Conjour post-mortem

I enjoyed Conjour this past weekend. It was small, but comfortable. The size allowed more interection with other guests than I have had at some other cons.

I was unable to attend Friday, my department at work has been hammered by absenteeism. We only have eight people to begin with; one person is now half-time because of battling cancer, and last week another person went on an extended sick leave (to to three months). The company is not hiring replacements. Toss in a few vacation days, maybe one or two sick days, and we get really understaffed. Friday we were three and a half people down, so it was impossible for me to leave early. I left home at 4:15 a.m. Saturday and - thanks to the GPS - arrived at the University of Houston at Clear Lake for my first panel at 10 a.m.

It was the start of spring break at the university, but there was a good cadre of students there and they did a great job running the con, all things considered. They were understaffed, so I can sympathize.

Among the panels I participated in:

Mining Myth and Folklore with P.L. Blair, Bill Fawcett, Michael Ashliegh Finn, Robert Stikmanz, and Beverly Hale.

Character Development, with Paul Elard Cooley, Michael Willett, Jodie Lynn Nye, and Charlie Brown.

Plot Development with Paul Elard Cooley, Julia Mandala, P.L. Blair, and Jody Lynn Nye.

Writing 101 wth Rhonda Eudaly and Julia Mandala.

Critiquing For Others with Terry Mixon, Amanda Kimmerly, Michael Ashleigh Finn, and Beverly Hale.

Revising Your Work with Paul Elard Cooley, Jody Lynn Nye, Beverly Hale, Julia Mandala, and Michael Ashleigh Finn.

I also attended and was on the panel for the showing of the complete "Metropolis".

Got to meet some new people, perhaps make some new friends. All in all, a very pleasant experience.