While haunted by visions of her brother’s suicide, psychic-medium Miranda Lorensen is called to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to investigate a series of bizarre deaths—some of which are also suicides. Miranda and her team of paranormal investigators soon find themselves confronted by a vengeful spirit awakened thirty-three years after a bloody family tragedy. Miranda realizes that only she can stop the entity before it claims its final victims, but will her obsession for saving lives redeem her for the brother she failed?
I’m pleased to announce that the second edition of my paranormal mystery novel, By Your Side, is now up for preorder in ebook format for $2.99 from all the major resellers including Amazon, Apple, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords.
This edition has been re-edited and given a new cover by comic book artist Scott Barnett.
Purchase:
The official release date is July 22, 2024. The book will be launched a few days later at Shore Leave 44SFconvention in Lancaster, PA.
On Saturday, October 28th, a few hundred longtime attendees of Farpoint and Shore Leave SF conventions descended on the Marriott Delta in Hunt Valley, MD to bid the hotel goodbye. After 40+ years of hosting genre conventions, the hotel will close on October 31. According to the rumor mill, the building will be demolished and replaced by a Tesla dealership or condos or both.
My wife and I spent part of the day wandering the hotel and taking final pictures all while a dog show was in progress. Adorable pooches everywhere, which added an element of fun to an otherwise bittersweet occasion.
It was wonderful to spend time with so many old friends including Sharon VanBlarcom, Steve and Renee Wilson, June Swords, Daniel Patrick Corcoran, Cindy Shockey, Bob Greenberger, Royce Essig, Sashi German, Susanna Reilly, Rhonda Greene, Diane Baron, Blair Learn, Paul Balze, Lance and Cindy Woods, Inge Heyer, Jay and Pam Smith, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Mike McPhail, Ann Hande, Susan Staneslow Olesen, and more. Apologies if I’m forgetting anyone.
While at the farewell party, Farpoint announced their new home at the Hilton Doubletree in Pikesville, MD. Shore Leave will make a similar announcement in the coming weeks.
As one of the east coast’s longest-running science fiction conventions, Shore Leave celebrated its 43rd year on July 7-9, 2023. Technically, it should have been their 45th, but blame COVID for botching the numbering. Either way, I’m proud to say that I’ve been around for the past 29 of those.
Celebrity guests included Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Robert Picardo, Robert Duncan McNeill, Penny Johnson Jerald, Alaina Huffman, Peter Macon, Aaron Douglas, Grace Park, and Bonnie Gordon.
Like the eye of a storm, Shore Leave 43 was graced with a day and a half of fair weather between Mother Nature’s attempts to drown us on Friday and Sunday.
My wife and I arrived on Friday afternoon with ample time to check into our room, collect our registration materials, and grab a quick dinner before my first panel—a lively discussion about the new Quantum Leap TV series. The panel included fellow writers Mary Fan, Rigel Ailur, Lorraine Anderson, and Joshua Palmatier. Panelists and audience members alike compared the original series with the new one, touched on some inconsistencies within each (and between the two), and expressed our hopes and predictions for the next season.
Shore Leave 43 Program Book and Badges
After that, my wife and I caught up with several friends in the hotel lobby before getting ready for Shore Leave’s traditional two-hour Friday night book fair, Meet the Pros, at 10PM. As usual, it was a bustling event. I sold four copies of the new hot-off-the-press crime noir anthology, Hard-Boiled and Loaded with Sin, one of which went to writer Dayton Ward, famous for Star Trek novels and other media tie-in work. A few readers had purchased books in advance and brought them to me to deface with my autograph.
Keith DeCandido at Meet the Pros.David Mack at Meet the Pros.Dayton Ward (standing in aisle at right, with yellow lanyard) at Meet the Pros Book Fair.Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle between Keith DeCandido (L) and David Mack (R).Derek Tyler Attico (foreground) and Mary Fan at Meet the Pros.Across the hall: Hildy Silverman and Bob Greenberger at Meet the Pros.
After the book fair, I spent another hour chatting with a few of the writers in the hotel lounge before calling it a night.
