Totally unrelated to this post: I'm in today's Dork Tower. It's part of the hilarious Tao of Igor series, and it made me giggle.
As promised, here's my schedule for the Phoenix Comicon. If this is your first time at a con, and you don't know what to expect, you should read what John Scalzi said about meeting authors (and me.) at cons. If you've never heard me talk about conventions, you may enjoy this article I wrote for the Geek in Review a few years ago, called Concerning Conventions. The article is SFW, but it's at Suicide Girls, which is NSFW. Click with caution.
When I'm not on panels, I'll be parked at a table (hopefully next to Steamcrow, again) in the exhibitor's hall, with copies of my books and some pictures for sale. I always try to bring enough for everyone, but I almost always sell out of stuff before the con is over. If there's something you really want to get from me, I suggest picking it up sooner than later. Or, you know, don't. I'm not the boss of you.
Thursday (Preview Night)
The exhibitor's hall is open from 6pm to 9pm.
No panels, but I plan to be at my table with my books and stuff for the duration.
Friday
The exhibitor's hall is open from noon to 8pm.
12:30-1:30pm - Geek Out With Wil Wheaton, Yuri Lowenthal, and Aaron Douglas
Yuri and I worked on Legion of Superheroes together, and instantly became friends when I dropped an obscure geek reference that he not only got, but topped with an equally-obscure reply (that I also got.) Yuri knows Aaron, and I spent most of a con in Sacramento last year sitting next to Aaron Douglas. It turns out that we're all big geeks, so we thought it would be fun to spend an hour getting our geek on together. Topics of conversation will include voice acting and being a geek who gets to work on these geeky things that we love.
3pm - Photo session with Wil
A few years ago, someone thought it would be a great idea to set up these semi-formal photo sessions where fans could get professional-quality portraits taken with actors. In theory, it also gives fans a few uninterrupted moments with those actors, which can be a real thrill for them. The unintended consequence, in some cases, was actors refusing to let fans take pictures of them at the rest of the con. Um, I'm not going to do that, because it's lame, but if you really want a professional-quality portrait with me, you'll have a couple chances over the weekend, including this one. I guess they print the photo out for you right there, so I can defile the lovely picture with my filthy signature, if you want. Please note that some actors will charge you to sign the picture that you've already coughed up money to take. I am not one of them, because that is also lame.
10pm - MOTHER FUCKING ROCK BAND BITCHES YEAH! \m/
This should be a lot of fun: I'll play with three people at a time, taking whatever instrument they don't want to play. We're supposed to be there for an hour, but once we start rocking, we'll be there until they pry our fake instruments from our cold, dead hands. There's a very good chance Yuri and Aaron will join us for a song or two. Also, if all of this isn't filmed and put online, I don't know why we even bothered to fight the Spanish American war, people.
Saturday
The exhibitor's hall is open from 10am to 7pm.
12pm - Photo Session with Wil
See above.
2-3pm The Obligatory TNG Panel with Wil, Marina Sirtis and Brent Spiner
I don't really need to spell this one out, do I? This is the first time I've been on stage with them both, ever, and it should be a whole lot of fun.
6:30-7pm - The One Where Wil Hates the Description
I don't think they mean to come up with something I hate when they wrote this panel's title, but when I tell you what it is, I think you'll understand why I'm not crazy about it: Wil Wheaton - Life Beyond Wesley [::facepalm::] D'oh! That's ... really not how I'd frame this if it was up to me. Anyway, this is where I'll perform material from my books for you, my best friends in the world. I'll cram as much entertainment in to the 30 minutes as I can, but don't be surprised if we go over. If there's time when we're done, I'll take some questions, too. IMPORTANT UPDATE ON THIS: The panel is actually scheduled for 55 minutes, not 30, and the title, it turns out, was a placeholder that got past editing on the way to the printer. So it's all good.
Sunday
The exhibitor's hall is open from 10am-5pm.
I have no panels scheduled, so I will split my time between wandering the con making saves vs. Shiny! and sitting at my table in the exhibitor's hall.
