What would YOU caption this?
Meeting Paul McGillion
(or: Earth to Atlantis; come in Atlantis)
I mentioned earlier that due to my busy schedule I didn’t have many celebrity sightings this year – celebrity, of course, being someone of esteem that I don’t already have in my phone or on my Christmas card list. The two folks I caught a glimpse of who qualified were Anthony Daniels (C3PO from Star Wars) and Paul McGillion (from Stargate: Atlantis).
Now, there’s a whole story that revolves around the crew of Stargate: Atlantis, a story I promise to tell on the day I meet Jason Momoa and not before. Suffice it to say that it culminated in Janet’s and my hard & fast goal to introduce ourselves to every celebrity within arm’s length, no matter how intimidated, scared, or fangirl we might be.
So there we were in the Green Room. It was late. I was getting punchy. Everyone else was well on their way to being several sheets into the wind. Carl--the Green Room’s very tall bouncer whose job it is to bellow “Last call!” to no objections—offered me some high-octane vanilla cognac from his private flask. Not sure what Mike Lee was drinking, but he was loving the world and tipping well, so it must have been good...but not so good he wasn’t jealous of Carl’s favoritism toward women in low-cut dresses.
I had befriended a fabulous artist named Marrus (pictured right), whose friend explained how creeped out he was that I looked just like Marrus twenty years ago...and still looked quite a bit like her now, plus a few pounds and inches, and minus the frosted hair. We laughed and joked and carried on and yelled plans for the future in each other’s ears. See, once it gets packed and the evening wears on, the Green Room isn’t so much a haven as it is a really crowded bar with great snacks and free drinks. At first you only have to talk above the background music, the beer pong game, and the masquerade...later you have to yell above all the other people trying to be heard above all those other things too.
I followed Mike to the bar the first time as an excuse to walk by Paul McGillion. After like the sixth or seventh time, as folks were starting to head to other parties in anticipation of getting kicked out, I hooked Mike’s arm and dragged him slowly toward the door. I swear he said goodbye to everyone—which included bestowing a giant hug on Paul McGillion. Now, I had no idea Mike knew Paul. For all I know he probably doesn’t. But I stood there and smiled, and courteously after Mike said goodbye, Paul turned to me. And this is what happened.
Lee: (sticks out her hand & shouts) I’m Alethea Kontis! It’s nice to meet you!
Paul: (cups his ear) What!?
Lee: (leans in) ALETHEA KONTIS!
Paul: (smiles) Thank you! Thank you very much!
I tried to say something else just as he tried to say something else, and we both leaned in to scream it again in each other’s ears only to stand there in awkward silence. Paul then kissed me on both cheeks and said, “Have a good night!” Embarrassed, and feeling like I had just had a conversation with someone via tin can and string, I dragged Mike out the door after Janet, Leanna, and Chris.
WHAT had just happened? I touched my cheek. Paul McGillion had kissed me. Does it matter what happened?
The next day I stopped by the Sherrilyn Kenyon booth to tell my story to Eddie and Erin. They were just as confused as I was abou8t what had transpired. “What exactly did you say again?” Eddie asked.
“I just introduced myself,” I said, “and he said ‘Thank you.’”
“What exactly did you say?” said Eddie.
“I’m Alethea Kontis,” I said slowly, enunciating every syllable. There was a pause, and then we all started laughing. My cheeks flushed all over again. “He thought I was saying, ‘I love you,’ didn’t he?”
“That, and he probably thought you were very drunk,” said Erin.
I sighed. Not exactly that ‘meeting of soul mates’ moment that everyone wishes to have when introducing themselves to celebrities they admire. Then again—what is it I say?—some things are meant to be, and some things are meant to be great stories.
The next time we meet, I have a feeling Paul will get a kick out of this one.
