conventions

So much editing. So much writing. So much kitchen reno stuff. Have a Bubble & Squeek!

Rerelease: BattleTech: The Nellus Academy Incident has been re-released in a new format, with 2 new stories, and a lovely new cover! Isn’t it pretty?

AANE – July 10, 2026. Neurodivergent Authors on Writing, Identity, and Visibility. I will be on a panel with 4 other authors.

Awards: Always nice when your publisher says nice things about you (Facebook link) because you were nominated for a major award.

Convention: I will be in the Authors Alcove at Origins Game Fair in June.

Convention: Here’s my Gen Con schedule (minus signings and meetings). Add my popular Project Management for Creatives to your wishlist.

Twitch: Memorial Day weekend is ArvCon, the annual charity to support the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. It is the finale of my long-running Eberron game, Oracle of War, all day on 24 May. Come support us and a worthy cause!

Support: As always… if you appreciate my work and would like to support me, I love coffee. I am made of caffeine. This is the quickest way to brighten my day.

Hello everyone. There’s a whole lot going on behind the scenes, but things, they are moving. For example, I have an insurance payment on the “sudden catastrophic waterline break” kitchen, and I might have my new kitchen in the next two months! I’m very excited about that. Really. It is a first world problem, but I will never look at my kitchen sink the same again. (Ditto with my dishwasher.)

So, this happened. I am a finalist for the Short Form Editor Hugo Award! Maybe third time’s the charm? I’m so pleased. While I admit, I had a calmer reaction than last year (The Second Nomination is the Best), I did get an adrenaline dump so big that I felt it hit the bottom of my feet. However, I will never not be thrilled at an award nomination. So, yes. I will see you at Worldcon in LA this year.

First, thank you to everyone who has already wished me congratulations. I sincerely appreciate it. Also, congratulations to the rest of the Short Form Editor finalists: Scott H. Andrews, Neil Clarke, Lee Harris, Michael Damian Thomas, and Sheila Williams!

What do you do when you get nominated for a major award? Cora Buhlert has a lovely and informative Open Letter to the Finalists that is worth reading. Also, Seanan McGuire has a really wonderful and uplifting thread on BlueSky on How to be a Hugo Nominee. My favorite part is “protect your joy.”

Do I want to win? Hell yes. It is an honor to be nominated, it really is, but I’d love a Hugo win. Just once. What happens if I win? As I promised Seanan long ago, if I ever won a Hugo, I’d let her put her mantises on me and take pictures. Her mantises are varied and large. Wouldn’t you want to see Seanan put mantises on my head? If you can help make that happen, I’d be ever so grateful. 😀

Last year, I went a little nuts and bought three different dresses and two different tiaras. This year, I’m holding off on the clothing. I have to figure out what to wear in LA in August. I did buy a couple of new puzzles to celebrate. You have to celebrate an achievement like this. Otherwise, what is the point?

Hopefully, I’ll have my new kitchen by the time I go to LA.

I will be at Norwescon this year doing panels. It’s a pretty relaxed schedule for me. If I’m not in a panel, I’ll probably be in the hanging out with friends in public. Feel free to come say hello. I don’t have an official signing, but if you want something signed, just bring it to me.

Jennifer’s Norwescon 2026 Schedule
============Thursday============
Art Show Reception
8:00pm – 10:00pm @ Art Show

Thursday Night Pro Social
9:00pm – Midnight @ Presidential Suite 1360

============Friday============
Jennifer: Reading: Jennifer Brozek
9:30am – 10:00am @ Cascade 3
Jennifer Brozek (M)

Jennifer: Editing Anthologies
12:00pm – 1:00pm @ Cascade 7 & 8
Atlin Merrick (M), Jennifer Brozek, Peter Adrian Behravesh, Shannon Page, Lezli Robyn

Jennifer: Philip K. Dick Awards
7:00pm – 8:30pm in Grand 2

============Saturday============
Jennifer: How to interview Guests of Honor
10:00am – 11:00am @ Cascade 12
Marta Murvosh (M), John Godek, Jennifer Brozek, Dr. Jess Hebert, Tom Whitmore

Jennifer: Freelancing 201
4:00pm – 5:00pm @ Cascade 9
Jennifer Brozek (M), Luis Loza, John Godek, Erin Roberts, James L. Sutter

