Posts Tagged ‘Rich Simental’

Photos From the 2014 Armadillocon

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014

We interrupt this cavalcade of books, Slowdive covers and tanks to offer up some pics from the 2014 Armadillocon, which occurred a little more than a week before I flew off to London.


Howard Waldrop. Actually a pretty good picture of him.


Claude Lalumiere


The elusive Robert Taylor. Like most pictures of him taken in the wild, it’s a bit blurry…


Ian McDonald. I would say he’s signing one of the way too many of my own books I had him sign, but since I own the Simon & Schuster UK (true first) edition of River of Gods, not the Pyr first American edition, obviously it’s someone else’s book…


Arch-villain Denman Glober caught outside her secret underground lair.


Ted Chiang.


One of these men had a role in Once Upon A Time in China VI.


Martha Wells.


Mark Finn, describing his wrestling match with the gorilla.


Patrice Sarath.


Ian McDonald and Ted Chiang at the bar.

Photos from the 2013 San Antonio Worldcon

Monday, December 9th, 2013

I knew that dealing books at Worldcon would eat up a lot of time, but I had no idea just how much time it would take me to not only get all the books back on the shelf, but to catch up on everything I set aside while getting ready for, then recovering from, Worldcon.

Which explains why I’m just now putting up the pictures I took there. Here are the handful of pictures I took at Worldcon that came out decent.

Clotheshorse that she is, the lovely and talented Gail Carriger kicks off our review with the first of three outfits I managed to photograph.

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A second.

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And a third.

And here’s the same outfit she insisted I snap with her own camera. “You’ve got to include the shoes!”

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Stina Leicht, sitting next to me at the Rayguns Over Texas event at the San Antonio Library.

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Scott Cupp and Josh Rountree at the same event. The other photos I took there came out crappy.

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Bookseller and con chair Mike Walsh.

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Lou Antonelli channels Flavor-Flav.

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Howard Waldrop and Eileen Gunn, just before Howard went three rounds with a concrete step.

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And here’s Howard just after that bout.

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Andrew Porter, now free of the terrible burden of publishing a semi-prozine.

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Pat Murphy, back again.

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Ex-NASA employee Al Jackson.

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Ex-Austinite Maureen McHugh.

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Kim Stanley Robinson, back from whatever frozen locale he’s visiting this time. Possibly Iapetus.

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Gardner Dozois at full rant.

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Gardner Dozois at full rest. The two modes are deceptively similar.

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In 2012, Pat Cadigan asked me to take down one of her pictures. So this year I made sure that this picture with Robert Silverberg was 100% flattering.

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I think this is a very good picture of Dwight Brown.

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Rich Simental, who spent much of the con in his room working on a completely different con.

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Ben Yalow. Or possibly one of those hundreds of Ben Yalow impersonators you hear so much about.

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Max Merriwell, in a very clever diusguise.

David Kyle

David Kyle, who I think has passed the late Forrest J. Ackerman for Most Worldcons Attended.

I’m sorry that I didn’t get pictures of Alastair Reynolds, David Brin, Jack McDevitt, Joe and Joy Haldeman, and Lois McMaster Bujold (among others I missed), who were all kind enough to come by the Lame Excuse Books booth.

Pictures from the 2012 Armadillocon

Monday, August 13th, 2012

Continuing my acclaimed series “Lawrence’s Continuing Efforts To Justify The Purchase of a Digital Camera,” here are pictures from the 2012 Armadillocon:


The lovely and talented Urania Fung, who joined us for lunch with…


…her sister, the lovely and talented Cynthia Fung.


Fung & Fung, together at last. “Soon to be a new hit series on the CW!”


Master of Toast A. Lee Martinez showing off his spiffy Cthulhu vs. Godzilla T-shirt.


Andrew Wimsatt, already looking like his brain has fled.


Jayme Lynn Blaschke standing over Andrew, with the interior of the Austin Renaissance looming in the background like a Lovecraftian tomb (assuming the tomb had balconies and accent lighting).


