2020 Events Update and Flights of Foundry: An Online Convention During COVID-19 | May 16-17

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It’s day 59 of sheltering in place in San Francisco. The past few days have been rainy and today is no different, but I love rainy days <3  Another convention I was scheduled to be at later this year has just canceled due to COVID-19, and I respect the organizers' decision. This would have been my first year at Rose City Comic Con, a convention I have heard nothing but good things about (for both vendors and attendees). Because that’s the thing about conventions: the attendee experience does not always mirror the vendor experience, and vice versa. 

So far it looks like the only in-person convention I have set that has not yet been canceled is Powerhouse Comic Con in Pleasanton, CA, which is still scheduled for 7/26/2020. I’ll keep you posted if anything changes.

And now onto a convention I will be attending: Flights of Foundry! This will be my first time attending an online convention and being part of a virtual dealer’s room. I have no idea what to expect but am super grateful to the organizers for all the work they are putting into making this event happen. I won’t be doing any panels, which means I get to enjoy the programming to its fullest. I admit to feeling major FOMO (fear of missing out) yesterday as I was looking over the schedule and found myself thinking, “I should have at least done a reading.” 

Not since I published The Deadbringer have I gone to a convention just as an attendee. Normally, if I’m not doing a panel I’m doing a live reading. If I’m not doing either of those things, I am behind a table vending. But preparing for a panel takes time (it’s a professional presentation, after all), and I want to prioritize my own writing, i.e., book 2/The Faceless God. To that end, the panels I will be attending focus on topics that are relevant to the writing stage I'm at.

Photo Credit | Flights of Foundry

Photo Credit | Flights of Foundry

The panel I am really looking forward to is “Using Mythology in SFF” since I incorporate my own culture and mythology into the secondary world of the Ellderet. The knowledge you gain from hearing first-hand the authors, editors, artists who have “been there, done that" has been invaluable to me. Literary conventions are basically CEU (continuing education credits). Do I think I’m the greatest writer in the world because I go to these conventions and attend these panels? Hahaha, no. But I do know I'm a better writer than I was when I first started, and that’s part of what my #writerslife or #authorslife journey is about.

If you would like to attend the panels, you have until May 17 to register. Flights of Foundry is free, but donations are welcome.

All the best,

EMM

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Horror fantasist E.M. Markoff writes about damaged heroes and imperfect villains; she is also an inkblot artist. She is the creator of The Ellderet Series, a diverse dark fantasy epic exploring how family bonds are tested in a violent world.