WFC 2008: Day Three -- Food For ...

This morning, breakfast consisted of ... a single donut from hospitality. Lunch is ... a hot dog and a bag of chips. I'm ordering room service for dinner, though, so I can chill out (err ... freak out?) before my reading tonight.

Really, I'm a cheap date.

Panel: Fantasy 'Zines Online (Jennifer Dawson, Sean Wallace, Wendy S. Delmater, John Klima (moderator))

Some good insights into the process of these online zine editors. I hadn't realized that Flash Me (Dawson) was entirely funded from her own pocketbook. Clarkesworld has swapped to a new form-only system, and I was relieved to hear that I wasn't the only one who was scorched by Nick Matamas during his stint there ... well, I'd heard it before, but there's something great about an entire room of people laughing when Klima said, "Well, Nick's not the most ... diplomatic ..."

Delmater was a little late - and I was nervous about this, because it was my only guaranteed way of meeting her before the reading. Since I'm reading a story from her mag / antho, I wanted to let her know. I introduced myself afterwards ("Lindsey with an e" - I swear that's my name) and she kindly lent me a copy to show off.

Panel: Haunted Houses and Cultic Crypts - Use of Setting to Create Atmosphere (David Morrell, Barbara Hambly, Emily Gee (no show), Lawrence C. Connolly (moderator))

Morrell had this great story about abandoning buildings with all the furniture left in situ ... it's an interesting thought. This whole panel isn't usually in my vein - I don't try to creep readers out - but I found it worthwhile.

Panel: Defining The Next Paranormal Detective (A.B. Goelman, Gayleen Froese, Justin Gustainis, Jay Caselberg, Laura Anne Gilman, Devon Monk (moderator))

Myself, I'm wanting to get away from the paranormal detective - I'm more looking at putting the detective into fantasy than putting the fantasy into a detective - but I loved this panel. I definitely have to check out Goelman's story where his detective is essentially a Barbie doll ... but there's a lot of opportunity here, it seems, as the gap between magic and science seems to narrow and the average person is less and less able to explain how technology works.

I have a note in my book about doing an Asrai detective story in my Flow setting. Not sure I can - in that setting, fairies are by intrinsic nature amoral beings - but it's worth a look.

... one of the panelists fell off the stage as it was breaking up and broke his ankle. :-(

Panel: What A Good Anthology Does & Why It Matters (Kathryn Cramer, Gary A. Braunbeck, John Joseph Adams, Darrell Schweitzer (moderator))

Discussion from the point of view of an editor. I'm not sure this was helpful to me in any way, but it was interesting ... though very frustrating to hear they were almost universally against any kind of open call. I was amused by the publisher / editor wrangle between marketing, who wants to know before one word has been said to authors who will be in the book ...

Skipped the 2 o'clock slot to eat and take a breather. Still debating about the 3 o'clock slot. Definitely want to hit the Awards recommendations at 4 ...

Then it's back here at 5ish to eat, shower, do one last run-through, and hope like anything the mic's on 'cause my voice is GONE baby.