Boskone: a great time
My schedule at Boskone was packed this year, but luckily the Westin Boston Waterfront has a great lobby, which doubles as a bar; this meant that any time I wasn't on a panel or giving a talk or signing books or reading, I was lounging in a high-traffic area. As a result I was able to connect with a lot of people--really, truly too many to list here--and because there was such a large contingent of Tor Books employees there, also get in a good deal of business. Huge thanks to the organizers, in particular Mark Olson, for inviting me down this year.
There's a bunch of photos online showing the mayhem--just hop on over to Irene Gallo's website and check out her Friday and Sunday posts. Here's one I borrowed with her permission, showing Rick Berry (left) and I in approximately the state we were in all weekend:
I'd decided to stick around until Monday for a change, so I was able to head out with a small group to Rick's studio on Sunday evening. Hanging out with the artists was one of the high points of the weekend for me--it's something I rarely get to do, but they're such a literate and interesting group of people--so I had a great time. When we got back to the convention we found a dead dog party in progress, and were given some fine Ardbeg scotch (which brought tears to my eyes in more ways than one). Dave Seeley was gracious enough to show up late that night for a further round of joviality before the scotch took hold and I drifted off.
Pleasant company, good food and drink, nice surroundings, and successful business transacted--who could ask for more?