Jennifer: Darkness Thrives Where the Evergreens Never Die
5:00pm – 6:00pm @ Evergreen 3 & 4
Neena Viel (M), T. Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon, Jennifer Brozek, Clay Vermulm, Gwen Callahan, Josef B. Wilke

It’s time for Worldcon! Here’s my schedule that doesn’t include any of the private meetings. Come see me. Say hello. (For the love of Pete, please come to my Thursday Table Talk. I know you need to sign up and must wait until the day before, but I don’t want to sit there alone.) I will be out and about. Feel free to wave or bring me a book to sign. Also, I will have books for sale at Northwest and Guests in the Dealers Hall.

Jennifer’s TL;DR Worldcon Schedule

=====14 Aug, Thursday=====

• 12-1pm, Table Talk: Jennifer Brozek, Room 430 (Advance sign-up is required.)
• 2-4pm, Volunteered to Man the Brisbane 28 Worldcon Table: Fan Table 42
• 4:30-5:30pm, Writing for Franchises (Workshop lecture), Room 330 (Advance sign-up is required.)
• 7:30-8:30pm, How to Vet Fictional Society Rules, Room 423-424

=====15 Aug, Friday=====

• 9-10am, Outlining to Sell, Room 423-424
• 7:30-8:30pm, Getting the Science Right, Even if It’s Magic, Room 423-424

=====16 Aug, Saturday=====

• 10-11:30am Signing at Northwest and Guests table, in the Dealers Hall
• 12-1pm, Where Do Editors Come From?, Room 321
• 2-2:30pm, Reading: Jennifer Brozek, Room 429
• 6:30 pm, Hugo Reception, Signature Room
• 8:00pm, Hugo Award Ceremony, Ballroom 1

Jennifer’s Detailed Worldcon Schedule

=====14 Aug, Thursday=====

12-1pm, Table Talk: Jennifer Brozek, Room 430
These used to be called kaffeklatches. Have an intimate discussion (up to six participants) with your favorite creators. (Advance sign-up is required.)
Jennifer Brozek

2-4pm, Volunteered to Man the Brisbane 28 Worldcon Table: Fan Table 42

4:30-5:30pm, Writing for Franchises (Workshop lecture), Room 330
How do you get started writing for someone else’s universe? In this workshop, you’ll learn how to take inventory of your skills and contacts and then use them to secure writing gigs with established properties. (Advance sign-up is required.)
Jennifer Brozek

7:30-8:30pm, How to Vet Fictional Society Rules, Room 423-424
You can’t break rules until you make them. All fictional societies need an internally logical legal foundation, and understanding it is a key component of writing compelling, credible science fiction. It is the developmental editor’s job to make sure the rules make sense. Panelists will discuss how they vet social and legal structures for their clients’ novels and how breaking/bending these rules can create the story beats that keep readers turning pages.
Jennifer Brozek (M), Alma Alexander, James R. Wells, Joseph Brassey, Sarah Chorn

=====15 Aug, Friday=====

9-10am, Outlining to Sell, Room 423-424
Learn how to create a compelling outline to sell your idea to an intellectual property (IP) or media tie-in acquisition editor. Many tie-in authors have successfully sold novels from outlines… and been paid advances before typing a single line of prose. Learn how to do this from our experienced panelists. Tips from this panel can be used for selling your original completed novel or nonfiction book as well.
A. J. Hackwith (M), Gwendolyn N. Nix, Jennifer Brozek, Rebecca Roanhorse, Rosemary Jones

7:30-8:30pm, Getting the Science Right, Even if It’s Magic, Room 423-424
How important is it for authors to get their science right, in science fiction and fantasy? What does “right” even mean for speculative fiction? How is genre convention tied into those answers? Does science have a role in magic?
Joshua Palmatier (M), Christine Taylor-Butler, Jennifer Brozek, Scott H. Andrews, Max Goller

=====16 Aug, Saturday=====

10-11:30am Signing at Northwest and Guests table, in the Dealers Hall

12-1pm, Where Do Editors Come From?, Room 321
Book editing is one of the last redoubts of the un-credentialed autodidact. While there are training programs for book-editing skills, most book editors come into the job with an enormous diversity of backgrounds. Many editors are successful without any specific training or academic credentials. How does the novice editor become a success in such an unregulated industry? How would they even start to become a professional editor?
Sheila Williams (M), Emily Hockaday, Trevor Quachri, Jennifer Brozek, Carl Engle-Laird

