Con Time Approaches
In which we figure out some upcoming convention travel, reach a book milestone, and get back to talking about various things.
We may still be in the middle of our move/condo renovation phase, but the calendar waits for no man and we are rapidly heading towards the fall round of upcoming conventions. Appearances and speaking slots have been confirmed, hotels booked, and travel arrangements made.
So this is what we have coming up.
DragonCon
We are looking forward to a return visit to the mega-craziness that is the largest multi-genre pop-culture convention in the USA as it once again takes over downtown Atlanta at the end of August. This will be our first year of having a table in the Comics and Artist area.
I’ll also be sharing my opinions while appearing on panels covering topics such as:
Comics & Rock ‘n’ Roll
Classic Doctor Who
James Bond
The Beatles
Visiting the UK
ArmadilloCon
The weekend after DragonCon we’ll be making a trip back to Austin for what over the years has become my must-attend event. It’s a somewhat smaller event focused on the literary side of the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. It’s also a great chance to catch up with old friends.
As usual, I’ll be on several panels, topics as yet to be confirmed, plus this year I’ll also be helping out with the pre-conference Writers’ Workshop
Baltimore ComicCon
Later in September, we will be checking out a convention we haven’t been to in many a year - but is now our new home-own event. We won’t have a table or be appearing on any panels but we will be checking things out and planning on catching up with some folks we haven’t seen in a while.
LavaCon
On the content consulting business front, I’ll be heading to Portland in October to attend one of my favorite industry conferences, LavaCon, where I’m scheduled to be speaking, plus hanging out and doing more of that catching up with folks thing.
If you are at any of these events we’d love to catch up with you too.
Alan
Other Stuff
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Brabazon Bits
This week I’ve been doing a little bit of tidying up on the manuscript and formatting it into an ARC (Advanced Readers’ Copy) that will soon be heading out to our list of selected first-readers to get some feedback.
I also received a surprise email about possible participation in an event to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Brabazon’s first flight. I’m not sure what that will entail yet, or what my role could be, but I’ll post more as and when I can.
Word Slinging
Some of our mail is starting to catch up with us during the move. Delighted that among the most recent batch was the latest issue of Bondesque magazine with my article on the significance of the number 007.
Podcast Procrastinations
Bond or Solo? Which spy comes out on top in the latest Bond vs Spy Movies podcast episode in which Jarrod Alberich and I compare Goldfinger and the U.N.C.L.E. debut movie, To Trap A Spy?
And thanks to Bill Koenig from The Spy Command for being such an informative guest.
You can listen to the whole discussion and check out the scores HERE.
I had an excellent time as a guest on the CX Behind The Scenes live-streaming show this week discussing the power of developing CX Insights Through Storytelling.
If you missed the live show you can catch it again on YouTube.
Pages and Screens
Books Read in 2024 - “Napoleon” by Andrew Roberts
This staggering 800-page biography is an unapologetically admiring examination of one of history’s most iconic leaders. A man whose ideas and influence still impact the modern world. A brilliant general on the battlefield, an unparalleled administrator, yet also an opportunist with a thirst for power.
The amount of research and material presented here is exceptional, and it presents some fascinating insights into the way that Napoleon functioned, and interacted with those around him.
But at the conclusion I now know a lot more about what Napoleon did, but not I’m not really any clearer on who he was as an individual.
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Our online bookstore at Bookshop.org is fully up to date with the books read so far in 2024, so you can pick up copies of any that interest you, while also helping out local independent bookstores.
Weekly Web Round-Up
Batman On The Cover - The journey through Batman’s comics publishing history continues this week as we continue working through April 1969 with editions published in Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, and the Netherlands. - No standouts as all were straight translated reprints of earlier US covers.
Where on the Web is Alan?
You can now find links to all the places you can find me online, websites, newsletters, social media, and more in a single LINKS page on my personal website.
As always, thanks for joining me this week. If you know someone else who might enjoy the contents of this week’s newsletter, or just my weekly ramblings in general - please feel free to share by clicking the button below.
See you next time
Alan J. Porter
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