Shore Leave 39 - Saturday

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Just a reminder: It's okay to leave comments!

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Saturday July 8, 2016

Update: All the free books I put out evaporated. And I have a request for another copy of Human 76. I hope everyone enjoys them! 

The free books I put out at Shore Leave 39 - gone in a flash!

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First of all, I know I'm not getting these out on the same day as the events took place, but I really do need to get at least 5 hours of sleep. When you're at Shore Leave, the day starts at 7:00 am and often goes until midnight. And when it's over, you're still a little tired. Okay, a lot tired. But I'll try to post as much as I can (and hopefully better than last year) as soon as I can!

Now, back to the post...

Things really got going on Saturday. Lots of discussion panels, lots of talks by actors, and lots of authors pushing their books.

Saturday Panels

Grimm Retrospective
Let’s talk about the final season, what we wanted to see and didn’t, and what the future is for the Grimm universe.
Ann Harding (M), Annie White, John White

Serger Sewing Tutorial
A serger is an amazing, fancy machine which sews and finishes fabric edges in one easy, quick step. Find out the unique capabilities
of this useful device.
D. Jeannette Holloman (M), Ron Robinson, Ozma Ireton

Marvel Women Warriors: Ultimate Face-off!
Sixteen of the most acclaimed female hand-to-hand combatants in Marvel are squaring off for you to debate and choose who is the
greatest Marvel woman warrior!
Andrew Kelley (M), Beverly Stark, Charles Davidson

Wow, I Wrote That?
Writers often discover stories they penned years earlier but don’t remember writing. It’s as close as one comes to reading one’s own
work the way others do. What have our panelists learned from this experience?
Howard Weinstein (M), Heather E. Hutsell, Lorraine Anderson, Aaron Rosenberg, Peter David

Revision or Do-Over?
Sometimes when we revise our work, we toss out the good with the bad and replace it with more first-draft content. How does one make
revision into refinement rather than replacement?
Andrew Hiller (M), Greg Cox, Laura Ware, Kelli Fitzpatrick, TJ Perkins

Indy’s Back (in 2020)!
Is the return of Indiana Jones, to be played one more time by aging but sturdy Harrison Ford, a good idea — or a bad one?
Howard Weinstein (M), Russ Colchamiro, Kathleen David, Dave Galanter

40 Years of Star Wars Costumes
Star Wars changed everything, including how we look at sci-fi costumes. How has this influenced other sci-fi? How has this changed costume fandom? What does the future hold?
D. Jeannette Holloman (M), Sharon Landrum

Outlander: From Book Shelves to STARZ!
Loving this series and speculating about what might come next!
Annie Brugmans (M), Maggie Restivo, Betsy Childs

Your Writing or Your Life
Writers often experience conflicts between their writing and their family and job obligations. Can one use such conflicts productively?
How does one build a firewall between work and the rest of life?
Stephen Kozeniewski (M), Heather E. Hutsell, Lorraine Anderson, Laura Ware, Kathleen David

History for Fun and Profit
Lots of SF/F stories explicitly use historical models, whether it’s the Victorian Age for steampunk or Age of Sail for original Star Trek.
What pieces of the past are best for borrowing? How important is accuracy?
Jenifer Rosenberg (M), Christopher L. Bennett, Melissa Scott, Roberta Rogow, Richard C. White

Wonder Woman
Did the movie do the character justice? Was it everything you expected? What did you like about it and what would you have liked it
to have done differently?
Rigel Ailur (M), Keith R.A. DeCandido, Simantha Galanter, Hildy Silverman, Amy Imhoff, Susan Olesen

Crossplay Makeup Makeover
Too much style for one gender? Stephanie Kiss transforms a young man into a young woman. Learn how it’s done!
Stephanie Kiss (M) and others

Lucifer: The Devil’s in the Details
Have I ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? If you’re a fan of the devil, let’s talk about what’s in store for heaven’s fallen favorite son.
Ann Harding (M), Annie White, John White

Does Fiction Go Too Easy on Evil?
In reality, evil is often boring, ugly, and stupid. But compelling villains in fiction are often stylish, intelligent, and competent. Is fiction
doing society a disservice by giving evil a good name?
David Mack (M), Jenifer Rosenberg, Mary Fan, Richard C. White, Glenn Hauman

What are the Starfleet Marines?
Join us to learn about this active branch of Starfleet!
David Sladky

