WorldCon in the rearview…ArmadilloCon Ahead!

shlomi on September 5, 2026

WorldCon was a sip at a firehose in terms of contacts, and a wonderful opportunity hob and knob with fellow authors and the odd agent. I’ve already registered for WorldCon 2027 in Montreal, and hopefully will be on more panels next year.

Now…ArmadilloCon 2026 (48th year!)… There are about 25 students in the writers workshop, which I’m running, along with about 14 instructors and panelists. The usual schedule of events–one speaker, one panel–has morphed into two speakers, as the ArmadilloCon Guest of Honor, Micaiah Johnson is joining author (and collaborator) Elizabeth Moon.

It’s been a lot of work, complicated by me being out of action for two months earlier this year. The great thing about a convention is that it’s not a lone-gunman effort: There’s a team, and there are folks stepping in to help if necessary (I’m looking at you, Nick).

My critique group, QuickSilver Quills (formerly White Gold Wielders) will be there in force, with a table (two, actually) in the Dealer Room, and a reading slot on Saturday. I’ll probably end up on a few other panels as well.

I’ll have pix and a short recap next week, after the sturm und drang of the week and weekend.

ArmadilloCon 2025

shlomi on September 15, 2025

It was a busy weekend in Austin. ArmadilloCon also hosts a writers workshop on the Friday before the Con, then a whirlwind of panels, meetups, and connections between authors, readers, and industry professionals. Like last year, White Gold Wielders, a critique group originally based in Austin, met to attend and sit on panels, hawk books published by its members, and have the rare opportunity to meet in person.

The WGW Critique Group Contingent

(Can’t you tell we had a professional do the group picture?)

From left to right:
* Me
* Elizabeth Moon
* Christianne Lupher
* Paige E. Ewing
* Courtney Ritz Lednicky
* Tom Thompson
* Iolo (David Warner)

Check out our website for other folks’ profiles. And news. And events!

The WGW Books for Sale Table (and a few WGW denizens)

ArmadilloCon offers a writing workshop every year, where submitted short stories (or portions of a larger work) are critiqued by a small group of peers and two instructors. I’ll run it next year and am excited to see the submissions. There’s also a prompted flash fiction contest. More on all that next spring.

ArmadilloCon Cometh!

shlomi on August 28, 2024

ArmadilloCon, the Austin-area Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror convention, will be in town September 6-8.

Like every year, there’s a writing workshop on Friday morning — if you’re interested, you’ll need to register for next year’s conference as this one’s locked and ready. I’m one of the instructors; it’s an amazing way to get quality feedback in a supportive environment.

I’ll be moderating a few panels, and my critique group is hosting a panel, splitting the time reading our works and discussing how a critique group works. Look me up if you’re there!

ArmadillonCon 46 Approacheth!

shlomi on August 1, 2023

I’ll be at the Austin-based con this weekend. There’s an amazing panoply of panels and events that are amazing. You can register on-line, and it’s reasonably priced. There’s no ComicCon hype and not much cosplay, but there are many Austin and area authors in the SF, F, Horror, and even a little MM space.