Day five (crikey, it really did go five days, didn’t it?) dawned bright and early. My reading was sparsely attended, which was a shame, but Natalie from HarperCollins recorded my reading from Power Unbound and it will go up on the website at some point, so you’ll all be able to experience my brilliance :)
Had a coffee with my publisher and a chat about concerns, futures and so on. When I talked about my concern that in book two and three I may have lost the things that people are loving in book one, she said not to worry. ‘You nailed it’ was the exact phrasing. Colour me a happy author.
Finally got to catch up with Trudi Canavan, who I’ve seen briefly from time to time during the con but didn’t manage to get any real time with. Funnily, she was after me to get me to sign a copy of Secret Ones. It was slightly surreal, to have someone of Trudi’s stature (even if she is a friend) to want my signature. Wasn’t that long ago I was fan-girling over her :)
After lunch, twas time to pack up the CSFG table. Donna, Matthew, Ian and I had a fabulous walk through the bowels of the convention centre and at one point were almost lost.
At 3pm was my second panel. I found out late that having been relieved of moderating duties, I was back on deck. I was really crap at it. There were some big personalities there and I just shrank away and let them take over. It ended up being a disappointing panel for me, so much so I basically ran from the room and down to the bar to drown my sorrows.
Hubby came for that panel – a shame that he didn’t see me perform better. After sharing a drink with him, I considered going back to the hotel and curling up in a ball to nurse my disappointment. However, I decided to step outside myself and approach some people I didn’t really know that well.
Ended up a great idea. Had a fabulous chat for a few hours with Peter M Ball, Jess Irwin and Michele Cashmore – one of those great conversations that range over hill and dale, where you get to discuss writing and all the accompanying ideas. It reminded me of why I love conventions and so I was able to walk away with a smile.
Overall, this was a con of ups and downs. In terms of it being a platform on which to present myself and build some name recognition, it was a bust. I only had two panels, one of which I didn’t get to say anything on, and the signing and reading were not well attended (to be expected for the first novel).
However, this was the first time most of the Australian community had seen me since Secret Ones was released and I was overwhelmed by the support I received from them – we really do have a fabulous group of people.
My favourite part of the con was presenting fellow Canberran Simon Petrie with his Sir Julius Vogel award for best new talent. While I tried to maximise the embarrassment factor (if it can be achieved, it should be, I think), it was wonderful to have the opportunity to showcase my fellow writers’ talents and achievements. I love sharing the love.
Other highlights – having Mark Timminy from Galaxy Books ask me to sign my CSFG flash fiction story and demand where the rest of it is; having a few people tell me how much they loved Secret Ones; the various Voyager events (it’s an exciting time for the company and for both personal and professional reasons I’m looking forward to seeing what happens); meeting Gail Carriger, Fran Myman and Howard Tayler; the feminism in SF panel; Ditmar wins for friends Kaaron Warren, Cat Sparks and Gillian Polack; listening to Mary Victoria read (it really was sensational, Mary!).
In the end, I’ve come away with my love of cons reaffirmed. Be scared, people – I’m finding it hard to not get back into con organising again :)