Festival of Books
Mar. 13th, 2010 08:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellarienWell, that was fun. I ended up not getting there until noonish, because I decided I wasn't enthused enough about Terry Brooks, whom I haven't read in years, to get up early enough for a 10am panel, and I hadn't noted down anything interesting for the 11.30 slot and the festival server was down this morning. So noon it was.
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matociquala at a signing booth and she graciously signed my copy of Chill; then I wandered a little, picked up a couple of books in the bookstore tent, and ate a vegetarian burrito before it was time for the 1pm panel -- John Vornholt and Joan Vinge on writing tie-ins and novelizations. That was quite entertaining -- more about the novelizations than the tie-ins, with all the problems of turning a script into a readable narrative, often with very little information on what things look like. Also the difficulties of writing "Dinotopia" novels when the person in charge didn't want any conflict or any predatory behavior by the dinosaurs and saber-toothed tigers.
After that I wandered a bit more, adjourned to my office to drop off a few things, and then headed for the "Shadow Unit" panel. Or tried to -- I very nearly missed it because I was in the wrong building! But I made it in only a minute or so late, and had great fun listening to the PTB explain the background to the project and some of the behind-the-scenes mechanics of such an extensive collaborative project. New character coming soon! Which isn't unexpected in the light of recent events, but that's the first confirmation I've heard. Also, paper books soon! In the meantime, after the panel there was a small crowd standing in line to get cards signed by all the authors -- rather to the confusion of the nice volunteer ladies, I think. (And Amanda Downum kindly signed my copy of The Drowning City, too.) I wonder who the tall, older guy in steampunk gear was.
My final panel of the day was a "Workshop" on science writing, at which one of the authors on the panel pitched her book (on chemistry and jazz-age forensics) so entertainingly that I bought a copy and got that autographed too.
I had a while to wait before the bus home, so I went back to the office for a bit -- and then missed the bus because it wasn't coming into the campus today. So I walked north for a while, and then stopped off at the used bookstore, where more books happened. (I have a memo on my Palm that reads as follows: Novice Servant Clerk Apostate Sempster Traitor Hunter Widow Apostate Traitor Maiden. I can now add Bastard to the list.)
I found
matociquala at a signing booth and she graciously signed my copy of Chill; then I wandered a little, picked up a couple of books in the bookstore tent, and ate a vegetarian burrito before it was time for the 1pm panel -- John Vornholt and Joan Vinge on writing tie-ins and novelizations. That was quite entertaining -- more about the novelizations than the tie-ins, with all the problems of turning a script into a readable narrative, often with very little information on what things look like. Also the difficulties of writing "Dinotopia" novels when the person in charge didn't want any conflict or any predatory behavior by the dinosaurs and saber-toothed tigers.After that I wandered a bit more, adjourned to my office to drop off a few things, and then headed for the "Shadow Unit" panel. Or tried to -- I very nearly missed it because I was in the wrong building! But I made it in only a minute or so late, and had great fun listening to the PTB explain the background to the project and some of the behind-the-scenes mechanics of such an extensive collaborative project. New character coming soon! Which isn't unexpected in the light of recent events, but that's the first confirmation I've heard. Also, paper books soon! In the meantime, after the panel there was a small crowd standing in line to get cards signed by all the authors -- rather to the confusion of the nice volunteer ladies, I think. (And Amanda Downum kindly signed my copy of The Drowning City, too.) I wonder who the tall, older guy in steampunk gear was.
My final panel of the day was a "Workshop" on science writing, at which one of the authors on the panel pitched her book (on chemistry and jazz-age forensics) so entertainingly that I bought a copy and got that autographed too.
I had a while to wait before the bus home, so I went back to the office for a bit -- and then missed the bus because it wasn't coming into the campus today. So I walked north for a while, and then stopped off at the used bookstore, where more books happened. (I have a memo on my Palm that reads as follows: Novice Servant Clerk Apostate Sempster Traitor Hunter Widow Apostate Traitor Maiden. I can now add Bastard to the list.)
