ArmadilloCon 48 (Part 2): The Dealers Room

This was my seventh ArmadilloCon and the second time that I got a table in the dealers room. I have had tables at other kinds of conventions because it gives me a place that brings people to me. I did not have a table at the Trekker con in Michigan where I met Armin Shimerman, Quark on ST:DS9. Years later, here in Austin, at a different local club, my friend, Kurt Baty, kept inviting me to ArmadilloCon. (He has been the Fan GoH.) I finally said that I had been to a Trekker con once and it was all right but not compelling. He replied, “Mike, no one is going to be there in a Starfleet uniform signing autographs. ArmadilloCon is a literary gathering for authors, artists, editors, and publishers.” So, I went. And I had a good time. That was 2017. 

This year, I published an anthology of flash science fiction, Austin 2078. I paid nine authors, and following two defaults, I became the tenth. The ebook is free to read at austin2078.blogspot.com and was my gift to FACT and ArmadilloCon. (Volume 2 will be different.) As part of their payment, each author received five copies of the chapbook. No other hard copies exist. Each book is numbered and stamped with my hallmark. Over three days, we signed all of the books. I did not spend three days in a Starfleet uniform (though I have two) but when Kurt came by the table, I begged him for this photo-op and he was gracious.  

I met Hugo, Nebula, Clarke, and Compton award winner Elizabeth Moon at the pre-convention dinner. She earned baccalaureates in history and biology and after that enlisted in the Marine Corps to be a computer specialist in 1968. I did not know her work. The loss has been mine; I have some catching up to do. You can find bios at Wikipedia and TV Tropes. Her own website, MoonScape, is not current. Her newest book, Horngard (Baen Books), will be out October 6. 

I overheard the League of Women Voters say that they registered 56 and then 63 new electors. 

Rice University’s Woodson Research Center holdings include the Center for the Impossible, The History of Aeronautics, the History of Science, Egyptology, Texana, and more. Rice was new this year. In the past, Texas A&M brought information about their special collections. Every library has them and they are where you find archives of comic books, political tracts, and other ephemera. 

With 145 line items on the schedule, the con started on Friday morning with the Writer’s Workshop, an all-day tuition seminar for nominal newbies hosted by a cadre of professionals. The first panels roll out early Friday evening and run through Sunday late afternoon. This year’s moderated discussions included: 

• “Fantastic Maps and Where to Find Them,” 
• “Shakespeare and Succession Drama,” 
• “We Keep Discovering Low-Budget Horror,” 
• “Main Character Syndrome,” 
• “Characters 201: Intermediate Characters,” 
• “The Red Line of Death: Where Editors Stop Reading,” 
• “Is there an ‘American’ Vampire Story,” 
• and the ever-popular “Space Tries to Kill You” moderated by NASA trainer and scifi writer, Bill Frank. 

Running in parallel with the panels are readings, interviews, and autographings with authors. This year’s Guests of Honor were Rudy Rucker and Bruce Sterling.

The Dealers Room is integral to the convention. 

In addition to all the books (and some handcrafts) for sale,
this is where writers sign autographs. 

Gretchen Rix and her titles.
Find her at Rix Cafe Texican, her nod to Rick's Cafe American.

As a creator of intellectual property, I am energized by ArmadilloCon. I write non-fiction: information system user manuals; policies, plans and procedures for state government agencies; business profiles; corporate blogs and white papers. Right now, I am writing instructions for the building of control panels for electrical power systems both solar and industrial. My goal is to bring the reader into a story. It must be easy to read, of course, but it also must be interesting. Sentence length varies. Amid the active voice imperatives of do-this-do-that, passive voice is found. 

I also enjoy the intellectual engagement even—sometimes especially—with people whose opinions on literature, art, science, and politics differ from mine. Mostly, I just soak in the ambiance. 

PREVIOUSLY ON NECESSARY FACTS

The Cultured Carrot at Wheatsville Co-op 

Daysmith Coffee 

Sunday at the Co-op 

At Oryana Co-op I took my Change in Bay Bucks 

Shannon Beer of Keller, Texas 

Sweet Deal: Epic Honey 

High Brew Cold Coffee 

Awesome Austin Foods at the Wheatsville Co-op