2-2:30pm, Reading: Jennifer Brozek, Room 429
“Citizen, Scion, Savior, Singularity.” Sophia Nyland risks all to make the discovery of a lifetime. After she breaks through what is supposed to be an impenetrable barrier, she discovers that her world is much larger than she thought it was—as is her place within it.
Jennifer Brozek

6:30 pm, Hugo Reception, Signature Room

8:00pm, Hugo Award Ceremony, Ballroom 1

I’m now home from an 8-day trip to Ottawa, Canada as one of the Editor Guests of Honor at Can-Con and to spend time visiting Marie and her partner and their clowder. This was my first trip to Ottawa. I hope it will not be my last. I had such a good time. I will miss them and Canada, but I am happy to be home. (Because: Kittens!)

As has become tradition after a convention, I tell you 10 things that may or may not have happened. 8 are true. 2 are lies.

1. I may or may not have done shots with Arley Sorg at Can-Con.
2. I may or may not have revealed some personal secrets to people new to me.
3. I may or may not have discussed being in a feud with Sarah Gailey. What’s the feud about? We don’t know—yet.
4. I may or may not have convinced the Husband to do something extremely silly.
5. I may or may not have taken my GoH costume judging duty quite seriously and argued my case with fellow judge Arley Sorg.
6. I may or may not have absconded with Greg Wilson (and others) for a private conversation to plan shenanigans for Worldcon Seattle 2025.
7. I may or may not have received an insightful tarot reading from a stranger.
8. I may or may not have helped Ed Greenwood and Marie Bilodeau learn a new game called Gudnak for reasons.
9. I may or may not have accidentally gone into a secret sex shop in a mall that looked like a toy store—blades, bongs, and butt plugs, oh my! (Marie takes me to the best places!)
10. I may or may not have visited an underground bunker and discovered that US history from the outside looking in is…telling.

Did I mention kittens?

Gen Con is always an exciting time. This year was no exception. Between the panels, workshops, and business meetings, there is no way I could summarize everything that happened. However, my “To Follow-up On” list is about a mile long. So many good memories. Among them may be the following…

1. Declined an offer from Marie Bilodeau to steal a chair for me.
2. Had a lovely 10 second interaction with the DnD Shorts guy in the Dispel Dice mosh pit of a line.
3. Discovered that Phil Lee IS the power behind the throne of Cat Labs.
4. Already have business meetings scheduled for Gen Con 2025.
5. Plotted shenanigans for WorldCon 2025 in Seattle.
6. Signed an editor-publisher anthology contract for something new and exciting.
7. Caused one of my planes home to need to be rebooted to fix something (darn QA effect aura).
8. Announced an open call to a new magazine I am editing.
9. Made Mike Stackpole blush and shocked Brandon O’Brien.
10. Upheld the pact and bought dice.

The kitties took last night to be mad and today they are loving, needy, and shedding all over me. There is nothing like travel to make you appreciate what you have at home.

My next convention is Can-Con where I will be an Editor Guest of Honor. This will be my first time in Ottawa, Canada.

I will be spending most of my time in the Gen Con Writers Symposium area in the Downtown Marriott. You can catch me between panels or workshops. Friday and Saturday, I will be signing books in the Dealers Room at Cat Labs booth (1611).

Also, The Husband and I came home from Origins Game Fair with Covid. I am over it, though, my brain is still not working as fast as normal. The Husband is over it, but Covid aggravated his asthma something fierce. He’s still coughing because of it. That said, we both will be masking all Gen Con except in specific circumstances. I’m also limiting myself to fist-bumps and elbow-bumps in greeting. Still, come say hello!

• Thursday, 1-2pm, Marriott: Marriott Ballroom 4, Getting into Writing BattleTech and Shadowrun Fiction
• Thursday, 4-5pm, Marriott: Atlanta, Industry Survival Guide: Layoffs, Dry Spells, and Flops
• Thursday, 6-9pm, ICC: Wabash Ballroom 1, Meet the Authors (I will be selling books here as well as signing them!)

