Interrogation and Flesh-Eating Heretics

Another view of VCon 35. Geoff Cole staged a reading of his short story "Abbatoir Blues". I volunteered to be the 2nd person in the reading--as it turned out, an evil, mean, yukky interrogator of Our Hero. Cold readings are always exciting--I knew nothing about the story when we picked up the books and the video recorder clicked On. For the full poop on Geoff, The Blackness Within Anthology, and Geoff's writing, go to Geoffrey W. Cole Science Fiction Writer.

Meanwhile...

A Had Time Was Good By All!

OMG, as the saying goes, what a perfectly MAD time we had this past weekend at VCon 35.

VCon is my local SF convention and I have been going (more on than off) since VCon 11. When I was 3. This year's theme was steampunk--a genre about which I know little but which has the coolest costumes and props, all brass and cogwheels and flash Victorian clothing.

My main occupations were:

• hanging out with my nephew, Theo Campbell, and sundry other bright lights.
• participating in one of 3 Writers Workshops, which entailed reading and carefully critiquing three novel beginnings. A very interesting endeavour. Lots of work, on everyone's part, and educational for all. (Fun, as well. Who'd a thunk it possible?)
• doing readings, including:
• -- my short story "Dreamcatcher", from Room Magazine's Speculative Fiction issue, in a group reading with Donna McMahon and Marcie Tentchoff.
• -- the part of the Interrogator for Geoff Cole's short story “Abattoir Blues” from The Blackness Within. (watch for the video!)
• -- performing as one of a panel of literature-mauling Turkey Readers, in which we read TheWorst of the Worst and force unwitting audience members to act out the evil scripts. (We also force witting audience members to pay to make us stop, and start, and stop, and... All in the name of raising pennies for the Canadian Unity Fan Fund.)

Rim World Legacy... A modest example herein follows, showing the depths to which we sink at SF cons... (To see it without the obstruction of my LibraryThing widget, click on the title and go to YouTube. You'll find lots more of a Turkey nature there.)

• at last I was able to contain my enthusiasm no longer. When Virginia O'Dine rose to read the final Turkey, I offered myself as the Evil Queen, and, bounding from the podium, joined Steph Thevideoguy and an 8 foot tall monster in a diabolical battle of wit and wonder.

Scene from the diabolical battle of wit and wonder:

And so you can see why VCon keeps us coming back for more.

Till next year!

Video credit, Jax184. Photo credit, Virginia O'Dine*, which is strange, since she is the one doing the reading in this picture...

* Of Bundoran Press fame.

Casey's dress was made by Krista Reich of Foliate Face Artworks.