World Fantasy: Looking Back

World Fantasy was a wonderful time last year. I quite enjoyed it and though I didn't do the networking I needed, I feel that the overall experience was key in me getting out my queries and ultimately getting an agent. It gave me a sense of purpose and helped me realize (as I do every time I go to a convention) that I'm a small fish in an ocean. Or something like that. There are a lot of writers out there trying to break into the field and this knowledge, whether new or old, can be rather daunting.

I'm not sure what difference there was between Denver and LA Worldcons and World Fantasy in Columbus, but I was far more manic than I'd ever been before. I hardly slept the entire weekend. I wandered a lot, and when I did have a chance to talk to an editor I babbled. By the time the Saturday night parties started I was frazzled and sleep-deprived and finally gave up and drove home at about 10PM.

I was really nervous about approaching people. One of my big regrets was when a friend offered to introduce me to John Scalzi and I never took her up on it. Since, John's blog has been one of the many I've begun to follow. From a writer's standpoint I understand that his book reviews can really do wonders for a person's sales and some face time would have been nice even if my first book is still many years from print. From a personal standpoint his wit and opinions are just the kind I enjoy in a person and he seems like the kind of guy you want to be friends with. Makes me wish I had shaken his hand.