This was the first time Shore Leave scheduled me for a 9AM panel, but I was awake and alert on Saturday morning for Providing Actionable Writing Critiques. Fellow panelists included Joshua Palmatier, Amy Sisson, Laura Ware, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, and John Coffren. We covered a lot of ground including the value of critique groups, proper etiquette for providing and receiving a critique, different types of editing (developmental vs. line editing), evaluating an editor for your work, and what editors look for when selecting stories or novels.
Since my next panel wasn’t until noon, my wife and I watched a presentation about NASA’s planetary defense program known as DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test).Panelists included:
Lindley Johnson, NASA’s Planetary Defense Officer and Program Executive of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO).
Kelly Fast, Near-Earth Object Observations Program Manager for NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office.
Timothy C. Miller, Chief Scientist of the Seeker and Information Processing Group at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab
The panel was moderated by Joshua A. Handal, Program Analyst for the Planetary Defense Coordination Office at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The goal of the DART mission was to launch a small craft at an asteroid in an attempt to alter its course. In November 2021, the craft was launched on a SpaceX rocket from Vandenburg Space Force Base in California and successfully impacted the asteroid Dimorphos in September 2022. The presentation included footage and images from the mission. It was a remarkable achievement!
At 11AM, I ambled to the room next door for What Makes a Good Detective? with panelists Christopher D. Abbott, Lorraine Anderson, Lauren Ware, T.J. Perkins, and Melissa Scott. Panelists and audience members alike offered their opinions on what traits a good detective should possess. Discussions ranged from earth-based sleuths—such as Holmes, Poirot, Columbo, Jessica Fletcher, and others—to detectives in science fiction and fantasy settings.
My final panel of the weekend was just a few doors down from the previous two and in a room that was adequately air-conditioned (unlike most of the rooms in what we call the “glass hallway”). I had the privilege of speaking about Pacing Your Fiction in an Attention-Short World along with Michael Jan Friedman, David Mack, Russ Colchamiro, John Coffren, and Christopher D. Abbott. The panel ended up focusing more on the topic of pacing and flow of story based on theme and genre than on writing for readers with shorter attention spans. Nevertheless, it was an edifying discussion.
For almost 30 years of attending conventions, one of the major attractions for me were the celebrity guests. I enjoyed their Q&A sessions and obtaining their autographs despite the often long lines. The appeal of this faded about three or four years ago, but to kill time before dinner, my wife and I sat in for Ben Browder and Claudia Black. Each had a microphone, but that didn’t prevent the audio from being muddled. Still, what I heard was entertaining as they discussed their work on Farscape and the final seasons of Stargate SG-1.
Claudia Black & Ben Browder at Shore Leave 43Claudia Black & Ben Browder at Shore Leave 43Claudia Black at Shore Leave 43Bob Greenberger (standing) chats with Sherri Cook Woosley and Andrew Hiller at the Authors Dinner.
At 5:30PM, my wife and I made our way to the McCormick Suite for the third annual Authors Dinner organized by Keith DeCandido and Wrenn Simms with food provided by the incomparable Andy Nelson’s BBQ on York Road. As always, it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends and fellow writers, some of whom only see each other once or twice a year.
Authors Dinner at Shore Leave 43
Afterwards, my wife and I spent time chatting with a few more friends before calling it a night.
With no panels on my schedule for Sunday, we packed up the car, checked out of our room, and attended a presentation on the Hubble Telescope. A Third of a Century Discoveries with Hubble was hosted by Kenneth G. Carpenter, Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Operations Project Scientist.
The presentation covered Hubble’s inception, an overview of its myriad discoveries in it’s first 30+ years of service, including new data from 2023. Dr. Carpenter also touched on the James Webb Space Telescope, comparing and combining images from both orbital observatories, and concluded with a brief look at the upcoming Roman Space Telescope to be launched in 2027.
On our way out, we made the goodbye rounds and in some cases, it was the first time we had a chance to see or chat at length with some of our friends who had been at Shore Leave all weekend. It happens. Cons are hectic.
