When Words Collide - Part One
Okay, so this is how it went down:
Fresh from the keynote address at the first ever When Words Collide Sci-Fi conference, my friend Michelle and I got into the elevator, headed up to the party room because we heard there were cookies. A handful of people siphon in after us, and I begin to make conversation a bit, something I do when I'm nervous or there's lots of people around. And as I become aware of who's standing next to me, I start jabbering more, because, this half bald man in a black shirt with a fancy neck hanger nametag is one of the keynote speakers. And not only that, he's a published authour named Robert J. Sawyer, who has written some twenty books and won a dozen awards. He didn't say much. I was asking Michelle if she'd read Charlie and the Glass Elevator when he got off. In the hallway, we realized that his book Calculating God was in my bookbag, and why the heck didn't we get him to sign it?!
Sigh...besides that priceless moment, the opening evening of the conference set off sparks. I've lately been wondering if writing is something I want to pursue anymore (in a music phase at this point in my creative cycling), but events like this, surrounded by talented authours and editors - it's like a resonance. Michelle and I got to talking about books, and Shakespeare, and writing, and at the party room (there were indeed cookies - that you could write on the icing with edible ink!) we met a few people from Calgary, also editing types. Saw Brian and Anitta, our friends from EDGE publishing. And, one of my high points of the night, purchased a copy of TECHNICOLOR ULTRAMALL, a book I've been waiting for since last year! Yes, geekdom is good, I want a house in the sci-fi village. With automatic doors of course.
Fresh from the keynote address at the first ever When Words Collide Sci-Fi conference, my friend Michelle and I got into the elevator, headed up to the party room because we heard there were cookies. A handful of people siphon in after us, and I begin to make conversation a bit, something I do when I'm nervous or there's lots of people around. And as I become aware of who's standing next to me, I start jabbering more, because, this half bald man in a black shirt with a fancy neck hanger nametag is one of the keynote speakers. And not only that, he's a published authour named Robert J. Sawyer, who has written some twenty books and won a dozen awards. He didn't say much. I was asking Michelle if she'd read Charlie and the Glass Elevator when he got off. In the hallway, we realized that his book Calculating God was in my bookbag, and why the heck didn't we get him to sign it?!
Sigh...besides that priceless moment, the opening evening of the conference set off sparks. I've lately been wondering if writing is something I want to pursue anymore (in a music phase at this point in my creative cycling), but events like this, surrounded by talented authours and editors - it's like a resonance. Michelle and I got to talking about books, and Shakespeare, and writing, and at the party room (there were indeed cookies - that you could write on the icing with edible ink!) we met a few people from Calgary, also editing types. Saw Brian and Anitta, our friends from EDGE publishing. And, one of my high points of the night, purchased a copy of TECHNICOLOR ULTRAMALL, a book I've been waiting for since last year! Yes, geekdom is good, I want a house in the sci-fi village. With automatic doors of course.
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