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Laurell here, at last. Why haven’t I posted? Because I think it’s taken me this long to recover from the shock that is Comic-Con. Why shock? This is a convention that dwarfs Dragoncon. Which I thought was pretty damn big. I have wandered around with Jon and Charles, trying to get my footing. I’ll be okay for awhile, then feel very at sea. Ironically, the day I finally get up and go okay we can do this, is Saturday.
People have been talking about Saturday in hushed or horrorified tones the whole time. They talk about surviving Saturday. Surviving? That doesn’t sound good. I’ve had two people recommend steel toed boots for today. I thought they were kidding, but they weren’t. We’ve had a fight to get through the crowd already, how much worse can it be? Do not answer that. You’ll scare me.
It’s been wonderful, though, really, just big. Jon’s blogged about all the wonderful artists and writers we’re meeting. Putting a face to the comics that get us through our morning tea and coffee. Howard Taylor of Schlock Mercenary did a sketch of me. So fast and efficient that it reawakened my drawing envy again. Like the comic book art hasn’t been doing that already.
The panel on Urban Fantasy was not only nice, but as I sat on a panel with five other writers that are now writing in a similar vein, looking out at a huge packed room of people; I had a thought. I said it outloud on mike. Who knew back in the late ’80s when I was trying to sell Anita Blake’s story, and getting rejected by everybody, that this genre would ever be this popular. Everyone on the panel that was working for a publisher that existed when I was trotting out GUILTY PLEASURES, all those years ago, rejected Anita. They all told me it wouldn’t sell, and there was no market for it. I looked out at all the people and the writers with me on the panel, and thought, who would ever have guessed?
Thanks again for the lovely introduction from Mary Elizabeth Hart for that panel. She also works for Mysterious Galaxy the bookstore we usually do signings at when we are in San Diego. Hi to everyone there, and all you brave souls working your booth.
Heck, hi to all you guys manning, or womanning, your booths. You guys work hard. If you’ve never been to comic-con you can’t understand how grueling the booth work is. We keep popping into our booth where Darla, Mary, Derek, Anne Elizabeth and everyone else at our booth, is working so hard.
We stop by depending on how my arm feels after our signings to sign the stuff you guys buy at our booth, and truthfully, if you have stuff and can’t get into one of the four signings I’m dong. But, I am having to save my arm for the official signings so that the people who get tickets don’t get disappointed. Our signing yesterday went over, but we stayed and did everyone in line. It made us a few minutes late to the next thingie we had, but we just couldn’t leave you guys in line. That would so not be cool.
We got over to the fantasy art section and saw Ruth Thompson. She has some of the best beefcake fantasy around. Her angel prints are to drool for. In fact her original print of her Raphael hangs at the head of my stairs, so that I walk up towards his image every morning. You have your idea of angels, I have mine. Near his picture hangs the framed poster of Jean-Claude. Nothing like a little inspiration in the morning.
We also talked to Larry Elmore, who is one of the kings of fantasy art. Though he and I had a discussion that I’d like to see some lovely men to balance out his lovely women. He, and many of the artists, say that people don’t buy beefcake as much as cheesecake. Come on folks, girls, secure men, buy some hunks so the artists will make more. I know that’s my plan.
It has been amazing, and watching Jon and Charles both geek out at all the comics, artists, and everyone here has been really fun. Maybe I’ll geek next year, if we loose our minds and agree to come back. I think Mary and Darla will mutiny if I suggest it.