• Friday, 11am-12pm, Exhibit Hall, Catalyst Labs Booth 1611, Signing with Cat Lab Authors
• Friday, 1-2pm, Marriott Ballroom 3, New Books! New Games! New Love! (Session F)
• Friday, 2-3pm, Marriott: Marriott Ballroom 1, Project Management for Creatives (Workshop)
• Friday, 5-7pm, Marriott: Marriott: Boston, The Art of the Pitch (Workshop)

• Saturday, 1-2pm, Marriott: Marriott: Boston, Seven Steps to Better Self-Editing (Workshop)
• Saturday, 3-4pm, Marriott: Marriott Boston, How to Write for the Ear (Moderating)
• Saturday, 4-5pm, Exhibit Hall, Catalyst Labs Booth 1611, Signing with Cat Lab Authors

• Sunday, 10-11am, Marriott: Marriott Ballroom 3, Reading and Writing in a Neurodiverse Universe

I am a duck right now. Smooth and serene on the top and paddling like mad underneath. It’s been a busy six weeks since I blogged—for good reason. It’s that whole you only see 10% of the iceberg thing.

First, there was Origins Game Fair. It was a good convention where I was a dealer and a panelist. Plus, I had many meetings where new projects were planned out. It’s one of my favorite things to do—meeting up with my editors and authors face-to-face. Unfortunately, long work conventions are exhausting. Also, we came home with an unwanted guest: Covid.

Despite masking and air purifiers and hand washing/sanitizers, I caught Covid. I’m not sure exactly where or when, but by Sunday evening of the convention, I felt like hell—which means I had to have been contagious for 1-3 days. Be it an errant button press or a handshake and then forgetting to sanitize, or being coughed on (there were a LOT of coughing people at Origins), after four years of diligence, my number was up.

I got Paxlovid on Tuesday after the convention, and we were hoping that it had passed the Husband by, but no such luck. By Thursday the 27th, he was sick. He got his Paxlovid on the same day. We had diametrically opposed reactions to Covid. I felt better as of the 2nd day of the meds and started testing negative as soon as the five days of Paxlovid was done. The Husband on the other hand, tested positive for Covid for almost two full weeks after he finished the meds and even had a rebound where he started feeling better, but then got much worse.

“A simple cold” my ass. We spent three full weeks living on separate levels of the house, running the air purifiers, and masking. It was like living with a roommate you barely tolerate. It sucked. Seriously. The Husband’s asthma is still acting up. Needless to say, we will be masked for Gen Con.

While we were suffering from Covid, life continued on. We’d contracted with Catio Spaces for a custom catio as our 16th wedding anniversary to us and our kitties. It’s lovely. Big enough for chairs for us to lounge in. Leeloo loves the catio. She demands it be opened in the morning and spends most of the day out there. Mena also likes it, but not like Leeloo. She’ll wander out there every other day or so.

Finally, the main reason there hasn’t been a blog post in six weeks is the fact that I have a brand new website. After 20+ years of hand coding my website with raw HTML, I decided it was time for a change and hired Caro from GoCreate.me, a terrifyingly competent and efficient web developer. Caro is amazing, and you should hire her if you want a new website with all the bells and whistles. There are so many new things to learn!

There’s more to do on the website, but the bulk of the fit and finish is done. Also, if you want to send me a postal letter or donate books to my TARDIS Little Free Library, I have a new PO Box address:

Jennifer Brozek
P.O. Box 121
Bothell, WA 98041

So, what to you think? Do you like my new website?

Oh yeah. I’ve been nominated for two Scribe awards! One for Shadowrun: Auditions (YA/MG novel) and one for Valdemar: “Needs Must When Evil Bides” (Short story). I’m particularly pleased with the short story nomination. It’s been forever since one of my shorts has been nominated.

I will not bury the lede—I’m fine, the Husband is fine, the car is not. But that is at the end of the story. (Also, per the In-law Courtesies Act of 2008, I have already spoken to the Husband’s parents…)

This past weekend was Norwescon. This is my home convention, and I dearly love it. I’ve been paneling and/or vending at this convention for well over a decade. I had some really good panels. I think my favorite ones were “Horror as Comfort Food” and “Horror of the 1980s.” Both were high energy and a lot of fun.  Also, I picked up a baby dragon friend for my copper dragon. I guess I need to find names for them now.

