I’ve been putting off writing this because a) I am so busy with trying to finish the second Poison Wars MS that I haven’t had time and b) I thought I would do a more fun and informative post if I did it after I’d prepared for panels, etc. Ahem. Well. It’s a couple of days out now so I’ve officially left this too late.

Imagine, if you will, the This Is FIne comic here.

Anyway, Continuum! As I did last year I am headed to Melbourne for their annual fan-run SFF and pop culture convention, Continuum. Guests of honour are the inimitable Cat Sparks and Alison Evans.

Because I thought this was a grand idea at the time, being well after my book was due, I volunteered to be on a number of panels! So of course this means that I’m underprepared and you should probably not expect to be finding fuel for a PHD thesis in anything I’m saying. You can find me bluffing my way through the following excellent-sounding* panels across the weekend:

6pm Friday:  Chosen
with Carolyn Denman, Devin Madson & Kimberley Gaal

Are all chosen ones by their nature Mary Sues? Do we care? How much does it suck to be a chosen one? Life once the Chosen One task is over.

Saturday 10am: Middle Grade Magic
with Thalia Kalkipsakis, Figgy, Sue Bursztynski & George Ivanoff

Why let the young adults have all the fun? Let’s talk about classic and new speculative fiction for readers aged nine to twelve.

Sunday 8pm: Secondary World Sans Magic
with Devin Jeyathurai, Lyss Wickramasinghe, Rachel Nightingale & Freya Marske

Swordspoint, Captive Prince, The Traitor Baru Cormorant — if a secondary world fantasy has no magic, is it still fantasy? Or historical fiction for writers who hate research? No dragons, just worldbuilding here in this panel!

For those among you who are finishing up a project and thinking, or in the middle of, querying, I will also be doing a workshop with my lovely agent sibling, EJ Beaton, on Sunday at 2pm which is all about the joys of agent hunting. Come listen to Liz and I walk you through the treacherous query trenches and ask us questions about the road to getting an agent. We’ll be covering:

• why you might want an agent
• figuring out who to query
• writing the dreaded query letter and synopsis
• handling the submission process (administration and mental health tips 🙂 )
• what happens when you get an offer, or offers.

The full program is here: Continuum Program

If none of that takes your fancy, I will also be lurking around the con generally, drinking too many hot beverages and trying to finish my novel in the bar. Come and say hi!

Unless the fates conspire against me I should also have pretty bookmarks if you would like one, and the last couple of bound review copies of City of Lies. So if you are a book blogger or book tuber and you are willing to read my doorstop and review it, drop me a line at samhawkewrites AT gmail DOT com or on twitter @samhawkewrites.

Hope to see some of you there!

*  I take no responsibility for the provision of excellence, but I have great co-panellists, so.