Me and that Train

[ellenkushner]

Worldcon in Glasgow was so wonderful I hardly have the words to describe it. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much, wasn't really in the mood to do a convention - but, like the Patty Larkin song "Me and that Train", things kept sliding into place; it seemed I couldn't put a foot wrong. I would wish for an old friend, and there they'd be, standing behind me at a party, and free for dinner that night (this happened twice!). My Latvian publisher turned up in a hallway the first day, so I could finally thank him for the wonderful cover he put on Tomass Varsmotajs. An author I admire told me my hair was made to put stars in (well, this was because I was sifting the table decorations - little silver stars - on top of my head - but what else can you do when your evening begins with getting to ride on the open top deck of a double-decker bus through the streets of Glasgow with the moon high overhead? I rode backwards, cackling with pleasure as the wind whipped me and second-story windows flashed by briefly revealing their interiors).

I got to spend quality time catching up with rozk and vschanoes and eegatland and many other fine folk, some of whom, like pdcawley, actually remembered me or my novels from their last appearance in Britain, more than 10 years ago, and were kind enough to want to talk about it. I got to drink Real Ale, which is to beer as fresh orange juice is to Kool Aid.

I was on interesting panels with wonderful people, in rooms so crowded you couldn't get in the door. My reading was pretty well-attended considering the hour, and when I stopped after the statutory 30 minutes I was told that I'd been given 50. Since I'd only brought 30 minutes' worth of material, I was a bit stuck - but who should be in the audience but Lisa and Josh from NYC, who just happened to be carrying around the entire rough draft of my new novel on their tiny handheld device (since they've been kind enough to offer to check it for "continuity") - so I let them pick 20 minutes' more, and they chose an excellent scene that was fun to read!

My Spanish publisher was at the reading, and afterwards earnestly discussed the appropriate translation of "St Vier" and "St Cloud" for Spanish readers - and we all went out for a bite with 2 delightful French editor/authors who all bravely ordered haggis, neeps & tatties (well, Anne made Olivier order it "so I don't die alone") - the look on the Parisians' faces when the bowl of grey, white and yellow mush arrived was priceless! - though Luis stoutly maintained it was just like some delicious Spanish delicacy involving pigs' blood . . . . We were having so much fun we missed the Hugos (which ended about an hour earlier than anyone thought they would), but then I crashed the Hugo Losers' Party as half the date of Alan Lee (an old friend who is as nice as ever) and half that of a charming Spanish academic (they already had a date apiece, one of whom was Delia) - my twisted logic so befuddled the doorkeepers that they finally let me in in disgust. There I met up with Hugo nominee Ben Rosenbaum, and we talked about sex and Swordspoint (not in that order) with such brilliance and single-minded ferocity that when they closed the party around us we were astonished to discover it was 2 a.m.

Delia & I escaped the convention long enough to visit the Mackintosh House - where we ran into Michael Swanwick's cara sposa, the peerless Marianne Porter, doing the same - and one day eegatland drove us out into the countryside and actually took us to the Banks of Loch Lomond. They are indeed bonnie, as is she - we talked books and writing for hours while the scenery rolled on by - and I can't wait to read her new novel!

Although our trip was only 5 days, we managed to miss both the backups from the Toronto crash and the British Airways strike ("like God was throwing the switches...") . . . as one friend said, we've pretty much used up our karma quotient for the year. And returned exhausted - but it was so worth it.

And so, back to our regularly-scheduled dose of Real Life, where mail must be opened and basements must be cleaned out, etcetera and so forth.

Did I mention it was worth it??

Comments

[the-gwenzilliad.livejournal.com]

Josh and Lisa are mnenex and drcpunk on LiveJournal.

I was sorry I only got to see you in passing at this WorldCon; I was too busy doing mostly things with Three Weird Sisters (http://www.threeweirdsisters.com).

But I was glad to discover you had a journal at Worldcon! Now I can find out when next you'll be in my fair country (I'm that sneaky TWS member who fell in love and moved to London to live happily ever after).

Take care,
Gwen K.

[pdcawley.livejournal.com]

I was about to call out for something from Thomas the Rhymer, but I certainly wasn't disappointed with the reading we got. And I've quite forgotten the character's name...

