Aaron Michael Ritchey

F. P. Dorchak Colorado Author Interview Circle (CAIC) Interview

January 10, 2017 by fpdorchak

This is an interview I did a year ago. It was my first ever YouTube/video interview and it was such a blast hanging out with these two guys! Cody I’d just met for the interview, but Aaron Michael Ritchey I’ve known for bit and he’s always a trip. Always. And every time I meet him he’s grown another inch. Because he’s tall. And charming. And…he’s Aaron Michael Ritchey.

Thank you, Aaron and Cody, for including me in your CAIC interview circuit! You two are great dudes, and I had fun!

So.

Here it is.

MileHiCon47, a Knot, and a Head

October 30, 2015 by fpdorchak

MileHiCon47, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Denver, CO, October 23-25, 2015

Well, this past weekend was a blur!

I attended the 47th MileHiCon, in Denver, invited back for a second year—and hope I get the lifetime subscription! This is an absolutely incredible—flat-out fun—event that anyone with a halfway interest in fantasy, science fiction, and the bizarre should attend at least once!

My first time last year I was on a couple of panels, but this year not only was I on panels, but I also moderated:

Moderated Exploding Myths of the New World of Publishing
Panelist on Military SF Discussion and Readings
One of many at Autograph Alley
Movie discussion moderator for the 1973 movie, Soylent Green
One of several writers on The Reading Game (this was a blast!)
Panelist on Closer & Further Than You Think

Exploding Myths of the New World of Publishing

This was an informative panel to have been a part of! We had great discussions about the state of publishing and how it has so changed with the continued flourishing (yes, “flourishing“…) of Independent (Indie) Publishing. Also once known as the highly stigmatic “self publishing.” I Indie published my first novel, Sleepwalkers, in 2001. I caught a lot of grief about that from many writers and agents and editors in the traditional publishing world, if not in word in attitude. So much so that in one panel I had been part of at another conference I’d doubted that I’d ever self publish again.

But today?

Wow, it’s the thing.

People are making a living out of it like never before and no longer is it looked down upon by the masses. I just released my fifth novel, Voice this year.

On this panel were Kristi Helvig, Angie Hodapp, Gary Jonas, and the ubiquitous Kristine Kathryn Rusch.

Military SF Discussion and Readings

I’ve only written one military SF novel, and it’s my UFO conspiracy theory book, ERO (though Psychic could be considered a cousin to military SF, since it is also a part of that government conspiracy theory worldview, though no “uniformed services” are involved, like in ERO). Here, I was a panelist (not a moderator) and we discussed what we thought “made” military fiction military fiction, as well as various aspects of military fiction. We read from our works.

On this panel were Kevin Ikenberry (moderator) and Robert Williscroft—two gentlemen I kept running into over the course of the weekend—Sourdough Jackson, and Kal Spriggs. Kevin and I were later on the Closer & Further Than You Think panel. Kevin and Kal are Army and Bob’s Navy. I was Air Force. Sourdough was never military, though is an ardent student of the military, having studied naval history for some 50 years.

Autograph Alley

This is an en masse book signing for authors. As I discussed with my table mate, Angela Roquet, it is interesting to see who gets all the attention at this thing…and how it changes from year to year. This was only my second, so my observations were obviously limited. I didn’t sell any books (sold two later in the weekend as I meandered about the con) but had some fun conversation…especially about my mannequin head—which I’d carried with me all day Friday and Saturday…but more on that in a minute….

Interesting to note that my MileHiCon46 crush AaronMichaelRitchey (his name is to be uttered with great reverence and in one breath, one word…) was still (true to form) talking it up and drawing the crowds. I tried to emulate him this year with chocolate—but no one was having it. Everyone seemed to be on diets. How does AaronMichaelRitchey do it? The man is just magic. And tall. I swear he gained two inches since last year.

Damn, AaronMichaelRitchey.

Soylent Green Movie and Discussion

One of the fun things “they” (being “them”) do at MileHiCon is screen films, and I volunteered to moderate the Soylent Green movie discussion. So from 1 – 2:30 we watched the movie, then from 2:30 (or so) we discussed the film for about an hour. One really cool thing that came out of the discussion was that one lady had told us she had seen the original screening back in 1973 and ever since had wanted to be part of an actual discussion about that movie, because it so moved/scared her when she’d first seen it. So I’d felt quite honored that we had been part of her “bucket list,” so to speak, and had been able to fulfill her wish!

You just never know what you’re going to be a part of when you do things like this.

Point of order, however, but as I searched the Internet for “Soylent Green” for this post I found…it’s real!

Yes—Soylent Green is….

The Reading Game

This was such a cool idea! The premise of The Reading Game is like The Dating Game, but only with books.

