Events & Appearances
2005 Cascadia Con (NASFiC)
When: September 1-5, 2005
Where: Hilton Seattle Airport and
Conference Center, Seattle, WA.
Cascadia Con is a North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC) held
under the auspices of the World Science Fiction Society. A NASFiC is only held
when the Worldcon for that year is outside of North America. This event will
mark just the 8th North American Science Fiction Convention since 1975.
For more information, visit
http://www.cascadiacon.org.
For those who are attending, you should be able to catch Eldon at any
of the following scheduled events:
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
7:00 PM
Room: San Juan [CC]
Dragon Big, Knights Crunchy
Heroes and heroines in form-fitting chainmail
doing battle against . . . that?
Who in their right mind charges a castle where the evil wizard's
fireballs take out fifty at a time?
How to make a believable fight against impossible odds and have the
heroes survive to tell the tale.
Panelists: Julia Mandala, Brandon
Sanderson, Eric James Stone
Moderator: Eldon Thompson
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
11:00 AM
Room: Chaps [R]
Bringing Order to Chaos
Yes, you need a fantastic world for your fantasy
novel, but you also need a society where people
can relate to each other . . . and the reader! What kind of
politics, religion, social order, job market do
you need? How much world building does the writer have to do? How
much needs to be explained
to the reader? Come see how some professionals did it so you too can
try your hand at it . . . at home!
Panelists: Louise Marley, Janna
Silverstein, Fox Cutter
Moderator: Eldon Thompson
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
1:00 PM
Room: Mercer B [CC]
Exposition: One Lump or Two
"As you know, Jim..." How can a writer communicate
the details of the setting (how magic works, the scientific
breakthrough that bends time, etc)? How much detail needs to go into
the first chapter? What makes the reader's eyes glaze over? How does
one avoid the common mistakes in writing exposition?
Panelists: James Van Pelt, Cynthia Ward,
Eldon Thompson
Moderator: John G. Hemry
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
4:00 PM
Autograph Tables [CC]
Autographing
John G. Hemry, Eldon Thompson
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
12:00 PM
Room: Orcas AB [CC]
What Aspiring Fantasy/SF Writers Need to Know
A panel discussion of authors on the ins and outs
of fantasy/SF writing in the publishing market today.
Panelists: J. Steven York, Eldon Thompson,
Rebecca Neason
Moderator: James Van Pelt
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
2:00 PM
Room: Chaps [R]
Query Letters, Demystified
This panel is for writers who need to know what
makes a good query, and for those who THINK they know. There's more
to a query than just asking an agent for representation.
Panelists: James C. Glass, Steve Mancino,
Melissa Lee Shaw
Moderator: Eldon Thompson
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
5:00 PM
Room: Orcas AB [CC]
Fantastic Women
Most medieval societies were deeply paternalistic,
yet fantasy in quasi-medieval settings is popular with female
readers. How can magic and other aspects of fantasy be applied to
create believable, active female protagonists? What roles are
uniquely available to women characters in a fantasy setting?
Panelists: Cynthia Ward, Kij Johnson, Eldon
Thompson
Moderator: Cary A. Conder
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
11:00 AM
Room: Emerald D [CC]
All Hail the King! Absolute Monarchs in Fantasy
From Arthur to Aragorn, we revere the hero leading
his nation to glory, ending with a triumphant ride
before an adoring populace. Yet for every Arthur there is a Mordred,
for Aragorn an Ar-Pharazon.
Why do we admire stories about heroic monarchs, when we would not
want to live in a real monarchy?
Panelists: Donna McMahon, Eldon Thompson
Moderator: Charlene Harmon
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
3:00 PM
Room: Emerald D [CC]
Hard Fantasy
Should a fantasy world's magic system have
definite rules spelling out what sorcerers can or can't do,
or should the author just go with the gut? Does it go against the
very essence of fantasy to systematize
the supernatural as if it were the periodic table?
Panelists: Larry Niven, Brandon Sanderson,
Kij Johnson, Diana L. Paxson
Moderator: Eldon Thompson
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
5:00 PM
Room: Harbor [H]
Kaffeeklatsch
Mike Shepherd Moscoe, Eldon Thompson
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
10:00 AM
Room: Mercer A [CC]
Read One Page
A quick and dirty method for readers to evaluate a
book while still in the bookstore.
Panelists: Sheila Finch, Steve Mancino,
Eric Penz
Moderator: Eldon Thompson
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
1:00 PM
Room: Elliott A [H]
Reading
NOTE: Events and
participants are subject to change. Please remember to check your
official programming guide for scheduling details.
Recap
Eldon had the following to say about the 2005 North American Science
Fiction Convention:
"Talk about a three-ring circus! Of the conventions I've been to,
this was by far the busiest in terms of the number of program
events. No matter the hour, it seems there were no fewer than a
dozen options for attendees in terms of panels, readings,
kaffeeklatsches—you name it.
Often, there seemed too much to choose from.
Not that I had many opportunities to do so myself. Being invited
to participate in twelve events over four days' time (and being
called upon to moderate five of them), I found that the majority of
my time was dedicated to those events to which I'd been assigned. I
might have thought it to be a bit excessive, except that almost
every panelist I bumped into shared a similar workload.
Aside from missing a fair number of panels I might have liked to
witness, I must say that I enjoyed the convention immensely. As
always, this is due primarily to folks encountered along
the way. It never ceases to amaze me just how kind and knowledgeable
the professionals who attend these things can be. A special thanks,
of course, to my fellow panelists, who consistently made me look
good as a moderator. In this case, there are too many to name,
especially since all are listed on the schedule above. I would
have to say that I particularly enjoyed meeting Brandon
Sanderson (author of the fantasy hit Elantris), Eric James
Stone, and a number of their close friends. And I felt that Jim
Glass, Steve Mancino, and Melissa Shaw made for a particularly
dynamic panel on the subject of writing query letters. Also, a great
big thanks to Eric Penz, author of the forthcoming Cryptid,
for making sure that I didn't have to fly solo on my final panel.
Which brings me to the fans, many of whom are fellow
professionals. Without them, these conferences would not exist.
While these things are set up to showcase authors and to let them
share insights with audience members, it often feels like it should
be the other way around. For it's the viewers that determine which
events are successful, with their kind attention, clever questions,
and interesting comments. And as audiences go, this convention was
full of great ones.
In particular, I'd like to thank Joe Berlant, a convention
veteran and book dealer extraordinaire, who despite a hectic
schedule of his own, never hesitated to spend time chatting with a
new author and offering advice. Not everyone is willing to offer
such support to a newcomer to the field, and those who do are
appreciated beyond measure.
It was a long and busy weekend—and
which, for me, marks the end of a long and busy summer. As students
everywhere prepare to head back to school, I'm at last hoping to
settle down and get to work in earnest on the third and final
installment of my debut trilogy. NASFiC was a wonderful way to wrap
up the touring season, and lends me hope and excitement for the
future."
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