Tulkon, Day 3

 

It's the small hours of Sunday morning, and I'm writing this post at this time because my body refuses to let me sleep the sleep of the just.  I guess that's either because I have a contrary body, or I'm not just.  Further deponent sayeth naught . . .

Yesterday was another fun day at Tulkon.  This is a very new and still small convention, so it's a lot more intimate than larger gatherings of its type.  One meets old friends at almost every panel or presentation, and little groups gather over coffee or more adult beverages, talk about anything and everything under the sun, then break up, only for their participants to disappear into more little groups here and there.  It's very difficult to go in a straight line or without interruptions from one point to another, as one's continually waylaid by friends, fans and food.  I've been surprised (very pleasantly so) to be stopped by no less than three regular readers of this blog, who wanted to thank me for putting so much work into it.  That was a great pleasure.  People acknowledge that a book is hard work, but one doesn't get much recognition for putting hours every day into a blog (which is, after all, the primary platform through which I publicize my books, so to me blog-writing and book-writing are extensions of each other).

The panel discussions at Tulkon are smaller than most cons, but richer for it, because there's a lot more audience participation.  In a small room with a couple of dozen seats and maybe a dozen people in attendance, presenters are less unwilling to let down their hair and get involved with their topic.  That makes it a lot of fun for all concerned.

Last night we held a book launch party for the latest anthology assembled by Lawdog, "Ghosts of Malta".

It's a whole lot of fun, and is planned as the first of (at least) three anthologies of stories about the island.  I'm preparing one for the second or third collection, depending on when I can find time to finish the darned thing.  If you're looking for a good read, I recommend this book.

Today, Sunday, I have one panel discussion at 2 p.m., then Miss D., myself and a friend will hit the road heading homeward.  I'd like to try to get there before the last light fades, because tomorrow morning a work crew will begin casting the foundation slab for our new garden shed/workshop/utility building, and I have several final preparations to make before they start work.  I'll be glad when it's done;  that'll put us over halfway through all our renovations and upgrades.  The work is far from over, of course;  once the shed is built (hopefully by end May), there are doors to be installed, electricity to be laid on, an air-conditioning unit to be connected, closed-cell foam insulation to be sprayed, and shelves to be assembled.  Only when all that's done can I begin moving things from our garage and a storage unit to the new building.  I hope to be finished by the end of June, but that may be too optimistic.

Oh, well.  They do say there's no peace for the wicked . . . but even so, I must have been unusually naughty lately!

Peter