I didn’t get a chance to post anything about it last fall, but a friend treated me to a day at World Con Science Fiction Con which was in Kansas City last fall year. Normally, if I go to a really big conference, it’s World Fantasy–but who could pass up World Con when it’s in the neighborhood. World Fantasy was close in Ohio, but it would have meant a long drive, kennel fees for seven cats, hotel rooms, days off work, etc. World Con was about the same distance I drive every day to and from work.
My friend, Chuck Hoctor from my writer’s group — Blackwater Literary Society–had never been to a writer’s conference before, and while World Con isn’t purely a writer’s conference, it was definitely worth the trip. Not only did we attend some insightful panels on publishing, editors, agents, screenwriting, and more, I got to talk to some people I didn’t expect to see.
I caught up with Ginjer Buchanan, who was the long time senior editor at Ace, and who I had known since winning the Sci Fi, Fantasy and Horror award at Southwest Writer’s Workshop some years ago. I also got to talk with Eleanor Wood of Spectrum Literary Agency, and a very kind agent from London, whose name escapes me at the moment. Melissa Snodgrass (Star Trek) and George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) were there, along with so many other lights in the SF world.
Chuck and I did a little reconnoitering in downtown KC to find lunch and dinner, which was fun. All in all, it was a fabulous day–made possible by a dear friend’s generosity.
© Chanda K. Zimmerman, 2017
Chanda K. Zimmerman 