Michael Sumbera, Scott Bobo and Ed Scarborough, hanging out in the bar.


Mark Finn. “Penis goes where???”


Picture from Family Feud, where the pros kicked the fan butt. “How could the topic be ‘Vampire Novels’ and not one of us thought of Dracula?”


it wouldn’t be an Armadillocon photo gallery without the requisite Stina Leicht Pantone Hair Color Reference Shot.


Now with Slightly Smugger Expression.


Editor guest of honor Liz Gorinsky, who appears to have part of Fry’s non-paraodoxing time travel algorithm tattooed onto her bicep.


Jayme Lynn Blascke, Troyce Wilson and Martha Wells. Maybe it was just this spot that made people look tired.


Con Chair Sara Felix taking a break from the madness with noted lush Scott Bobo.


With folded plate…


…and without.


John W. Campbell Award nominee Stina Leicht with Zillion time best Artist Hugo nominee John Picacio.


I had Stina lean in close so I could see exactly where her hair color matched his shirt.


“Sure, I’ll chair Armadillocon! How hard could it be?”


John “Two-Time Hugo Nominee” DeNardo


Ladies and Gentlemen, the worst picture ever of Joe R. Lansdale!


This time, his brain is fried.


Michael Sumbera and Rich Simental.


Mark Finn and Night Shade Press head honcho Jeremy Lassen, who needs to hire a better shipping department.


Matthew Bey with two people whose names I should remember.


Gabrielle Faust, looking remarkably calm and poised considering the horrific, unspeakable doom that was about to befall her. Best not to talk about it…


Denman Glober, who finds me endlessly entertaining.


Rob Landley, once and future chairman of Linucon.


Bradley Denton, who had a wee bit of a tough 2011.


Doug Potter, showing off a T-shirt with a drawing by Doug Potter, from a book illustrated by Doug Potter.


And another Armadillocon slouches to an end…

Armadillocon 2011 Photos for Saturday, August 27

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011


A chipper-at-all-hours Kasey Lansdale, having no pity on us poor souls discomforted by having to get up at the crack of noon.


if we’re going to show Kasey, I suppose we should show her father, Joe R. Lansdale. I think he’s written a book or two.


Neal Barrett, Jr. “You working on anything right now, Neal?” “I’m a writer, I’m always working on something. That’s what writers do.”


Howard Waldrop, relieved that we only have to review Cowboys & Aliens once.


Rob Landley, the man who helped found both Penguincon and Linucon. And yet, somehow, he still walks among the living.


Paolo Bacigalupi, wondering just where that alligator might have gotten to.


Brad Denton, who foolishly exposed his skin to direct sunlight for almost 15 full seconds.


Martha Wells, reclining in the position usually reserved for her palanquin.


Elizabeth Moon’s expression shortly after hearing that she wouldn’t have spend three days being condescended and lectured to by dour, joyless feminists.


Jayme Lynn Blaschke, who’ had to cut back on his previously extravagant vest budget.


Kurt Baty towers over Lego creations. Deep in the night, he sneaks into his unfinished mansion to loom over them and shout “I’m the God! I’m the God!


With his portable manual typewriter, Lou Antonelli may be taking his emulation of role-model Howard Waldrop a little too far…


Just one of the many, many martinis Scott Bobo drank that weekend, not all of which had Ed Scarborough looking on.


Scott, Ed and Dwight wait for dinner.


Dwight, Rich and Milton.


Little Chuckie, Emma Bull and Stina Leicht just before the Elizabeth Moon and Wiscon panel, more about which at a later date. No one was killed during the panel, which counts as a rousing success.


Ben Yalow and Emma Bull.


Matthew Bay, with beer and wearing a utility kilt, key clues for the police to piece together the horrific orbital belt sanding disaster that befell him moments later.

There used to be a picture here. Now there’s not.


Lovely con newbie Jamie Hott and here +5 Camera of Smiting.


Paolo attempts to re-enact the cover shoot from Peter Gabriel I.