It’s to help connect readers and writers! A reader sat on one side of a screen, while three writers sat on the other side. The reader then asked questions of the writers, and based on their answers the reader selected a writer they thought they might like to read. That author would give a book of theirs to the reader—and of course autograph it. I was one of the writers, and I was selected by a reader (most or all of the authors were selected by readers). My reader selected The Uninvited, my supernatural murder mystery and a “whydunnit” (versus a “whodunnit”). We all had a blast, on both sides of the screen. It didn’t have a huge audience, I think, because it was its first time offered and not well understood, so we hope next year it fills the room with roaring attendance! I feel this has huge entertainment potential on many levels! Afterward all readers were asked if they would post reviews of the books they read…and help publicize The Reading Game.

Closer & Further Than You Think

This was a discussion about what hard SF possibilities are actually right around the corner, despite being depicted as far out, and vice versa. Now, admittedly, I felt just a leettle out of my league, here, sitting on panel that sported Big Brain scientist types whose hands are still “in the pie,” as it were, so I went all conspiracy theory (I had to!)—and found a fellow conspiracy theorist in Dr. Tim Slater (knuckle bump!), of the University of Wyoming.

You see, whenever I talk about this kind of stuff it’s hard for me to not go all conspiracy theory! I don’t follow technology all that much anymore, but when I wrote ERO I had done a lot of conspiracy theory research and did try to keep somewhat up on technology…and what a lot of that “keyed” into me was that what we see and what might actually exist are three different things. And one of the books I’d read, whose author and exact title I couldn’t recall during the panel, but which I now present here for the Big Brains to pick apart, discussed about already existing hyperdimensional, anti-gravity (electrogravitics), faster-than-light travel. That book is Secrets of Antigravity Propulsion, by Paul A LaViolette, Ph.D. So, there you go, Kevin, Doug, Tim, and J. L., have at it! Love to hear you thoughts on the [anti]matter, if you’ll pardon the pun….

So, really, who can you trust when you talk about this stuff?

No one. Trust No One.

Other Sessions

I attended other sessions on which I was not a panelist:

Trends in Publishing

Remember That Thing Called Privacy

The Year in Science (the tail end)

There is so much to say about these and the other panels, but this post is already long enough. All the sessions were quite informative. Except for MileHiCon, I’ve been out of the writer conference circuit for about two years, and I realized that I’ve missed it. There’s only so much an individual can do, and when you throw in trying to get your own writing done that really limits how “up” on things you can be. And of all the above sessions I attended, the Privacy session was perhaps the most unsettling…but I’d expected that…the so-called “eroding” of our personal privacies. There’s the “legal” definitions (a lawyer was on the panel, one who’d “argued” before the Supreme Court on just such issues) and what we think we understand to be our own human privacy rights. It’s a little unsettling. But the more we give away or “don’t care about,” the less we’ll have and the quicker it will all erode away. As long as there’s one guy or gal out there willing to create these kinds of technologies and actually use them…and gee, factor in the science and science fiction of technology, and well…

We’re all screwed.

Some arguments might well be made that it’s all only a matter of returning to where we all started…tribes and clans of everyone knew everyone’s business and there were no secrets so we’re really just coming full circle…but I could also use the argument that why don’t we just return to living in abject poverty and disease-ridden streets? Just “returning to a previous state” doesn’t make it “right.” No, I’m not of the mindset of “it’s just a return how it used to be.” Why are people so uncaring of all this? I enjoy my privacy. I know others who feel the same way. Call us Neo Luddites, we don’t care. I like having a little mystery about a person. I don’t want to know nor care to see how one wipes their ass or masturbates or picks their noses on a YouTube video, and, quite frankly, it disturbs me that others would want to know this about other people. Because—keep this in mind—what you’re seeing about other people…other people will also see about you.

When you continually enable Big Companies and the government by using things like Google (which I avoid—I’m told DuckDuckGo is as good at Google without the tracking) or smartphones without thinking about just what it is you’re doing…that bothers me. We all need our personal space. I don’t need to know your most-intimate of details. Yet we find all people continually posting all manner of minutiae on all manner of social media. I’ve talked to a few of those of other generations, and it is disturbing the “I don’t care” I get from some…”I don’t care if they track me going to the store.” Or “I don’t care if they track what I buy.”

Can’t you look beyond your desire for the latest smartphone to what you’re enabling? Can’t you look past your privacy nonchalance to the far larger picture? Are you really so self-involved you can’t see past your freaking iPhone?!

All kinds of arguments can be made for companies and governments having always been doing this, etc.—but does that make it right?

Think about your actions…their logical conclusions. Think.

Yet…I can also make the case that on a metaphysical level (yes, here I go…) such developments are also the physical manifestation of a kind of metaphysical and spiritual “singularity.” In this case, we are all approaching an “event” where we realize just how intricately connected we really are and how nothing is really hidden from another on an incorporeal level. So, our corporeal existence is more and more mirroring our incorporeal existence.