The Future and Star Trek
Where do they intersect, and how has one affected the other?
Alex Cummins

RMN Special ButRain Ceremony
You are invited to attend a formal changing of the guard within the Royal Manticoran Navy.
Martin Lessem (M), James Friedline, Laura Lochen, Bill Lochen

Planet of the Apes
With a new movie opening, the franchise approaching its 50th anniversary, and new books and comics coming out, what is it about those damn, dirty apes that keeps us coming back? And what lies ahead?
Dayton Ward (M), Greg Cox, Robert Greenberger, Hildy Silverman, Kathleen David

Star Wars at 40: Wow, Do I Feel Old!
Exploring our history with Star Wars!
Michael Schilling (M), Michael Garman

Deanna Troi, I Feel You!
Lorenzo Heard (M), Randy Hall, Ann Harding

Defending the Light Side
In fiction, as in real life, upbeat and happy are often equated with silly fluff lacking substantial themes and intelligence. Or dismissed as childish. Those claims are often inaccurate, however.
Rigel Ailur (M), Christopher L. Bennett, Michael Critzer, Roberta Rogow, Andrew Hiller

So You Want to Be a Dealer?
How do you start? What do you need? How do you achieve success?
Brad Handley

LGBTQ+ in Media: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back!
Secret Disney stereotypes and the ships that never sailed.
C.E. Dorsett

Walking Dead: Barbed Wire on a Baseball Bat
The “walkers” faced their deadliest threat in Season 7. What did you think of this season, and what do you hope will happen during Season 8?
Randy Hall (M), Wayne Hall

Steven Universe
Discussion of the events of the most recent Steven Bomb.
Morgan Stallard

The Art of Secondary Characters
Supporting characters can fade into the background or steal a story. Our authors discuss how to know which is appropriate, and the craft to making such players come alive when the story needs them.
David Mack (M), Heather E. Hutsell, Richard C. White, Dave Galanter

Women in Science Fiction
Come join members of The Royal Manticoran Navy, The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association, as we discuss and explore the
role and portrayal of women in the science fiction genre.
Christa Broley

Marvel Warriors: Ultimate Face-off
Sixteen of the most acclaimed hand-to-hand combatants in Marvel are squaring off for you to choose who is the greatest Marvel warrior!
Andrew Kelley (M), Beverly Stark, Charles Davidson

Back in My Day
Authors discuss how they got into fandom, and the transition from convention attendee to convention guest—with anecdotes about who
they’ve met and the experiences they’ve had along the way.
Lorraine Anderson (M), Jenifer Rosenberg, Roberta Rogow, Susan Olesen, Diane Lee Baron, Peter David

Bigfoot Lives Matter!
Do we have the right to either hunt for Bigfoot or kill one for research?
Dean Gleason

Supernatural: Hush Little Baby!
Lorenzo Heard (M), Annie White, John White, Andrew Kelley 

The Role of Science Fiction
Does science fiction have a responsibility to be a commentary on our times?
Derek Attico (M), Stephen Kozeniewski, Andrew Hiller, Amy Imhoff

Crazy 8 Press Presents
Six years ago at Shore Leave, a group of writers decided to write what they wanted and publish it themselves. What have they learned since? What’s coming next? And why must Glenn Hauman die?
Michael Jan Friedman (M), Robert Greenberger, Glenn Hauman, Aaron Rosenberg, Russ Colchamiro, Peter David

Dark Matter: Getting Odd and Getting Even
What would you like to see in this program’s third season?
Randy Hall (M), Wayne Hall, Lorenzo Heard

American Gods: OMFGs
Neil Gaiman’s beloved novel comes to premium cable.Whether you worship the Old Gods or the New, join us for a discussion of this fascinating show! (Warning: discussion of adult content.)
Andrew Kelley (M), Beverly Stark, John White, Annie White

Into the Badlands: So Good to Be Bad!
Into the Badlands just finished its second season with a burgeoning fan base in withdrawal a year away from what comes next!
Andrew Kelley (M), Beverly Stark

Big Bang Theory: Sheldon Proposes!?!
Do you think they’ll ever make it to the altar?
Wayne Hall (M), Lorenzo Heard

