World Fantasy Con

World. Fantasy. Con.

Just the name of it was enough to get me all twisted up inside with equal parts of awe, anticipation, and anxiety. Since Jenny and I haven't had a vacation since Logan's birth last year, we made the trip together and I'm glad we did. Everything we experienced was heightened for someone with share it with.

This year WFC was held at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, CA. Wow. The Fairmont is lavish and beautiful--our room was more like a suite. We ate like a king and queen all weekend. On Friday, we met with Jonathan Schiefer of "Adventures in SciFi Publishing" for a podcast interview. I was a little nervous, but Jonathan made the process painless and I think I gave a good interview. Afterward, he took us out to lunch, which was my first free meal as an author. Thank you, Mr. Schiefer!

That evening Jenny and I met with Jo Fletcher, a publisher at Gollancz, the house that will be putting out the U.K. edition of my books. She brought a gaggle of Brits with her and we all went out for a wonderful dinner filled with laughter, alcohol, and witty conversation. The party continued back at the hotel bar for several hours.

Saturday I met with my agents, Eddie and Joshua, in person for the first time. We had a short "business" meeting (just typing that makes me feel so damned professional) in the afternoon, and then they took Jenny and I out to dinner along with a throng of other JABberwocky authors. Big names like Kat Richardson, Peter Brett, Tim Akers, and others were in attendance. And, like the previous night, many of us returned to the hotel bar for drinks and more talk afterward. It was great getting to know Eddie a little better, having talked to him on the phone and via email so many times. He's a very cool guy and smarter than the proverbial whip. He's going to be a huge name in this industry.

Sadly, we had to leave on Sunday (way too early), but it was an awesome trip with memories I'll never forget and new friendships I hope to sustain for a long time.