Transitions can really be a bitch.

Another conversation of note involved a panel I was on about the advancements in technology. In that discussion we touched upon the soul, the spiritual, and I was amused that science (well, one of our panelists) quickly went hands-off, and even went so far as to say that he wouldn’t touch that with a 10-foot pole (or words the effect)…yet “discussions” of physics and technology with an audience member who took issue with some of our panelists assertions were directly and most ardently faced head on.

I get it.

Certain things are more easily and apparently “proven” so “discussions” are considered useful.

But here’s the thing. And I said it in my own closing remarks on this particular panel: I worry about the advancements in technology without the corresponding advancements in ethics. Just because we can do something does not mean we should.

What is happening to our collective moral compass?

We do need to have more spiritual and metaphysical discussions bookending our advancing technologies…we should not shy away from them, ignore them, be unwilling to “touch them with a 10-foot pole”…yet continue to create more and more invasive and frightening advancements in technology that seem to stretch the limits of—hell, ignore—moral and ethical considerations.

MileHiCon48: panel for next year: the ethics of advancing technology.

We need to be more mindful of just what it is we’re allowing into our lives. Yes, the Government and Big Business is going to do what they do behind our backs, but let’s not make it any easier on them. A more aware public, or better informed and “ethically aware” (choose your term) public, is a stronger public that can actually push back on the nano-intrusions into our lives. At least make informed decisions. The unbridled advancements of “bombs and bullets and lasers” and all that involves. We create our reality…technology does not. I’m all for Human advancements…but to create advancing technology just because we can “finally get the numbers right” is not the answer. Is not a right. Let’s get the ethics right, too.

Let’s not destroy ourselves with our own hubris.

A Knot and a Head

Okay, to end on a lighter note!

Table For Two? Hyatt Regency Hotel Restaurant, MileHiCon47

Friday and Saturday, much like the Twin Peaks “Log Lady,” I wandered about MileHiCon47 with a mannequin head.

Oh, and this insane, Eldredge Knot.

I found it most curious that very few actually asked me about “my friend” (“the head” has a name, you know, had you asked: “Becka”). I’d even brought her into the hotel’s “Root 25 Taphouse and Kitchen” restaurant with me, and none of the server staff said a peep about her. And of all the panels I was on, I surely thought someone in the room—or at the very least on a particular panel itself–that of the Military SF Discussion and Readings—would have asked “Hey, dude—what the hell?”

But, nooo!

A few brave souls did inquire, however, one notable individual was author C. R. Asay. Christauna, which is her given name, came up to me as I hung out by a table in the hallway between Thunderpass and Bristlecone conference rooms, and asked straight out about what was the deal with the head? As we talked, she chuckled and told me she wasn’t sure what kind of response she was going to get from a guy carrying around a mannequin head! But she thought there must have been “something there” [mentally, we’re talking…] since I was dressed up kinda nice (bright, royal blue Kenneth Cole shirt and gold Jacob Alexander tie) and had this rather intricate tie knot (yea, verily, the mythical Eldredge Knot), and I wasn’t smelly, nor looking at all scraggy or disheveled!

This goes down as the coolest introduction EVER.

Sorry, AaronMichaelRitchey.

Well, here’s the deal: a character in my novel, Voice, sports a gold tie in an

Eldredge Knot, and another character in Voice (let’s just say) “deals with” a mannequin head. That’s all I’m saying on the latter.

But, by the same token, it was so cool that I didn’t “freak out” anyone at MileHiCon (though a Facebook friend or two felt a little nervous about my sanity/apparent predilections…). Mainly because I wasn‘t the craziest looking thing out there that weekend!

And that was most amusing!

I mean, had I seen someone like me, I would have gone up and asked out of total curiosity! To me, that “presentation” would be a weird “look.” One not in line with a fantasy and science fiction convention (though I’d spotted a cross-dresser or two, here and there, not that there’s anything wrong with that). I’d be compelled to ask. So not being asked was both a pleasure and a curiosity, if you get my reasoning.

A Moment Of Reflection Before All The Crazy. MileHiCon47

I’d actually fit in into the whole Weltanschauung that is MileHiCon!

And though I did get looks—just like every other costumed attendee—no one steered clear of me. And I did get quit a few smiles!

Originally I’d just intended to use the mannequin as a prop at Autograph Alley (not that that made any difference…), but when I thought about it, I thought, this be the perfect opportunity to well…play. And I so rarely do that. “Cut loose,” and do something weird like this—or even dress up on Hallowe’en anymore (I did it once at work in my entire adult life). I just don’t do that kinda thing. Yeah, go ahead, analyze. So, this was the most perfect place and time to do such a thing, and I decided to “let it all hang out”… and just “own it.” My story, that is. It was all for promotion of Voice, my newest release. I’m pretty sure someone will remember “that guy with the head” and Google/DuckDuckGo me to see what’s up w’dat.

