My Dragon*Con Journal
by Wendy Darling

Here are highlights from my LiveJournal and posts to the Stormboard, leading up to, during, and after Dragon*Con. Lots of panel descriptions, plus silly stuff outside the panel, and me obviously not sleeping enough.

Rather than putting the dates when I wrote them (confusing since often I'd do a daily write up the next day), I'm putting headers on the entries saying what they're about. I've also put a few notes/corrections in brackets in cases where explanations are necessary. Hopefully that makes this somewhat easier to follow!

Boy, my LJ friends list is realllllllly quiet about now — seeing as almost everybody on it is here at Dragon*Con and offline. I will keep up my own posts though, since I'll be coming back to my place at night and probably periodically throughout the con. Right now I'm just twiddling my thumbs waiting 'til 7 for the first guests to arrive. (Then I'll have a 7-7:30 panic attack as nobody does, LOL.)

Today has been pretty low-key. Met up with Storm, Jim, Gab & Lyd this morning for breakfast at the Landmark Diner, then had them over my place for a bit. Next we went shopping on South Peachtree; Storm went in a lot of wig & hair shops and got a bag of extensions and other hair gear.

Me with Storm, my friend Kristina, and Storm's husband Jim Hibbert

Afterward they headed back to the hotel and I went to work a bit for a client. We were going to go to Little Five Points but it started to rain, so instead we decided we'd be picking up badges and so on. I hauled over a cart full of Immanion Press stuff, then we roamed around a while. A bunch of us (including Merc [Bridgette] & Lady [Sara], who had arrived) wound up in a bar at the Marriott. Storm tried to get her director's kit but the line wasn't open yet so I left her to wait in line.

Tried to get done some Perl script work for like an hour but gave up in order to prep for party. I think I'm allllllllmost set. (If I weren't, I wouldn't be sitting here typing!)

Since by virtue of the fact I get to go home at night to my Internet access, I guess it's my job to report back on how Gothic Journeys is going.

Short version: It's doing awesome and we're kicking butt!

Longer version: All four of our programs tonight were overwhelming successes, with full/overflowing attendance, fantastic discussions & speakers, great audience participation.

The opening track, "Welcome to the Journey," began as an introduction to all our main guests & panelists and evolved into a discussion of Goth, as in "What the fuck is it?" Right from the start, it was clear we had a great groups of people with really sharp minds.

The Friday night outfit

The second track, "Music of the Night," about Goth music, was a RAGING success! Not only did we have the room packed, but the discussion was absolutely brilliant. Moderated with minimal interference by this fellow Rob Levy, the track featured Voltaire, William Faith (Faith and the Muse), Bruce Wells, Rogue (Cruxshadows) and his two winged entourage girls. We were lucky to have such massively articulate, thoughtful musicians on hand. Really gobsmackingly good talk! At the conclusion of it, Voltaire declared "Can I just say, this has been the most intelligent panel I've ever been on?"

I was quite hungry by the third track, "Ways of the Wyrd" (magic) so I skipped it to eat at the Con Suite, only coming in for the last twenty minutes, but I can say that this panel too was packed and obviously had been a very big hit with the audience. Panelists (sort of assembled on spot, after some cancellations) included Storm, Gabriel, Lydia, Phil Brucato, Kevin DeVico and Rogue, who all talked about how they came to practice magic and all sorts of other various and sundry.

The final track for the night, "Breaking Taboos: Androgynes, Gender and Sexuality in Fantasy," was one I moderated and again, we had a big turnout and reallllly great speakers. I think I did a good job moderating as well, leading Phil, Storm, Jacqueline Carey, and Lynn Flewelling through a discussion of alternative sexuality in fiction, straight women writing gay men, sex in fantasy, transgender stuff...

Just on and on with all kinds of great discussion and fab questions from the audience. Based on today, I'd expect some sort of buzz to be building about how Gothic Journeys has some really meaty panels with people who know what they're talking bout. I *hope* our panels are full tomorrow too!

Wrap-up of Saturday,
Day 2 of the Madness...
Written Up Late Night

Sooooooooooooo tired, but doing another Gothic Journeys / Dragon*Con update...

First thing (which I missed, for frozen coffee & watching the D*C Parade with friends) was a reading with Lynn Flewelling and Neil Robinson.

