CONS!

wordmonkey · May 8, 2007

OK, it's Con season again.

I'm planning on attending a couple. Since it's a very real part of the comic industry I thouht maybe we should have a thread on them.

The stories, the victories, the losses... all things con-ish.

I find them amazing, brilliant, horrible things.

Anybody else wanna chime in? Advice to newbies on what to do at the con? What not to do? Is it worth it for an unpublished writer? The best cons? The worst cons?

Gillhoughly · May 8, 2007

What to do at cons?

Be polite to the hotel staff. They may be nervous about all the strangely dressed people. Leave a tip for the maid who makes your bed and cleans your bathroom. If a porter helps with your luggage, the tip is usually a dollar a bag. If you have problems ("I left the lights on and my car battery died!") go to the concierge for help.

If you're at your VERY FIRST CON read the program book. At the front there will be rules. Ignore them at your peril.

Check programming for panel topics of interest to you with writers and artists whose work you admire. Circle those and be there to hear their words of wisdom.

Don't follow your hero into the washroom and demand unscheduled Q&A time or autographs! If you see them at a meal, give them space. A casual wave if they happen to look your way is enough. Stalking is right out.

Don't share your story idea or show art unless you've been invited to do so or if the venue is a scheduled critique session. Shoving pages under a guest's (or anyone's) nose for an opinion--especially if you expect the guest to utterly fall in love with your work!--is not the done thing.

If you're there to make contacts in the industry, dress appropriately. You may be the best writer/artist to come along in decades, but no one will take you seriously if you're dressed like the Silver Surfer, complete with board. (Double negative points if you're built like Danny DeVito and insist Spandex works for you.)

Be friendly! Cheerful! Say please and thank you! Shake hands, don't break 'em. Be an adult even if you're not old enough to sit in the bar. If you ARE old enough to drink, don't overdo it. Few things are more yukky than an out of control drunk.

Before the con read "Etiquette for Dummies." Your mom may be a most worthy lady, but chances are you ignored much of her practical advice on human interaction. A refresher course will serve you well. All the superheroes know that stuff!

Make a complete and thorough circle of the dealer's room before buying anything. What sells for 50$ at one table might be only 20$ at another.

Budget for meals. Allow X amount per day for food. Hotel food always costs more. Check the program book for restaurants in the area.

If you share a room with others, keep your kit folded and out of traffic lanes. Work out bathroom times, especially if it's a coed room. If you drag in late when others are sleeping, keep the noise down. Buy a small penlight so you don't disturb them by turning on lights. If you like to fall asleep listening to Deathmetal, get ear buds and don't share the joy.

I've been to enough cons to KNOW that this is a must: however much you have partied, however little sleep you get, however much FUN you want to cram in--BATHE! Put on clean, fresh clothes!

Stay hydrated! Make sure you drink plenty of water and consume more than sodas, M&Ms, and popcorn from the con suite. Keep a small cooler with sandwich makings in your room and carry a few protein bars. I've seen kids drop in their tracks because they ignored basics like refueling themselves.

Comic fans have a rep for being socially-challenged, unwashed slobs. Perhaps that is true for some, but for 72 hours one can defy the cliche and look and smell nice.

Enthusiasm and love of the genre are always welcome. Don't slam others even if you're positive they are hell's own spawn come to destroy the universe. Maybe you hate their stuff, but others might love it. There's room for everyone--really!

Whether you plan to join the industry or not, a professional attitude is beyond cool!

Still no bids on my eBay auction! It seems I will never sell these "She-Hulk vs. Leon Spinks" comics. Worst cross-over ever!

wordmonkey · May 8, 2007

Well, that pretty much nailed the dos and don'ts.

Great post.

Now we're just left with sharing the horror stories.

Leva · May 8, 2007

Every fandom has its kooks. It's one of the laws of fandom.

One of my favorite shows, and fandoms, has a resident kook who has legally changed her name to the name of one of the show's main villains. She is also very stalkerish towards the show's creator -- who is a VERY nice man and very much adored by the fans.

Word spread in the fandom that she was behaving badly. (Scary bad, stalking behavior, female style, with a side of con slut.)