The second of my blackmail photos of Mark Finn, this time cavorting with shameless married hussy Emma Bull.


The unsuspecting Will Shetterly sits next to his wife, none the wiser to the lascivious gyrations performed shortly before.


Oh yeah, baby! Finn and Dave Cake demonstrate that Fezes are TOTALLY coming back! It’s only a matter of time!


Brad offers Paolo the traditional SFWA Salute of Respect.


“I just ate what?”


Here serial cavorter Finns plys his oleaginous charm on the unsuspecting Jessica Reisman.


“Tonight the monkey dies!”


Kasey Lansdale reacts with calm, cool aplomb to Brad Denton missing a deadline.


This is what happens when you attempt to photograph the Tetragrammaton.

And finally (two base notes) in a world…where dinner can take three hours…one man…will drink…a martini!

Scott Bobo Drinks a Martini

Armadillocon 2011 Photos for Friday, August 26

Saturday, September 10th, 2011


Mark Finn, rocking the cutting edge of FEZ NATION!


Howard Waldrop.


Dwight Brown gets the pre-convention lunch off to his usual facepalming start. What set him off this time was Todd saying “Look! We’re haircut twinsies!”


DUFF winner David Cake.


Early Turkey Citizen Joe Pumilia.

There was a picture of William Browning Spencer, but he has evidently grown disenchanted with his own visage, and asked that it be removed..


Al Jackson. For once I snapped a picture with his eyes open. Thanks for lunch, Al!


Dwight, mournful that his mama took his Kodachrome away.


Michael Sumbera, taking a break from assembling his retail sales empire.


Aaron Allston. Generally, I only see Aaron at: A.) Cons, or B.) Indian restaurants.


James Reasoner.


John DeNardo: “You know I hate having my picture taken.” Naturally, after he said that, I’m required to take his picture several additional times.


Like this one.


And this one.


Bruce Sterling was having a garage sale of books at the con. Here he is holding aloft the (true story) Rudy Rucker books I had pulled from the pile, refusing to sell them to me. Including the copy of The 57th Franz Kafka I had given him as a gift 15 years before. “I’ve got to donate these to UT.” Thanks a lot, Bruce.


Bill Crider, reenacting a scene from Daredevil.


Bill again, now with added sight.


Stina Leicht, with her hair in the traditional Blue Con shade.


Two people, both of whom complained that I took their picture too much. You can see how well those complaints worked out for them.


Rocky Kelley, artistic dandy and man-about-town.


Jessica Reisman. The camera is set properly, it’s just that Jessica lives her entire life in soft focus. Doctors keep doing tests to determine the cause.


Jasmina Tesanovic and Bruce Sterling. “It’s a 110° out today! I’m feeling pretty darn good about my Global Warming predictions!”


Derek Johnson. You can’t see it, but just below the frame of this picture, he’s clutching a snifter of brandy with one hand and stroking a white cat with the other.


Gretchen Peterson Johnston shows that she is totally ready for the Fetish Boot Ball.


Chris Nakashima-Brown n. Brown this guy I know.


Yvonne Daily and Phil Brogden, who you may remember from such hits as “Goddamnit, Lawrence, you sure take a lot of freaking convention pictures, don’t you?”


Robert Jackson Bennett, author of the spiffy first novel Mr. Shivers, copies of which can be obtained in the usual manner.


Bradley Denton assumes the now-traditional “Oh yeah? Then I’ll take YOUR picture!” position.


Jessica Reisman Redux.


Paolo Bacigalupi and Bruce Sterling, debating whose global warming future is more wretched and dystopian.


Rich Simental.


“NEVER MIND!”


The Space Squidians, shortly after freebasing some ink.


Brad Foster, with a Hugo that might seem familiar.


“You so naughty!”


Kasey Lansdale, mooning over Mark Finn. (I warned you, Finn! I said UNMARKED twenties!)


Scott Cupp, James Reasoner and Joe R. Lansdale, talking about F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and why you can’t get good belt onions anymore.


Ben Yalow.


It was….the unnameable.