The World Fantasy convention and beyond

[ellen_datlow]

I had a great time (even before Terri and I won the award). My only complaint is that I couldn't sit down and talk to everyone I wanted to because the convention was more like a mini Worldcon than a usual WFC-1100 members or so. I got in Thursday afternoon after driving up with Paul Witcover and Rick Bowes. The trees, alas, were not as colorful as we'd hoped but the drive was still fun and pretty.

I remember a blur of meals, drinks (the Aussie party was especially good, the first night of the con), conversations, gossip (with Serena Powers, who I never get to hang out with long enough at cons, and who looked gorgeous and mysterious at the banquet--she was wearing a hat low over her eyes--I didn't get a photo of her but someone else must have). Sunday right after the banquet I drove over with Patricia McKillip, David Lunde, and Delia Sherman for a signing at Albany's Flights of Fantasy that we'd committed to. So if anyone was wondering where I disappeared to after the banquet, that's where. The staff members were really nice (they had been in the dealer's room during the con) and a bunch of us (there were 12 at the signing) went back to Maria's for a quick bite of dinner before heading back to Saratoga. Sarah Monette had to leave at an ungodly hour in the morning so we and Elizabeth Bear (driving)got back to the hotel around 9:30 or so. Where I partied for a few more hours, saying my goodbyes.

Aside from the delight of winning the award, the new, Prime Books edition of Black Thorn, White Rose made it in time for its debut at the convention. It's a trade paperback and looks good, despite my qualms about frogginess vs sexy female on the cover as a selling point.

So many people have already posted reports that I don't feel the necessity to do my own (which is a good thing, since I've a lousy memory) but the photos should do the trick. There were lots of folk I would have loved to have photographed but didn't get to or got such lousy shots of that I deleted them. I'll post photos some time in the next few days when I get caught up (or bored).

The cats were very happy I was home yesterday. Bella wouldn't leave me alone begging for hugs and pets and being a total nuisance. Dinah asked for a lot of petting, too. I missed them too though so that's ok.

Still sorting through papers, notes, things I have to take care of and follow up on. If I think of anything else interesting, I'll add it later.

I knew I forgot something. I won a Sony e-reader at the Orbit party raffle! Very exciting. I could tell that everyone else there coveted it ;-) I hoping I find it useful--I may need someone to help me set it up to see how it works.

Comments

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

Aside from the delight of winning the award, the new, Prime Books edition of Black Thorn, White Rose made it in time for its debut at the convention. It's a trade paperback and looks good, despite my qualms about frogginess vs sexy female on the cover as a selling point.



Congrats on the reward!

I have the original first printing in paperback of the entire Series. I was so disappointed when you two stopped doing it.}:( It's one of my favorite Series to date.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Thank you!
I was afraid that the idea was getting stale, but more importantly, the publisher (which had changed hands and the book, editors) lost interest so it wasn't a good place to continue publishing.There are so many retold fairy tales these days, do you really think readers want more books of them? (serious question).

Perhaps with the reissues we can interest a different publisher in commissioning a few new titles...and I'll ask Terri if she's even interested.

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

There are so many retold fairy tales these days, do you really think readers want more books of them? (serious question).

YES.

I honestly do think that if you two were to publich a new book of reworked Fairy Talkes, it would sell like hotcakes.

There honestly hasn't been much by way of what you've created with that Series in several years, in my opinion.

And there are MANY, MANY obscure Fairy Tales just waiting to be reworked and brought to the light of day.

I'd LOVE to see your take on 'East of the Sun, West of the Moon' for instance. That's my utmost favorite Tale.}:)

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Maybe I'll start a new topic specifically on this to see what people think. I've heard complaints that there are too many retold fairy tales around.
But I if Terri's interested and we can get a publisher interested, we could concentrate on the more obscure fairy tales this time around. (or at least those that haven't been used in the first six volumes).

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

That's because , after you guys, EVERYBODY rewrote the same fairy tales.

Granted, quite a few were very good(Jane Yolen's Briar Rose, Sherri S. Tepper's Beauty come to mind, as does Deerskin, the author escapes me at the moment, and Ellen Kushner's Swordpoint and subsequent books are divine too), some are rehashings of the same stories, over and over again.

There are many, many tales that could stand being rewritten in a modern flavour, or even rewritten from the Disneyfied status they currently have, back to a style closer to what they originally were when originally written for adults.

I for one, would jump on those books}:P

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the support.

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

But of course!
If we don't support our favorite authors/editors, where would the really spiffy new books come from? }:P

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Yes, as long as you get new, different stories.

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

There are thousands of Fairy Tales never rewritten that would be perfect for this.

[(Anonymous)]

The retold Fairy Tale has become formulaic. The anthology that breaks out of that formula will reap rewards, I think.

Rick Bowes

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Well we started the so-call trend and the books were not formulaic. That was the whole point.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

"called" arghhh.

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

I love fairy tale retellings. The more the better.

Did you get to see the Flights of Fantasy cats?

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Another vote! ;-)

Yes, and they were great. Both were trying to get our attention during readings/discussion and were taken away by the store owners but afterwards we pet them as much as they allowed. The white male seemed a bit grumpy and warned everyone away. But they're beautiful beasts.

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Miles is very picky about his friends. (Tolerates me occasionally, loves my husband.) Amber has been known to climb onto unsuspecting shoulders and have to be forcibly extracted.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Was Miles the big white guy? Amber was a huge fluffy lovebug.

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Mostly white with some black, yeah. And that describes Amber perfectly. ;)

[fetishpunk.livejournal.com]

Glad you had a good time and even more glad to hear that your kitties missed you whilst you were away! Even when I've just been away to work when I come home our older cat Poquito has a habit of throwing herself dramatically onto the floor, as if simulating an assassination, just to get my attention ...

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

HAHAHA, Max does that. The contortions are amazing!

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Mine too but now they're already bored that I've been home a day. No attention at all (except meal times) -they sooo ungrateful.

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

Yup. Max , after pestering me for food, spends most of the day downstairs sleeping. He only deigns to mpay attention to me when I come downstairs. Then it's all 'Love on me, Hold me, Pick me up, Let me snuzzle at your hair, NOW human!'

Aries just sits behind me and stares at me until I turn around and love on him.}:)

He does sleep with me though, so it's not all take take on their part}:P Max sleeps ON me, lol.