And I then watched an entire con of about 300 people conspire, pretty much as one, to keep her from ever even SEEING said series creator outside of official panels. Misdirection was employed liberally -- she'd ask people if they'd seen him and they'd tell her he was eating at a restaraunt a mile away, or that he was in the con suite when he was really in the lobby a few feet away ... she was also terrified of the head of security on appearance alone (he's actually a very nice guy, but he has tats and, at the time, a punk hairdo), so if it was necessary to have her leave an area, someone would tell her that, "Security's looking for you ..." and she'd disappear for a few hours, hiding.

I don't think the GoH ever realized just how much of a conspiracy there was going on. *grin* I also think we succeeded in keeping her from bothering him for most of the con, because she was complaining at the end of it that she'd never gotten any "time" with him and had wasted her money.

Gillhoughly · May 8, 2007

One of the kooks I dealt with was also boorish, a major pain in the arse for all, and NO ONE liked her.

She was weird, even among the weird.

And then this year, happening on her website during a surf session I learned she was only recently diagnosed as having Asperger's Syndrome.

That turned around how I viewed her. Seems she is an example to others with the condition as someone who is making quite a success of her life and functioning rather well despite problems.

True, some people are unpleasant, but consider also that some just can't help it.
.

Leva · May 8, 2007

This woman in question has been given absolutely crystal-clear feedback that her behavior towards the pro in question (and the other fans) is absolutely unacceptable. There's a difference between 'weird' -- 'weird' describes 95% of fandom -- and 'scary, socially unacceptable behavior and this person does not believe rules apply to her'.

(Among other things, she *genuinely* believes she's the villain in question, the one whose name she has legally assumed, or at least has stated so in public, in my hearing. Which I assume has to be disturbing for the pro involved given that she was stalking him in the persona of a rather violent and crazy character ... though I haven't asked him about her, so I'm not exactly sure of his feelings on the matter. I believe she's been told she is not welcome at all, at future cons, because she's sufficiently scary and she did some other things that fell into the category of 'boundaries and rules don't apply to me' type of behavior.)

She also disrupted a (private) meeting at a hotel bar between me and some friends, joining us at our table despite firmly being told she wasn't welcome. And then she proceeded to monopolize what had been a private conversation.

For the record -- I score very high on Asperger's tests. Among other things. I fit right in, in fandom.*grins*

Stacia Kane · May 8, 2007

I have another couple of "Do"s:

If Phil Winslade is at a con, say hi to him because he's hysterical;

and if Walter Koenig is at one, get as close as you can to him because he smells really good.

Leva · May 9, 2007

Another suggestion:

While it's cool to get a picture with, or autograph from, the b-list actor hired to show up for a few hours, the people with the best stories for TV and movies are those who work behind the scenes: the writers, producers, directors, and various other crew people. They also tend to be more down to earth and approachable. And more fun.

Stacia Kane · May 14, 2007

Did anyone else go to the con in Bristol this last weekend?

I met Glen Fabry!!! He did a gorgeous Constantine sketch for me & the hubs, and Simon Bisley touched me in a slightly inappropriate manner and talked to me about his balls. It was a good time.

Sai · May 14, 2007

I've gone to a few cons here in Canada. The only horror stories I have are long-winded struggles to get a press badge (I'm a journalism student and covering cons gives me a chance to mix bussiness with pleasure). The last con I went to was Animaritime. It's a small anime con in New Brunswick, but still fun. I interviewed the con founders for Shojo Beat ([plug]A monthly manga anthology that should be on your newstands right now[/plug]) so that was cool. If you live on the east coast of Canada, you should check it out. Like I said, It's a small con, but it beats having to go all the way out Toronto.

jedimaster107 · May 14, 2007

will never go to another comic book show

the last comic book show my husband and i went to, we were treated like shit. Went to this one booth and asked how much Ultimates #5 was. the dealer gave us the price. he said he would knock a dollar off the price or something like that. we were like naw. so we left. later, we went back to see if he still had the book and if he would still sell it for that price. the dealer got pissed and started yelling at us. if we wanted the book, we should have bought it earlier etc.... he yelled that he would rather toss it out before he sells it. and tossed it down on the ground. we left.

at the same show later one, another dealer got pissed at us for something soo stupid. we went through and found some books and asked what kind of deal he would do. when he wouldn't deal, we left. then not long after that, we were sitting out in the hallway, (this was at a hotel in Monroville near Pittsburgh like 4-5 years ago) going over what we bought and crossing books off the lists we had. the same dealer that wouldn't deal, came out of the room and started yelling at us right there in the hallway.

at our comic book shop we go to, we told them what happened and told several other poeple as well, and they couldn't believe how we were treated.

