Salt Lake Comic Cons And FanX...Amazing Experiences, Lives Changed!

There's no other way to look at this--I'm one incredibly lucky fella! Last week I did a little cleaning in my room. I have a spot on a bookshelf where I put my convention lanyards and passes. I've kept every Salt Lake Comic Con and FanX pass I've been given since 2013. Tonight I spread them out and just looked at them.

There's a lot of amazing experiences packed into those plastic passes.

Back in the summer of 2013 I was asked by a friend if I'd like to help out with the first Comic Con in Salt Lake. I was beyond honored. But even I had no idea just what that simple question would mean to my future, to the future of my family, and my career. Had I known, I might have been even more excited (if that were possible...). 

Because of these conventions, I have meet people who I may not have met otherwise, people who have helped me with my writing, helped me get stories published, helped me secure my first novel contract. The book comes out a week from today. I've been on panels with world-famous authors, filmmakers, artists. I've met some of the most beautiful people at these events. 

I know some who diss comic cons. They make fun of the people who go, the people who spend hours of time creating costumes--be they good or not so good--all in the name of fun. They can't understand how people would spend their hard-earned cash for the opportunity to wait in long lines to spend five minutes with their favorite celebrities, leaving only with a signed photo. They can't understand it--it doesn't compute in their minds, and it probably never will.

I feel a little sad for those who think this way. But the great thing about these conventions are those who go couldn't give a flying flip about what others think. Personally, these shows have changed lives--mine included. In years past, the next convention would be a few weeks away, but not this year. We'll have to wait until September. I've been fortunate enough to help out and be a special guest at each one so far. I hope that streak continues, but if it doesn't, I'll always be grateful to Blake, Ryan, Dan, Bryan, and the literally thousands of others who have helped me become a better writer, a better salesman, a better communicator, a better person. 

I can't wait for the next one!

Someone Asked Me What Panels I've Been On...So I Counted Them

Next month another convention rolls into town. Actually, it doesn't really "roll." It's more like a mass of people assemble and the magic happens. Because of my schedule, I didn't think I could attend. So when I found out I could, I e-mailed those in charge of next month's convention and asked if I could attend as a panelist, even though I was late to the party.

She e-mailed me back and she asked me a question.

What panels have you done in the past?

That was a good question. I answered back and gave her an overview. I told her in which conventions I've been fortunate enough to participate. I gave her my educational background as well as some awards I've won through my writing. I wasn't sure if I'd hear back, but I did. This time she asked another good question.

Can you give me some of the specific panels you've been on so we can see how we can use you at our convention?

That made me think. Just how many panels have I been on since I began this little writing adventure? It took some digging, but I went back to 2013. It's one of the advantages of keeping a daily blog since before then. Turns out I've been on over forty panels, forty-one to be more specific. I've also helped out on a panel here and there.

I e-mailed her back with my list. I knew it was probably more than she asked for, but just putting the list together brought back some wonderful memories. I've met some amazing people and developed many lasting friendships. Thanks to all who've been a long for the ride. See you at the next convention!

My Forty Panels (Plus 1...)

Salt Lake Comic Con FanX 2016:

Steampunk: Beyond Goggles

Video Game Design Pioneers

Being a Resilient Writer: Not For the Faint of Heart

Salt Lake Comic Con FanX 2015:

Harry Potter: Why HP Needed Hermione to Survive Every Time

How to Get Past Writer’s Block

How to Writer Middle Grade/YA to Specific Audiences

Beyond the Deathly Hallows: The Past and Future of Harry Potter

Sometimes it’s Okay to Kill the Good Guy

Salt Lake Comic Con FanX 2014:

Paranormal Stories: The Case for the Supernatural at Wal-Mart

Brainstorming for Writers and Artists

The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Films as Adaptations

Steampunk for the Ages

Downtown Abbey: How a Stuffy British Drama Became One of TV’s Most Addictive Shows

World Building for Dystopian, Utopian, and Apocalyptic Futures: How to Do it Right

Salt Lake Comic Con 2015:

Orphan Black—discussed the hit TV show

Cutting the Cord: Media Options in the 21^st Century

Saucy or Gory: Discussion on Writing Sex vs. Violence

Salt Lake Comic Con 2014:

Geek Parenting: Raising the Next Generation of Geeks

Steampunk, Cyberpunk, and Punk Rock

From Graphic Novels to Feature-Length Films

Structuring Life to Support Creativity

Salt Lake Comic Con 2013:

Making a Film On a Shoestring Budget

Managing Your Artistic Career While Working a Full-Time Job

Steampunk: What Is It? Is It Here to Stay?

