“An Author at the Steampunk World’s Fair” – A Con Report by Ekaterina Sedia

 It was pretty great! Highlights included a shared reading withGenevieve Valentine, meeting a co-editor of The Steampunk Bible SJ Chambers and some of the contributors — Margaret Killjoy and Jake von Slatt, as well as reconnecting again with Ay-leen the Peacemaker of Beyond Victoriana and Jaymee Goh. Steampunk Bible panel went well, and was well attended. After our reading, I was happy to meetAC Wise, one of the Bewere the Night contributors. Was also very glad to see Tempest Bradford, who is so cool that I feel cooler just by being in her proximity.

We spent some of time helping Stephen Segal and his dad sell books in the same room where the readings were held, which was super convenient! Less convenient was the fact that the room was also designated as a gaming room, and reading to an attentive audience in front of you while trying to ignore gaming going on just behind them was… surreal. We also avoided hotel food by taking brisk hikes along grassy (and pebbly) medians of New Jersey (sidewalks are so overrated) to a Ruby Tuesday just 0.6 miles from the hotel. The dinner hike was taken in the dark, with brave brave SJ and Genevieve (who is a New Yorker, so she can walk anywhere and in anything), and it was surreal and exciting and we felt like hobbits on a quest (for food, which is the right kind of a hobbit quest.)

We also briefly participated in Pro-Union Labor Flash Mob! People in Victorian garb chanting “What’s disgusting?” – “Union busting!” was pretty awesome. It really needs to happen a lot more. And the roundtable discussion about envisioning a better steam society was stimulating, and brought up a lot of good points (except the British guilt, which, very much like white guilt, is not the issue here.)

And here’s some picspam! I rarely post photos of myself, but here I attempt some steampunk attire, all using my regular wardrobe.

Me, while selling books. Bottles behind me are fake. Tempest took the picture with her fancy tablet.

Me and Jake von Slatt. Total fangirl moment.

More fangirling, with O.M. Grey:

Envisioning a better steam society roundtable, participants:

After The Steampunk Bible panel:

 (Photo by K. Tempest Bradford, using a fancy filter)

With Stephen Segal, also by Tempest. Twice, since we refused to smile simultaneously:

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Ekaterina Sedia’s critically acclaimed novels, The Secret History of Moscow, The Alchemy of Stone and The House of Discarded Dreams were published by Prime Books. Her next one, Heart of Iron, is expected in 2011. She is also the editor of Paper Cities (World Fantasy Award winner), Running with the Pack and Bewere the Night. Visit her at http://www.ekaterinasedia.com