that will reach out and grab readers (bright colors, easy to see/read in a thumbnail, fonts). We talked about traditional published covers, and the differences between those and indie covers, as well as why do some covers look more traditional than others. I, of course, brought up seeking out fan artists because I’ve had such great luck with the artists for my books. And no cover art discussion can happen without talk about the impact AI has had, particularly on indie covers.

Breaking Up With Your Inner Critic

My inner critic hasn’t been silenced; she has been put in time out in the corner, and I am doing my best not to listen to her.

We all had different ways of stepping away from our inner critic, and we also had a discussion about the book The Artist’s Way, which some of us have had positive experiences with, and some of us not-so-positive (me, that’s me). It was a nicely hopeful session, and I hope we were able to encourage the folks in the audience to be able to push past those moments when the inner critic tries to say “no” and into a world where anything is possible.

Tools to Manage Creativity

Ahhh I wish I’d taken more notes on this panel. We had a great talk about all the tools that are out there, and which ones work best for each of us. Most importantly, we noted that there is no One Perfect Tool that appeals to every creative. Some folks love Scrivener, some draft in Drive, some use Word. That’s okay! What’s most important is finding the tool that works best for you. One of the parts I enjoyed most was that each of us shared not just what tools we use, but why we use them. What does it do for our creativity and productivity.

I met someone from the audience who is an even bigger part of the spreadsheet fandom than I am! Their spreadsheet was a thing of amazement that put my own word tracking sheet to shame.

At the end of the panel, I was happy to let people touch my iPad—the paper-touch screen protector I put on it has been a game changer for me. I love how it feels for both using the iPad instead of a notebook, and for art.

Paranormal Romance

Ohhh there is nothing harder than being on a panel that ends with “and what are your recommendations?” and having your mind go blank. But my mind going blank about details is normal (hello, ADHD), so I warned everyone ahead of time. And I wrote down a ton of queer paranormal romance recommendations offered by someone else.

We also talked about writing romance, and the expectations of romance, which means I have some research and writing material to go through in order to improve my craft. I love being on panels where I learn something, too!

Slash of Our Ancestors: A History of Fanfic

Oh my goodness, this may have been my favorite panel. It was the only evening panel I was on, and we discussed everything from the early days of fic with zines made with mimeograph machines to the advent of the internet and how things changed. I had a blast. It was great getting to sit with folks of all different ages and talk about how we came into fic, and what our experiences were, and how the advent of the internet (and the popularization of fanfic) has modified how the world interacts with fandom. Our mod asked some great questions, and the audience had a lot of interaction (I mean, we were talking about fandom—how could we not include the audience?). It was a perfect way to end the convention.

In the end, I screwed up my sleep schedule, and Monday night before working Tuesday was a bit rough. The drive home was… entertaining… we hit some big storms as we returned to New York and I got to feel my new baby car hydroplaning (ugh, but yes, we are fine, nothing happened) as we went through a lovely purple zone on the radar.

I’m very much looking forward to returning to Balticon again next year!

[duckprintspress]

Celebrate the End of May by Meeting Us!!

The US is celebrating Memorial Day this weekend, and all around the northern hemisphere, we’re enjoying the warming weather and the end of a lovely May!

And what better way to enjoy the end of the month than getting your book on?

For only the second time ever, people involved with Duck Prints Press – the independent press founded by fandom folks to publish the original work of fancreators, with an emphasis on works featuring LGBTQIA+ characters – will be attending cons and book events to (officially and unofficially) share more information about the Press!

Interested in learning more by meeting folks involved with the Press? Well, if you’re going to either of these events this weekend, you can!

The Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye, Wales, UK

Rachael L. Young, Press staff editor, will be attending The Hay Festival today, tomorrow, and Sunday! We have no official presence at the Festival, but you’ll know Rachael by her awesome Press swag, including several of our books, our pins, our bookmarks, and this amazing Dux tote bag she got custom printed! If you see her, stop by and say hi – and don’t forget to grab one of our business cards before you leave!