Of course, no genre convention would be complete without a cadre of amazing cosplayers. I didn’t have time to take pics of all of them, but my friend Blair Learn caught a few that I missed. There were so many more than what you see below. You’ll just have to come to Shore Leave next year and see for yourself.
As always, the Shore Leave committee delivered a fantastic weekend and I look forward to #44!
I couldn’t have asked for better weather for my drive to Shore Leave 42 SF Convention in Hunt Valley, MD. Due to construction on Route 78W, I took Route 222S to 30W and finally to 83S. This brought me past Adamstown, PA on Route 272.
Renown for being the “Antiques Capital of the U.S.A.,” Adamstown is also the home of Out of This Word Collectibles (formerly the Toy Robot Museum) owned by my friend, Joe Knedlhans. Although my wife and I had already scheduled a visit with Joe in August, I thought it would be fun to pay a surprise visit (as well as stretch my legs and fill up the tank for the rest of the trek).
As always, it was fantastic to see Joe and his collection of 2,000+ toy robots from the past 50 years. I only wish I’d had time to roam the antique shops along “the strip,” but Shore Leave beckoned and after about 30 minutes, I was back on the road.
I arrived at the Hunt Valley Marriott Delta Hotel around 4:30PM. My first stop was the con’s COVID checkpoint table, which was set up outside the hotel. After showing my ID and vaccination card, I was given a green paper wristband. This permitted me to go inside and collect my con badge and program book. So far, so good… until it came time to check in to my room.
A few days before the con, a severe thunderstorm had knocked out the power and the hotel’s computers (it also brought down trees and branches all over the back of the property). As a result, the line at the reservation desk stretched through the lobby and out the door. It took me about an hour to check in, drenched in sweat the entire time. Hardly an auspicious start, but in the end, a minor speed bump.
Friend and Farpoint con-chair Sharon VanBlarcom texted me while I was waiting but by the time I’d checked in, schlepped all of my stuff up to the room, showered, and taken a power nap, it was nearly 7PM. So I brought dinner back to my room and wrote for a few hours before gathering my books for Meet the Pros at 10PM.
Horse on wall keeps staring at me!
Attendance at Meet the Pros was low compared to previous years, but provided a wonderful opportunity to chat with several friends I hadn’t seen since 2019. I shared a table with Scott Pearson with whom I traded hilarious stories of our experiences with the late and legendary Harlan Ellison. By the end of the two hours, we had each sold five books. Not too shabby, given the smaller crowd.
Photo credit: Bob Greenberger
After packing up, I stayed around for a few minutes to chat with fellow writers Richard White and Kelly Meding. That’s when Bob Greenberger snuck up behind me, planted a smooch on my cheek, and ran off. The man is nefarious! Michael Jan Friedman on the other hand limited himself to hugs.
Afterward, I went to the bar to hang out with some of the other writers and had an interesting conversation with David Mack during which he recalled a keynote speech he gave at another conference a few years earlier. In his speech, David compared the writing life to a wheel. Sometimes, you’re on top and it feels wonderful. Then the wheel spins and grinds you into the ground. The key is to stay on the wheel. Don’t let go. When you let go, that’s giving up.
Never. Give. Up.
A short time later, I had a similar conversation with fellow writer Derek Tyler Attico who reiterated the importance of staying in the game. In both cases, this was advice I needed to hear as I’ve been burned out in recent months while trying to balance writing with other obligations.
My first event on Saturday morning was the 11AM Climate Fiction discussion panel. For this, I was an audience member. The fantastic panelists were Jennifer Rosenberg, Rigel Ailur, Diane Baron, and Kelli Fitzpatrick who, as always, served as a brilliant and well-informed moderator. In addition to our current concerns about climate change, they also covered how climate change is tackled in fiction both as the main plot of a story as well as the setting.
My own panel schedule was light this time around. I thought I had added my name to more than three panels prior to the con, but that was all I had. On Saturday at 1PM, I moderated a discussion about self-editing called “Always Submit Your Best Work.” Panelists included David Mack, Chris Ochs, and Joshua Palmatier. We discussed everything from developmental editing to line editing, from reading your work aloud and the importance of rhythm and cadence to the value of critique groups.
