February, 2016, gave me twelve days on the road, in the air, or at various events. At times I’d awaken in the morning, momentarily unsure where I was—without a clue of what day of the week greeted me. All my return trips happened on Mondays. So my first morning home, I’d see the familiar “cat eyes” (recessed ceiling lamps) staring from the other side of my bedroom and know Tuesday had arrived.
RadCon—picture 3,000 people gathered at a Red Lion Inn—never ceases to amaze me. Enthusiasm and dedication abound annually. There’s a big student turnout, too. A high proportion of all attendees wear costumes, ranging in complexity from cute antennae, to superheroes, to steampunk versions of The Six-Million-Dollar Man. The scratched-and-faded upright piano tucked into one of the corridors is always a bonus. Any moment may bring a sonata—jazz—or, maybe just chop-sticks. The music resonates and I love every note.
Once again, I was lucky enough to spend a day at Chiawana High School and speak to students about writing. A total of around 200, I think.
My panels included:
The Real Lab: Sometimes things go very right in the lab, and sometimes things go horribly wrong. A group of scientists discussed the sometimes terrifying, often hilarious, crazy things that can happen when working in the lab. (Thank you Berlex alumni for contributing your stories to me.)
The Best Writing Advice I Was Ever Given: My first contribution was “You can do it!” What an English teacher said to me in high school really made a difference.
The Devil’s in the Details: Visualizing the scene when writing to keep from confusing the reader.
This year, David and I took in the performance of the Ignition Fire Troupe. I’m embedding their promotional film from RadCon 2013. The actual performance—in the Red Lion courtyard—lasted way longer. Over a half hour. Maybe an hour? I didn’t pay attention to time. Spectacular!
RuddyGore: On February 21, I had a walk-on role at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. The Lamplighters performed Ruddygore, my favorite Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera. I won this honor at the Lamplighters silent auction fundraiser last year. Here’s a photo of me in costume, ready for my appearance in Act I. Being part of the cast for an afternoon was so cool. Cast members went out of their way to make me feel comfortable and at home. The Lamplighters, formed fifty years ago, are a beloved San Francisco tradition for many good reasons. I always enjoy the way the cast gathers with the audience in the lobby after performances.
Digital Author & Indie Publishing Conference, February 26-28, Los Angeles Valley College in Van Nuys, CA. I had the honor of serving on a panel on the opening day: Beyond the First Draft—Editing Your Work & When to Hire a Pro. Phil Giangrande moderated. My fellow panelists were Deanne Brady and Mike Robinson. This informative event was organized by Tony N. Todaro, CEO of West Coast Writers Conferences (WCx2) and President of the Greater Los Angeles Writers Society (GLAWS). I’ve not self-published before, except blogs via my website or podcast commentaries. I came away with the feeling that, “Yes! I could do this.” Thank you, Tony. And thanks to all of your many volunteers.
March is my stay-at-home month. Now that I’ve turned in my tax materials to my accountant, I’m actually going to clean the house. However, I’m also getting ready for April.
Wine Country Comic Con: Roseland Lions Club is hosting the first ever comic convention in the North Bay. Wine Country Comic Con, which will be held April 23 and 24th, 2016, at the Sonoma County Fair Grounds will be open from 11am to 6pm both days.
Wine Country Comic Con aims to bring an amazing convention to the area, with guests, panels, cosplay contests, and so much more. All proceeds from the convention’s fundraising activities, including tickets and sponsors, will go towards the creation of an early learning center for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and children with speech and behavioral problems. This cause is especially dear to the convention’s founder, Uriel Brena, whose son has Autism and who is a big fan of comics.
I’ll have a table in the artists/authors area. Look for the blonde lady in steampunk clothing with her hand up the innards of a furry puppet.
Warm wishes,
Laurel Anne Hill, Award-Winning Author of Heroes Arise
(http://www.laurelannehill.com)