So that, readers, was my Evil Plan. There you go, Robin and Kathleen.

I had a blast meeting up with my writer friends…making new ones. I had a great

Alas, Poor Becka.... MileHiCon47 — Alas, Poor Becka…. MileHiCon47

conversation with Laura Deal and Leonore and David Dvorkin (and thanks, again, Leonore, for all of your support! You are so kind and gracious!). Her and David are also doing some book publishing efforts, and one of them sounds quite interesting is Red Eyes. I liked the look and feel of that book (she had a copy with her). A creepy feeling murder mystery. At this Con I met their son, Daniel, who’s been coming to this Con since he was a wee lad, but he’s “wee” no longer and now sat on some of his own panels. It was cool to meet them all.

How nice and sweet and kind were many I met and talked with! I know I’ve said it a lot already, but it really was pure fun!

There are so many to mention, so forgive me if I don’t specifically call you all out, but know I do value our conversations and friendships.

Angie Hodapp–you are so kind and gracious! Thank you for our conversation and for that “introduction” (be nice if it really pans out)! That was “funny” and well-timed, given our conversation only seconds prior!

C. R. Asay—again, I have to mention, yours was simply the coolest introduction EVER–“I wasn’t sure what kind of response I was going to get from a guy walking around carrying a mannequin head, but…!”

Ed Bryant and John Stith—so good to see and catch up with the both of you!

The Eldredge Knot et Moi. MileHiCon47, October 23-25, 2015

Bob Williscroft…wow, a fascinating life you’ve lived! Was a pleasure making your acquaintance, sitting on panels with you, and running into you multiple times this weekend!

Kevin Ikenberry—wish you well on your upcoming retirement! Also was a pleasure making your acquaintance, sitting on panels with you, and running into you multiple times this weekend! Wish you all the best on your novel, next year!

Kristi Helvig—I’m sure we’ve met before at another writers conference—you are so familiar (could be a past-life thing…)—but in any case, it was fun talking with you (again)!

And to everyone else I haven’t specifically mentioned (Shannon, the other Aaron, J.T., Mario, Carol, Alicia, Matt, OMG, OMG, vapor lock! Vapor Lock!) thank you for taking time out of your weekend to chat and interact! I wish you all well with all of your efforts!

Thanks to Rose Beetem and ALL the volunteers! Awesome effort!

Man, I’m looking forward to MileHiCon48!

**************

Do try to make my first dedicated book signing for Voice, November 7, from 1 – 3 p.m., at The Bookman, on 3163 W. Colorado Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80904.

Voice is a sexy, emotional thriller about a guy who falls in love with a voice in his head (and there are mannequins…)…but is so much more. It’s about what defines “love”? What defines a “relationship”? How are we all connected? Yeah, I do get metaphysical on your asses, but I also get sexy, uncomfortable, and gritty. Come on, stop by…I can pretty much guarantee you haven’t read anything like this. But it’s not for the easily offended. Just sayin’.

“Keep up the great work. Your writing is unlike anything else I’ve read, and I mean that in a good way.” Joseph Reininger, former Book Seller.

MileHiCon 46…or This Blog is Really All About Aaron Michael Ritchey

November 2, 2014 by fpdorchak

MileHiCon46 Tardis, October 24- 26, 2014

I love MileHiCon!

MileHiCon started at “OctoCon,” November 15, 1969, changing its name to its present incarnation in 1972. But it has become the primo Colorado science fiction (SF), fantasy (F), and horror (H) convention of the state. Well, okay, there’s also a COSine, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which is also SF/F.

My first experience with MileHiCon started several years ago, when I’d actually gotten a billet to be on a self-publishing panel…but had gotten sick and had to bow out. I then declined over the next several years because of work travel during the month of October, etc., but since last year (a great “Time of Change” for me with a new job and new novels being released), I decided time to put myself back out there.

I was assigned to three panels that also included an “Autograph Alley”:

Friday, 6 p.m., Self-Pub Part 1
Friday, 7 p.m., Self-Pub Part 2
Friday, 8 p.m., Autograph Alley
Saturday, 3 p.m., Threat From Above
Sunday, 11 a.m., What If: Alternate Worlds/Readings

It has been a few years since I’d been on any panels, and I kinda forgot how freakin’ fun they are! You can prepare as much as you want, but I love the questions, the interaction from not only the fellow panel members, but the audience! You just never know where a line of questioning will take you!