Heck, we even contacted the guy who runs the show and told him how we were treated. he did nothing except sent us free tickets for the next show, which we never went to. after that, we'll never go again. screw the comic shows. we're not going to go and get treated like crap.

:rant:

jedimaster107 · May 14, 2007

we ended up getting Ultimates #5 off of ebay and paid LESS then what the dealer at the show was selling it for.

Inkdaub · May 29, 2007

I have never been to a con but I want to go. We have a pretty good con called Emerald City Con in Seattle. That's the big one but there are a few smaller ones in Portland like Portland Comic Book Show and Stumptown Comics Fest. I had planned to attend Emerald City earlier this year in a combo comics/Mariners opening day trip...until life conspired to eradicate that presumption. Still, Stumptown is in a few months and I will be sure to go and see Matt Wagner amongst other peeps.

Gil's advice seems like common sense but I know for a fact how uncommon sense truly is.

AzBobby · May 29, 2007

jedimaster107 said:
the last comic book show my husband and i went to, we were treated like shit. Went to this one booth and asked how much Ultimates #5 was. the dealer gave us the price. he said he would knock a dollar off the price or something like that. we were like naw. so we left. later, we went back to see if he still had the book and if he would still sell it for that price. the dealer got pissed and started yelling at us. if we wanted the book, we should have bought it earlier etc.... he yelled that he would rather toss it out before he sells it. and tossed it down on the ground. we left.

at the same show later one, another dealer got pissed at us for something soo stupid. we went through and found some books and asked what kind of deal he would do. when he wouldn't deal, we left. then not long after that, we were sitting out in the hallway, (this was at a hotel in Monroville near Pittsburgh like 4-5 years ago) going over what we bought and crossing books off the lists we had. the same dealer that wouldn't deal, came out of the room and started yelling at us right there in the hallway.

at our comic book shop we go to, we told them what happened and told several other poeple as well, and they couldn't believe how we were treated.

Heck, we even contacted the guy who runs the show and told him how we were treated. he did nothing except sent us free tickets for the next show, which we never went to. after that, we'll never go again. screw the comic shows. we're not going to go and get treated like crap.

Wow, this story sure reinforces the comic-book-guy stereotype that matches the pathetic dude on the Simpsons who uses his fandom as an excuse to pretend the superiority over others that he can never have in the "real" world. Sad!!

It's nice to hear that your comic-shop people are at least semi normal. The ones I've run into are cool too. There's a comic shop in downtown Glendale AZ where the people who work there are especially nice, making it hard to shop anywhere else for the same stuff.

Where was the comic show you speak of?

And does anyone have a review of the Cactus Comic Con held in Mesa every year? My kids and I are thinking about volunteering to help at that one since it's local and kind of a big event as Phoenix comic shows go.

wordmonkey · May 29, 2007

jedimaster107 said:
the last comic book show my husband and i went to, we were treated like shit. Went to this one booth and asked how
{snipped by me - just so I could link in without excessive quothage}
which we never went to. after that, we'll never go again. screw the comic shows. we're not going to go and get treated like crap.

OK, is it just me is is that kinda an extreme reaction?

I mean, it's like going to a ball game and the person at the ticket booth is pissy with you about taking in a bag. Then you go to one of the vendors and the pretzel guy is all attitude 'cos you wanted less salt and an extra mustard dip. And as a result you swear to never attend a ball-game again because you can watch it on TV for free.

Maybe it is me.

As you were.

AzBobby · May 29, 2007

wordmonkey said:
OK, is it just me is is that kinda an extreme reaction?

I dunno, maybe.

If you attended a ball game -- and assuming that watching the ball game was your primary goal in attending -- and you discovered your seat was situated behind a pillar and the game turned out to be blocked from view, and you had no forewarning of such conditions when they took your ticket money... then wouldn't there be a chance you'd decide never to attend a ball game again when you could get better viewing on TV? You wouldn't equate it to encountering one or two attitude-challenged persons on the sidelines with little effect on your priorities. In other words, you weren't there for the perfect pretzel.

Sort of like collecting comics might be the primary goal of some attendees of comic shows. They might not equate the comics vendors with sidelines people.

That having been said, personally I can imagine thinking twice about attending a ball game based on your examples alone. Who needs unpleasantness? If you have to take unpleasantness at all, you can have it for free. Or like many of us, get paid for it.

