Well. WELL.  You know how things go crazy sometimes?  You’re stumbling up a hill and every obstacle imaginable seems to be in your way? You almost give up, but since you’re a rather determined person, you grit your teeth and clamber up that hillside on hands and knees if necessary.  You get to the top, see the view, and think, “This was worth every second of the climb.”  You realize that the obstacles are meant to weed people out and you refused to be tossed aside.  Hello, triumph.  Hello, sweet reward.

Getting to Killercon was exceptionally hard this year.  Suddenly we didn’t have anybody to watch the kids during the day.  Suddenly I’m an emotional wreck over losing my daughter and I’m near tears all of the time.  Suddenly I’m extremely self-conscious that I no longer have a waist, and even though it’s due to, oh, I don’t know, TRIPLETS, I’m feeling embarrassed about it.  But I went.  I was richly, richly rewarded.

Not only did I join up with old friends, but I met dear new ones.  I participated in (and won!) the creative writing contest. I was able to work the pitch sessions from the inside and picked up a few tidbits of advice along the way.  (Keep an eye out for that post! It’ll be very helpful, I think.) And I met a wonderful teacher who took the time to treat me like an equal, saying something to me that not only stopped me in my tracks, but might have genuinely changed my life.  More on that later.  But for now, know that I am happy, and the creativity in me is pouring out through my fingertips.  If you can come to Killercon in Vegas next year, I would recommend it.