Friday, April 12
Up early today for a trip to the book factory. We pile into a couple of vans for the trip out of LA towards Magic Mountain. I cling to my caffeinated beverage and look out the windows trying to get a feel for the terrain. Until now, I haven’t seen anything of CA except the same few blocks of Hollywood Boulevard.
After a brief introduction we’re taken on a tour of the plant (Bang Printing). There is a ridiculous amount of picture-taking as we wander through the factory looking at all of the cool big machines. And then we see it–OUR book. The covers of L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers and Illustrators of the Future Volume 29, coming off the press. And there are SO MANY of them.
That’s one of the best things about winning the contest. Not only do I get a prize, and this trip, and a fantastic cohort of fellow winners, people—LOTS of people–who I’m never going to meet or hear from are going to read my story. Some of them are going to like it, and some of them are going to say “eh” and move on to the next one. But with so many copies of the book in existence, my story is really truly going to be read. That’s a writer’s dream come true.
In the afternoon, Rebecca Moesta & Kevin J. Anderson are back for an encore, this time with professional advice about agents, editors and the big bad publishing world. Mike Resnick tells a few industry horror stories, one involving a New York cocktail party and some nose-punching. Liza Trombi, editor-in-chief of Locus passes out copies of the magazine.
Class ends early as we adjourn to a nearby restaurant for a big celebration with the Illustrator winners, Author Services staff, arriving judges, and returning winners. I share a table with Nina Kiriki Hoffman, my roommate Andrea Stewart, writer-winner Marilyn Guttridge (the contest’s youngest-ever winner), and Marilyn’s mom (AKA Tammy). I eat lots of sushi and Nina shows me the very cool journal she’s started keeping, filled with cards and programs and stickers and the colorful flotsam of what looks like a very interesting life. I then eat some more sushi and there is also a possibility that I consume a number of raw oysters and a dainty portion of tiramisu.
Tomorrow: Stage rehearsal for the awards ceremony
alisa alering 