Assimilating the Twitterverse
Twitter existed last Labor Day weekend, but it was about as prevalent then as the iPhone. Now that most of the appleminded have wised up and we're all jacked in, the Twitterverse was alive and well in the fourth dimension. I tagged all my own tweets with the #dragoncon hashtag, and in the wee insomniac hours before my roommates rose from the dead, I would click on #dragoncon to see what everyone else was saying and doing.
What parties had just ended? What concerts were going on tonight? What cool costumes were floating around? What great panels had I missed? How many people had already stopped at Starbucks and were sitting in the Shatner/Nimoy line? What time were the Thriller dance rehearsals? How much was it to get Patrick Stewart's autograph? Getting to experience the convention through so may other people's eyes WHILE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING IT MYSELF was a bit mind-blowing. And excessively cool.
Before I knew it, I was responding to the tweets of perfect strangers. One girl mentioned that she was dressing up as Rose from the 60's episode -- I asked her if she'd worn the same thing to the parade yesterday because I'd noticed that costume. Turns out...it was her! I complimented her on the pink dress, and we commiserated about how we don't get to watch the parade anymore now that we're in it. One guy boasted about being part of the Crazy 88s that poured down the escalator during the sold-out Steampunk Ball and entertained everyone who couldn't get in. I had ordered Kit to take a picture of the group -- they looked spectacular, and I told my new friend Will so. He invited me to get in the picture next year, and I took him up on the offer.
The thing was, these weren't perfect strangers. At any other convention, these would probably have been the folks I found myself hanging out in the lobby with until 2am. Thanks to Twitter, I got to spend my free time seeing the convention through their eyes. I got to make friends with people I might have bumped into many times over the last thirteen years--people who might have been across town...or in the very next room.
We live in an age where people are almost afraid to walk down the street and meet their neighbors...but there are people out there--kind, like-minded people--just waiting to be met. Despite the alien disguises we might don, we're all human. And, as Twitter only further proves, at Dragon*Con, we're family.
This entry would have happened earlier, but as many of you know (how many mothers do I have on Twitter?) I came home from Atlanta and promptly got horribly sick. In the last week I've caught up on a lot of TV...and I relived Dragon*Con. I searched YouTube for recordings of the parade. I posted all my pics to my photo album, looked through Chris's and Judy's, and waited patiently for the fan photos that tagged me on Facebook (okay -- which one of you thought I was Sherri's niece?). I unearthed the famous Thriller video. And I made notes. There's no way I can ever write a con report that would do this year's Dragon*Con justice. Last year, I did a top-ten list. Hey! A top-ten list sounds like an awfully good idea, doesn't it? Let's start with number one:
A few years ago, the dynamic changed. I started running with Sherrilyn Kenyon's crew. Derek got me invited as an official guest so that I could moderate the "Hour With Sherrilyn Kenyon" -- a panel that inevitably packed the Goth track room to its gills every year. The Dark-Hunter Companion hit the streets. I started walking with the Dark-Hunters in the parade. Derek asked me onto other panels. I became friends with some of the staff. They recognized me in the green room. Even after all that, I was surprised when I got my schedule emailed to me to find that I had four panels, an autograph session, and a reading. I suddenly felt like somebody, and it was a little scary.
I shifted my priorities a bit and concentrated on the one thing I wanted to do -- hang out with my roommates Chris (Kit) McCormick and Leanna Renee Hieber. Kit and I have known each other since I was 10 (see also: The High School Reunion essays). Leanna and I met a few months ago at BEA, which seems ridiculous even as I type it. Our souls have known each other for a lot longer. This was her first Dragon*Con, and the first time I'd been able to spend quality time with Chris in forever and a day. My first priority was them. My second priority was my schedule. Everything else would be a bonus.
Only...when one is in the parade, one doesn't get to see the parade. When one is required to speak on panels, one cannot stand in line to attend any others. When one's autograph session runs an hour long, the Walk of Fame shuts down before one is able to get over there. I hoped I would run into random celebs in the green room or at various parties. Other than Paul McGillion and a brief Anthony Daniels sighting, the only famous people I got to hang out with were the ones I already knew. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But at a con the size of Dragon, one does look forward to making impressive new friends.
