Well another weekend another convention...this time we flew directly to Charlotte North Carolina and discovered immediately the meaning of "Southern Hospitality". Everyone is nice, from the waitresses to the desk clerks at the Hilton. The con was mostly a gaming convention, in fact the only media guest they had ever had was the storm trooper who said "These are the wrong Droids" in Star Wars so I think having Richard Hatch and I there was a first for them. Richard is an amiable fellow. This is really the first time we have ever had a chance to chat and he was very nice. It was also the first time we used "The Square" a new device which enables you to take credit cards on your iPhone or iPad : squareup.com/
It works really well and was appreciated by many...I think Mr. Hatch will be signing up for one soon.
The humidity in the south is reminiscent of the humidity I suffered through as a kid in Connecticut boy is it brutal when you're not used to it! I tried fried pickles and BBQ, met a tiny sci fi fan and did an interview for Fox News which was really fun: http://www.foxcharlotte.com/rising/wilsons-world/95610939.html
all in all we had a great time and the fans seemed to as well. I was also serenaded by a filk singing harpist and hung out with a ghostbuster...all in a weekend's shameless promotional weekend!

Well once again I am struck by how kind, thoughtful and loyal sci fi fans are...the convention (which I replaced Peter Jurasic in the last minute) was very well run with a great selection of talented model maker's wares on display. I was truly impressed with the talent and dedication these men and women have for the craft of model making...I have posted one of the photos I took of a couple of them.
I was reunited with a lovely young lady names Sarah who I had not held since 2001! Her photo is above as well, 2001 and 2010, a lovely young lady with a wonderful family in tow. Her Mom was kind enough to bring me a box of Kleenex , knowing that I had a dreadful cold.
The wonders of modern technology..people read something on Facebook then they act upon it! I can now communicate with fans who are attending conventions I will be at and meet them in person then follow them on FB..amazing!
Louisville was a very pleasant town though I didn't see much of it. We had a great behind the scenes tour of the zoo with our Host Dave who rescues wild and endangered cats, big and small and also works at the zoo, he is a lovely man with great passion for all things animal and sci fi convention as well...well rounded I would say!
We dined one night at Mortons and had fabulous steak, I bought bourbon balls for a dear friend, saw the giant baseball bat and even managed a drive by the venue for the Kentucky Derby...all in all a lovely trip thanks to Phil, Paula, Phil Jr., Dave, Gin and Sarah and a host of other lovely people who came to see me, drove us around and generally made the weekend a great one. Many thanks to all of you.