Peter is having a grand time out in California at the convention.
He’ll probably tell you all about it either here or in the CBG down the road. So I am not going to post anything related to his trip. I am going to post something about conventions and my experience over the years going to conventions.
I attended my first Science Fiction convention when I was 14. It was a local one day convention called MiniCon. It had authors of both comics and books, a movie room, and a dealers room. The dealers room was an eye opener for me. I didn’t know that there was that much STUFF related to my hobbies or that many people interested in the same subjects I was. I also got my first autograph in a book. It was Michael Bishop and I still own the book. From that point on, I went to conventions.
My first out of state convention was a ChattaCon where I made new friends there that are friends to this day. Some of them even came to my wedding. I started participating at conventions by volunteering. I was a gopher, badge checker, art show flunky, any job that needed doing I did. Somewhere in there I started costuming and it snowballed into running costume contests. Eventually I agreed, for better or worse, to be the Tech Director for DragonCon. It was an education to say the least. Along the way I met a lot of really great people and made some cool friends including my husband (I think I’ll save the “how we met” story for another day. We met at a convention.)
Now I go to conventions as a professional since I am an associate editor at Del Rey Books and work on the Star Wars series with Shelly Shapiro. It is possible to make your hobbies and interests into a full time job and conventions helped me to get where I am today.
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Hello, Mrs. David. I’ve never attended a real sci-fi convention myself, but I was an avid viewer of Star Trek when I was younger. Wow, you’re lucky to get to attend so many conventions for sci-fi and comics. My hearty congratulations!
And Kathleen, thanks for joining us. It’s a good thing for you, being Peter’s better half, to have a chance to expound on your views from time to time. Especially so since you are one of “us” on your own merit.
Mrs. David, I think I speak for all of us when I say that its wonderful to hear from you, and to please feel free to drop by this blog anytime–we’d all love to hear your thoughts.
Also, can you please see that Ms. Shapiro sticks by her resolution in the Jan 2003 DRIN? (Reproduced here: Shelly Shapiro, Editorial Director, resolves not to kill off any major Star Wars(R) characters.) And do you have any comments on the New Jedi Order Series to which the comment refers?
And do you ever help edit PAD’s work? Or does he bounce story ideas off of you? And have you ever thought of writing yourself?
Chris
I remember walking around the Toronto convention with you a couple years ago thinking, “oh my god, this woman’s a VETERAN! she knows EXACTLY where she’s going and what she’s doing!” Kinda intimidating, even though I’ve probably been going to cons on and off for about 20+ years too. I agree, when I first started going to cons the feeling that hit me the most was “wow, there are all these people who like what I like?” I wonder if we aren’t more matter-of-fact about cons now that the Internet provides that “click” of group recognition.
It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. D. I’m always interested in how people got into fandom and particularly how they met their significant others through fandom (as I did the same). Please share with us, if you will, how you came to meet PAD.
Going to the MiniCon wouldn’t mean that your from Minnesota, would it?
Thanks for joining us Kathleen, I always enjoy hearing stories about people who have made a career doing the things they love. My first out-of-province con was the San Diego Comicon of 2001. I had the chance to speak to alot of professionals at that con who gave me some much needed advice on the career I was considering (as an editor, for the record). I am eternally thankful to all those professionals for their ‘booth chat.’
By the way, it’s probably a redundant question, but would you happen to know yet if Del Rey is going to have a booth or something along that lines at this year’s Worldcon? I mean it is here in Toronto this year after all. 🙂
Sabrina
Sabrina-
Del Rey will be represented at WorldCon this year. I don’t know if the booth is going there, but a number of the Del Rey editors will be there.
Chris-
I can’t really comment much on NJO in reference to Shelly’s comment. This is the last year for this storyline and, so far, it rocks. I don’t edit Peter, but he has bounced ideas off me. I do have a few writing projects in the hopper but I have a couple of puppets I have to finish first.
Terry-
The MiniCon was in Atlanta, but it’s cool that they are elsewhere.
ChattaCon was my first convention, about 18 years ago. Luckily I live only about two hours away, so I’ve been back many times since…
And of course that led to me eventually being a con-runner and now, writing.
Oops, forgot the part about meeting my oldest son’s father there, and meeting my husband at a LARP I first played at a con, which I’d gone to because, after ChattaCon, I was hooked.
Who knows where a last minute decision to take a weekend trip will lead?
Can you comment on whether Del Rey has been thinking about the post-ROTJ era after The Unifying Force and the Zahn novel? Or is the prequel era their sole area of focus for the forseeable future?
Mrs. David,
You’ve mentioned two of the three conventions I’ve attended (ChattaCon and DragonCon), though I don’t think I had the fortune of attending either at the same time as yourself.
Do you and your beloved plan to attend any conventions together, when the little one is a bit older? Of course, I’m selfishly hoping for a “yes” followed by “DragonCon”, but of course I wouldn’t dream of trying to influence you in any way.
Thank you for talking to us, and I look forward to reading more from you soon.
Which Dragoncons were you involved with? I volunteered at Dragon con and Dixie Trek and Fantasy Fair a number of times in the early 90’s and late 80’s.
Hi Kathleen! Please post more we’d like to hear from the whole clan!
Although, I think it was a mistake to mention your Star Wars work on the blog ’cause now people will bother you incessantly about it.
And, I can’t help myself but do it too (sorry): GET PETER TO WRITE A STAR WARS NOVEL!!! I’ve been saying that for years but does anyone listen to me noooooooooo….
Shawn
Question: Is the convention Mr. David attended this past weekend the same one where Lana Clarkson (the actress shot to death in Phil Spector’s home) appeared? From the NY Times:
“She appeared just last Saturday at one such event in Pasadena along with three other cast members from ‘Sting of the Scorpion,’ a pilot series for the Sci-Fi Channel.”