While I was away on the Company Tour (which I really need to write up), I received an invitation to participate on a panel on science fiction and futurism at San Diego Comic Con. A friend of mine couldn’t do it, and recommended me, instead.
I know, right? I am a very lucky person. (Very lucky, and very grateful.)
Also lucky: I had enough points racked up through my rewards plan to take the trip, and Comic-Con was willing to sponsor my badge, and, thanks to the interventions of my editor Miriam Weinberg at Tor, I was able to find a roommate. Keeping the costs down is important, because I financed a lot of the Company Tour myself, and the Canadian dollar is worth a wad of gum wrappers against American currency.
I’m nervous, because Comic-Con is huge. Also, it’s my first time. A lot of my friends and colleagues have been in the past, and each of them has informed me that nothing can really prepare me for it. The only thing I’ve been doing to prepare myself is being more resolute about my Atkins diet (so I can at least be a tiny bit more comfortable on the plane), and exercising more often (so I can have some stamina). Also I have a pile of books to read.
So, without further ado, here is my schedule. I hope to see you there!
FRIDAY
Tor Booth Signing
Tor Booth #2707 at 2pm
Panel
4:30p.m. – 5:30p.m., Room 26AB
Science Fiction/Future Now: Science Fiction has ever been the muse of real world advances, but now we live in an age where we achieve it almost as soon as we think it. So how do we, as writers, out-dream the dream makers? How do we handle the truth of real science and the fiction that is needed for writing our stories. Is it a crisis for the writers imagination? Or does it serve to inspire? Join Madeline Ashby (Company Town), Cecil Castellucci (Tin Star), Emily Lakdawalla (The Planetary Society) Javi Grillo-Marxuach (The 100), Sherri L Smith (Orleans), and Greg Van Eekhout (The Boy at the End of the World) in a round table discussion as they take this subject on. Room: 26AB
SATURDAY
Panel
12:00p.m. – 1:00p.m.
Room 7AB
The Female Geek: Women as Fans and Creators: There’s more to being a geek girl than meets the eye. From Princess Leia, to Katniss Everdeen, to Hermione Granger, fandom is full of awesome female characters—but what about the women who create these iconic individuals? Join Leigh Bardugo (The Grisha Trilogy), Sabaa Tahir (A Torch Against the Night), Kiersten White (And I Darken), Sarah Kuhn (Heroine Complex), Kathleen Smith (The Fangirl Life), and Margaret Stohl (Black Widow: Forever Red) as they discuss feminism and fandom in a panel moderated by Madeline Ashby (Company Town).
Autograph Area (Under the Sails) signing:
Saturday AA 09 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM