PhilCon 2009

If you were to ask me to pick one thing that I didn’t like about last weekends PhilCon the only complaint that I could come up with is that I wish that it had been longer. From the first hour I spent at the con it was clear to me that the seventy plus years of experience that they have gained in planning events like this had paid off. Checking in was a breeze and there were plenty of program books and signs that made it easy for me to make my way from one panel to another.

Everyone was warm, friendly, and helpful but there were two fellow authors that made this event even more enjoyable for me. On Friday evening I had the pleasure of sitting on the Buck Rogers panel with four other men including author C.J. Henderson. C.J. is the kind of guy that would liven up any party. His contributions on the topic of Buck Rogers were not just informative they were down right funny. My family and I are huge Dr. Who fans. During the Dr. Who panel the question was asked, who was the best doctor? Well even though the panel could not come to a consensus two things were very clear to everyone in the room. 1. The panel’s knowledge on the top was very impressive. 2. This panel well worth attending. From the Dr. Who panel on Friday evening to the last panel on Sunday afternoon I always felt connected in some way to the people around me.

Grouch Free Zone
For me Philcon was not just about participating or attending the panels it was about relaxing and having a weekend of fun. I must admit that my fun mode was put on hold when a seven foot grim reaper totting a rather large scythe crossed my path but all was forgotten minutes later when I found myself sharing an elevator with the New Jersey Ghost Busters in full uniform complete with proton packs. Talk about Déjà Vu. From Storm Troopers to Jedi’s and gypsy’s there seamed to be something for everyone including a mechanical parrot perched on the shoulder its captain.

Earlier I said that there were two fellow authors that made the trip more enjoyable, well the second is the well know Vampire Huntress series author L. A. Banks. My family and I attended two of her panels. Ms. Banks was very warm and friendly. While many authors are guarded when it comes to sharing their keys to success Ms. Banks is willing to share her knowledge and seems happy to encourage new writers to come along for the ride. Her honesty and unvarnished stories of rejection and the obstacles that she had to overcome to become the successful writer that she is today are motivating and inspiring. PhilCon could not have chosen a better special guest.

To the President and committees of Philcon thank you for inviting me, I had a great time. See you next year.

Larry

It's Free!

Hello All,

By now I hope you know about the event I'll be attending this weekend called PhilCon one of the oldest conventions around. I'll be on two panels this weekend. L.A Banks and Cory Doctorow will also be there so I'm in good company. Here's my schedule.

I will be attending PhilCon 2009, during November 20th-22nd.

* Fri 10:00 PM in Plaza VI (Six)—Buck Rogers Rides Again (13)

There is a new web series, there is a new comic book series. Why the resurgence?

* Sun 3:00 PM in Plaza II (Two)—Book Discussion Ideas (68)

Readers tell us their notions of what would make for a good book discussion.




I wrote a short story for all of you, well, because you deserve it. It's free of charge and for your reading pleasure. It's a flash fiction, it's a few words over a thousand and it's a quick read. I have more coming up in the future to keep a look out for more.

This one is called Lost in Translation

Lost In Translation

2012: The Movie

2012 Movie

Who will be left behind? That will sound familar to Escape 2 Earth fans.
December 2012 is just a few years away so it is no surprise that the number of books and motion pictures on the subject are growing at a steady pace. With a seemly infinite number of story lines and predictions on the topic the next couple of years should provide a wealth of entertainment and knowledge for 2012 watchers worldwide. Of the half dozen or so 2012 movies currently in production the obvious front runners in this field are author Whitley Strieber’s 2012 War For The Souls due out sometime in 2010, and 2012 the Movie conceived and directed by Roland Emmerich. With a reported projected budget of $200million dollars 2012 The Movie will be by far the most expensive movie made in this category. The release date for 2012 was pushed back from this summer to November 13th.

War for the Souls is being directed by Michael Bay, his film takes a totally different approach than 2012 The movie. The story is based on a book by Whitley Strieber and follows an academic researcher who opens a portal into a parallel universe and makes contact with his double in order to stop an apocalypse foreseen by the ancient Mayans. 2012 The Movie deals with the Mayan calendar ending in 2012, but according to the 2012 website a large group of people must deal with natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, typhoons and glaciers. In short it’s mostly about finding new ways to destroy things. What baffles me is the fact that the promoters of the film pretty much give the story away. This is from the first trailer. “How Would the Governments of Our Planet Prepare Six Billion People for the End of the World? THEY WOULDN'T”. Well that just about sums up what will happen. If the governments of the world are not going to help and there’s no where to go it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how this thing is going to end.

It would be wonderful to be able to pick up the phone and summon the motion picture execs to announce that I have a great 2012 story that I would like it to have made into a major motion picture but since my name is not Michael Bay, or Roland Emmerich I have to do it the hard way. I am drawn to 2012 The Movie because it is the total opposite of my story Escape 2 Earth. How Would the Governments of Our Planet Prepare Six Billion People for the End of the World? In Escape 2 Earth they will, the governments of the world will attempt to save the people. Will they succeed? Well that’s the point of reading a book or watching a movie isn’t it ?

What happens when a secret alien origination offers you the technology to flee a doomed planet Earth but you only have 8 years to evacuate? What happens to those who don’t want to leave Earth? How do the world governments handle an alien race determined to stop you from leaving the planet?

Without the clout of the heavy hitters mentioned above I must relay on my one woman army who is my daughter a Communications and Technology major (with a minor in English). Together we have created an internet presence that I hope will attract more readers and maybe a few studio execs. In addition to the 5 book trailers with a half a million combined hits.

I also have a website and I am on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc. Last year I was contacted by 2012 Supplies.com and asked if I would provide them with a signed copy of Escape 2 Earth for their contest this lead to a mention on the daily videoblog Rocket Boom hosted by Joanne Colan.



This fall I will be traveling to book fairs in New York, Maryland, New Jersey, and West Virginia to discuss Escape 2 Earth and the 2012 mania that is soon to come. As for Mr. Emmerich, I would like to think that given a choice he would have had more fun directing a movie with aliens, space ships, and planets in a far off galaxy. The bottom line is that there will be something for everyone in these upcoming films hopefully someone will take an interest in my 2012 story.