Balticon Recap

Okay, I know I should have sent this yesterday, but I plead exhaustion.

Balticon was awesome. There was an expected level of disorganization (higher attendance, new hotel with different meeting space, etc), but everyone rose to the occasion and put together a gorgeous convention.

Here were some highlights:

- Drawing the "In the Game of _____, you Win or You Lose" black card in CAH in the bar with Martin at the next table... (And he signed one of August Grappin's cards for the deck of writers ;)). Killed the game for several minutes.
- Discussing the Future of Government in a packed panel room at 9am. I was expecting to outnumber the audience, but apparently the Balticon crowd was quite interested ;).
- An "informal" discussion on Lovable Rogues with the always-awesome Gail Z. Martin.
- Next 50 years of Science Fiction went very well.
- It was a great honor to read with Kim Stanley Robinson - the man is a gentleman as well as a brilliant writer, and breaks the rules with flair. It took me until now to realize the entire chapter he read was the dreaded infodump...but when you're Kim Stanley Robinson you can get away with it. Us mere mortals...
- The Best Of Luck on the ground floor of the Power Plant sells malts that almost reach Midwestern standards.

Tentative Balticon Schedule

Still trying to straighten out a couple of double books, but here is my schedule:

Saturday 9am - The Future Of Government (Ugh, a 9am, but a great topic).
Saturday 2am - Signing

Sunday 1pm - Breaking Into Writing For RPG Gaming
Sunday 6pm - Reading
Sunday 8pm - Science Fiction: The Next 50 Years
Sunday 9pm - Loveable Rogues in Media Fiction
Sunday 10pm - Authorian Jargon: A Readers' Handbook

So, yes, I'm practically doing everything on Sunday, but I don't really care ;). This may be subject to some change/tweaking.

All These Worlds Are Yours...

...except Europa. Attempt no landing there.

Arthur C. Clarke predicted that life could evolve on Europa's moon if Jupiter was suddenly turned into a small sun. While that part is a little ridiculous (IMO), Europa remains one of the most likely candidates for a life harboring world in this system other than the one we're standing on. The latest study indicates that Europa may have the same ratio of hydrogen and oxygen as Earth.

And here's the thing?

Earth didn't have an oxygen atmosphere until after certain forms of life evolved. So...free oxygen may be a major signifier of our kind of life.

Which makes me wary of the idea of landing there.

A Florida brewery...

...has invented edible six pack rings. The point is that they'll feed wildlife instead of being a pollutant, but...how many frat boys are going to sample them?

Falling Dusk

And...it's live!

Find your copy at the following locations:

Payhip: http://payhip.com/b/SwWj

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F9FAHRQ

Barnes & Noble: http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Dusk-Lost-Guardians-1/dp/1532704291

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/634881

Print: http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Dusk-Lost-Guardians-1/dp/1532704291

Meet Victor Prince...

The male lead of Falling Dusk is ready to answer all of your questions if you go to thedeskofvictorprince.tumblr.com (I'll be keeping it up as long as it seems people are amused by it ;)).

Not Quite There For Dragon

Although the latest Dragon landing was successful, the booster is apparently not in a usable state to be re-flown. The damage was apparently done during re-entry.

Instead, it will be used in testing to help make the next booster more able to take high speed and heat. We're still making progress.

And don't forget - Falling Dusk hits the electronic shelves this Friday! (The print version is still in the works, but I had an issue with a lost proof that's set me back slightly).