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?

November is a busy month. I will be at OryCon in Portland, OR from Nov 10-12 as the Editor Guest of Honor. I’m happy to say hello and to sign books. My schedule is below.

I will also be reading at the University Bookstore on November 21 with David D. Levine and the launch of his book, The Kuiper Belt Job. I will be there representing the Reinvented Anthology series, The Reinvented Heart and The Reinvented Detective (pre-orders are love), as the series co-editor. Several authors from the series will be in the audience.

===ORYCON SCHEDULE===

Friday
4pm – Pendleton
Workshop: Blue Pencil Edit & Critique

6pm – Mt. Saint Helens
Opening Ceremonies

7pm – Mt. Saint Helens
Guests of Honor Mixer & Dinner

=================================================

Saturday
11am – West Ballroom
GOH: Jennifer Brozek Autographs

2pm – Pendelton
The Caring and Feeding of Author Newsletters

3pm – Pendelton
Resurrect Your Writing

4pm – White Stag
GOH Q&A: Meet our Guests of Honor!

6pm – White Stag
GOH Workshop: Description and Body Language as Genre

Hope to see you there!

Gen Con 2023 has come and gone in a wave of many, many people (reported between 70K-80K) and hot, muggy weather. I enjoyed myself despite the aforementioned crowds and weather.

 
Grace P. Fong and Jennifer Brozek at “Meet the Pros” for the Gen Con Writers Symposium.

Snapshots:

• My mornings were odd since I didn’t have to get up super early and prep to run a booth in Authors Avenue. On one hand, I miss it. On the other, I do not. I prefer just participating in the Writers Symposium.
• My workshops were well-attended and got great feedback. I enjoy teaching eager students. I had some great questions. I loved every panel I was on and can’t wait to come back.
• My last panel of the convention included Ed Greenwood. It was cool circling back. I attended my first Gen Con in 2006 to sign a book we co-wrote. I was such a novice back then. Now I’m holding my own and having a good time. It was nice to have that moment with Ed.
• Tactical error. I was able to get into the dealers hall early with the judicious use of a borrowed exhibitors badge. I hadn’t been able to see any of the dealers hall before then. I specifically didn’t want to be involved in the morning “Running of the Nerds.” Thus, I headed back to the dealer booth but I did so too late. I got caught between rows 200 and 300 right at the front of the dealers hall when they opened the doors. I swear to goodness, it was like watching the zombie hoard race towards me as attendees poured into the dealer hall and sprinted towards the booths they needed to get to buy the limited, exclusive Gen Con merch. I realized too late that I should have recorded the moment.
• While the Husband and I attended the convention masked for the whole time, I did eat in restaurants and have a couple of private business meetings without my mask. I’m aware of at least four panelists from the Writers Symposium are down with covid and a couple more with con crud. As of now, both the Husband and I feel fine. Negative tests for covid and no con crud. So, that’s nice. However, we will continue to isolate and test until Friday.
• Seeing old friends and catching up was worth it. Dinner with Ivan was so nice. Doing PokemonGO trades with Grace was the best. Talking Shin Kamen Rider with Brandon was wonderfully weird.
• It is always nice to get a face-to-face with my editors. There are some very cool things writing/editing-wise coming out of this convention. I can’t wait to be able to talk about them.
• There was one scary moment outside the convention. Monday morning, the Husband and I went to Café Patachou for breakfast. As we were leaving, a very, very angry young man crashed into me as he barreled his way into the restaurant, shouting incoherently. I have no idea what he was saying or why he was so angry. As we left the scene, the man came out of the restaurant with a half-cup of coffee (it’s self-serve at Patachou) and slammed it to the ground, still shouting. He ended up walking in the same direction we were but then stopped to hail a cab. I have no idea what it was all about and have decided, “Not my monkeys, not my circus.”
• Oh, here’s a TMI but interesting bit for the science-y people out there: When you sneeze into a mask (and it’s not one of those gross sneezes that makes you replace the mask immediately) you get the opportunity to understand what the inside of your lungs smell like. I can’t describe the smell. It’s not bad but it’s not pleasant because of the biological nature of it. Still, it’s an interesting experience from a writer’s POV. I just wish I could figure out how to describe it.
• Also, laud me, for I have already logged all my Gen Con freelancer expenses!

