Yes, it's a bright, shiny 2012 with all the possibilities and promise a new year brings. Around HarpHaven, we're looking forward to new travel adventures, good conventions, new stories, new projects, and fun. There will be challenges, of course, but they don't call me "Hell On Wheels" for nothing.

SFWA Bulletin Appearance

"The Good Guest Primer", my first non-fiction sale in quite some time, is due out any day now in the newest issue of The SFWA Bulletin, edited by Jean Rabe. I'm quite pleased with the piece, in which I share some of what I've learned in nearly twenty years of being considered a "good guest" by conventions all over the country, and I commend it to you.

Con Trails

My last convention trip of 2011 took me to one of my favorite cities -- New Orleans -- where I was a writer guest at ContraFlow.. It was my first Gulf Coast convention, and I sincerely hope it won't be my last. It was also the first convention put on by New Orleans fandom since Katrina, and a fine event it was.

The venue, being an older Quality Inn built on the classic three-story motel model around a central pool area, presented some challenges, and I probably spent more time out of doors and getting chilled than was strictly good for me. The hotel restaurant was good and very reasonably priced, even if the hours didn't always work with my panel schedule, but I didn't starve. And, thanks to friends from other conventions, I didn't go without Cafe du Monde beignettes! Paneling was excellent and a great deal of fun. Even with the challenges, I would accept an invitation to a future ContraFlow, and other Gulf Coast conventions in a heartbeat.

My preliminary schedule for 2012 conventions is now up with the link below to "Scheduled Conventions and Other Mischief". You'll note a mix of old friends, such as OutlantaCon, ConDFW, the Nebula Awards Weekend, and WorldCon, as well as new and new-for-me conventions such as LibertyCon. I am particularly honored to be serving as the first ToastMistress for a new convention in North Carolina, ConTemporal.

The schedule is, of course, subject to change, especially in terms of additions. So check back now and then to see what I'm getting into.

The first convention of my year, up until a short while ago, was supposed to be ConDFW in the Dallas area. But an email sent me scrambling to make arrangements for a trip to Chattanooga in January, and the utter miracle of actually being able to get the ducks lined up. So it is that my first convention of 2012 will be the wonderful ChattaCon 37. And it should be a fun one.

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