Spotlight: Christopher Baldwin

As promised, we have another treat for you today -- fun, funny and talented author and comics creator Christopher Baldwin is in da house!

For those of you who may not know him, Chistopher writes and draws comics, novels, and plays. Published (self and otherwise) works include Bruno, Little Dee, Spacetrawler, and regular pieces for MAD Magazine. He's been written up in the Washington Post, Wired Magazine, IO9, Salon Magazine, UK Daily Telegraph, Newsbytes, and even appeared on NPR.

Catch all his webcomics Spacetrawler, on Mondays and Wednesdays; Little Dee M-Sat; and Bruno M-Sat; his joint foodie blog, Cookrookery; and his online store for regular doses of the funny.

GK: He is WAY FAMOUS, gang, so be good and pretend we behave ourselves on a regular basis, at least until it's your turn to ask questions. Then? Go for it. So, Christopher, it's great to have you here with us today. Let's roll right in. What prompted you to become a writer? Was it voices in your head, a burning desire to tell a story, or just too creative for your own bad self?
CB: The spark came from a love of reading and of humor. My mother read to my siblings and I, and we were often at the library getting books or audiobooks. Being a solitary child, I had lots of daydreaming hours to make up stories, and since I was bored in school, it gave me lots of free time to write and doodle them down.

Also, both my parents worked at a tofu factory. Not only did this instill in me a deep appreciation for dark humor, but also, like Dorothy on back in Kansas, I knew I needed to get the hell out of there.

GK: You know, a part of me really wants to believe that tofu factory story... So! What was the first book or piece that you wrote and why? Is it published, being shopped, on the shelf waiting for you to get back to it, or in a heap of ashes at the bottom of the fireplace?
CB: I started writing stories and comics in elementary school, but what I consider to be my first serious work was a full-length play in iambic-pentameter I wrote my senior year in high school. I knew then that my writing was sorely undeveloped, but that I could capture the emotion of being a teen -- then edit it when I was older, more skilled, and out of touch.
    
I may decide to invent a time machine and go back and strangle my younger self instead of doing this. Have you ever tried to line-edit iambic pentameter? Stupid teenagers. 

GK: I can honestly say that I never tried to get overly fancy with my early efforts and I would pass on that particular form of line editing. But I applaud your younger self for being slightly insane. Speaking of insane, give us a funny story about writing your latest release. It’s okay if your funny story involves a nervous breakdown as the deadline loomed, btw. I like to relate to my guests.

CB: My latest release was the book #2 of Spacetrawler. My online-store-order-fulfillment people didn't want to handle advance sales, but I chose to do it anyway. For about a week, my girlfriend would come home from work every day and sigh at me, hiding behind my carefully stacked skyscrapers of books, frantically stuffing padded envelopes.

GK: I know what massive amounts of swag I'm bringing with us to Tucson Festival of Books -- I can't make any comment about your Fulfillment Center. So, other than that, what’s your most and least favorite things about being an author?
CB: My most favorite is that I get to sit around and make things up, my other favorite thing is knowing I've brought some laughter and delight into people lives, my other favorite thing is meeting other writers and talking to them about writing, my other favorite thing is putting my characters through the ringer, and... um. Right. Least Favorite things. Hm. Figuring out my taxes maybe? Really, I can barely express how much I love my job. Want to know MORE favorite things?

GK: Let's not talk about taxes, let's talk about one of my favorite things -- you. What’s one fact about you that someone who didn’t know you well or hasn’t read this blog wouldn’t know? Make it juicy -- my readers expect.
CB: Do you want the name of the ailment or the ointment?
GK: Both, and suggested applications and treatment methods.
CB: Kidding. Okay, um, I'm always curious about experiences from people's lives that are different than my own. One was to wonder what SOME women go through regarding body hair, and so I shaved myself bald, both my pits and down there, when I was in college. I've had the deepest sympathy ever since, and also feel I can confidently describe the experience of stubble growing back -- that isn't on one's face.

GK: You're the man. Crazy, but the man. So, can we get an excerpt, then?
CB: Sure, This is from Spacetrawler Book 2.

  

GK: Awesome! Now, how's about a giveaway? 

CB: Absolutely! 

GK: Ask for anything, gang, he's totally agreeable!

CB: Actually, I'm agreeable to giving away a free copy of Spacetrawler #1, open internationally.  It's a sci-fi humorous serialized full-color comic, heavy on character, light on its feet, wide in its scope and thin when it's living off a diet of Limbic Fizzlers and Furryite Burgers. Premise: six humans are shanghaied to save the galaxy, probably the worst plan of action EVER. 

GK: It's hilarious. And one of you will win it! Just answer this question to be entered to win: If you were shanghaied to save the galaxy, who (up to 5 others) would you want with you and, if you're feeling chatty, why them? 

Contest will run through Wednesday, March 13th. Winner will be announced Thursday, March 14th. Winner will have until Monday, March 18th to respond via email to gini@ginikoch.com with full name and mailing address. If the winner does not reply by the 18th, the Gods of Random will snatch back the prize and demand a new sacrifice.