 
Jennifer Brozek and John Helfers having one last meeting at the Indy airport.

There’s more than this. But it’s all I can remember at the moment. It was a very busy convention and I am still recovering. I have my kitties, my bed, and my coffee. I am a happy author/editor. Until next Gen Con!

Next week is Gen Con. I actually don’t know how many of these conventions I’ve gone to (more than 10? 15?) but, I suppose, at this stage of the game it doesn’t matter.

This year is going to be a little bit different for me. I do not have a table in Authors Avenue. I chose not to have one because I’m at a point in my career where it is not necessary. Also, there are other newer, more hungry authors out there who need that spot. Thus, I bow out. Also…honestly, I’m feeling my age a little. I cannot vend in the Dealers Hall and do workshops/panels for the Writers Symposium. There is a half mile jaunt between locations which is a 12 minute brisk walk one way (ask me how I know).

Thus, this year I am only participating in the Writers Symposium, the BattleTech/Shadowrun group signing at the Cat Labs booth, and various business meetings. The Writers Symposium is located on the 2nd floor of the Downtown Marriott and will have much signage to help you find it.

Here is my schedule for the Writers Symposium. The link will take you to the events page and my official schedule. You can search for any author’s schedule in this place. In addition to my panels and workshops, I will be doing three signings:

• Friday, 2:00-2:50pm BattleTech Signing – Signing: Multiple BattleTech Authors, ICC – Catalyst Game Labs booth 1611
• Friday, 3:00-3:50pm Panel GCWS – Signing: Chesya Burke and Jennifer Brozek, ICC : Signing table near Authors Avenue. Both of us will have books to sell.
• Saturday, 11:00-12:00pm Shadowrun Signing – Signing: Multiple Shadowrun Authors, ICC – Catalyst Game Labs booth 1611

Finally, the Symposium will be releasing the first-ever Gen Con Writers’ Symposium Collectible Drive! This USB drive will only be available in person at Gen Con 2023, and limited to 500 drives. It contains 19 retail books, including 2 new releases and one pre-release. GCWS-exclusive collections of previously unpublished short fiction from E.D.E. Bell, Jennifer Brozek, and Richard Lee Byers. The drive also includes several bonus short stories, music from The Road, and an audiobook narrated by C. S. E. Cooney.

I’m really looking forward to Gen Con this year. I hope to see you there.

This weekend, I’m off to Norwescon with the ever-fabulous Marie Bilodeau. We have a booth in the dealers room and we both will be on panels. There’s a “no-shyness zone” around us. Come on by, say hello, and get a book signed. We’re excited to see everyone this weekend!

Thursday
• Marie: 5:00pm – 6:00pm @ Cascade 5 & 6, Freelancers’ Table: Show Me the Money
• Jenn: 6:00pm – 7:00pm @ Cascade 7 & 8, The Folk Horror Revival

Friday
• Jenn: 2:00pm – 3:00pm @ Cascade 5 & 6, Managing A Multi-Book Series
• Marie: 4:00pm – 5:00pm @ Cascade 10, Werewolves of Dacia & Other Folkloric Origins of the Paranormal
• Jenn: 5:00pm – 6:00pm @ Cascade 5 & 6, Supporting Our Writing Community
• Jenn: 7:00pm – 8:00pm @ Cascade 5 & 6, Legacy of Cthulhu

Saturday
• Marie: 10:00am – 11:00am @ Grand 2, Autograph Session 1
• Marie: 12:00pm – 1:00pm @ Evergreen 3 & 4, We Are the World: Writing in a Shared Setting
• Jenn: 1:00pm – 2:00pm @ Olympic 3, Teen Horror Writing Workshop
• Marie: 4:00pm – 5:00pm @ Cascade 11, The Magic of Small Stakes
• Jenn: 5:00pm – 6:00pm @ Cascade 7 & 8, Need an Editor?

Sunday
• Marie: 10:00am – 11:00am @ Cascade 5 & 6, Once Upon a Different Time
• Marie: 11:00am – 12:00pm @ Cascade 9, Managing Your Career During Social Crisis