-

Balticon, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Author Tris Lawrence is attending Balticon tomorrow, Sunday, and Monday, where she’ll be promoting her own work and her work with the Press, including participating in multiple panels and doing a reading from her novel Commit to the Kick. She’s also got several of our anthologies for you to take a look at, a pile of business cards, the last unsold print copies of the first print run of Commit to the Kick (we’ve got a reprint in the works, though…) and the debut of our first-ever entirely free Duck Prints Press zine, assembled by author and editor Alec J. Marsh!

Want to meet Tris? Here’s her panel schedule:

Sunday 11:30am – Spear Carriers and Background Characters

Sunday 2:30pm – Works I Wasn’t Ready to Write

Sunday 4:00pm – How to succeed as an ND (NeuroDiverse) creative

Sunday 5:30pm – Reading (with Elektra Hammond)

Monday 11:30am – Small press or self-publish?

If you’re going to either of these events, we really hope to meet you there!

Not able to attend either of these events? You’ll have other chances! We’re still fleshing out our 2023 convention schedule, but we know for sure we’ll have people – and tables! – at these events:

NordCon, Hamburg, Germany – June 2nd – 4th: Alessa Riel and possibly other German Press folks will be attending NordCon! We’ll have a table there, along with cards, stickers, and some other fun freebies.

FlameCon, New York City, New York, USA – August 12th – 13th: we might be attending FlameCon! We are on the waitlist for a small table, and if we’re able to get a table, we’ll be there with bells on (possibly literally). If not, we’ll skip this year, but we’re definitely going to try to make it next year!

FandomFest, Schenectady, New York, USA – August 26th – 27th: I (Nina Waters/unforth), Tris Lawrence, Catherine E. Green, Shea Sullivan, Willa Blythe, Nova Mason, and possibly other Press authors and contributors will be attending this convention, local to where the Press is based! We’ll have a vending table with merch and books for sale, and we’ll also be hosting a panel about transitioning from writing fanfiction to original fiction. We’ll post more about that, including scheduling, once the con organizers formally announce the schedule.

Albacon, Albany, New York, USA – September 8th – 10th: Tris Lawrence and I will be at Albacon in Albany, and we’ll be vending too! We don’t yet know about panels and readings, but we’re definitely looking to get involved. When the event is closer, we’ll absolutely be sharing more information.

We’re looking to expand our con attendance in the future, so be on the look out! And if you know a local con you think would suit us, do let us know!

What about y’all – attending any fun cons or book-related events this summer?

[morganhazelwood]

Writing For Different Audiences

When to decide which audience and genre to write in, what topics to avoid with younger audiences, and some of the nuances involved.

Jane Yolen has written everything from picture books for toddlers to adult fantasy to mainstream. Other authors might not be quite so versatile but still write for multiple genres and different audiences. What do writers do differently for different audiences? What makes something work for a particular audience? At what point do you decide what type of book it should be? On the titular panel…

[xiane]

If hope is a taste, what is yours?

There’s been a lot going on. I won’t lie, I’m exhausted – but I’m also happy with how the past few weeks have been going. I’ve already talked a bit about Balticon and I just got finished with the Nebula Conference – I took part in panels at both events but as always there’s so many other fantastic discussions that happen at them and it’s a privilege to get to be in the same room, whether in…

[hannaedits]

Con Report: Balticon 58

[wonderlesch]

Can’t Miss May 2023 Events

Can't Miss May 2023 Events shares Music Festivals, Block Parties, Sci-Fi Conventions and more. Click the link to learn more and start planning your amazing May 2023!