And where else can you seriously discuss such topics as (as one audience member put it, and pardon me if I butcher the actual question—I’m not known for my memory): “What would be the differences between aliens [the extraterrestrial kind, here] taking over our government and subjugating us from how our own government is currently doing that?“, and have everyone not roll their eyes and leave the room! This was from the “Threat From Above” panel. I am not a fan of the whole ETs coming to Earth to kill/eat us storyline, but it was fun being part of the whole “fantastic” conversation.

I severely enjoyed everything I was a part of—all my panels, taking in the whole Con thing, and even having my own “Frank Fan Club” (aka “FFC”) come up to see me (they know all-to-well who they are…)! Thanks for attending my Self-Pub panels and for your support, and for buying me free iced tea and water! You’re the best.

Friday, October 24th

I arrived Friday afternoon, after dropping off my consignment books at the Colfax Tattered Cover Books Store (yes, I actually have my books in a bookstore! So, Denver area people, feel free to check out actual copies of Psychic, ERO, and The Uninvited at any Tattered Cover location!). I also sent bookmarks (just this past Friday, actually), so they should get out whenever the staff can get to them. Anyway, it was hot for October–85 degrees! I mention this because my 9th floor room’s (with a [great] view!) a/c was not working. I later got maintenance to work it, but even then, it wasn’t a major cold air flowing forth like an Arctic blast out of Canada. It was a light flow of air, even with the high fan. Again, I mention this because I was hot the rest of the day and night. And not the good kind of “hot,” either…but “hot” as in I never really cooled off the entire rest of the day or night, my face flushed and warm, heat rash (and I don’t get heat rashes…), that kinda “hot.”

But enough about how hot I was.

Okay, I got settled in, ate, and scoped out the evening’s itinerary. My first panel was at 6 p.m., a Self-Publishing panel that actually spanned two sessions, with another at 7. I then was to be part of an en masse autograph session, called “Autograph Alley,” up on the second-floor Atrium. I straightened out a few details about how to peddle my books and bided my time checking the hotel and MileHiCon’s setup, then…

Six o’clock!

The Self-Publishing panel’s room was full! I hadn’t spoken before a crowd like this in a few years, and I was really looking forward to it! My fellow panel members and I had quite the lively discussion of Indie publishing, why we all did it, and how dissatisfied everyone was with the world of traditional publishing. Though I’ve been writing since I’d been six years old, and released my first novel, Sleepwalkers, back in 2001, I was the relative newcomer to the whole Indie thing, since I didn’t jump full-bore into this until last year. Everyone else had been doing this for some time. The reasons for dissatisfaction are nothing new. While most of the panel members seemed to keep a close eye on their sales records, I’m one of those writers who puts out a book and immediately goes to the next one. I try to promote and market as much as I can, but I don’t obsess over my rankings, don’t even track em. I have more than a full-time day job and don’t like sitting down for 25 hours a day. I’m more Zen about all this. I figure my work will find it’s audience.

Good questions were asked by the audience, and about half way through the session, my FFC showed, there, standing in the rear of the room like stalkers. Well, stalkers with smiles. And good intent. They attended the second session, and sidled up near the front. Hiding behind a row of others. But I saw them. Kept an eye on them. Even have pictures. Restraining orders.

Aaron Michael Ritchey, MileHiCon46, Autograph Alley, Oct 24, 2014.

Next was Autograph Alley!

The setup was on the second-floor’s Atrium, and here’s where this post takes a perverted turn. I could sit at any available opening at the Autograph Alley table that was not already, uh, “saved,” to borrow a so-High School term, so found a spot by…

Aaron Micheal Ritchey.

Hint: if you ever get a chance to sit in a hole next to Aaron Michael Ritchey—grab it. You’ll never be cooler in your entire life!

Aaron is a trip.

And he’s so much taller in person.

No, really, he’s, like, eight feet tall.

Now, I know how my cat feels. From now, on, I’ll get down on all fours when addressing her. I’ve shrunk one-and-a-half inches the past couple years, but as you can see, those inches wouldn’t have made any difference.

Tall Aaron Michael Ritchey, MileHiCon46, Oct 24, 2014.

Aaron is peddling his newest work, Long Live The Suicide King. On the other side of me was Jeanne C. Stein (don’t ask her what the “C” stands for, there was a whole article in the program about that), and she’d told me it was a great book, that I should get it, so I did. I began reading part of it, and was blown away by his writing. The guy is good. So, not only is Aaron freaky crazy tall, charming, an excellent conversationalist, handsome, and a close personal friend of all Saints and all furry creatures great and small, but he’s also a talented writer.

Damn Aaron Michael Ritchey.

Damn him and his chocolate!

Oh, and did I mention he gave away chocolate?

Bastard.

I think he was also mitigating Global Warming and helping homeless people while he was sitting there. I distinctly heard “Ebola” and “Mr. President.” Twice.

There was no hope for my books. Me.