Decisions of whether to attend events and patronize businesses are swayed by the impressions left by the people involved, especially multiple people. Just my opinion, but this is not a bad rule of thumb for our society to keep in check. Pervasive bad attitudes either trickle down from bad management at the top, or they reflect something negative in the culture at hand (for example, I won't knock any specific parts of the country, but it's easier to find polite, cheerful service employees in some American cities compared to others). Having negative encounters over and over again under the same roof with different people means either I'm an a****** and I'm too dumb to know it, or else it's simply a bad place for decent people to waste their money.

I'm in favor of being patient with the bad attitudes to a point, but those people who run a comics store near my home who happen to also be really nice to everyone who walks in the door are the ones who know what they're doing, IMHO.

wordmonkey · May 29, 2007

Whatever floats your boat.

It takes all sorts.

My real point was not a slam, but rather to point out that cons can be amazingly fun experiences, and to be put off so easily, you miss a lot.

You don't go to a ball game JUST to watch the game. It's an event, an experience, it's more than the game. Just like a con.

We all have sucky days, but it seems to me that having one sucky day is not grounds enough to presuppose they'll all be sucky. Just seems so....

...unhappy?

But like I said. Maybe that's just me.

AzBobby · May 29, 2007

wordmonkey said:
My real point was not a slam, but rather to point out that cons can be amazingly fun experiences, and to be put off so easily, you miss a lot.

You don't go to a ball game JUST to watch the game. It's an event, an experience, it's more than the game. Just like a con.

We all have sucky days, but it seems to me that having one sucky day is not grounds enough to presuppose they'll all be sucky. Just seems so....

...unhappy?

But like I said. Maybe that's just me.

I didn't mistake your post for a slam. We're probably thinking in common about the experience in general. I'm stressing that even the peripheral stuff helps shape the experience in general, sometimes even a majority of it. Sometimes if an event seems to suck at the core, it means it just sucks -- not you. And if the environment in general seems to suck (one of those places where everyone's mean or uptight for some unknown reason), then maybe it just sucks -- not you. Such places exist.

Happy attitudes are great, but when they're rebuffed you best turn your back and take your positivity where it belongs. There are real places out there where people don't treat you like crap. We've all experienced the alternative, but life's too short to return to those places on purpose, that's all I'm saying. I'm not suggesting it's OK to overreact and invent those hells in your head as you go along.

One concession: I wouldn't go so far as to swear off every other comic show in my life just because of a bad experience. You're right; that would be an overreaction. I can only imagine not wanting to return to the same con in the same city if it was all that awful. And for me, more than two bad encounters would have to comprise such a bad time, but it depends on how much they have to do with my core priorities at the event and how much they seem to reflect their environment (a hazy judgment at best).

I remain curious about the general environment of comic cons -- I'm not speaking from my own experience with them.

Gillhoughly · May 29, 2007

I've met my share of horrible people at cons, but took such as individual isolated learning experiences.

If a dealer is rude, don't buy from him. Most dealers can't afford to be like that, though!

At one of my early events, long before I turned pro, I had a weekend of a comic dealer who kept badgering me to make him a costume. (Trust me, the world was better off with him nowhere near yellow Spandex. Ew. )

He was overly-friendly, touchie-feelie, kept wanting pictures with me (I was in costume), and generally an embarrassing annoyance I couldn't avoid. His booth was right next to the only entrance to the dealer's room.

For all that, the creep didn't spoil my fun. I ceased reacting to him and focused on other things, pretended to be deaf whenever he called my name. Rude as heck, but he eventually got a clue I was not on the menu. I stuck with my friends and had a great time.

Back then I was too green to know I could have mentioned his behavior to con security. (These days I'd just slam-dunk his sort into his own comic boxes. Thankfully such bozos are rare.)

That was back in the mid-70's and I'm still going to cons and having fun.

I should have mentioned in my earlier post--stick with your friends!

And not to be too sexist--this goes double for girls.

It's great fun to be a con bunny and wear a skimpy outfit and get lots of attention, but keep yourself safe. Stay in your group, and don't go off alone.

For those into live action role-playing, be polite, don't get too deeply into method acting. Most people won't know what the heck is going on. A simple round of "freak the mundanes" can get ugly fast.

You don't scare hotel staff or give anyone cause to call the cops. Stuff like that gets the convention shut down and not allowed back.

