In which I geek out

Karen Gillan and Matt Smith in PHILLY! 

I don't typically let my geek flag fly as much as some bloggers do, but when I learned that the 11th Doctor and his companion Amy Pond were going to be in MY city, well...it was something that could not be missed.

This was my very first Comic Con. I don't read comic books. Superheroes...I can take 'em or leave 'em. Other than Wii Fit and online puzzle games, I don't really play video games either.

Waiting for the Dr. Who panel with the fourth Doctor!

But I was totally willing to rub elbows with the geekiest of geeks for a chance to see Matt Smith and Karen Gillan live. They have great chemistry, love to laugh, and are just so thankful to have been a part of SciFi's longest-running TV series. The Q&A session ran 90 minutes, and fans asked lots of really great questions beyond "what is your favorite memory?" I especially liked their thoughtful responses to what aspects of their characters do they wish there had been more time to develop. For Karen, it was the period when Amy went through four therapists trying to cure her obsession with "the raggedy man." Apparently the two have an ongoing rivalrly to see which can remember the season and episode number for the particular plots. (Matt won, I think.)

Over the years, these conventions have diversified, and now include all kinds of SciFi and fantasy cultural production, beyond comics and gamer culture. If you like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Dr. Who, Torchwood, Orphan Black, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Game of Thrones, or The Walking Dead you won't feel entirely out of place at a Comic Con.

"Cosplay" is the term for all the amazing getups you are likely to see. Here's a small sampling.

Name those characters...'cause I can't.

Tim the Enchanter: "what is your favorite color?"

The boy wonder at Panera!

Sean has been acting since 1981. He's a busy guy!

The convention floor is largely a giant geek supermarket, where you can trade in or purchase an entire comic collection, pick up a light saber in the color of your choice (teal anyone?), build an enormous t-shirt collection, get signed films posters without the hassle of stalking stars, and turn your hard-earned cash into a cache of geeky gadgets and knickknacks.

My husband, daughter and I spent two days at the con, the first largely on the convention floor, the second largely attending Q&A panels with various TV and film stars. In addition to Karen Gillan and Matt Smith from Dr. Who, we also heard James Marsters from Buffy, Angel, Torchwood and others; Sean Astin, who you might know best as Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings films; and finally, Firefly and Serenity stars Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion.

The Firefly panel was by far the most crowded--standing room only. For a show that ran only one season, over ten years ago, it was pretty surprising it has such an enormous cult following. I think part of what keeps the show alive is these two guys. They continue to do lots of convention appearances and are completely hilarious together. Tudyk does lots of voice work for animated films, so at times he answered questions as King Candy from Wreck It Ralph or as the Duke of Weseleton from Frozen.

One of the funniest things they did was give out signed gifts to anyone brave enough to come to the microphone and ask questions. And those gifts? Random items from Alan Tudyk's bag--old mugs, t-shirts, script pages, a pack of gum. If there's any lesson to be learned, it's that fans absolutely adore starts who are approachable and willing to be a bit silly.

Have you ever attended a Comic Con? What questions would you have asked any of the stars I saw?

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In the zone with bats and stalactites?

Sometimes a project starts to gel after many months of two steps forward, five steps back. When this happens, the best thing is to head into "the writer's cave."

How did we arrive at "cave" as the best metaphor for focused work?

I guess caves work as a cozy shelter from the storm for hermit-types. But I see a place like this and expect the resurrected Jesus to tap on my shoulder.

He is not here...he is risen. (morgefile.com)

Alternately, I imagine something equally tomb-ish. Whatever you do, don't blink.

EEK. A likely inspiration for Dr. Who's "In the Time of Angels" (morguefile.com)

I'd prefer my cave to be someplace leading into the heart of adventure and strange beauty.

Paths, handrails and mood lighting. Now we're talking. (morguefile.com)

I'd rather not think about squerching through bat guano or braining myself on stalactites while trying to evade a bear or puma whose home I just invaded.

Anyhow, I may be a bit less active on social media for a while, aside from some guest appearances planned well in advance. I'll be, you know, in the strange place we call "the cave."

How do you think of your productive zone? How do you picture your "writing cave"?

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What every Whovian needs this season

The holiday season is upon us, and that means it's time to...
crack out the paper, scissors, exacto knife and hole punch to craft some out-of-this-world SNOWFLAKES.

To get started, you need to create a simple sketch of the image you're snowflak-izing that's also symmetrical--identical on either side of a fold. The cut-away areas will be the contrast parts of the image, the remaining paper, the primary/background color so to speak. See this page of templates for an example of how it works.

Follow these basic instructions for making a six-pointed snowflake. At step seven, you'll use your folded-in-half sketch to guide where you cut.

Keep in mind that it may take several attempts to arrive at a flake that is recognizable and also aesthetically pleasing.

Check out the themed snowflakes my hubby created working from his own sketches. The TARDIS took the most prototypes to arrive at its final form. He figured out that two-point perspective worked best for creating depth and symmetry to what's largely a big rectangle if viewed from only one side.





























Can you recognize the iconic Dr. Who images in each? Do you like to play around with traditional crafts?

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Hitchhiking with Dr. Who

If you could hitchhike with a Time Lord aboard the TARDIS, where and when would you choose to go? Would you decide, like Rose Tyler (companion to Doctors #9 and 10), to go back and see a relative you never got to know? Would you choose a far-off space port in a distant future? Would you want to meet a famous person? Your great-great grandchildren? See one of the seven wonders of the ancient world?

Gosh, where would you even start? That's what makes Dr. Who's premise so delicious. The possibilities are endless.

I think one of my first stops would be 1780s Vienna. Having to disguise myself in poofy dress and an enormous wig would be quite a laugh. But most of all, I'd love to have a chance to see Mozart in the flesh. Was he charming or a complete jerk? A fun drunk or a mean one? Did he live lost within his inner musical world, or was he actually a fascinating conversationalist?

How about you? When and where would your first stop be if you could go anywhere in space and time?

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Friday fun day

My hubby and I have been geeking out big time on the latest season of Dr. Who, which at last became available on Netflix in November.

How badly are we geeking out? Check out the themed snowflakes hubby created (from scratch, I might add, using an exacto knife and a hole punch). He is the awesomest!


































Can you recognize the iconic Dr. Who images in each?

Posts of Note
Talli Roland, who's e-book version of her first novel The Hating Game released December 1, has two amazing posts with how-tos on marketing your work:

The Web Splash: How I Organised It explains how to harness social media in a launch.
The Behemoth explains how to work with amazon.com.

Think I'll keep it short and sweet today. We're in full-on holiday hustle at my place.

Any other Whovians out there?
Have you ever made fan art? Ever tried cut paper creations?
Does marketing your work excite or scare you? Why?

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