He kinda looks like me…if I was skinnier than a bean pole. šJust a quick blog today since Iām busier than a workaholic. At least thatās how it feels. But thatās a story for another time.
First, I want to announce that I plan, schedule permitting, to attend Alma-Con in Alma, Michigan, February 5-7. My friend/co-author Eric Anderson will be running a table for his ministry Nerd Chapel in the vendorās hall, where he will also be selling our devotional, 42: Discovering Faith Through Fandom. Iāll be there helping him with his table and a worship service he plans to have that Sunday. Feel free to come see us.
Now on to the main thrust of this blog.
Iāve been thinking a lot about how I need to manage my writing time better, especially when I keep getting projects thrown at me and/or I bite off more than I can chew. So, in light of this, I wanted to share with you what I think should be a reasonable amount of material you can expect from me. It may take me a bit of time to get used to this new schedule, so donāt expect me to get into the rhythm immediately. I also reserve the right to change my output at any time.
Regardless, here it is:
-one (maybe two) articles a week for Examiner.
-at least two articles a month for GigaGeek Magazine.
-one (maybe two) blogs a week on my website.
-one āBut I Digressā¦ā video a month (with intermittent āDigressionā videos as they come to me).
These are the things I want to do with regularity. Iām seeking other freelance opportunities while also writing books, among other things.
Saturday at Gen-Con is always the busiest. Lots of people come in just for that day, so I decided I would minimize my time away from my table to maximize my presence. With 61,000 people attending the convention this year, Saturday, I thought, would be the best day to meet potential readers.
However, Eric and I did split on a ticket for one event the day before: meeting Summer Glau.
Eric (far left) and me (far right) with Summer Glau.Mrs. Glau is primarily a TV actress. Sheās been in many things (which never seem to last long, sadly), but sheās best known for playing River Tam in the short-lived but much-beloved series Firefly and its film sequel Serenity. Admittedly, I hadnāt seen the show in years. I was more interested in meeting Marina Sirtis (more on that later) than her, but figured Iād take the opportunity to meet her anyway.
Whatās crazy, though, is she walked past my table on her way to the autograph area, which wasnāt far from Authors Avenue. I kinda flipped out since I wasnāt sure if that really was her. She didnāt have an entourage; there was only one guy escorting her. I knew when I walked over to get in line that it was her who walked by. (Squee!)
Eric and Iācosplaying Obi-Wan Kenobi and the 10th Doctor, respectivelyāstood in line for a much shorter time than expected since we had a ticket. I tried looking Ms. Glau up on Twitter to see if sheād tweeted anything about the con or to find something I could ask her about that didnāt have to do with her work. I found at an account that I learned later was fake, but it said she was an avid reader. I told Eric to hold our place in line and ran back to my table to get a copy of my first novel, Pandoraās Box. I chose that because I figured she might enjoy that one the most out of the books Iāve published (though I wonder if sheād like Children of the Wellsā¦). Now, you must understand: Iāve given books as gifts to celebrities at cons before, and Iād thought about giving her one, but I realized she might not necessarily want it. Thatās why I didnāt want to miss this opportunity.
I always knew Summer Glau was beautiful, but what struck me as we got closer was how kind and happy she was. She was gracious with fans and always smiled. When Eric and I came up to take pictures, she said we were dressed nice and offered to put her hands on our backs. With that, I said it was an honor to meet her. Then I said I was an author from Authors Avenue and mentioned that she walked by my booth and that Iād heard she was an avid reader. So, as a thank you for coming to Gen-Con, I wanted to give her one of my books. She was ecstatic and said, āIām honored!ā I signed it for her, leaving a note that said, āTo Summer Glau: Thanks for coming!ā
Eric joked afterward that after reading it maybe sheāll want to make it into a movie and star as the heroine. I scoffed at the idea, but a guy can dream, right? (But only if Joss Whedon is involved!) :p
(I was a bit smitten with Mrs. Glau the rest of the day. I suddenly want to re-watch Firefly).
(EDIT: I just read on Wikipedia that Mrs. Glau was homeschooled! I wish I knew that at the con!)
The rest of the day was busy but typical in the vendors hall.
Afterward, I attended a live recording of the āWriting Excusesā podcast. I didnāt realize they were recording five episodes in two hours, so I had to leave early, but it was great to see the show since I listen to it frequently.
Then I went to the Five Year Mission concert, as is my Gen-Con tradition. I got to hear songs from their newest album, āSpockās Brain.ā Yes, these guys wrote 11 songs about arguably the worst episode of the original Star Trek! It was a great show, and I bought the album. (Expect a review soon!) Yes, I still had my 10th Doctor costume, so I wasn’t quite dressed right, but nobody said anything.
I went back to my hotel room and changed into some summer-y clothes to go to the annual Gen-Con dance since the theme was āsummer bash.ā It was a bit more night club/rave than I expected, but it was entertaining for a while.
Lightsabre limbo bar! Jedi dancer?I want to write about the last day of the convention, but this post has already gone long, so Iāll save it for tomorrow. Until then, feel free to leave comments!
Next Time in Part 4:
Marina Sirtis, the Geekpreacher, and lots of cosplay!
Remember when I said I’d write two blogs in one week to make up for not writing? Yeah, that didn’t happen. In the words of the 10th Doctor, “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
But I have a good reason for my unintended hiatus: I’ve been working on two new books! The first of which is now available on Amazon!
Presenting…
Artwork by Ruth Pike.
This little book is a devotional for geeks and nerds. It uses the stories, hobbies, and other interests nerds and geeks love to illustrate theological Truth.
Here’s the back cover copy:
Donāt Panic!
Despite what many churchgoers say, God doesnāt think Dungeons & Dragons is āSatanās gameā or that cosplay is childish. In fact, God has imprinted Himself into nerd culture. Yes, all your favorite stories and games point to the LORD Himself. You may doubt, but you know your nerdy hobbies are more than just escapism. They resound with you for a reason. Perhaps youāre not sure why, but they do. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, there are profound truths to be mined from those tales.
Join us on a 42-day journey of discovery. Why 42? A famous āGuideā would have you believe thatās āthe Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.ā The trouble is you have to know āthe Question.ā Maybe that question for you is, āHow many days will it take me to learn the Truth?ā Or maybe you already know the true āAnswerā but want to deepen your faith. Either way, this book is for you! We promise itāll be fun and challenging. You may never look at your favorite stories, characters, and/or hobbies the same again.
Donāt forget your towel!
It was co-authored by myself and my friend Eric Anderson, the founder of Nerd Chapel. We each took turns writing the 500-800 word devotions for each day. We both bring our unique voices and styles to the book. We mine Truth from things like Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, G.I.Joe, and even a strange scientific discovery about water crystals!
