#norwescon

I was so so so anxious to be on panels because it took almost a decade of going to the con as an attendant before I managed to really talk to people instead of hide myself in the bathroom, and I still worry that I like, messed up somewhere, really borked it and said something wrong or got too figity and distracting, but the first panel I did was about body horror and disability and I got to speak about T. Kingfisher’s Alex Easton books and John Wiswell’s Someone You Can Build A Nest In and Cassandra Khaw's terrifying librarian in The Library At Hellebore. And the last panel was on tropes in fanfic and how they can bleed over to traditionally published work and I got to talk about author contract and subverting expectations (yaaayyyy) and I feel like those two panels bookended enough of the convention in super good that the squishy anxiety bits in the middle aren't quite loud enough to drown out the good.

And as scared as I was, I am glad I was obligated to speak this year. I met some amazing authors whose books I’m so looking forward to, met with some folks I had seen in passing but never met in earnest until this con, and got to spend time with my emotional support writing group throughout all of it and celebrate my book release and drink and pay way too much for pretzels and stay up way too late and still hide in my room to go over my notes for like so much of the con because I needed a good grade in panelist… and I even got a bathroom selfie with T. Kingfisher who is maybe the sweetest person in the world!

Will probably participate again next year so hopefully will see many of you again! Cheers!!!