Hello and welcome to Can’t Miss May 2023 Events. Read on to explore music festivals, sci-fi conventions and more. This travel destination guide has something for everyone to go and see in May. Let’s travel! Beach Life Festival – May 5 – May 7, 2023 The Beach Life Festival will take place in Redondo Beach, California May 5-7 2023. The festival line up shows an eclectic array of acts from across…

[thief-and-dragonfly]

It’s so wild because I saw post from @pixiecactus (you’re amazing keep up the good work !) about that Gendrya fic with that quote from the author about George saying that Gendrya wouldn’t happen.And I remember during my time lurking on Westeros dot org a lot of BNF on there that were very vocal about Gendrya not happening citing the fanfic author as proof,which I always found odd as we never got a direct quote from GRRM about Gendrya before that user who went to BaltiCon who wasn’t a big Gendrya fan finally asked him.

[kellyvela]

This is what Aria stans sound like: "Aria being compared to Lyanna once or twice, a woman who Jon presumes is his dead aunt who he has never met, doesn't know what she looks like, never thinks about except once in the span of FIVE books, and has shown virtually no interest in getting to know more about, is proof that Jon is going to fall in love with Aria and they're going to get married and live happily ever after as King and Queen and have ten children. Anyway, back to my main point of my blog, my inferiority complex when it comes to Sansa because I was ugly and overlooked for prettier, more interesting girls in high school so now I have to overcompensate by stanning a girl that gets called horseface on the regular in a fantasy book series. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk."

Yup, they really sound like that:

[burinazar]

It's funny stepping back into fandom spaces where most people are within my general age range or older after making so many younger friends in MiAbyss fandom* so when i go back to my old stomping grounds of LOGH or T&B or Star Trek or Vorkosiverse or the BJD hobby or just the whole entire SFF/genre fiction reader+writer sphere and it's like oh ok yeah. i'm not really thaaaaaaattttt humongously old i guess. because to be honest with you sometimes in other contexts i feel like the club penguin 18+ elderly penguin

*not to erase those of you in there who are older! it's just that something with MiA that was a brand new experience for me over the last year is that I sure did accumulate some treasured fandom friends a decade-ish younger than me and i feel somewhat protective of them slash occasionally ashamed of not being a more impressive role model or something but okay look you guys don't want a mentor you want a draw-er of shitposts and a writer-er of decentish fanfics and That I Can Do

[apatosaurus]

My favorite program at my favorite convention of the year is about to begin.

[tryslora]

Balticon and Book Publication!

Just sent out my newsletter and posted it public on Patreon. Follow either for news about Balticon and my latest book!

[lavenderinoz]

George R. R. Martin has confirmed the long-standing fan theory that Brienne descends from Ser Duncan the Tall.

In 2016 at BaltiCon,  fan Kristen Reed Treado asked, "Will we ever learn how Brienne descends from Dunk?" GRRM replied, "Eventually. All will be revealed in time."

[morganhazelwood]

Morgan's 2024 Resolutions

Each January, I like to look at what I've been up to and re-prioritize. Last year was a year of reading, revision, and conventions. This year? Well, I think I want to focus on my writing.

While New Years resolutions aren’t for everyone, I like to step back at the start of my year and think about what my priorities for my writing life should be for the coming year. 2023 was a year of revisions, reading, and conventions. Sure, it was revising one manuscript twice, rather than making progress on other drafts, but otherwise, I kept my focus. My blog shrunk a little, and I left…

[xiane]

Nothing Happened, the End.

I went to Balticon, but my body didn't like that. It's slowed me down, but here's some things I've worked on in the meantime!

“I had big plans. I did one of those things on the list. Now I’m paying for it.Oops.” – Me, usually So what happened is this: as previously mentioned, I went to Balticon. There was a live reading! It was great! There were lots of interesting panels! I got fairy hair! I didn’t even go all four days, y’all. I didn’t stay for any later-night shenanigans. I was at con from about 10:30a – 6p for two…

[hannaedits]

Balticon 58 Schedule

After a hiatus last year (okay, I went on a cruise), I’m returning to my original, hometown convention this weekend for Balticon 58! I may have added romance to my repertoire, but speculative fiction remains my first love, and I’m thrilled that I’ll get to share my love of each this year during panels that span both topics. I’ll have copies of all my books on hand to sell, including Steel…