Life, The Universe, And Everything (LTUE)

LTUE 34, 2016:

Learning the Lingo: Understanding Writing Terms

Science Fiction vs. Science Fantasy

LTUE 33, 2015:

Philip K. Dick as an Example of Adaptation

Everything is Awesome! The genius of the LEGO Movie

Finding Your Muse

Learning From Failure

Publishing With a Small Press

LTUE 32, 2014:

Small Press Publishing

The Screenwriting Process

E-Publishing Short Stories

Writing For Film

Salt City Steamfest, 2014:

Space Balrogs: Choose Your Own Apocalypse

Salt City Steamfest, 2013:

Getting Your Steampunk Writing Published

Conduit/Westercon

Conduit 2015:

Geek Parenting

WesterCon 2014:

Turning Fantasy in Reality: The Art of Adapting Comics and Art to Film & TV

Tag Team Jeopardy & the Avenue of Awesomeness

E-Publishing Short Stories and Poetry

The Little Green Sticker...

Believe it or not, the most coveted thing found at last April's Comic Con FanX Experience was not a front-row seat at one of the panels, or a photo with your favorite celebrity.

It was a little green sticker.

Yes, it's true.

At the FanX event I was one of many panelists given a "Special Guest" pass. My badge allowed me access into a lot of stuff. It allowed me inside the building, and the vendor area before the general public or the V.I.P. passes.

But there were some places that my pass would not take me...places where only the truly special guests could go. And the green sticker allowed access to one of the coolest rooms at the entire convention. With a green sticker on your pass, you could enter...

The Executive V.I.P. Room!

This is the place where all the celebrities could go, a place where they could unwind away from the public, a place to recharge, to regroup and prepare to meet the throngs. And if you happened to be in that room when these celebrities were there, you could see them, or even talk to them.

And if you're not issued one of those little green stickers, sometimes they can be found on the floor of the convention and if so, they might be peeled off the floor and stuck on a "Special Guest" pass. But, seriously, that almost never happens.

It's Steampunk Christopher!

Today is Monday which means, Missionary Letter Day at our house. We've got a son out on a mission and on Mondays they can write home and we can send them electronic mail that they'll be able to see. Since we live in this amazing age, we can e-mail photos instantaneously. I told my son I would send him pictures of this month's Comic Con FanX.

What does that have to do with a steampunk-costumed, ukulele-playing Christopher? That's a good question. As I searched through the numerous photos I took of the event (not nearly as many as I could have taken, or should have taken...), I came across a photo of my friend Christopher at FanX. I almost sent this photo of Chris to my son, but I thought, 'No, he doesn't know him.'

As these things go sometimes, my son sent us his e-mail after I sent him my photos. He talked about his week, the work he's doing, and some background about the pictures he sent. He then said in his e-mail that some missionaries were talking about someone they knew who served in Denmark. Then he asked me if I knew a former Danish missionary named Christopher--the same Christopher I photographed at Comic Con. I should have gone with my instincts and sent him the picture of Chris the first time. He would have been blown away!

On the last day of FanX Chris dropped by the booth where we were selling books and he was decked out in his steampunk costume. The best part--he carried with him a fully-functional steampunk ukulele that he made himself. Very cool!

What's Really Important...

*

I spent the last three days involved in an event, three days where I walked for miles, saw tens of thousands of people, made new friendships and renewed ones previously made. Today I introduced my wife to several of those friends and she got to experience the craziness first hand.

I saw famous people--even had dinner twenty feet from one of the biggest names in the industry. I watched as people searched for happiness. I wonder if they found it.

But when I returned home after 72 hours of crowds and complimentary sandwiches and cold cereal for dinner after coming home, I realized all of it--the fame, the accolades, the photos, the autographs and the entire event isn't what's really important. It all pales in comparison to a man in a garden and a mission, a mission he thankfully completed.

And because of him, I live.

*Photo used without permission from: http://g1b2i3.wordpress.com/2010/05/23/un-pictor-danezcarl-bloch/

Friends On Panels...

Many people go to Comic Con to buy stuff, or to get autographs from celebrities, or to just see the people who attend. But then there are others who will go to a room and hear people talk about various subjects. Today's post show pictures of some of my friends and they panels they've been on.

There's a couple of reasons why I'm just showing pictures of my friends who sat on panels over the past two days.

Actually, there's only one reason why I'm making this choice for today's blog post.

It's because I just got home and I'm exhausted.

These are people I respect and who are amazingly talented. I have other friends on panels that are not included here. Hopefully I'll try and get pictures of them as well. Whether or not I use them in a post will be decided later.

Now, if only I had a picture of me sitting next to Kevin J Anderson on tonight's panel, that would be very, very cool.

My Salt Lake Comic Con FanX Schedule...Can't Wait!

A good friend asked me if I would like to help out with this week's Salt Lake Comic Con FanX as a panelist. It's really an amazing honor to be asked so last week and this week I've been cramming (I haven't studied this much since grad school...) to hopefully offer some viewpoints and input that will be interesting to those who paid good money to come.