So, I did my best to ingratiate and inject myself into his (Aaron Michael Ritchey’s) conversations with his throngs of admirers, hoping to endear myself to his admirers—admirers who buy books—since I had no chance in hell of selling any books while sitting next to this freaking Charm Magnet.

Aaron Michael Ritchey.

Charming his fans with wit and wisdom. Sweets.

Sitting all by my lonesome, I’d cast longing glares “over there,” hoping Aaron Michael Ritchey would cast me even a sidelong glance, acknowledge my pitiful existence, and give me entry into a conversation before he’d cut me off to interact with yet another fan. I looked for any opening into any of his conversations.

“Yeah…,” I’d say from my corner perch, with a short chuckle, or “Yeah!” I’d inject, if the timing was just right.

I think somebody sneezed in my direction. Open-mouthed.

Charming bastard and his chocolate. So unfair.

I can’t seem to just write “Aaron” in this blog—even that was hard to do, just there—because the way Aaron Michael Ritchey sez “Aaron Michael Ritchey” when he introduces himself on a panel, or sticks out his massive Giant Hands to introduce himself to you, just has a flow to it, a certain je ne sais qoui that just rolls off the lips and makes you stare at him in childlike wonder.

He has pancakes. Or, I guess, panache, is the word. But I’m sure he also has pancakes.

Yes, I’m firmly hetero, but (damn him!) Aaron Michael Ritchey (did I mention he’s freakishly tall?) is also sexy. That boyish grin, that devilish charm. The engaging manner. How he brings The Party with him wherever he goes. Absolutely kills it.

I, really, had no chance at this Con with him there.

So, I ate his chocolate.

Cried inside.

Guy With Long Beard T-Shirt, MileHiCon46, Oct 24, 2014

Uttered another “Yeah!” across the three-foot gulf that separated myself from His Greatness. I pleasantly chatted with those who openly took pity on my choice of seating….then one guy in a cool T-shirt came by and let me take a picture of his shirt. He graciously moved his beard to allow a better shot. Thanks, Guy With Long Beard!

Then, my FFC showed!

Yay!

Someone actually came over to see me! Here!

They were the coolest. There was a lot of chatting and smiles and laughter shamelessly and loudly tossed about once my FFC arrived, and I finally felt like a real author (see Aaron Michael Ritchey). Fit in with the rest of the Cool Authors.

Then…it happened.

My founding FFC member laid out the MileHiCon program before me…and asked me to SIGN it!

Wow. My first program!

Not once…but twice!

Yes, she had me sign the Self-Publishing panel write-ups (of which there were two) in the program. But, there wasn’t much room to write near the second paragraph, so I hope “Ditto” worked for her.

But, I signed my first program!

You see, any fool can publish a book and autograph it these days…but when you get a program thrown before you, like Jeanne C. Stein did, multiple times beside me that night, where I secretly pined away with my sidelongs glances at her casual celebrity, I hoped I could one day attain such stature.

And I did!

So, after the hour of sitting and pining for Jeanne C.Stein’s celebrity and Aaron Michael Ritchey’s Über Coolness, we all packed up, and Aaron Michael Ritchey and I found ourselves in conversation before the grand staircase. I remember it well….

He wore black.

I wore humility.

In his giant shadow.

We talked about our current and future projects, about those projects stretching our writerly abilities—and chocolate. Specifically, how he got his name on the chocolate packaging. We talked about “being your authentic self.” Or your “vanilla self.” Just being “a self.” We talked about the manuscript I’m working on now that involves voices in one’s head. Writing what’s inside you and expressing it in various ways. Aaron Michael Ritchey is a good person. Write on, dude!

After our private conversation, Aaron Michael Ritchey and I parted ways for the same bar. I think he was thinking I was getting stalkery at this point, so I dropped my gear in my room, and retreated into the dark interior of the bar…where I was to meet my FFC!

In the interests of not using “FFC” the whole time, I will call my FFC “Darla” and “Morgan.”

The three of us discussed all-things writing and even comic-stripy. They asked me the hard, penetrating questions, like would I like a drink or something? Was I hungry? And where am I with the whole “character” versus “story” thing? I watched them eat cheesecake (I wasn’t hungry). Then out of nowhere, from within the dark bowels of the inner bar, comes a man. He stops before me while my FFC and I are engaged in (once again) shamelessly and extra loud tossed about raucous laughter, because we’re pretending to be inebriated and firmly ensconced into “The Literary Set.” In public. I turn to this Tall Man of Mystery Who Has Specifically Sought Me Out (what is it with all these tall dudes around me?)…and find he’s a friend of mine. Or, more to the point the best friend of one of my bros-in-law. And I’m out at a Denver bar with some lady friends. Laughing it up, free iced tea and cheesecake everywhere.