I arrived to do the 11:30 a.m. interview with Storm, which came off well and racked up quite a load of book sales afterward, from the stock that had been brought to the room. A lot of people bought "complete sets" of the Wraeththu Chronicles, topped with Breeding Discontent and hey, the new ones as well. Storm did a lot of autographs as she, Bridgette and I combined our math skills to do some barely passable totals on pricing, made change, etc.

There was an illustration and comic books panel I missed seeing since I went out to do something or other, but I got back as it was ending and I saw it got good attendance.

At 2:30 we had the "Seeing is Writing: The Visionary Author" panel, which I moderated and turned out well, with six authors talking about their creative inspirations, visualizations, how to write dreams, etc. Some really intelligent discussion there, including Caitlin talking about James Joyce. That panel was packed.

The Goth panel we'd all anticipated ("Decades of the Dark: Goth from 1980-2004") was AMAZING, the star being once again Rogue, comic relief by Voltaire, plus input from Anne Sudworth, Phil Brucato, Caitlin, and Storm. I reallllly wish I'd taped the whole thing, as it was just such a brilliant discussion. A++ content-wise. Oh, and THAT panel was completely and utterly jammed, people on the floor, in the aisles, door open with crowd flowing into the hall.

Me and Lynn Flewelling

At the end of that I had to go home for dinner and a clothes change, so I missed the world-building panel and turned up at the very end of Jacqueline Carey's (packed!) Q&A session. Jacqueline was very gracious with all her fans lined up for autographs. I also got a "Love As Thou Wilt" bumper sticker from her!

The panel at 8:30 was awesome — "Theft or Flattery: The Truth about Fan Fiction." Guests were Caitlin K., Lynn F., Bridgette (mod), myself an Deb Clarke. I liked the way it turned out because it a) it wasn't writers-versus-the-fanficcers, b) the audience and great comments and questions.

After that I mod'd a panel called "The Beautiful and the Dangerous: Vampires in Fiction." I'm proud of the fact that although the track could've been a regular disaster (only one guest showed, and late at that), I managed to carry it off. That was a good panel and, to nobody's surprises, almost packed.

There were other side trips like for shopping or going home, but now I'm falling asleep at the keyboard.

Considering it's 4:30 a.m. I really shouldn't be on the computer... BUT I know if I don't post some notes now, I will either never get around to it or not remember things quite as clearly later on. Which is to say, I'm going to post some rough notes on today's D*C...

After usual morning prep this morning, stuffed my shopping cart full of all the booze and food I had left over from my party Thursday, then hauled it over to Storm et al.'s room at the Hyatt, so people could enjoy it later (which it turned out they did).

First panel of the day (11:30 a.m.) was Storm and Neil Robinson doing a reading. Storm read from the bit in Shades about Ponclast and how he finds a way "out" of Gebaddon, and Neil read the first couple of chapters of Oliphan Oracus. I quite enjoyed Neil's reading and I think the audience did too, seeing as two of them bought copies.

At this point I realized I'd forgotten my folder of panel prep notes at my house, so I went home to get it, then ended up running back in a panic to the hotel when I realized I had got the next panel time wrong...

Next up at 1 o'clock, I moderated a writing panel called "The Infernal Word: The Magical Power of Language." At the outset I was a bit worried since the panel idea was Storm's, but my questions seemed to work to illicit great responses from the authors (Neil, Lynn, and Jacqueline), plus stimulate the audience into asking a lot of great questions about the craft of writing. I particularly appreciated Lynn's insights; I think there are things she advocated that I think I will try out for myself.

After this I had a bit of a chill out break, so I wasn't at the "Joy and Despair" panel. Met up with friends for lunch — Willy's [burrito place] was open on Sunday, yay!

At 4 o'clock I moderated a panel on Reiki with Storm and Lydia. That went really well and the room was full. (Actually on this note, I should say that the only panels we've had so far that failed to fill the room at least 3/4 were our a.m. readings, but since those are a narrower audience and in the morning to boot, that's not surprising. )

I had a bunch of people come up to me after doing the panel, to ask me for the URL of a web site I'd mentioned, and then I escaped to the Marriott. There I found the Outworlders table (finally), used my gift certificate at the D*C store (to buy 4 Silly Putties and a fan), and then wound my way down to the Dealer's Hall, where I went and bought myself some more lovely jewelry. Went home afterward for dinner, meeting up with my friends, eating a lot of spaghetti with Kristina.