The second I drove up to the Atlanta skyline I took a picture, savoring the moment of anticipation because I knew it would be over sooner that I wanted it to be...and I was right. I had prepared for MONTHS, and here it was, and we were going to have a fabulous time. And we did. A time beyond measure.
The part I didn't count on, however, was that because I had left so much undone, up until yesterday I didn't feel like I had actually gone to the convention. It was a really weird feeling.
Especially because my convention experience was in absolutely every other way AWESOME.
It's looked this way for a week now, because I came home sick from Dragon*Con AND I'M STILL SICK. I'm a healthy person. I'm not used to these illnesses that take two weeks to clear up. After seven days I have to admit...this is driving me nuts. Granted I've caught up on pretty much all the TV I've ever wanted to watch -- my two new favorite shows are "Castle" and "Lie To Me" -- Nathan Fillion just makes us authors look GOOD, and Tim Roth is, well, TIM ROTH, only he Hugh Lauries it up a bit.
There's a Dragon*Con Top Ten post coming. I have notes and everything. I've even started writing it. But I also have to get back to other work, and I don't want to leave you guys hanging.
So here are my pics from yes, the Best Dragon*Con Evar, and here are my best friend and Con Roomie Chris McCormick's. The Sideshow was standing room only. The Hour With Sherrilyn Kenyon had over 1000 people. Our signing lasted two hours. The parade was marvelous.
And I still maintain it was worth every minute of my current misery.
*sneeze*
Our are stalking the convention circuit looking for AnthologyBuilder badge wearers. If they spot you, you'll receive a free gift certificate or anthology!
- WorldCon
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How to Win at Dragon*Con:
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Send an email to telling us which convention(s) you'll be attending. Our staff will assign you a mission and provide a small compensation for your time.
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Ladies and Gentlemen, mark your calendars!
Title: Vampires Are The New Vampires
Time: Fri 02:30 pm Location: Montreal / Vancouver - Hyatt (Length: 1)
Description: Vampires are always in style, no matter what decade it is.
Title: Dragon*Reading: Alethea Kontis (aka PRINCESS ALETHEA'S TRAVELING SIDESHOW! Join us for books, bubbles and mayhem. First 50 people get free tote bags full of prizes!)
Time: Fri 05:30 pm Location: Roswell - Hyatt (Length: 1)
Title: Scary Fairy Tales
Time: Sat 01:00 pm Location: Montreal / Vancouver - Hyatt (Length: 1)
Description: A look in to the darker side of fairytale magic.
Title: An Hour With Sherrilyn Kenyon
Time: Sat 02:30 pm Location: Centennial I - Hyatt (Length: 1)
Moderator / MC for panel
Description: An interview with the bestselling author of the Dark-Hunter series.
Title: Dragon*Autograph
Time: Sun 05:30 pm Location: M301 - M304 - Marriott (Length: 1)
Title: The Future of Urban Fantasy
Time: Mon 11:30 am Location: Montreal / Vancouver - Hyatt (Length: 1)
Description: Where does the genre go from here?
Well, it's about as THICK as a phone book -- the Dragon*Con Pocket Program and Schedule Grids are now online. These are your most valuable treasure maps for the convention. Once upon a time I used to grab two of the pocket program -- one to read in the hotel room and one to tear into shreds so I could put each day's grid and a map of the Hyatt on my person. (That map of the Hyatt is still worth it -- after 13 years I still don't remember the names of all the rooms, which floor they're on, or which side of the lobby. But I have a pretty good idea.)Also be sure to check out the Daily Dragon every day -- in print and online -- for up-to-the-minute schedule changes, fun interviews, and award winners (because *I* have to know who won the Miss Klingon pageant...if they still do the Miss Klingon pageant...).
