Absence; Ad Astra.

About a day and a half after I wrote that last one, my grandmother died. I'm not saying this to solicit commiseration or condolences; I'm saying this to explain the absence, and why I'll probably be kind of low-key here for a while. I have not felt very much like having certain kinds of human contact over the past week and a half, and Being an Author is one of them. I don't really expect I'll feel much like Being an Author for a little while, at least not until this heals a little.

That said, unfortunately the tides are not yet waiting on me etc. etc. and I do have a schedule in my inbox for Ad Astra.


Saturday 10:00am, Salon 343
Post-Medieval Fantasy
A lot of fantasy is set somewhere more modern than a medieval village — and not just urban fantasy. What are examples of non-traditional fantasy settings? Should we see more such settings in fantasy?
(Shirley Meier, Leah Bobet, Kari Maaren, Karen Wehrstein)

Saturday 11:00am, Ballroom Centre
Chilling Tales: A new chapter in Canadian horror and dark fantasy
EDGE Publications is proud to announce Chilling Tales, a new continuing anthology of Canadian Horror and Dark Fantasy. Canadian dark fiction is in a renewed renaissance. Not since the late, lamented Northern Frights anthology series has there been an annual showcase of Canada's dark scribes. Come help the editor and contributors shape Canada's dark future.
(Michael Kelly (m), Leah Bobet, Suzanne Church, Michael Colangelo, Claude Lalumiere, Nancy Kilpatrick, Gemma Files, Richard Gavin, Brent Hayward, Sandra Kasturi, Ian Rogers, Brett Alexander Savory, Simon Strantzas)

Saturday 1:00pm-3:00pm, Antons
Chilling Tales Launch

Saturday 3:30-5:30pm, Ballroom East & Centre
Autograph Session

Sunday 12:00pm, Ballroom East
Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance?
You got romance in my fantasy! You got fantasy in my romance! How do you distinguish between urban fantasy and paranormal romance?
(Peter Halasz (m), Leah Bobet, Stephanie Bedwell-Grime, Sarah Zettel)

Sunday 2:00pm, Salon 241
Editing a novel
You’ve finished the draft of your magnum opus. Now, the real work of writing that novel begins. What should you focus on when editing your novel? What should you be aware of when confronting plotting, characters, pacing, and so forth?
(Brett Alexander Savory, Gabrielle Harbowy, Ziana de Bethune, Leah Bobet (m), Aaron Allston)

So there's that. Otherwise, as in all things, I will be at my friends' readings. Or hanging out behind the bookstore's table. Or in the bar.