Meanwhile at this point we had several schedule things going on, including a Caitlin Kiernan reading and the RPG panel. The dehara panel kicked off while I decided to stay in the suite. I hung out there alone for 1 1/2 hours and then people flooded back in around 11:30.

Storm cancelled the horror panel... and so everybody wound up coming into the suite. Suite party was fun. Lot of highlights, people, things said — all very interesting. My personal highlight was Lynn F. coming by.

I left the hotel at like 4:20 and made it home by 4:30. [I live walking distance from the con hotels.]

dear heaven i am tired. i just got up after a whole 4 hours of sleep. my mental & physical state seems comparable to how it would be if it'd been put in a bucket of paint and shaken up in one of those paint mixing machines at a hardware store. a shower and coffee will help, i suppose, but i suspect i'm just going to simply crash the moment i finish my last panel today!

Sorry I didn't post any more updates, but Dragon*Con is pretty much an all-consuming experience. I've spent so little time at home that the dishes from the party I had last Thursday are still in the sink! LOL.

Anyway, the Gothic Journeys track at D*C was a great success.

We were lucky to have a lot of great guests & panelists, including Lynn Flewelling, Jacqueline Carey, Caitlin Kiernan, Neil Robinson, Rogue (from the Cruxshadows), Voltaire, William Faith, Bridgette Parker, Bruce Wells, Anne Sudworth, Phil Brucato, and more — plus Storm Constantine of course and Immanion Press people.

We had a lot of panels that packed rooms — esp. the ones on goth, but only ones on alt. sexuality in SF/F, magic, Reiki, Jacqueline Carey, writing... Lots of enthusiastic participation.

We also had a really good track staff, including myself, Lydia, Gabriel, Deb Clark, Peter Cassidy and Olga Bosserdt, who helped both at the panels and in running the Immanion Press booth in the dealer's hall. And speaking of, IP sold a whole lot of books!

P.S. It's raining here in Atlanta today, aftermath of Frances, and we're all waiting to see whether the flight Storm & 4 others on makes it out today.

P.P.S. I am soooooooooooooooo tired.

Only did 2 panels today, was running all around though. It's all over. Had a long night talking afterward, making plans, saying goodbyes, etc. I'm feeling rather depressed at the moment; not because of how the con went (it was great) but I don't know... just things being over. I will try and post a complete description of today later, plus some news I got today, but right now I'm going to bed.

Just when I thought the con was over... I think Storm et al. will be staying with me tonight due to airline fuck-ups I won't even bother to mention except to say that they're NOT due to weather. Grrrrr. Ah, well, going to clean my kitchen now and cook up a big pot of soup in anticipation of them staying the night and needing dinner. It's not that I don't want to see them but ugh, it makes me mad to see them running into such hassle.

Group shot of English folks who only THINK they are about to go back home to England (plus Paul and Bruce, who also believe this)

Hopefully Storm, Gab, Lyd, Jim, & John are right now en route to Newark, where they'll catch a flight to Manchester later today. Hopefully anyway!

All of them wound up stuck here a full extra day, due to a snafu caused by the airline itself and then the stupid airport security procedures. Their luggage was sent on to Philadelphia while they were stranded here after being forced to miss a flight.

I did my best to make the extra day comfortable. They got MARTA back to my place, and then Paul Cashman and Bruce turned up so we could make a group trip to Jade Palace in Cobb County. Predictably we gorged ourselves :) On the way back in Bruce's car, we started singing Bowie stuff, including Labyrinth stuff, and so when we got back we actually watched my Labyrinth DVD. Caleb and Daniel were over for that as well and Bruce and Paul stayed on.

Finally everybody was ready for bed. Storm & Jim went home with Caleb to go sleep on his futon, while I put Jon, Lyd & Gab up in my bedroom. I slept on the air mattress. Aside from a huge burst of hysterical laughter as we were falling asleep [see Gab's post], the evening was uneventful.

Today once everybody was awake I prep'd bagels and tea, then served as guide to the airport. Luggage and flight to Newark were sorted. They got tagged again for a "special" security inspection but I watched them make it through so they probably are on their way to Newark now.

[Yes, they made it home.]

About the Author:
Wendy Darling (nickname Wiebke Fesch) is a web designer, fanfic author, and editor of Inception. She lives in Atlanta, GA, where she is self-employed, operating her own web design business, Metro Girl. Wendy is co-author of a Wraeththu Mythos novel called Breeding Discontent, and is an editor with Immanion Press. You can reach Wendy at wdarling@abraxis.com.