This is the last year I will be vending at Norwescon. I have decided to wind down the focused vending part of conventions because I don’t enjoy it as much as I used to. This doesn’t mean I won’t ever vend again. Far from it. It just won’t be a focus. I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older, my spoons and spell slots have become more and more limited. I need to pick and choose my focus or pay for it for a week after the convention.

When you do a lot of conventions, they tend to blend together in one big memory of sound, light, and conversation. There were a couple of standout moments this Norwescon: Meeting Lezli Robyn and Shahid Mahmud from Arc Manor. Both are lovely, lovely people. Dinner with a friendly fan, Brian, and his wife, Melissa, Beth, and Amanda. He is at the beginning of his career and I’m really looking forward to seeing him grow into his stride as an author. Such a fun conversation.

But the most favorite moment came when a woman at my table couldn’t remember if she had one of the books in front of her or not. She called her son and asked, “Have we moved the Brozek books yet? If not they should be on the dresser.” Not only was I an adjective (one of my favorite milestones), this woman knew who I was, which books I wrote, specifically collected MY books, and is a completist. I have never felt more seen as an author before. It was just the loveliest feeling in the world and one I wish for all authors out there.

This Norwescon was specifically stressful because I also have a kickstarter going on right now. “Dear Penpal, Belgium 1980” is currently 65% funded and I’m so pleased. So there was that.

However, as this is my home convention, the Husband likes to drive home to take care of the kitties at night. Wednesday evening of the convention (set up day), I received this text: “First, I am ok. Second, I wrecked the car.” There was a lot more to that conversation, but it didn’t get any worse than that. However, that was enough. The Husband is shaken and bruised (contusions and not a hematoma) and the bruises are extensive. Yes, he has gone to the hospital. He sent me “proof of life” of his face before he sent me pictures of the car. One of them is below.

I am grateful I have friends I can vent at. I have learned I can be mad and furious at the same person at the same time. I am glad that we have good insurance. We’ve been paying into the car insurance for decades and it now comes in handy. I am grateful we are in a position to deal with this. But, good gravy, I do not like it when the Husband reminds me of how mortal he is.

So, that was the weekend. Fairly high stress with some great moments. Life feels like one big plot twist right now. Between con, the kickstarter, the crash, and the upcoming Eclipse trip…I feel like I’m either on the beginning of my protagonist storyline or I’m about to show the audience how the monster works.

First up, I have a convention next week. Norwescon…where I will be in the Dealer’s Room and on panels. I hope to see you there. Remember, there’s a no shyness zone around me. Say hello and get a book signed!

Norwescon Schedule (If I’m not in panels, I’m in the Dealer’s Room.)

Thursday, 4:00pm – 5:00pm @ Cascade 10, That’s What She Said

Friday, 12:00pm – 1:00pm @ Cascade 10, A Dash of Dread
Friday, 1:00pm – 2:00pm @ Cascade 7 & 8, A Story is Forever
Friday, 2:00pm – 3:00pm @ Cascade 9, Horror as Comfort Food
Friday, 4:00pm – 5:00pm @ Cascade 10, How to Write for Audio Formats

Saturday, 2:00pm – 3:00pm @ Evergreen 3 & 4, Horror of the 1980s
Saturday, 4:30pm – 5:00pm @ Cascade 3, Reading: Jennifer Brozek

Sunday, All day, Dealer’s Room

***

Next up, “Dear Penpal, Belgium 1980” goes live on March 26th at 9am, Pacific. I’m a bundle of nerves and super excited. I’ve posted the KS video out and about on social media and I’m really happy with it. Won’t you be my penpal?

***

It’s been less than two weeks since I turned in the latest Shadowrun novel—the sequel to Shadowrun: Auditions. The fact checker has been as diligent as ever and he’s already turned it around with a couple of things I need to fix. Nothing major, thank goodness. But I don’t have the bandwidth to look at the manuscript until early April.

In the meantime, I’m still flailing about. Yes, I’m working on those contracted short stories, but one is paused to make sure it needs to be written. (Multiverse of Mystery kickstarter, please make me write my Sherlock and Watson story as MUSHers who discover a crime in progress through their game…) The other story has a co-author who needs to weigh in on her part of it now before I can continue the rest of the story. Thus, flapping because I have a convention and a kickstarter next week and thus cannot get into something deep.

Everything will be fine. Just fine. Breathe. So, how are things with you?