Karen Azinger's Blog: The Silk & Steel Saga - Posts Tagged "conference"

What authors would you most like to meet? My top three are JRR Tolkien for his Lord of the Rings, Frank Herbert for Dune, and George Martin for Game of Thrones, the three authors that inspired my own writing. Sadly, time and fate make the first two impossible without a time machine, but not the third. Back in 2004, GRRM posted on his website that he planned to attend Foolscap, a small but cool fantasy conference in Seattle. Since this ‘con’ was within easy driving distance, I immediately signed up to attend. And then I contacted the con organizers and begged and pleaded to be put on a panel with George. I told them that I was an epic fantasy author and although my Silk & Steel Saga was not yet published, it was inspired by Game of Thrones. My pleas worked, and the organizers put me on a panel to compare Game of Thrones to Lord of the Rings. Wow! My first con panel and I’m sitting next to George Martin! It was an amazing experience. I followed George around the conference, attending every one of his panels, listening to his chapter reading, and getting him to sign all my SOIAF books. That night, I was one of a handful of fans to join him for drinks after the con. George was gracious and fascinating, keen to answer any question about his works or his writing methods. It was an amazing con, one I’ll never forget. So if you have an author you’d love to meet, consider attending a fantasy con. You never know who you might meet or what you might learn.

Great news! I just found out I've been accepted to teach my class on World Building at the Willamette Writers conference this August!!!! The WW conference is one of the most prestigious in the NW! Here's the description of the class! "World building is an art that sets fantasy, science fiction and historical fiction writers apart from all other genres. We long to create a world of wonder that will enchant and enthrall our readers, but how do we make these worlds believable, and how do we keep from drowning in the details? Explore the key elements of world building and gain tips for making these elements real in your writing. Learn a unique method to determine which elements will best enhance your story and showcase your characters." I'd love to see some of my readers at the conference!