ValhallaCon

I think it's fair to say that the first ValhallaCon was a success. Though exhausted, the concom nevertheless began plotting 2.0 during the Dead Viking party held last night.

We got a nice post-con article from the Bellingham Herald.

Our author guest of honor Nancy Kress also wrote a blog entry during the convention.

I had a great time at Paul and Julie's late night vampire panel. As advertised there was swag. We hardly made fun of Twilight at all.

Just a polite reminder as the convention approaches this weekend. If you're planning to have a room party or informal gathering (which we certainly encourage), we ask that you keep noise to reasonable levels and respect other guests and the hotel staff.

This is our first ValhallaCon and the first time that either ValhallaCon or VikingCon has been held at this hotel, so we want to be sure to start the relationship on the right foot.

there's a nice writeup on ValhallaCon in the Bellingham Herald. I'm told there will also be a reporter and a photographer on Saturday, so we can count on post-convention coverage as well. Woot!

I'm happy to announce that Jonathan W. Sodt (A.K.A. Fenmere, the Worm) will be our local artist guest. He's been a fixture in the Bellingham art community for a long time. You can see his work at Grass Dog Studio.

I'm also really excited thta George Dyson will be at ValhallaCon and giving his traditional Orion Project presentation. For those who don't know, the Orion Project was a 1950s effort to build spaceships propelled by nuclear bombs that was championed by George's father, physicist Freeman Dyson. It was also a key plot element of Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's book Footfall, and the event just happens to take place here in Bellingham.

"General, have your people do what you can for the people of Bellingham. They're Americans, too."

I've always felt this should be Bellingham's motto: "We're Americans, too."

Also joining us wil lbe Clete Smith, author of "Grandma's Intergalactive Bed and Breakfast," which will be published in 2010 and for which he has already sold movie rights.


And, if you thought author guest of honor Nancy Kress's book Beggars in Spain was fiction, think again. According to the New York Times, researchers have identified a genetic mutation that causes a need for less sleep.

For her novella The Erdmann Nexus, which you can read here.

Congratulations, Nancy!

In the past week, the concom has decided to scale back ValhallaCon a little bit. There will be one track of programming as well as informal coffee klatsches, gaming, and a central hospitality room. To reflect these changes, we've lowered the membership to $35, where it will stay through the end of the convention.

We will have lots of great guests, including writer guest of honor Nancy Kress and science guest of honor Peter Ward, who is a paleontologiist at the University of Washington. Other great guests include author Alma Alexander, editor Patrick Swenson (Talebones and Fairwood Press), and author Cat Rambo, as well as up and coming authors from the Bellingham area.

Because this is a small convention, it will be a really intimate gathering that gives you the chance to connect personally with the authors and other guests.

The membership rate on the site will remain at $45 for a little while because our Paypal person is at Worldcon. In the meantime, you can make a check out to VikingCon Organizing Committee and send it to PO Box 5171, Bellingham, WA 98227. Please make sure to include your name, address, phone number, email, and desired badge name.

If you have already purchased a membership at $45 and would like us to refund the difference, please let us know in advance or at the convention and we will happily do it.

The Valhalla Con game day is coming up here next weekend (July 18, 10 AM - Midnight).  I'll be running Heroscape during the first two sessions in the morning.  If you haven't tried Heroscape it's a really nice miniatures game.  It's great for beginners, I'll show you how!

Where:  Eagles game room in downtown Bellingham.
When:  July 18, 10 AM - Midnight
Cost:  $5

See you there!

Valhallacon will be held the 4th through the 6th of September, 2009, at the Bellingham Airport Hampton Inn.

I just got home from the Las Vegas Westercon where I saw Bill Boyde, a long-time volunteer for VikingCon and participant in BSFFC events.  He was involved in a very serious car accident on the way to Westercon in which the driver, Roberta Carlson, was killed, and one of the other passengers lost half of his fingers.  Bill and the other two passengers in the car survived with just scrapes and bruises but they are all very shaken up.

Bill has very generously charged everyone's plane tickets home to his credit card.  Bill isn't rich, though, so a fan fund has been set up to help them with these expenses.  PayPal donations can be sent to wboyde@eskimo.com.  The money will be used to pay for the group's travel expenses home and any leftover funds will be donated to Roberta's family.  If you can help, please do so.  Thank you!