This July, I attended my first Realm Makers Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is an annual gathering of speculative fiction writers, and I (and several hundred other attendees) had a blast! Here are some of the highlights…

THE NEW TBR PILE

I had been making some significant headway in my ‘To Be Read’ pile before I went to the conference. Then, the pile of books below leaped into my backpack as I was walking through the Expo. Don’t blame me. I’m not responsible. Really.

A DENT IN THE PILE…

As of this post, I’ve read/listened to the following:

Scales and the Marshtones – Mick McArt masterminded this cool CD, which I blasted in my car on the way home from the conference. Weird Al Yankovic meets Dungeons & Dragons…an instant classic!

Captive – Bradley Caffee has written the only science fiction book I know of that is set in Charlotte, North Carolina. For that reason alone, you should read it. But trust me, pick up a copy and you’ll find many other reasons to like it!

D-Dames – In this excellent mashup of ‘fantasy meets WW2,’ Laura VanArendonk Baugh has compiled a series of excellent short stories about four incredible women gifted with elemental magic.

Legendary (Havok Season Ten) – I became a Havok flash fiction fan at Realm Makers, and after reading this amazing collection of short stories, I hope to contribute to a future anthology.

SIGNED COPIES!

Whenever possible, I got authors to sign their books for me. Below is an example of a beautiful graphic novel called ‘Sky Cowboys’ by Lauren Sohre. Great concept, great art! Lauren graciously signed this copy for my daughter (gotta love the cartoon pegasus). Others who signed books for me include Gillian Bronte Adams, E.J. Kitchens, Alli Prince, Matthew Mallema, Susan Markloff, Esther Wallace, and C.M. Bansbach. Many thanks! You are all incredibly talented.

COSTUMES

Dozens of Realm Makers attendees dressed in style during the Awards Dinner. Like me, most of them chose a fantasy motif. Some of them (such as Eowyn of ‘Lord of the Rings’ fame) easily identified themselves. Since I wasn’t any specific character, I had to describe myself as an ‘Indo-Persian Knight.’ Doesn’t have quite the same gravitas as ‘Shieldmaiden of Rohan,’ but what can you do?

I love the armor, but after spending four hours standing, sitting, attempting to eat, and losing blood circulation while wrapped in this heavy metal tux, I was very happy to get back to my hotel room and ‘ungird.’

Taking a selfie on the eve of battle…

CLASSES

You may have noticed that writing craft classes have been conspicuously absent from my description of the conference. That’s not because there weren’t any, or that they weren’t any good. For various reasons, including having to leave Grand Rapids early Sunday morning, I only attended one class! Well, next year, if I’m able to attend Realm Makers, I’ll make sure to map out my battle plan better.

And you’d better believe that part of that plan will include packing generous wads of shoulder padding for my armor.