World Fantasy Convention report: Day 0 by Alan DeNiro

Greetings all. This is Alan DeNiro. Thanks to this site for the opportunity to post miscellany and musings throughout the World Fantasy Convention, which is taking place in San Jose, California, this year. In, oh, about 8 hours, I’ll be on a plane from the Twin Cities, and we’ll see what happens.

About me: I write, well, a little bit of everything, but mostly what could be loosely classified as science fiction and fantasy. My first novel is coming out from Spectra in about 3 weeks, entitled Total Oblivion, More or Less (Jay talks a little bit about it here). I’ve also had a few other pieces reprinted in these fine pages.

Also, with my wife (Kristin Livdahl) and Chris Barzak, I’m one of the co-editors of Rabid Transit Press, and at World Fantasy we’ll be debuting Cat Valente’s Arthurian novella “Under in the Mere,” with cover and interior illustrations by James and Jeremy Owen. So obviously that will be an interesting experience on both fronts; aside from the usual panel reports (of which there will be at least one, because I’m on one!), I’m going to talk a bit about the ground-level view of a con like World Fantasy–what it’s like when one has an imminent book, what seems to be drawing people’s attention in terms of trends (or non-trends) in fantasy, and what, if anything, can be gleaned about the state of fantastic literature in 2009 from such a gathering.

If you’re at the con feel free to say hi; otherwise if there’s anything you’d like to hear about or want followed up on at the con if you’re not able to make it, drop a note here. I’ll do my best as the people’s correspondent. (Oh, and I have something to say about this discussion, which I’ll try to wend into the con report itself somehow, but it’s 1 a.m. here, and sleep is calling.)

About Alan DeNiro

Author of Skinny Dipping in the Lake of the Dead and Total Oblivion, More or Less.