Back to Toronto!

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As is so common with me these days, I'm on the road right now.  But I wanted to pass along the news that I'm going to be the Author Guest of Honor at sparkling-new convention SFContario next November.  This is particularly good news for me because it's in Canada and I love Canada, and it's in Ontario and I love Ontario, and it's in Toronto and oh man do I love Toronto.  So I expect to have a great time.  I'll keep you posted as additional info comes in.

Meanwhile, here's the basic press release as it was posted on Boing-Boing:

We are starting up a shiny new SF convention in downtown Toronto, called SFContario. The inaugural convention will take place November 19-21st 2010 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in downtown Toronto. It's a lovely hotel that overlooks Allan Gardens and is a stone's throw away from all the restaurants and attractions downtown Toronto has to offer. Our confirmed guests of honour are:

Michael Swanwick Author GOH
Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden Editor GOH's
Geri Sullivan Fan GOH
Karen Linsley Filk GOH

We're going to have a great con! Anyone wishing to register can do so online. Current registration rate is $35 and will be increasing to $45 on December 9th.


And in stark contrast to the joyous news above . . .

You've probably heard that fantasy great Robert Holdstock died on Sunday.  I met him exactly once, in a crowded and noisy club under the arches in Edinburgh, so I don't have any personal reminiscences to share.  But, holy gee, could that man write!  Mythago Wood is not only a fabulous book, but so original that in Rhetorics of Fantasy, Farah Mendelsohn had to define a separate mode of fantasy to account for it.

Holdstock died shortly after publishing Avilion, a sequel to Mythago Wood (I have it on order), and all the reviews reported that it was great.  That's the way a writer wants to go out . . . on a high note, reminding his writers of all those books  books he'll never get the chance to write.

Rest in peace, Robert.  I regret all those books I'll ever get the chance to read.

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