I'm heading for a HUGE con this weekend. About 11-15K people will be converging in one spot, and you can bet con security is going to be tight.

This means no hitting all the elevator buttons, mass jumping up and down in the elevator, holding elevator parties, and moving room furniture into the halls. Great fun until the fire marshall arrives and shuts down the hotel. That almost happened. Last year they had con security directing elevator traffic so things were safe and ran smoothly.

Have fun, but a little common sense is good for everyone.

wordmonkey · May 30, 2007

OK, so since I started this, I'll drop a few insights that I have.

Take food. Plenty of it. This might be a little harder if you're flying, but if you are going to spend a night or two there and you're driving, it's easy. Food and drink in the con is priced in the range where you think the vendor should at least have the decency to wear a mask as they rob you. Same for drinks.
Stay in a hotel as close to the con as you can. There are often deals with a hotel in or close-to the con center so you can often be in the same building. But if you are close enough, you can bail out for an hour or so at any time and walk back to your room.
If you are looking for a bargain or specific issue, and you have your lists, wait until the last day, and usually after lunch, to go shopping. There are bargains to be had all the time, but it's when the thing is winding down that the silly prices come out. But don't expect to get a first print of Detective Comics #27 for a buck and a quarter. The prices drop, but not that much.
Never stand if you can sit.
If you're going for a bulky item, make sure you're in walking distance of your room or get it at the end of the day. It's a looooooong time to be lugging around that one-eighth-actual-size Spawn Collectable figure. And you'll likely be bouncing off people the whole time. Now in addition to irking others, you stand a chance of trashing the box - which for a collector is gonna cost you.
Take some business cards. Great place to network and you don't wanna be scartching your name and number on a damp napkin.
Take a small notebook and pen/cil. Same as the last one, but you are covered if the person you want to remember is all out of cards or wasn't as prepared as you.
Take advantage of any panels. If you want tips and insights, they are great, but even if you aren't interested they can be fun.
Get a program. It lists all the players that are there. A handy tool to take away with a list of editors and publishers you can submit to later.
Don't go with the intent of pitching. If you can, great, but you'd be better served making contacts and friends. The people you wanna impress came with a whole load of stuff, they will be leaving with even more, do you wanna risk them losing your sample in the mess? If you make a professional and friendly impression, you'll be invited to send them something when they get back to the office.
If you are JUST a writer, forget about trying to get someone to see sample scripts. If you have pages drawn up by an artist, or have work in print, use that. Otherwise just make nice.
Did I mention taking food and drink?
Don't think that once you are in, you gotta stay there. If there's nothing happening that interests you, pop back to your room and have a break. I always take my writing with me and find that even a few hours alone in a hotel room allows for an amazing amount of work.
Don't take new shoes. You'll be on your feet a lot. You want shoes that are comfortable and broken in. This is for guys as well. I made this mistake.
Don't buy at the first table you visit. The con is like a mall full of the same shop. They know the competition is just ten feet to the left, right, ahead and behind. Stalls further back could well be cheaper just because they know that they will lose some custom to the stalls close to the entrance.
Lock the ATM card away. Have your budget, in cash, and when it's gone, it's gone. Cons are the ultimate "candy store" to go wild in. It is easy to see a bunch of things from your list of comics and snap them up, then see a bunch more from your dream list, then see some other just really cool stuff, and then there is that DVD collection you thought you'd never see. It is EASY to blow a wad of cash. You'll leave the con buzzing, but it'll really take the edge off your fun new purchases later when the rent/mortgage is due and the bank won't take what now turns out to be a dodgy copy from fuzzy video of the complete series of "Tales of the Golden Monkey."
If you do go with cash, either use the safe in your room, or spread it out around your pockets. If you do have the misfortune to be pick-pocketed, you'll only lose part of your money.
If you show samples, remember, you ASKED for feedback. If Erik Larsen tells you it's cr@p, you probably don't wanna stand there, shouting that he's an a$$ who doesn't know what he's talking about. He does. The only person you're hurting is yourself.
Have fun. You're in a place where thousands of people have gathered and they're all into the same thing you are. Enjoy the experience, then come back here and share your stories.

I probably missed some things and duplicated some from above. I'm heading out to Charlotte in a couple of weeks, so if you plan on attending HeroesCon, drop me a PM and maybe we can meet and say "hi." Same for Chicago in August (I think) and Wizard Con there.