Women Don’t Write Genre Fiction! Wait, WHAT??
The numbers need to improve and the acknowledgement to increase, but why is that erroneous assertion so easily and commonly accepted? And is it worse in genre, or typical of all publishing except romance?
Rigel Ailur (M), Melissa Scott, Laura Ware, Mary Fan, Hildy Silverman, TJ Perkins

The Batman
What is it about this 78-year-old character that continues to be embraced by fans of all ages? Join us as we delve into the mythos and the man behind the cowl.
John Coffren (M), Robert Greenberger, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Derek Attico, Richard C. White, Mike Friedman

Firebringer Press Presents
Firebringer Press authors chat up their current books as well as upcoming releases. Debut author Diane Lee Baron will launch her novel, Gal Wonder, at Shore Leave. Time permitting, there may be readings.
Steven H. Wilson (M), Michael Critzer, Diane Lee Baron

Falling Out of Love with a Story
What do writers do if, halfway through writing a novel, they lose faith in it? How do writers recover enthusiasm for what they think is a flawed work? Trash it or fix it?
Mary Fan (M), Russ Colchamiro, Heather E. Hutsell, Aaron Rosenberg

Upcoming Star Trek Books
A preview of forthcoming Star Trek novels from Simon & Schuster, with some of their authors as well as other Trek-related titles due out this fall and into 2018.
Scott Pearson (M), David Mack, Christopher L. Bennett, Dayton Ward

Marvel/DC Warriors: Ultimate Face-off Finale!
Its time for the final votes to be cast, comrades! Time to decide the Ultimate Warrior! Choose your champions, and let the Ultimate Face-off Finale begin!
Andrew Kelley (M), Beverly Stark, Charles Davidson

I attended the three marked in red.

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The day started with an over-indulgent breakfast, as usual. Once my group had stuffed as much into our bellies as was humanly possible (we don't do lunch at Shore Leave—there isn't time), we waddled out to the autograph line to see who was available and weren't disappointed. We were able to get a number of pictures signed before the day's activities commenced.

Michael Hogan at Shore Leave 39 signing autographs

I went to the panel titled Your Writing or Your Life and then it was time for my photo with Marina Sirtis (Counselor Troi, from Star Trek) and Michael Dorn (Worf, from Star Trek). I'll have a scan of it posted here eventually.

Image from the Shore Leave web site of
Marina Sirtis and Michael Dorn

After getting the photo taken, I attended the Defending the Lighter Side (most of it) and The Art of Secondary Characters panels. I'll have more on the panels later. If I put it all here the blog posts may approach novella length.

After sitting in the same spot for almost two hours listening to the discussions, I was ready for a break. I went to the pick-up area near the Hunt Room to get my photo-op picture. Autographs will be done on Sunday if all goes as planned.

At 3:00 pm it was time for the Marina Sirtis and Michael Dorn talk held in the main convention rooms. Unfortunately, I was sitting too far back to get any good pictures. There were quite a number of interesting and amusing stories from both, though Michael Dorn is definitely the quieter of the two. Although these two were the guests I was most familiar with, I can't say I knew much about them. I certainly wasn't prepared for Marina's cockney accent.

An unfortunately blurry picture of Michael Dorn and Marina Sirtis
Shore Leave 39

One young girl taking theatre in college asked if they had any tips on getting started in acting. Marina Sirtis told her to go to New York and get into actual stage acting. She said it is the best place to learn and get experience, and that could give her an edge as many actors and actresses have never set foot on a real stage.

Michael Dorn related stories about his interest in flying and his experiences with the military after being invited by many of the services to help them with publicity. His reward was often a flight in a jet fighter or with a team like the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds.

Finally, it was time for dinner. The food at the Hunt Valley Inn is still excellent and I ate way—or is it weigh—too much again this year. After dinner, we went back to our rooms to rest up a bit until the masquerade started. We ended up resting a little more than planned, but we did get to see the winners!

Some of the masquerade winners

The plastic orange things they're holding are their trophies. I guess it's nice they got something, but it wasn't much of a trophy... By the way, the Willie Wonka guy (second image) really looked like Gene Wilder. Some of the people won in multiple categories, so they were on stage more than once.

This young lady won the "Best in Show" for her steampunk librarian!

Best in show - Steampunk Librarian!

No, I didn't dress up. Just in case you were wondering...

Shore Leave on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShoreLeaveCon  ( @ShoreLeaveCon ‏ )

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© 2017 K. R. Smith All rights reserved