Always carry a water bottle and granola bar with you at all times, get in the elevator as soon as it opens no matter which direction it's headed, and be nice to the Fire Marshall when they shut down the Hyatt....they're only doing their jobs. You can usually sneak in through the food court anyway.
PRINCESS ALETHEA'S TRAVELING SIDESHOW will be held on Friday at 5:30, (wherever it says my reading is on the schedule). Guest stars include Leanna Renee Hieber, Mike Lee, J. K. Lee, Ada Brown, Chris McCormick, and more! Bubbles, books, and mayhem will ensue! There will be swag bags for the first 50 people, filled with tattoos, buttons, signed books, magnets, and more! Come one, come all, and tell your friends!!
The Breakfast Club: Bob, Kelli, Mary, Joe, Princess Alethea, Dickie, and Bandleader Jack Haringa
I also came out from under my rock because I couldn't forget to tell you that I have a live interview today with Jerrod Balzer at The Metal Crypt @ 3:30 EST. I'm a cute little author in a sea of some seriously hardcore performers...I'm listening to the podcast with Shadowside's Dani Nolden right now. That is one seriously beautiful and talented Brazillian woman. And she has the best hair.
Check out the rest of my unabashed love for Chicago here.
Happy Release Day Diana Rowland!Detective Kara Gillian is both a cop and a conjurer of demons, accidentally conjuring sexy angelic Rhyzkhal during a routine spell. Now she needs his help to catch a deadly serial killer--The Symbol Man--who's back in Beaulac, Louisiana on a killing spree after a three-year hiatus. There's also that handsome-yet-disapproving FBI agent hanging around, messing with both Kara's heart and her first homicide case.
Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland is a delicious blend of police procedural and urban fantasy. In honor of its release today, be sure to check out my Genre Chick interview with the superstar author herself. We had a lot of fun. (Almost as much fun as John Scalzi had with Diana at last year's WorldCon. ---->)
I also reviewed Mark of the Demon in my most recent column for Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and blew a whole Saturday reading it in one sitting. I miss those days.
If you're like me at all and yearning for a fun, smart urban fantasy that isn't cashing in on the whole vampire wave (I am so tired of vampires...and no, Dark-Hunters don't count) then be sure to pick up Mark of the Demon at your local bookstore today!
~Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery
Blush and Bashful, a.k.a "Pink & Pink"
Sunday, May 31, 2009
My feet were killing me. I lost a ridiculous amount of sleep because my left ankle in particular kept waking me up. Mary had fixed me a cold, Epsom salt foot bath when we'd gotten home from dinner with Ellen and Esther, but instead of dumping it out I had left it by the bedside. I soaked my feet when I woke up at 3am, and then again at 7am. I needed to make a decision -- sneakers with arch and ankle support...or the fancy dress and cute shoes I had planned on? I was still doing business -- Brooke and Tim at Dorchester had invited me to brunch that day. I know they love me no matter what I'm wearing...but if I was going to show up at the convention, I needed to Own It. I had packed the dress and the shoes. I could carry my sneakers in a tote in case of dire emergency. I could do this. I could hack it.
I walked as little of the floor as I could, saying my goodbyes...but I didn't last very long. Finally I splurged on a seven-dollar frappuccino and sat down at the large tables by the door. I texted Tim to confess my surrender, in case they wanted to head out early. Even sitting still I managed to run into a friend who plopped down beside me and helped me pass the time. Brooke and Tim breezed up and I introduced them. Tim promised me a cab to Times Square. I love that man. Brooke sort of winced slightly, and I braced myself for her news.
"I hope you don't mind...we've invited someone along to brunch."
I smiled in that oh sh*t, stay beautiful way I've mastered.
"Remember that author we were talking about for a Genre Chicks interview? Leanna Renee Hieber? I sold you her book The Strangely Beutiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker." I did remember. I really love that title. "I didn't think you'd mind -- you'll totally love her. She's just like you."