Gillhoughly · May 30, 2007

I'll post it again, as a cautionary: only show samples to the pros when specifically asked or if it's for a scheduled critique session. Showing stuff casually to other fans is okay, but be prepared to see their stuff in turn.

I've had writers shoving their manuscripts, stories, reciting from memory, and/or giving me a detailed synopsis of the same in the autograph line while others were waiting. I've had them following me to the washroom and talking through the locked door while I was busy or interrupting my meals.

It's really hard to be polite against that.

Pros also have rules and there have been jerks who ignore them.

I've seen one guy do a "drinks on the house" at the hotel bar and charged it to the convention because he was PO'd at the con committee for some reason. It was a charity con. Bad form, jerk.

A fed-up fem guest got drunk and flashed the fans. Cameras were at work. Fun, but it was on the Internet in a New York minute. The fans got to see her contempt for them, and now she can't even get invites to sport card shows to sell signed pictures.

The worst one I'd encountered were two drunk guests from a TV show got into the dealer's room after it was closed. (Con security fell on its face with awe for them.) They went to the fan club booth of another actor from the show and defaced dozens of his photos and trashed other items. The stuff was the expensive private property of the fans not the actor. Going by the booth the next morning and seeing the fans in tears was a major suck. I can no longer watch that show because of the actors' idiocy.

The absolute BEST guest is George Takai. The dude is an awesome class act--if sometimes hard to find, he gets all over the place! Always a gentleman and a huge sense of humor, whenever I get fed up about something I think how George would handle the situation. That's kept me out of trouble for decades!

wordmonkey · May 30, 2007

I think it comes down to the golden rule.

Oh I know it can get giddy and all when you see your fave artist/writer from your favorite comic, or someone in person who you have only ever seen on TV, but these people all put their pants on one leg at a time.

It IS a part of the job to do the cons, but that doesn't mean they deserve any less respect and consideration than you would show your grandma.

And one day, if you work hard and have a staggering amount of luck, it could be you on the otherside of the awe.

Gillhoughly · May 30, 2007

it could be you on the otherside of the awe.

Which is nice, but can be scary.

I'm not a big name, but vivid in my memory was a worshipful couple who hung on my every word and were afraid to approach.

I was rather embarrassed, did what I could to be "just folks," but they were spooky to the point that I was afraid to blow my nose and discard the tissue. The way they were acting I thought they'd make a dive for it and fight over my snot.

Ew.

Yes, one leg at a time. Liking that!

Oh, yeah--once you do have your moment with your hero, don't be a hog. If other people are in line, get your autograph and picture (always ask permission first and make sure you know how the d**n camera works!) then say thank you and move along.

At big shows the autograph lines will be long, so arrive early.

At smaller shows the pros have more time to mingle, heck, sometimes you can even buy them a drink and hang out.

I don't mind talking to fans, I love it. But I'm also there to sell books.

Even when there's no line there might be browsers who can't see what I'm selling because of people parking themselves in front of my table. I had one dufus busy worshiping the Big Name at the table next to mine who dropped a backpack and gear all over my area. Utterly oblivious except for himself and the Name, he effectively clogged things for others.

Golden Rule--yowzah!

Axler · May 30, 2007

People attend cons for totally different reasons...sometimes they conflict with another.

I definitely concur about George Takei--a more genuinely nice, gracious, unaffected and truly good man I have met only rarely.

Gillhoughly · May 30, 2007

Wow--I did a Necronomicon some years back. that's like hearing about family troubles with that story. Are the kids okay?

I feel so badly for the Vampi girl, some guys have no class.

A long time back I was about to get the feel-up treatment from some jerk, but the metal bikini also came with a broadsword, dagger, and a lot of attitude. I zapped him with my best I'm-gonna-shred-yer-cojones-and-feed-them-to-you stare, added a sincere snarl, put a hand on the sword and that scared him off, along with anyone else in a 6-foot radius.

Dang. It felt good.

CONS!

ook

Grumpy writer and editor

ook

Grumpy writer and editor

Girl Detective

Girl Detective

Book lover/Spy

wrapped in plastic

Ought to be writing instead

ook

Ought to be writing instead

ook

Ought to be writing instead

Grumpy writer and editor

ook

Grumpy writer and editor

ook

Grumpy writer and editor

Grumpy writer and editor