Now that I’m back from Dragon*Con in Atlanta, I thought I’d offer up some fun stats about my trip, mwa ha ha.
Number of correct answers by moi during the team trivia hour of the Anne McCaffrey’s Worlds track: 1 out of 1. Yay for The White Dragon! Though I’m sorry to admit it had been waaaaaay too long since I’d read her non-Pern stories, so I wasn’t as much help there. (I’m currently on a Pern streak. I’m re-reading them all, starting with Dragonflight. I always read them in a certain order, and I’m now on the 16th in that order—All the Weyrs of Pern. Yes, it’s practically a second job, only it’s one that makes you reeeeeally happy.)
Number of Michael Whelan’s Pern cover art posters purchased: 2. They’re going to look awesome on my office wall.
Number of times I ate at Chick-Fil-A: 5. Yes, that was deliberate. The nearest location to my home is more than two hours (and quite a bit of altitude) away, so I made good use of my temporary proximity.
Number of awesome roommates: 1 out of 1. Check out Shawntelle Madison, whose funny urban fantasy Coveted is going to make a big splash this coming spring. (Our other roommate, the amazing Jeannie Lin, whose short stories and books have rocked my romance-lovin’ heart, was unable to come and was sorely missed.)
Number of, er, nipular areas (thank you for the handy terminology, Chandler Bing) unwillingly viewed during nightly promenades around the hotels’ atriums: 12. Yes, there was some eyebleach involved afterward.
Other fails: Poor picture-taking by the new smartphone owner (moi), who couldn’t figure out how to turn on the flash. And of course, no Anne McCaffrey in person at Dragon*Con. 🙁 She was very much missed, but I’m sure all of her fans are wishing her well and would rather have her stay healthy (and working on another Pern novel!!!). And…there may be a Pern FILM TRILOGY in the works. W00T!
Other wins: I figured out how to tether my cell phone to get Internet on my netbook, heh. I also thoroughly enjoyed the Weyrfest track, got to meet Anne’s son Todd (a Pern author himself, of course, and a very funny man), and was able to sign a card for Anne expressing my gratitude for her words and her worlds…both of which helped me follow my own life’s dream and become an author.
Interesting little coincidence: Todd was on the first leg of my flight back home, just one row ahead of me. Unfortunately, he was tuckered out (and ill from “con crud”). I figured he was due for some down time, so I decided not to be a total fangirl. It was a near thing, however.
Bottom line: Dragon*Con 2011 was a VERY well-run con and a fab time was had by all!
