Fantasm Day (night) 1

Fantasm has begun! We had a late start yesterday so didn’t get into Fantasm until after 8PM. Had time to get registered, say our initial hellos, and then find seats at the ballroom. I was scheduled to be a presenter at the Fannie Awards, so I checked in with poppyaseed, and then settled down to wait for my time to be escorted backstage. And waited. And waited. Of course, silly me, the award ceremony was on “convention time”! So we (Matthew, dude_the, and I) relaxed and gabbed with Melanie (Pony Girl) and Hugh.

Then the event began! The presenters had to reach the backstage by going around outside. I was slated to present an award with one of the Purgatory crew, Mistress Sapphire, and we were both not dressed for the outside. It’s cold out there! Shivering, we discussed what we were going to do onstage (which I now realize I totally messed up on–she suggested the presenter who ended up stage left should introduce herself first. Being a ninny (and terrified of public speaking), I blanked out and confused stage left with “left of Eugie”. Oops.) We presented the “Favorite Volunteer” award, and it was won by the lovely redwitch. I noticed when there that the stage was extremely slippery. I was very concerned for all the dancers who were performing ceremony numbers. Walking on the stage was a chancy undertaking. Dancing, yikes.

My stint done, I went back into the audience, eagerly awaiting the “Favorite Ms. Fantasm” award presentation. The presenters mispronounced my name at the “and the nominees are” part, and there was a bit of a mix-up at the “and the winner is” stage. But who cares? I won!

My acceptance speech was pretty lame. “Thank you, you’re all great!” My brain glazed over, and I could come up with nothing more amusing to say. Sigh. Probably the only “thank you” speech I’ll ever give at an award ceremony and I deer-in-the-headlighted.

Thank you, everyone who voted for me!

redwitch accepting her Fannie, flanked by me and Mistress Sapphire.

A closeup of the Fannie Award. It rocketh!

Writing Stuff
My “Inspiration End/Still My Beating Heart” chapbooks arrived via priority mail yesterday! Woohoo! Thank you, Nathan! Lavish praise as well to the_new_low. His cover art looks even more spectacularly gorgeous on the page! There was much oohing and ahhing both by me and the folks I hit up at Fantasm to “buy my book?”

Got two panels today:
1:30-3:00 The Hero is a Monster with Andrew Greenberg, Davey Beauchamp, and Toni Stauffer.
3:00-4:30 Tell me a Short Story with Toni Stauffer.

They’re back-to-back, so I should be pretty talked out by 4:30.

Going to have to wake up Matthew and dude_the before too long.