Balticon was a Lot of Fun, (Despite the Mishaps)

A bit overdue due to some intervening life stuff, but here’s my Balticon recap:

Totally Messed Up Registration & Scheduling:
I’m not certain there was anyone who attended this year who was unaffected by Registration issues in what can only be kindly referred to as a Debacle.

Some people waited for over an hour to gain entrance: and these are people that pre-paid — or like myself — were a registered guest! Balticon was debuting a new system. (They probably should have tested it better prior to the first day of the con.)

Scheduling Errors, Ditto:
Closely related were scheduling errors. I was lamenting my lack of panels, and it turned out I was on one, but hadn’t been notified: mostly because our schedules were printed at registration. I was told to “come back in an hour” to get my tent card three times in a row.

Worse, the schedules weren’t finalized even up to the opening day of the con–and emails to schedulers weren’t returned. Some of my emails even bounced from the mailbox.

Sigh. I know the staff works very hard to coordinate the con.

Still, much fun was had.

Best Moment: Reading!
For me, the stand out moment was audience reaction during my reading. I shared a time slot with Vonnie Winslow Crist and we took turns reading from out work. I read a bit from A Favor for a Fiend, but with time left over, I also read from Stoned in Charm City.

For those of you who’ve read it, it’s the scene where Father Hughes is in the basement of Holy Rosary Church and, after calling on four archangels to protect him, manages to conjure up something else. I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t read the scene yet, but when I got to the end, there was an audible gasp from the audience.

Oh, how my heart started beating! There’s nothing better than knowing you’ve written something that sparks a response in someone else. Totally made my con! Thank you, dear listener.

Steve Southard’s Book Launch:
I also enjoyed attending Steven R. Southard’s launch/reading of Ripper’s Ring. Steve brought along a 3D-printed copy of the ring described in the book, and I wish I’d thought to take a picture of it. Don’t despair, I think you can find the plans for it on his blog, (linked above).

If you enjoy Jack the Ripper stories, The Ripper’s Ring is for you. It’s an interesting take on what might have happened.

And Friends, Of Course!
Finally, of course, it was great to see all those people I only seem to run into at cons…you know who you are! Wishing you well until the next time!