Keith DeCandido and his wife Wrenn Simms reserved the McCormick Suite at 5:30PM for an author dinner with food from Andy Nelson’s BBQ on York Road. All writers were invited. Food and company were fabulous and it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with friends I might have otherwise missed during the weekend. This is a wonderful community and I’m proud to be part of it for nearly 30 years.
The dinner was followed by a brief memorial to writer David Galanter who lost his battle with cancer in December 2020. By 8PM, I decided to retire to my room and relax for the rest of the evening so as to avoid any further potential exposure to COVID. I was already seeing people posting alerts to Facebook from their contact tracing apps stating that they were near someone who recently tested positive for COVID. No Masquerade or 10-Forward for me this time.
Of course, I knew the risks of attending, but those alerts worried me enough that I left the con by 11AM on Sunday morning after notifying two of my co-panelists. I hated to do that, but I didn’t want to risk my health any further.
I’m sure the celebrities were wonderful as always, but I didn’t see any of them. That might seem odd coming from someone who, for 25 years, collected autographs and photo ops from hundreds of actors at cons. I was also an avid memorabilia collector who hunted through the dealer rooms for SF treasures both vintage and new.
About three or four years ago, I lost interest in all of that and now, it’s strictly the time spent with friends and fellow writers that draws me to cons. Well, that and selling my books, of course.
Unfortunately, the Hunt Valley Marriott Delta is in dire need of repairs and renovation. The conditions we encountered at the hotel sparked complaints both at the con and on Facebook. There was no AC in the hallways and only one elevator in service. A chair in the bar was broken. Decorative cabinets in the hallway across from the elevators had cracked and broken doors. Weeds were growing in the gutters and parts of the roof required attention. In my room, the hot water in the bathroom sink was little more than a trickle and there was white paint speckled all over the wallpaper and vanity. I couldn’t figure out what they’d painted. The drop ceiling?
Of course, the hotel’s problems do not reflect on Shore Leave. Con chairs Inge Heyer and Don Ramsey and the entire Shore Leave team did a fantastic job as usual, and spending a weekend with friends after two years apart was good for my soul.
As I roamed the con, my thoughts turned to those who had left us since we last gathered. Shore Leave dedicated a few pages in the program book as a memorial to them. There were also a number of con veterans who, for one reason or another, chose not to attend this year. Some had tested positive for COVID. Others were concerned about exposure. Their absence left the weekend feeling “off” to me.
Nevertheless, despite my curtailed convention, I enjoyed my 26th Shore Leave and look forward to returning next year!
I didn’t have much of an opportunity to take pictures of the many wonderful cosplayers this year. The following are just a few that were captured by others at the con.
It’s taken me a week to write this blog post. I could blame that on a few recent disruptions in my life, but the truth is that I needed time to gather my thoughts, which have been muddled in a torrent of emotions as of late.
In the first week of June, I lost two wonderful friends within days of each other.
On June 2, I received word that Sandy Zier-Teitler had died at the age of 67 after a series of health complications.
I met Sandy at the Farpoint SF convention over 20 years ago, but her history in fandom dates back much further. She was a legend in the Maryland convention scene, having worked for ClipperCon, OktoberTrek, and Farpoint. She was also a writer and editor for the Star Trek fanzine Mind Meld.
My friendship with Sandy solidified when I started publishing with Firebringer Press, owned by friend, fellow writer, and Farpoint co-founder, Steven H. Wilson. Sandy was the line editor on my novels and was always enthusiastic to read my next story. Hers was one of the most encouraging and effusive voices in my writing career. I’m grateful to have been her friend.
On June 6, one of the most adorable, intelligent, and vibrant young women I ever met lost her battle with a rare form of cancer at the age of 25.
My wife and I met Jessica Headlee through SF fandom and got to know her when she and our friend Ethan Wilson began dating around 2014 or so. Jess became a ubiquitous presence in the Maryland SF convention scene, volunteering at Balticon, Farpoint, and Shore Leave where she was often seen dressed as the Shore Leave mascot (the giant rabbit from the original Star Trek episode from which the con derives its name).
