When I first checked into the Green Room to pick up my badge, I saw that this was Marcon 52. My first was 12 which means that I’ve been to 40 consecutive Marcons. I have no idea if that’s the record but I bet it’s close.
In any case most of the panels went very well. When I first started doing them I had a tendency to over-prepare and I think that hurt me. Even when the topic is clearly defined, the conversation can go off in unexpected directions leaving a person with elaborate notes flat-footed and lost. The only time that came close to happening was on the Story vs. Plot panel which had no descriptive blurb attached to it at all. At the beginning we defined our terms. I made my case for what I was assuming; they went another way. But I was still able to contribute, even though my notes were useless.
I was on one panel with the writing Guest of Honor, Jacqueline Carey. She was very nice and knowledgeable.
My reading went very well. There were 14 people in the audience because I was reading with two other authors, Linda Robertson and Denise Verrico. I will definitely do it that way again. The excerpt from White Angel got a good response. I wish it could have been out by the con.
Charles Ebert