Can*Con 2016

I actually have two things I want to talk about. The first is about something I'm excited about because I've been looking to get my foot in the door when it comes to video gaming. As a result of countless years working at building a good reputation and volunteer work, I'll soon be publishing articles with Girls on Games, a gaming company based in Montreal Canada. I cannot wait for you to see what has been in the works! This is a great opportunity for me and it will help launch me into freelance writing.

The second thing I want to talk about will take the brunt of this weeks blog post. That thing is Can*Con, a speculative fiction convention in Ottawa, which is geared towards various facets of the writing industry. This occurs in the fall of each year (Sept 9-11) and is brilliantly run by a team consisting of masterminds like Derek Kungsten, Marie Bilodeau, Brandon Crilly, Evan May, and many others. This event is immensely successful with the most recent rumor of over 300 people to be in attendance! Talk about fantastic!

The line up of special guests include people like Sam Morgan, Eric Choi, Sheila Williams, and Charles De Lint. A brief summary of each of these people follow.

Sam Morgan is part of JABberwocky Literary Agency and he is the “Right Hand of Darkness” - speculate as you may. Currently this Guest of Honour is accepting queries, mostly looking for Sci-Fi and Fantasy works, but doesn't mind humourous stories. He is looking for 'weird and wacky things' as he has said in his manuscript wish list post. If you do a quick Google search, the realization of what sorts of things fall under 'weird and wacky' should assist in understand why a manuscript might progress passed the slush pile phase. His experience within the industry as an agent will certainly be insightful to many of the attendees.

Eric Choi comes from a highly scientific background, as in the man is an aerospace engineer who lives in Toronto Ontario. This Guest of Honour is an award winning writer and editor of anthologies such as “Carbide Tipped Pens” (Tor, 2014) and “The Dragon and the Stars” (DAW, 2010). He has written for several anthologies and magazines over the years, receiving one Aurora Award and Dell Award (formerly known as the Asimov Award). Somehow he cleared enough time to bring his extensive knowledge of science and writing to those attending Can*Con.

Sheila Williams has been very influential in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy world for a number of years. She began her career in 1982 with Asimov and has been privileged enough to work with Asimov. Winning a number of Hugo Awards, she continues to be an icon in the field of writing. She has co-founded the Dell Magazine Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing along with Rick Wilber, which encourages writers at the college and university level to get into writing professionally – in fact many of the finalists become published. Her knowledge of the publishing and editing world greatly inspires writers to pursue their dreams. Her reputation precedes her and this Guest of Honour will be highly sought after at the convention.

The final person I'd like to talk about is Charles De Lint, and this one is more on a personal level. He lives in Ottawa with his lovely wife MaryAnn and his cute dog Johnny. I first met him many years ago when my mom attended one of his writers workshops. At the time, I had no idea who he was - I was only 11 just having been introduced to D&D gaming. I wanted to write campaigns like my GM. All I was interested in were books written by Gary Gygax, may he rest in peace. Years later, Charles and MaryAnn were playing music at a local pub which I had gone to regularly. After that, a friend of mine talked about how much he loved the book entitled “Trader”. This was my first introduction to his writing and I absolutely loved it! He tends to write in the genre of Fantasy and to date has published over 70 books. Charles is well known because of his contribution to the craft and for his noticeably local stories, taking the reader on amazing adventures in Ottawa. This is an author you don't want to miss out on meeting!

In short, Can*Con is going to be highly informative due to its jam packed program, exciting guests, and workshops aplenty. With a low cost of entry, the convention should be one of the Go-to events for every aspiring writer. As per normal, there will be a room for authors to sell their works. And finally, the event is being held at Novotel right in the heart of downtown Ottawa. Visitors to the city will be able to experience the many food options and eclectic vendors of our capital city. People from all walks of life will be interested in what is offered both at the event and in the city.

For the second year in a row, I will be volunteering. I'll also have the opportunity to attend panels so that I can learn as much as I can about the industry.

If you are coming to the event on September 9-11, I look forward to seeing you there!

Until next time,

Susan aka “Jagtress”

#writing #CanCon #Ottawa #Novotel #Convention