I really enjoyed attending Conestoga last weekend. All in all, it was great fun. Didn’t sell much art, but I almost never make a sale at Conestoga. It’s a tough crowd to please.

Yard Dog Press officially released “Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas”, the fourth anthology in the Bubbas of the Apocalypse series. My story, “Curious George Vists the Solar J Astroport Diner”, is in there. Go buy your copy today!

The con programming was lively, and there was a good bit of energy. It was good to see, after the recent discussion on other LJ’s about the malaise that seems to be affecting cons this year.

I was assigned to a story illustration workshop, which I didn’t expect to enjoy since I’m a doodler, not an illustrator. However, the talent in the room was infectious. Artist GOH John Picacio, David Lee Anderson, Peter Bradley (aka ravenchilde_art), and I, and several con-goers, sketched as author Matt Champine read his short story aloud. Afterward, we compared sketches and discussed what lead us there. The story was very visual, and it was amazing how the various artists in the room seized on similar imagery, yet handled it in completely different ways.

The con’s charity was an exotic animal rescue organization, and they were in attendance with a number of cuddly and not so cuddly critters. I’m a pushover for critters, but you know that. I got up close and personal with a lemur, so I now know what a lemur smells like. And their fur is thicker and wirier than I imagined.

Royal Gauntlet Educational Birds of Prey and Rehabilitation Center was there with several rescued Birds of Prey. Fascinating. A small owl perched on my finger for a few minutes. CUTE! Oddly enough, I was enjoying the birds so much, I had no idea the humans holding them were Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon were until it was over.