Well, it may have taken a day and a half to recover, but you had Excerpt Monday yesterday to entertain yourselves…

I had an absolute ball at Octocon. So did the kids, but more on that later. Everyone was very welcoming and there was a fantastic atmosphere all weekend. With the tensions earlier that week resolved I think everyone attending was determined to enjoy themselves to the fullest. So here is a brief summary, with (because it’s me)  pictures*.

This was the first con where I was actually participating. I ended up participating more than I expected (which was not a bad thing) and so did my family.  The kids were in heaven between some spectacular facepainting, stickers for the badges, a games room, the Top Monster competition and lego. Many thanks to Nichola, Cat and others for welcoming the terrible twosome and entertaining them. Even if they did keep trying to steal your biscuits.

I was gently co-opted onto the Digital distribution panel with C.E. Murphy (mizkit) and Peadar Ó Guilín (peadarog) and our moderator Conor

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It was a lively discussion, and my coffee cup appeared to have a message for me

but when I tried to drink it I found my hand shaking so much I had to put it down. But it was a great introduction to panels and made the ones I’d actually prepared for much more enjoyable.

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The next panel was Unnecessary Romance – Shoehorning romance into action stories, with Michael Carroll, me and our Moderator Finn. So generally we were against it 🙂  It went well and we discussed what worked, what didn’t, and particularly the way it worked (or indeed didn’t) in film. I even confessed to watching Angels and Demons where removing the “romance” actually made the story worse…

And then someone mentioned Twilight…

I rounded off Saturday with my book launch for The Scroll Thief – which involved a very small me at the front of a very large room…

I read (I’m sorry), and answered some questions. It was fun but I think I should have had everyone move their chairs right up to the desk. Then again, that might have made it like a panel interview… so maybe not.  The book seems to have gone down very well. I was delighted to meet Mike Carey, the guest of honour and C.E. Murphy. On the whole a success I think. And of course, now I’ve done it, it won’t be so nervewracking again (or so I keep telling myself).

Saturday night involved good food, excellent conversation, wine, loud music and some unexplained tattoos. Typical Saturday night then… 😉

Sunday morning started with the Bechdel test panel with C.E. Murphy, Maura McHugh and myself, but well organised as ever I forgot I had the camera with me, so you don’t get a photo of that. Suffice to say we were in favour, Pitch Black and Farscape being held as examples of how to do it right. Oh and we had to change the name (to the Ripley test) because someone… not a million miles away from this keyboard… couldn’t say Bechdel.

A couple of unavoidable things led to the Guilty Pleasures panel  (What are those things that you’re ashamed to say you like?) being canceled, but those of us there anyway pulled our chairs together and had it anyway, coming to the conclusion that there is very little we are ashamed of. But you probably knew that already.

So yes, we all had fun. Met old friends, made new ones, talked about the things we love, all the things a con should be in that respect.

They even invited me back next year as a guest.

With George R. R. Martin as guest of honour.

So they won’t get anything coherent from me then, will they?

Suffice to say, I am already looking forward to it.

*Thanks to irishkate for taking the pictures.