I'm not sure about you, but I hear this sort of thing a lot. Sometimes it turns out to be true. Sometimes it doesn't. Brooke knows me pretty darn well, so I can trust her judgment. But she's also a pretty darn good saleswoman, which left wiggle room for doubt. Either way, there was no way I was changing into those sneakers any time soon. I was walking back into the windy NYC spring day with my silky Marilyn Monroe handkerchief skirt, and I was going to remain "on" for a few more hours. I could hack it. Besides. This Leanna chick could turn out to be cool.
Three-quarters of the way into one of the most amazing brunches of all time, Leanna and I had made it through Goth-wear, Harry Potter, our mutual affection for Alan Rickman and Zachary Quinto, some OMG DOCTOR WHO! fangirl squeeing over David Tennant, comic books, and the Nick Cave anthology. We even exchanged websites for quality bookmark printing. Sometime in the middle of dissecting Star Trek 2009 (which we'd both seen twice), we started finishing each other's sentences. There weren't a whole lot of breaths taken, unless we were stuffing our faces with the delicious offerings from Ruby Foo's. Tim and Brooke spent most of the brunch watching our rapid-fire discourse with fascination.
Tim leaned in to Brooke. "I think maybe we did a little too well."
We ordered dessert, despite being stuffed, because hello, it's dessert. Brooke and I opted to share some kind of rhubarb crumble, Tim got a big fat chocolate cake (Tim doesn't like to share), and Leanna went with the pineapple sorbet. So when the waiter brought a huge slice of Red Velvet cake to the table, we all looked a little confused. He apologized, and then brought the correct desserts. After we'd been served, he brought the slice of Red Velvet back over.
"My mistake," he said. "Since it's already been plated, you're welcome to it." He slid it onto the table between me and Brooke.
"Go on, then," Leanna drawled. "Pass me some of that bleeding armadillo groom's cake."
From Doctor Who to Steel Magnolias in under 10 seconds, and we never missed a beat. That's when I knew...it was true love.
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Leanna's website: click here.
Follow Leanna on Twitter: click here.
Preorder The Strangely Beautiful Take of Miss Percy Parker: click here
Check out the book's trailer:
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The Friendly Skies
Monday June 1, 2009
It's been said -- and I've mentioned it before myself -- that "the point of the journey is not to arrive." Well...that's crap, really, isn't it? Of course the point of the journey is your destination, or there wouldn't have been a journey in the first place. Arrival is simply the period at the end of the sentence. But if all you're concentrating on is the punctuation, you've definitely missed something.
While in Charleston with my sister over Memorial Day weekend, Sami and I did a spot of shopping -- just enough to make it worth our while but not completely nauseous (a distaste for so-called "retail therapy" is genetic, apparently). See...now that I'm brazen enough to slap pictures of myself all over the internet, I feel pressured to constantly add to my wardrobe to prevent all of you from suffering from the crazy delusion that I'm a Smurfette with only one nice dress. So I bought some fun things--a few you'll see in the BEA pics, a couple you'll see during Hypericon, and one I've saved for when I get nominated for an Oscar.
I also purchased what quickly became my new favorite shirt: a brown babydoll tee that reads: "faith hope love" in gold across the chest. (This has a point, I promise. It's not just 3000 words about clothes. Bear with me.) This shirt cried out to me, appealing to my inner six-year-old, the one who used to lock herself in the bathroom with a tape recorder and give inspirational speeches that begged everyone in the world to love each other, be happy, and "ho, mo, and grow" (I still haven't decided what "ho, mo, and grow" means, but it was important enough for me to repeat. A lot).
While at BEA, I picked up a button that said "HAPPY" and wore it on my badge until I lost it. Some people wear their heart on their sleeves; I suppose I have a tendency to wear my feelings on my chest.
