A little bit of Mayhem
May. 30th, 2006 06:53 pmMy trip to Omaha and Mayhem in the Midlands was highly successful and quite enjoyable.
Spent 4 days hanging with fellow authors, fans and friends, talking about writing - how much better can it get?
Where else can you hang out in a bar with the likes of Laura Lippman, Denise Hamilton, Kent Krueger, Pari Noskin Taichert and many more?
I moderated one panel (Kick Ass Females or She Who Must Be Obeyed) and participated on two others, spent a LOT of time in the book room and perusing auction items, especially one particular one. There was an Advanced Reader Copy of Kent Krueger's upcoming release, Copper River. I made up my mind, it was mine. I'm not going to say how much I paid, but it was worth it. Of course, I can't hold a candle to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
starrcat, who was bound and determined to buy a character name in an upcoming Krueger book and got in a bidding war with another woman. Both of them got their wish as Kent graciously acceded to naming two characters. (Of course, we won't mention the fact that I bought a character name a couple of years ago, which will appear in Kent's 2007 release, Thunder Bay. Evidently, my character, Maria, will be having teh hawt sex. ::g::)
Saturday night was our traditional friends' dinner at the Flatiron, a nearby and most excellent restaurant.
Sunday was a quiet day, with only the final activity, the closing brunch and roast/toast of our wonderful Guest of Honor, Laura Lippman. Denise Hamilton, toastmaster, did a great investigative job on Laura's background, providing a witty and thoughtful introduction and excellent questions.
Too soon thereafter, most of the gang vanished as they left for flights homeward. Since I didn't leave until the asscrack of dawn on Monday, I rested for the afternoon, and then journeyed to Fleming's, another fabulous local restaurant. I'd considered going out with Donna Andrews and some other friends to visit the Dark Angel, a memorial statue that is local legend, but was overly tired. Donna did, however, bring me back a ton of photos, as I intend to transplant said Angel and use it in my next book. Yay for digital cameras!
If you want to see a photo of me in the bar on Saturday, check out Pari's entry on Murderati - Scroll down to the bottom of the post.
I'm sure Donna will be posting photos at some point, when she does, I'll link to them. I'm such a failure at the picture taking.
My flight back was as uneventful as my flight there - except for the dozens of young teens, many on their first plane ride. The noise factor was truly incredible.
Home by 10:00 a.m. on Monday and I spent the day napping and reading email. Today was work (an all day client meeting) and tomorrow, I get back into the swing.
I love cons. I love being able to hang out with writers and fans, but damn, it sure is nice to be home. :)
ETA: Oh yeah, I wasn't planning on buying anything - wanting to keep down the clutter. Yeah, right. I spent $160 on the auction and nearly half that in the book room. Keel me now. I chalk it up to having had a lovely conversation with my new editor. Matters will be re-released in January '07, and Unnecessary Evil in October of '07 - assuming I finish! EEEee!
Spent 4 days hanging with fellow authors, fans and friends, talking about writing - how much better can it get?
Where else can you hang out in a bar with the likes of Laura Lippman, Denise Hamilton, Kent Krueger, Pari Noskin Taichert and many more?
I moderated one panel (Kick Ass Females or She Who Must Be Obeyed) and participated on two others, spent a LOT of time in the book room and perusing auction items, especially one particular one. There was an Advanced Reader Copy of Kent Krueger's upcoming release, Copper River. I made up my mind, it was mine. I'm not going to say how much I paid, but it was worth it. Of course, I can't hold a candle to
starrcat, who was bound and determined to buy a character name in an upcoming Krueger book and got in a bidding war with another woman. Both of them got their wish as Kent graciously acceded to naming two characters. (Of course, we won't mention the fact that I bought a character name a couple of years ago, which will appear in Kent's 2007 release, Thunder Bay. Evidently, my character, Maria, will be having teh hawt sex. ::g::)Saturday night was our traditional friends' dinner at the Flatiron, a nearby and most excellent restaurant.
Sunday was a quiet day, with only the final activity, the closing brunch and roast/toast of our wonderful Guest of Honor, Laura Lippman. Denise Hamilton, toastmaster, did a great investigative job on Laura's background, providing a witty and thoughtful introduction and excellent questions.
Too soon thereafter, most of the gang vanished as they left for flights homeward. Since I didn't leave until the asscrack of dawn on Monday, I rested for the afternoon, and then journeyed to Fleming's, another fabulous local restaurant. I'd considered going out with Donna Andrews and some other friends to visit the Dark Angel, a memorial statue that is local legend, but was overly tired. Donna did, however, bring me back a ton of photos, as I intend to transplant said Angel and use it in my next book. Yay for digital cameras!
If you want to see a photo of me in the bar on Saturday, check out Pari's entry on Murderati - Scroll down to the bottom of the post.
I'm sure Donna will be posting photos at some point, when she does, I'll link to them. I'm such a failure at the picture taking.
My flight back was as uneventful as my flight there - except for the dozens of young teens, many on their first plane ride. The noise factor was truly incredible.
Home by 10:00 a.m. on Monday and I spent the day napping and reading email. Today was work (an all day client meeting) and tomorrow, I get back into the swing.
I love cons. I love being able to hang out with writers and fans, but damn, it sure is nice to be home. :)
ETA: Oh yeah, I wasn't planning on buying anything - wanting to keep down the clutter. Yeah, right. I spent $160 on the auction and nearly half that in the book room. Keel me now. I chalk it up to having had a lovely conversation with my new editor. Matters will be re-released in January '07, and Unnecessary Evil in October of '07 - assuming I finish! EEEee!