Jessica also joined us in Rehoboth Beach for our summer vacations with the Wilson family every July. She was a marine biologist with a passion for saving our environment. Jess and Ethan were married on the beach in Rehoboth in October 2019.
In June 2018, I drove down to Maryland to help the Wilsons with landscaping and yard cleanup at Steve’s parents’ house.
There was a point when I took a break and stepped into the kitchen. I was alone and my thoughts drifted to whatever problems were plaguing my life at the time and exacerbating my depression. At that moment, Jess happened to walk in and observe the despondent expression on my face. She said, “Oh my God, Phil! It can’t be that bad!”
She snapped me out of my dark reverie and for the rest of the day, I realized that it can never be that bad when you’re surrounded by friends who care. Of all the memories I have of Jessica, this is the one I will cherish the most.
As I write this on the final Sunday evening of September, I dread going into work tomorrow even more than usual. A critical software upgrade that should have finished successfully on Friday afternoon went awry and kept me at the office until 7:30PM with no solution. Even the vendor’s tech support claimed that they had never seen the situation we encountered, leaving us with unusable software and no recourse. I suspect we’ll need to rollback to the previous version tomorrow morning. It will be misery.
To make my Friday night even more interesting, the contracting company that we hired to replace our first floor shower stall ordered the wrong doors. Had the installer arrived with the proper doors on Wednesday, the job would have been completed in one day. Instead, the installer had to arrange for the correct doors to be delivered from upstate PA and installed two nights later. He arrived at 9:15PM on Friday night and was finished in about 20 minutes.
As a funny aside, part of the shower stall renovation on Wednesday included replacement of the fixtures and plumbing inside the wall. This required me to turn off the main water valve for about 30 minutes. The following morning, when I stepped into our second floor shower and pulled the faucet to send the water up to the shower head, the pressure jettisoned the ballcock in the toilet, knocking the lid askew. I had to rush out of the tub to turn off the valve at the toilet and dry up the water that had sprayed out of the tank.
So, after work on Thursday evening, I purchased a new ballcock from the local ACE hardware and replaced it only to find that the supply line had been damaged in by the sudden burst of water pressure. Fortunately, I had two supply lines in stock and the repair was finished within reasonable time.
These events, as irritating and inconvenient as they were, are insignificant when compared to two far more distressing events that occurred on Thursday. Approximately five hours apart, I lost a friend to heart failure in a New Jersey hospital and an acquaintance to a massive stroke in a Maryland hospital. Both men were prominent in the SF fandom community along the east coast.
Todd Brugmans was a remarkable young artist with a zest for life. He and his wife Annie were active in STARFLEET (the international Star Trek fan club) and ubiquitous at many SF conventions along the east coast such as Farpoint, Shore Leave, and others. Todd created the cover art for well over a dozen convention program books as well as novels written by pals Diane Baron and Lance Woods.
Todd’s final book cover art was for The Fandom Fifty by Diane Baron, a chronicling of the rich history of the Baltimore SF convention scene through interviews with many longtime organizers, guests, and attendees, myself included.
At 10:15PM on Thursday, 9/26/19, Todd succumbed to heart disease after five trying days in the hospital.
Lew Aide was a veteran SF convention attendee and volunteer in the Baltimore region for decades. After suffering a massive stroke last weekend—and spending days on life support—Lew passed at 5:01PM on 9/26/19. A few of Lew’s closest friends noted that 5:01PM in military time is 1701, the registry number of the USS Enterprise from Star Trek. Lew, they said, was a true fan to the end.
As if those losses were not devastating enough, there was a third. Ken Giroux, owner of Next Generation Toys, is one of the most popular dealers at SF conventions. If you like action figures, Ken is your guy. For many years, his wife Kathy attended the cons with him. We learned on Saturday that Kathy departed this plane of existence on 8/22/19.
It goes without saying that I hope never to see such a horrible week as this ever again.
“You’re all alone here. Alone among the dead.”