Well, this gentlemen (I will resist using his real name—or even a facsimile—since he’s a “civilian,” and not of “The Literary Set,” so as to avoid any legal complications in this or any other life…) is on a business trip staying at a nearby hotel and was hanging with some of his peeps at this hotel. We all had a good laugh, he had a shit-eating grin on his face (well, truth be told, he always has a shit-eating grin on his face…), and we talked about the MileHiCon and showed him the program. Explained what I was doing here at near-midnight. In a bar. With women. Cheesecake.

We laughed, he looked at me like I was an alien or something (which, really, this was the perfect place and time to look at me like that), and he left.

Well, come midnight or so, my FFC had to make their trip home, and I was callin’ it a night! But, by the gods, what a glorious night it had been!

Saturday, October 25th

Okay, back to MileHiCon reality.

My Saturday panel of “Threat From Above: Alien Invasion Stories” wasn’t until 3 p.m., so I had a full day to kill, so I’d signed up for a solo book signing in the Atrium. Long story short, I sold one novel (that makes a total of two!), and a friend stopped by, so we chatted. But while I’d was standing there all by my lonesome, I realized how cool all this was. Being a part of something that has been a part of the SF/F/H community for years. And as I pondered this, there was this really neat pantomiming “snow beast” of some kind I’m sure others will recognize, playing around with people in the open area before me. So I motioned the beast over and it posed for me as I snapped a picture.

Cool Snow-Beast-Thing, MileHiCon46, Oct 24, 2014

Thanks, snow-beast-thing!

At 3 p.m. I attended my panel, and we had really fun discussions about aliens and government and the two clashing. My novel, ERO, isn’t so much about “alien invasions” as it is about aliens in more of a Whitley Strieber sense (check out his Communion books). So, I tried to inject that into the conversation, but, as one member of the panel reminded me, yeah, the panel’s title was alien invasion….

Heh-heh. Where’s your phaser when you need it?

After that panel I roamed the Con checking out the vendor and artists’ rooms. There was a lot of fascinating “eye candy” to look at. Cool and strange stuff for sale you won’t find in your normal IKEA. Cthulhu busts to sword-and-sorcery jewelry-to-art of all kinds: space ships and alien landscapes to muscular and barely clothed warriors. I also popped in on a room that had Roomba-sized robots dueling each other, called the “Critter Crunch.”

Yeah, MileHiCon!

Sunday, October 26th

My final panel was at 11 a.m., titled, “What If: Alternate Worlds Discussion and Readings.” Turns out this was more of a “themed reading” session than an all-out discussion, so we all read a chosen piece for our audience, and in the remaining time had brief discussions on the topic-at-hand. I read from my August release, Psychic, the first appearance of JFK in my novel. Chapter Six, Section 1. I read it because it gives a good “alternate history” feel to what I was trying to do. There was another, earlier section that actually hit the same topic, but it was more exposition and I really wanted to be in Kennedy’s head for this reading—which this Chapter Six section was. Like the other panels, we had some interesting discussion in the few minutes of remaining time we had, from actual alternate-and-current historical facts to how badly stuff like this can go wrong, because of alternate history fans who know their current history. But this last topic (to me) is no different than than the basic topic of releasing novels: there’s always someone out there waiting (desperately panting, I might add) and wanting to prove you wrong about something in your work. You just can’t escape that kind of thing. All you can do is what you can do—your best, your research. If errors are actually pointed out in your work, note them, thank the person for pointing them out, then correct them and re-release when you can.

I spent the rest of the Con checking out other panels, like a 1) NaNoWriMo “support group,” 2) one about if books are always better than movies, and 3) whether or not there is such a thing called “privacy” anymore with social media. 1) No, I don’t do NaNoWriMo; I’m always working on something else and don’t get into too many “groups things,” but wish the rest of you all the best!, 2) not always, but Aaron Michael Ritchey on caffeine is simple more Aaron Michael Ritchey!, and 3) In today’s world there really is no more “privacy” on anything electronic. There are things companies do that totally skirt laws that, when combined with other methods that are “legal,” can put together a scary profile of who each of us are, what we’re looking at, buying, and even thinking. I’m not in the least naïve about electronic-anything, but after listening to these Supreme Nerd Geeks who have their hands in this stuff, I just wanted to pull the plug on everything and go Stone Age. Mainly just on principle. I despise the ill intent with individuals and companies who do this, intentionally skirting laws—not even “just” laws, but inherent personal rights and freedoms—to get what they want. Just because you can do it does not mean you should.

But, such is life.

Mario Acevedo Paint Demo, MileHiCon46, Oct 26, 2014

Earlier, I also sat in on a painting demo, by Mario Acevedo. Mario is a cool dude of many talents (he used to detail more specifics in his bio, but seems to have severely truncated all that). An ex-military helicopter pilot-turned novelist, with books that involve “x-rated bloodsuckers,” he also (apparently, I found out for the first time, here) paints.