[desayunoencama.livejournal.com]

Glad you and Delia got a chance to meet Luis!
:-)

[snakey.livejournal.com]

Am so sad I couldn't make it to Worldcon, since I was away. But I did plug your books to all my mates. ;)

Glad you had a good time.

[beth-bernobich.livejournal.com]

Oh what a delightful report!

::glyph of con-going envy::

[anejo.livejournal.com]

Just a quick comment to say that I thoroughly enjoyed your panels and to thank you for speaking clearly. As a lipreader, I got incredibly irritated with the number of panellists who mumbled and covered their mouths - but you enunciate and it's absolutely delightful to listen to/read.

[erzebet.livejournal.com]

I wish I could have been there. Will you be at WisCon next year?

[handworn.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a grand time. Wish I'd been there too.

If you like Real Ale, you should check out the Campaign for Real Ale (http://www.camra.org.uk/SHWebClass.ASP?WCI=ShowCat&CatID=1)'s website. (It's likely you have already, but just in case, I provide it.)

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

I would have loved to read something from Thomas - as you may know, I do have a live performance of it that weaves together the narrative with some of the ballads that inspires it - a bit hard on one performer's voice, that - maybe next time, you & I and telynor can work something out together!

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

That's awfully good to know! I'll bear that in mind for future, and maybe warn other panelists, as well.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Without question.

[casacorona.livejournal.com]

It sounds like a truly splendid and blessed trip. I'm glad you had so much fun.

[widget-alley.livejournal.com]

Wow, that sounds like a fantastic time. (I confess, I have never been to a con. *look of geek shame* I'm working on it, though...)

[pdcawley.livejournal.com]

Ooh... that would be so much fun.

Which reminds me, you need to go to the Musical Traditions record shop (http://mtrecords.co.uk/mt_rr.htm) and pick up the Martin Carthy at Ruskin Mill CD. There's a fabulous version of The Famous Flower of Serving Men on there along with a host of other stunners. Definitely a gig I wish I'd been at.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Me, too. Luis now embodies my ideal of the Parfit Gentil Publisher: respect for the work, care for the details, involvement of the author - and respect for the readers and their intelligence, as well!

Can't thank you enough for making the connection. He also told us how you warned him to get Delia's contract for _Brazen Mirror_ up soon so she wouldn't be jealous! He had so many bright and profound things to say about _Fall of the Kings_ that we were both perfectly happy.

*And* he's just sent me the Spanish _Swordspoint_ cover - holy cow! Is it magnificent! I wish I had the tech knowhow to put it up here on LJ; just have to wait til there's a link on Bibliopolis, I guess....

Delia's been agitating to visit Spain for years - now maybe we'll have the perfect excuse.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Many thanks!

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Well, choose your cons carefully. They're all different. Size matters. So does content. But there's something out there for everyone.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

That's quite a life change - and so romantic!

I often find Worldcons utterly overwhelming - too big and busy - one of the things I liked about this one was that it seemed to separate into bite-sized chunks, or maybe, into smaller streams that one could comfortably swim in. So I'm not surprised we were off in different parts of the forest. I hope yours was wonderful, too!

[desayunoencama.livejournal.com]

Yes, do come! It's just a quick hop from Paris next time y'all are over there. (Kessel & family were just here a few weeks ago, when Bibliopolis brought out his first Spanish edition.)

Although I think Delia's won't be out until next year. (We did at last get the contracts all squared away in June, though.)

I haven't seen the SWORDSPOINT cover yet, will ask him for it next time I see him.

[erzebet.livejournal.com]

Oh good. If someone points you out to me, I'll say hi. :)

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Oh, we can do better than that! Let's definitely look for each other; I'd love to meet you.

[erzebet.livejournal.com]

Well, last time I went I was the only "Erzebet" so look for the name and that should be me. :)

I hung out with the fairy tale crew and hope to again. But you're Ellen, so it should be easy to find you. hehe

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Well, as Delia is so fond of quoting, "More know Tom Fool than Tom Fool knows."

(Where she got that is anybody's guess - no, wait, you can google it. It's been used by Walter Scott & Thackeray, but the couple of paragraphs in which it drops a simple milkman in an obscure Hardy novel do take the biscuit.)