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Saturday was panels and a reading and such for me (though Denise went out exploring Albuquerque with Anne Gray and Rosie). I read "The Gods of Every Other Wednesday Night," which has become my favorite story to read, since it has always received a great reaction from the audience. This one was no exception, thankfully, and as usual, I signed the copy of the manuscript from which I was reading for someone to take.
Speaking of signing, then there was the mass author signing in the late afternoon, where the twenty or more writers at the convention were all gathered at tables in one room to sign their books. I have never signed so many books in my life. The issue is that most of the Wild Cards writers are based in New Mexico, or are out in the west, so the local fans have George, Melinda, Ian, Walter, John, Daniel, Ty, Carrie, etc. around regularly to sign their books. Those of us who aren't local are the 'rare' signatures. So I was barraged with literal BOXES of Wild Card volumes as well as my own novels.
Mind you, I was seated next to George at the head table for the autographing. George had his own separate and much longer line form the rest of us, so I had the ego-tempering effect of watching George sign easily twice as many books as I did, but still… I was rarely without someone in front of me with books. :-)
After the day's programming, we went out to dinner with George and company to Buca di Beppo, where George has made an annual Bubonicon tradition of reserving the "Pope Room" on Saturday night. Denise, Stephen Boucher, the charming Janice Gelb, and I were driven to the restaurant by Parris; the rest caravanned in other cars. The Pope Room seats sixteen, with one large ornate chair and several other chairs set around a huge, round table with a gigantic lazy susan in the middle (a horrifying bust of the current pope lurks in an acrylic box in the center. I won't name everyone at the table for fear of forgetting someone, but it was a great group. As GoH, I was designated as Pope and sat in the Pope's chair, and was given a scepter with flashing LEDs to wield. (Best quote of the night: "Mine's smaller, but it changes colors.") The job of the pope is to command when the Lazy Susan in the middle of the table must turn. George said that I was a 'gentle' pope compared to Mike Cassutt when he reigned over the dinner, but hey… Mostly, I commanded that the bust of the pope could never be looking at me. The food was good; the company was fantastic. We had a lovely time.
Then back to the hotel, where we sat around the bar area for awhile with people drifting in and out of the conversation, and sometime after the bar closed, off to bed...
Speaking of signing, then there was the mass author signing in the late afternoon, where the twenty or more writers at the convention were all gathered at tables in one room to sign their books. I have never signed so many books in my life. The issue is that most of the Wild Cards writers are based in New Mexico, or are out in the west, so the local fans have George, Melinda, Ian, Walter, John, Daniel, Ty, Carrie, etc. around regularly to sign their books. Those of us who aren't local are the 'rare' signatures. So I was barraged with literal BOXES of Wild Card volumes as well as my own novels.
Mind you, I was seated next to George at the head table for the autographing. George had his own separate and much longer line form the rest of us, so I had the ego-tempering effect of watching George sign easily twice as many books as I did, but still… I was rarely without someone in front of me with books. :-)
After the day's programming, we went out to dinner with George and company to Buca di Beppo, where George has made an annual Bubonicon tradition of reserving the "Pope Room" on Saturday night. Denise, Stephen Boucher, the charming Janice Gelb, and I were driven to the restaurant by Parris; the rest caravanned in other cars. The Pope Room seats sixteen, with one large ornate chair and several other chairs set around a huge, round table with a gigantic lazy susan in the middle (a horrifying bust of the current pope lurks in an acrylic box in the center. I won't name everyone at the table for fear of forgetting someone, but it was a great group. As GoH, I was designated as Pope and sat in the Pope's chair, and was given a scepter with flashing LEDs to wield. (Best quote of the night: "Mine's smaller, but it changes colors.") The job of the pope is to command when the Lazy Susan in the middle of the table must turn. George said that I was a 'gentle' pope compared to Mike Cassutt when he reigned over the dinner, but hey… Mostly, I commanded that the bust of the pope could never be looking at me. The food was good; the company was fantastic. We had a lovely time.
Then back to the hotel, where we sat around the bar area for awhile with people drifting in and out of the conversation, and sometime after the bar closed, off to bed...