As those of you who follow my FB/Twitter already know, I opted for the pretty dress/cute shoes every day of BEA weekend -- and I'm currently wearing the band-aids to prove it. By the time Monday rolled around, I was overjoyed to slide into my crumpled jeans and that soft brown t-shirt. (I am now compelled to find a button that says "OVERJOYED.") Mary and I went for a walk around the Upper West Side, stopped for breakfast, and dropped far too much cash at Bank Street Books. (One of my favorite children's authors is Arnold Lobel. Not only did Bank Street have some of the Frog and Toad books in hardcover, they had Frog and Toad in PLUSH. How was I supposed to pass that up? Exactly.)
Mary's done her share of traveling, so she knew right where and when I needed to catch the M60 bus back to Laguardia in time to check myself in and get settled. My suitcase full of books managed to squeak by just under the weight limit (yes!) and there was zero line at security, so I had plenty of time to sit back and relax before flying back to Nashville (via Charlotte again). I wandered over and bought a Snapple and some dark chocolate with almonds, found a comfy spot in front of the window, and cracked open Frog and Toad Are Friends.
Okay, yeah. I suppose any thirtysomething girl with braided pigtails and a cute hat sitting crosslegged at the end of a row of chairs eating chocolate and giggling into a Caldecott Honor book is just asking to be approached. When some guy tapped me on the shoulder, I turned and smiled at him...mostly because he had had the courtesy to let me finish reading my book before he interrupted me.
"Hi, sorry," he said. "This may sound a little strange but...well, I noticed your shirt....and it looks like you enjoy books, and reading..."
( (Okay....this essay's getting a bit long -- but I promise, it's totally worth it. For LJ folks, the rest is behind the cut.) )
I know you're all coming to Hypericon, which is so chock full of authors it's hard to breathe. Just make sure to leave some room on your schedule to see The Princess!
Discussion on creating realistic bad guys and the nature of evil. Is there such a thing as True Evil?
JOHN EVERSON, SARA HARVEY, ALETHEA KONTIS, GLEN COOK, KIMBERLEY RAISOR
Saturday, June 6 -- 4:45
Authors will discuss writing short stories. How are they different from longer fiction? What are they like? Are they worth the trouble?
ELIZABETH DONALD, SCOTT NICHOLSON, ALETHEA KONTIS, DAVID JACK BELL, STEVEN SHREWSBURY
Reading schedule TK.
The first two years I attended Mo*Con, the Machines of the Universe gave me something I didn't know I needed. This time, it was Kelli Dunlap's turn. And I helped. You can read her beautiful summary here.
We had fun (as usual), we ate like kings (as usual), I took lots of pictures (as usual)...and then there was the Watermelon Dance. No one is ever going to remember what happened at this convention, simply because I was lucky enough to have a camera and catch Maurice being goofy in his natural habitat. The original video has 200 or so views already, and it hasn't been up for 24-hours yet.
But the piece de resistance is this remix video by Doug Warrick and Kyle Johnson, the Jay & Silent Bob of the Horror genre (pictured in the background). I snorted my iced tea when I watched this. Please put all drinks down before pressing "PLAY."
If you're jonesing for more, "The Still & the Storm" -- my new Beauty & Dynamite essay -- is now up, along with the latest issue of Apex magazine. Yes, it's true that the online mag is going on hiatus, but I'm still commissioned to put a few tricks up Jason's sleeve, so be sure to keep watching the skies.
And here it is, your Lee Pic of the Day:
Proof that hanging out with me at conventions really is *THIS* much fun. (Miss you, Kit!)
With all that in mind, here's a list of the "working" conventions I've planned for this year:
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May 15-17
Mo*Con IV: A New Hope
Indianapolis, IN
(Note: I will be displaying my recent artwork there -- I'm waiting to set up an Etsy site until afterwards, to insure that I'll still have enough pieces to show.)
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June 5-7
Hypericon 5 / DeepSouthCon 47
Nashville, TN
Get Your tickets now!
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July 16-19
Camp Necon
Rhode Island
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September 4-7
Dragon*Con
Atlanta, GA
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