3 posts tagged “patrick rothfuss”

Joshua and Me

and pervasive spirit of Norwescon is but a shadow of Saturdays ebullient mob. Slow and sparse is a nice reprieve from the fever pitch of the last three days, I am contented, yet tired. Many panelist were missing, perhaps, I am not the only outwore soul.

Liars Panel

The panels that I attended today were what I would call ‘fiction’ or ‘genre’ specific, instead of being ‘business’ orientated. It was gratifying to discuss topics involving our fascination with the paranormal, the creation of fictional religions, and inspiration for systems of magic.
These topics really bring out the pith of an authors
personality and thought process. Discourse regarding the business of writing is helpful, but talking about the craft itself is insightful.

This was my first Norwescon, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I will definitely be there next year...counting the days until Norwescon 32 in 2009.

    Another edifying day filled with morsels of good information. Today, I was fortunate in meeting author Joshua Palmatier, author of The Skewed Throne, The Cracked Throne, and The Vacant Throne. I am a regular reader of his blog and looked forward to meeting him at Norwescon. He is kind, approachable, and filled with funny anecdotes and advice. He has also graciously agreed to participate in my 6-sided Q&A (along with Jay Lake): I am very excited about these nano-interviews.

    Also, in meeting Patrick Swenson, I made an unexpected discovery: Talebones magazine. It is a first-rate Sci-fi and Dark Fantasy magazine of impeccable quality—with a fantastic editor—Mr. Swenson. I happily picked up the Spring 2008 edition at the convention and have been pondering some of the back issues (and a current subscription) that are available online at www.talebones.com. It seems that this wonderful tome of quarterly fiction could use our support to carry on; please consider an issue or two or even four today! It should also be said that Patrick seems to be a fine acquisitions editor with an eye for outstanding short fiction. He also proved to be a wealth of experience and advice; panel after panel, day after day. It would be a pleasure to see my own work featured within the pages of his reputable publication someday.

Jay Lake and Me

    Now for the highlight of the whole convention: The Liars’ Panel. This rummy gathering of authors consisted of: Jay Lake, Patrick Rothfuss, Joshua Palmatier, JC Hendee, and Barb Hendee. The panel was comic gold! I have not laughed so intensely in a very long time. Jay Lake is an electric personality; he captivates his audience, diffuses his addictive energy to the crowd, and keeps you wanting more. I have been a fan of Jay for a long time through his prolific blog (and he was my number one reason for attending the Con), but I did not expect such a dynamic and enjoyable personality to exist behind this profuse advocate of LiveJournal. It is my opinion that Jay is only at the beginning of a potentially colossal career. Everyone really came alive on the panel and were very entertaining. Jay and Patrick were animated; Joshua was more conservative, but still hilarious. JC is very distinct in appearance, but conservative in speech. His true gift—however—is when he does speak, it is worth listening too (whether being humorous or serious). The real surprise was Barb, she was delightful, witty, and has excellent comedic delivery.

    Make sure to check out Jay's two major novels available now: Mainspring and Trial of Flowers. There is also a sequel to Mainspring available for preorder entitled Escapement, and a sequel to Trial of Flowers entitled Madness of Flowers, due out December 2008 from Nightshade Books.

Sails and Sorcery Cover.jpg

 

Patrick and Me @ NORWESCON

This is the first time I have attended NORWESCON here in Washington and I am already enjoying it. The writing panels are illuminating, blithe, and organic; well worth attending.The real surprise of the day was the appearance of Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind. His contributions to the panels were witty and satirical; easily eloquent, and very appreciated.

   

Stay tuned to my blog for an ongoing series of nano-interviews I am calling 6-Sided Q&A. These will be short, six question interviews focusing on unique questions
addressed to some of my favorite authors.
Mr. Rothfuss has graciously agreed to be one of the
first contributors. An authors time is so very valuable and
I am honored by any benignant participation.

   
Tomorrow is a marathon of panels for me--seven hours worth--I hope I survive!

BTW, I am digitally recording these panels...more on that later