WFC Roundup

The fun of World Fantasy Con is that it's a professional business con. There are fans there, sure, but most of the attendees skew to authors, agents, editors and publishers. It's got more of a relaxed attitude, therefore, though everyone's wheeling and dealing, catching up with old friends and making new ones, and generally having a good time. It gives off a feeling of a reunion, with all of the positives and almost none of the negatives.

My panel on EC Comics went really well. It helped that Scott Edelman and Andy Duncan were on it with me, since they're both fun guys, great speakers, and loaded with information. If you're into comics, Mad Magazine, horror, any combination thereof, or any related subjects, check them out! (Note: Despite the "zombie self portrait" on his splash page, Scott's really a sweet, charming, fount of knowledge. And I had to say that or he said he'd eat my brains.)

I got to hang with awesome authors Celina Summers, David Boop, and Marcus Pelligrimas, as well as party with authors Adam Niswander and Jerry Gordon.

And the DAW dinner was loaded with great authors (deep breath, yes there were LOTS of us): Bob Krammes, Benjamin Tate, Saladin Ahmed, Kari Sperring, Josh Palmatiere, Jim C. Hines, Michelle West aka Michelle Sagara, Steven Leigh, S. Andrew Swann, R.M. Meluch, and Laura Resnick. Yes, this was a total who's who, but that's WFC in a nutshell. BTW, if you haven't checked these amazing authors out yet, do so immediately.

Of course, there were plenty of publishers in attendance. In addition to my own beloved DAW Books, Tor/Forge was in attendance (they also threw an awesome party), and Baen Books was there, too. There were also some smaller publishers who really had an impressive array of titles and covers. EDGE/Tesseract -- who were celebrating their 10 year anniversary (and yes, their party was awesome), Elder Signs Press, Titan Books, and ChiZine Publications were there (yes, ChiZine threw a great party, too), all showing off their wares and let me tell you, they have some great books.

By the way, if it sounds like all we did was go to parties and hang out in the bar um...well...yeah. I mean, hey, panels! There were panels and readings! And, um, err, dinners! Yeah, only they were more like parties. Um, the mass book signing was wicked cool! So, see? I did some work. (Actually, considering that my agent is like the Energizer Bunny at these things, I did a LOT of work, but that's a tale for another time.)

Personal highlights:
-- running into Eric Flint, author of, among many other things, Baen's 1632 series, in the elevator, telling him that I'd seen him at Fiesta Con and really loved what he'd had to say. He left the elevator at my floor and chatted with me for a good 15 minutes. He's not only a great author, he's a really charming man who graciously took the time to "talk shop" with a younger author.
-- getting to see L.E. Modesitt, Jr.'s ever-beautiful array of vests. The man can and does totally pull off the look, and he never makes a fashion miscue. He's a dashing, dapper gentleman, and a great writer, too, by the way.
-- being charmed by Englishman Brian Lumly who's not only an amazing author but one of those charasmatic people you just want to be around.
-- getting to meet two of the Alien Collective in person (waves madly to Darlene and Heidi). The book signing was really great, but getting to meet up with Alien Collective members is always the best part for me.
-- getting to impress the hubs that Joe Haldeman was in the audience for my panel, that I got to meet Guy Gavriel Kay, and that I saw Gene Wolfe (albeit from a distance).
-- having a reviewer bring his ARC of Touched by an Alien to have me sign (waves madly to Michael) and then getting to hang out with him in the bar, discussing the pros and cons of the Star Wars movies.
-- lunch with just my wonderful editor and agent and me. It's always nice to get to just hang out with them and yak about anything and everything, without having to share their time.
-- discovering that the people of Columbus, all of them, are really and truly nice. I especially appreciated how nice they were when I, with my usual "flair" for travel, tried to go through the security metal detector with earmuffs and a metal hairclip on, accompanied by a bottle of water and a can of Dr Pepper. What could have been a nightmare ended up pretty much a fun, laugh-filled stop along the way to my gate. I'd honestly like to go back to Columbus and get to see more of the town than I managed (very little of German Town, very little around the hotel, a salt mine from a distance, and absolutely nothing else).
-- the DAW dinner. Not only was it author-filled, but the food was delicious and I had a total blast with Mary Krammes (Bob's wife and my new soul sister).
-- talking comics and pseudonyms with Titan editor Steve Saffel.
-- bonding over earmuffs and other things with Anita Hades (yet another new soul sister) from EDGE publishing.
-- having someone come up to me after the panel to ask me about writing and get tips (waves madly to Craig). It was doubly exciting since Scott and Andy have been doing this a lot longer than I have.

Next year's World Fantasy Con is in San Diego, CA. Yes, I'll be there, with bells on. Honestly, I can't wait. Hope to see some of you there, too, and to have an even longer roundup note for you after, as well. I'm sure that'll mean I have to hang and party with even more cool writerly types, but hey, I'm willing to take one for our team, 'cause that's the kind of girl I am.

Love,
Gini