Continuum XII.

Continuum XII is fast approaching, and I'm really looking forward to it. Last year, due to circumstances, I was only able to spend one day there. This year I'll be present for the whole thing. As this will be my last Australian convention for some time, it'll be great to catch up with a whole bunch of people just before I go,

For those who don't know, Continuum is an annual fan run speculative fiction and pop culture convention. From science-fiction to epic fantasy and everything in between, Continuum 12 will celebrate the theme “Stranger Than Fiction”. Continuum runs every year on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. In 2016 the convention will be held between June 10-13 at the Hotel Jasper in Melbourne’s CBD.

I've been selected for five panels. Mostly writing themed, but with one on Star Wars. I know some of the panellists already, and they're a great bunch. I look forward to meeting those I don't yet know.

In addition George Ivanoff has asked me to be involved in one of his notorious activities. And although I immediately said yes, I'm now starting to wonder if it was a good idea to take part. I guess time will tell.

For those attending, come up and say 'Hi'. Offer me a drink. Tell me things I don't know. Oh, and don't forget that drink!

Hope to see you there!

My panels:

Worldbuilding  (Saturday  10-11am) 

• How to create an immersive world, how much detail is too much, how much should you tell the audience or keep in the background, how does trade fit in and how do you draw the damned map?

Writers and Doubt (Saturday 4-5pm)

• Dealing with Imposter Syndrome. A very real and quite sobering issue, join us for a discussion on how to deal with Imposter syndrome and what we can do to alleviate it.

Plotspirations (Sunday 4-5pm)

• From mashups to bets to eureka moments to messages in the sky, how do you get your ideas? Where do your plot ideas come from?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Monday 10-11am)

• Revolutionary film or redone cliche cashing in on nostalgia? Badass female heroine or boring Mary Sue? Potential interracial gay couple or just a big tease? We analyse the new movie for any trace of Midichlorians.

The Author is a Jerk! (Monday 1-2pm)

• How do the personal opinions and actions of an author affect the reception of their work and do we really care? Should an author’s personal and professional lives remain separate or should we boycott problematic authors?

Continuum.

I had an absolutely fantastic weekend at Continuum.

The Philip K. Dick panel ran smoothly and was well received. Both Bruce Gillespie and David McDonald were fantastic - great insights and an obvious appreciation of PKD's work. I really want to thank them for agreeing to be part of this panel. I also need to thank Tessa B. Dick, Phil's wife, for so kindly answering a few questions for me. Don't forget, both her biography of Phil and her own autobiography are available.

The other panels I was on were good fun too. Sure, I was nervous just before they started, but once they were underway I completely relaxed.

It was great catching up with old familiar faces (Gitte Christensen, Earl Livings and Sue Ann Barber to name a few) and meeting new people. Once again I find it thrilling to be able to sit down and converse with people whose work I've bought and read and names I've only heard of. Richard Harland, Jack Dann, Joel Shepherd, George Ivanoff, Narrelle M. Harris -  and that's only naming a few. I must admit I was a little disappointed not to see some of the usual luminaries there, but I guess people have other publishing commitments and being the long weekend means other events are on also.

Despite the range of panels not being as varied as in previous years (C'mon, do we really need another three or four Vampire panels?) it was still an amazing weekend and I had a great time.

Onward and upward.