Of course he does.

Initially I wondered what the heck I was getting into, walking into a room that had plastic all over the floor and Mario in the middle of it with a knife in his hand…but—whew!—it was actually a paintbrush.

Mario Acevedo Paint Demo, Steampunk Chic, MileHiCon46, Oct 26, 2014

So the few of us there sat in chairs that ringed the Master in his white Captain’s hat as he worked from a picture of a steampunk chick. I always love to see the opening brushstrokes of artists…to try to see what they see when they begin a work. To see how they’re thinking ahead to what colors will go underneath others, and therefore go to “canvas” first. It was fascinating! I didn’t get to hang around and see the final result, though, dang it.

But, while there, as I watched Mario work his magic, a voice entered my head…God, was that You, trying to tell me something? What is it, God, what do You need to tell me—

It wasn’t God, but it was close: it was…Aaron Michael Ritchey.

Wow—bonus! He was now in my head!

I now had Aaron Michael Ritchey with me wherever I went! How cool was that?

Well…as it turns out…waaaay down the open area outside these sessions…was Aaron Michael Ritchey, carrying on a conversation with some fans. The acoustics were such that Aaron Michael Ritchey’s voice carried really well, so much so that it was actually louder in the “Dexter Room,” where Mario was painting, than where Aaron Michael Ritchey was actually talking.

Dang it, no Aaron Michael Ritchey in my head.

I bring this up, by the way, not to embarrass Aaron Michael Ritchey, but because it totally ties into the manuscript I mentioned about on Friday, with my private conversation with Aaron Michael Ritchey after the Author Alley gig (one can never say “Aaron Michael Ritchey” too much…). The one I’m working on that involves voices in one’s head.

Synchronicity.

Aaron Michael Ritchey is synchronicity.

Damn Aaron Michael Ritchey.

Final Notes

Here is Mario Acevedo’s final version of the steampunk chic—I love the whole steampunk feel! Thanks for allowing me to post, Mario!

Final Version of Mario's Steampunk Chic, MileHiCon46, Oct 26, 2014! — Final Version of Mario’s Steampunk Chic, MileHiCon46, Oct 26, 2014!

Some final observations:

Writers: yes, you can sell your books, but it’s all on you. You can carry your books around with you (like I did) like some homeless troll—preferably in a roller suitcase, but I recommend the low roller “totes,” not the typical carry-on ones. Regular suitcases are tall, and when you remove books from them for a signing, etc., and lift the bag, the books remaining inside will fall and could damage each other. If you use the low roller tote that is less likely to happen. And, yes, you can carry those all over the Con with you. And will repeatedly get asked: a) Just checked in? or b) Checking out?

You can sign up for booksignings. Ask and look for the list. You can also (pre-MileHiCon) sign up for an Author’s Row table where you have to sit at the whole Con, for a fee. I believe this was a first-time experiment, so we’ll see if that carries over into next year. I personally would not want to be so tied to one place. Sitting down for three days, cool snow-beast-thing-or-no-snow-beast-thing.

For Autograph Alley, the program said “Purchase food tickets…for $5.” Well, if you’re an author sitting in the Autograph Alley (and maybe kissing up to Aaron Michael Ritchey) you need not buy one! That wasn’t made clear so I spent $5 for nothing. It’s for attendees…well, you could use it if you want, but then you could miss potential customers/fans….

I was surprised at how much writing was at MileHiCon! It is quite writer friendly! It’s not all about writing and publishing, there is so much more to this gig, but it is quite writer and publishing friendly…as well as Indie (Self-) Publishing friendly!

Overall the staff and volunteers were extremely helpful and friendly! I had a blast at MileHiCon46 and am grateful for Rose Beetem, program chair, for not only having me, but having me on so many panels and Autograph Alley my first time! I highly recommend MileHiCon!

And I got to hang with Aaron Michael Ritchey.

New Fan

As I wrote this post, it seems I gained yet another new fan. No doubt because I talked so much about Aaron Michael Ritchey. Welcome to the fold, Ungainly Praying Mantis Creature!

Fine Print: No Aaron Michael Ritcheys were harmed in the filming, creation, editing, nor publishing of this post. No Aaron Michael Ritcheys were bribed to use their name in the post. Aaron Michael Ritchey was contacted before I wrote all this up and he graciously rolled with the punches when I explained what I was doing with his name and that I now have an Aaron Michael Ritchey fan site and creepy shrine set up in a dark, damp place only he could warm up….

F. P. Dorchak Colorado Author Interview Circle (CAIC) Interview

MileHiCon47, a Knot, and a Head

MileHiCon 46…or This Blog is Really All About Aaron Michael Ritchey

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