I'm also stoked because of the subjects of the panels--great stuff! And I'm also going to be joined by some incredibly talented people--many are friends, some I don't know who I'm hoping to get to know better.

Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Steampunk, Star Trek, Downton Abbey, Paranormal Stories at Walmart...just the best stuff ever! I am a very lucky dude!

If you're planning on going and you'd be interested in these topics, or if you'd just like to stop by and say, "hello," here's where I'm going to be:

Thursday, 4/17, 12 noon to 1pm, 251A

Paranormal Stories: The Case for the Supernatural at Walmart

Does the strange and fantastic hide or does it find more mundane environs? Join our panel for a collection of stories that take place in the most common places you can imagine.

Special Guests:

Sean Smithson, Scott Taylor, Johnny Worthen

Friday, 4/18, 10am to 11am, 250A

Brainstorming for Writers and Artists

The blank page in front of you, it’s time to come up with your next brilliant creation. What happens next? Join our panel of writers and artists for ideas about how to make your brainstorming more effective and let the seeds of good ideas grow into fully realized artistic work.

Special Guests:

Scott Taylor, Peggy Eddleman, Larry Correia, Jenni James, Chris Hawkes, Aneeka Richins, Jason Anderson

Friday, 4/18, 1pm to 2pm, 250A

The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Films as Adaptations

The monumental effort required to bring Peter Jackon’s six Middle Earth films to fruition are astounding. That said, there are areas where the films as strong as adaptations of Professor Tolkien’s work, and areas that fans of the books find vexing. Join our panel for an examination of the films and a discussion of their merits.

Special Guests:

Scott Taylor, Robert J. Defendi, Julie Henderson, James Wymore, Blake Casselman, Tracy Mangum

Friday, 4/18, 7pm to 8pm, 251A

Steampunk for the Ages

The steampunk genre has come of age. The beguiling combination of steam-powered technology and alternate history has been entertaining for decades now. What steampunk entertainment will stand the test of time? Join a discussion of the best that the form has to offer.

Special Guests:

James Wymore, Dan Willis, Jennifer McGrew, Kevin J. Anderson, Scott Taylor

Saturday, 4/19, 10am to 11am, 251A

Downton Abbey: How A Stuffy British Drama Became One of TV’s Most Addictive Shows

The crossover between geekdom and Downton Abbey isn't at once apparent, but when you combine excellent writing, superb acting, and a co-production of BBC and PBS, you get a show that has some of the world's biggest geeks drooling for more. What is it that attracts geeks to this show? Why is it so good? How in the world does it relate to the X-men? All will be told.

Special Guests:

Cindy Grigg, Bryan Young, Ben Hodson, J.R. Johansson, Scott Taylor, Mette Ivie Harrison

Saturday, 4/19, 2pm to 3pm, 251A

Star Trek vs. Star Wars - Living in a Post-JJ Abrams World Part Deux

Between the reboot of Star Trek and the continuation of Star Wars, JJ Abrams will do more to reshape the world of popular science fiction more than almost anybody. Is that a good thing? Is that a bad thing? Is Abrams better suited to one property or another? What is the future of Star Wars and Star Trek? Which is better?

Special Guests:

Scott Taylor, Jason Hamilton, Bryan Young, Tyler Whitesides

Saturday, 4/19, 7pm to 8pm, 255A

World Building for Dystopian, Utopian, and Apocalyptic Futures: How to Do it Right

Sometimes in order to get the best out of your characters, you need to put them somewhere extreme. Whether you want to create the perfect world or the worst place possible for your characters to live out their story, it’s easy for these extremes to become flat and boring. Join our panel of writers to learn how to create a believable world that still puts the characters through their paces.

Special Guests:

Robison Wells, John Steiner, David Butler, Brad R.Torgersen, Scott Taylor

Again, it's truly an honor to be asked. Thanks Blake! I owe you, big time! I hope everyone has as much fun there as I know I will. Rock on!

I Call It...Homework

I found out about a week ago that I'm going to be on a panel at Salt Lake Comic Con FanX next week that discusses J.R.R Tolkien's masterpieces, The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

Um...Wow!

The exact name of the panel is: The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Films as Adaptations. Personally, I can't wait, but I realized when I found out I would be on the panel that I needed to brush up on my Tolkien. On Wednesday I downloaded The Hobbit in audiobook form and finished it the next day. It's been SO long since I read that book--great book!

*

Yesterday I rented and watched the first Hobbit film and today I rented the second one. Between now and next Friday at 1pm I need to watch all three of The Lord of the Rings films. If I had another week I'd listen to all three books, too--not this time.

Initial thoughts about the films? Peter Jackson sure made some great, long films! And instead of watching them for entertainment only, this time it's homework.

* Photo used without permission from: http://saltlakecomiccon.com/