FEAR OF BLOGGING GOES TO GEEKGIRLCON

…And I’m still awestruck! This was a first time for this woman-run convention for geeky girls who are into genres that girls aren’t supposed to be interested in, like comics, computers, games, anime …and comics, yes, comics! It was held in fabulous Seattle, a stone’s throw from the space needle (like the Eiffel tower, the Space Needle lights up at night and is a beautiful sight to behold). GeekGirlCon was an immense success; it sold out, and they actually had to turn away 500 people.  Here’s what happens when women put on a con:                                                                                                                                  * It goes off without a hitch.                                                                                                   * The rooms are full of the high energy of thousands of beautiful, strong, happy, creative women.                                                                                                           * There’s no backbiting.                                                                                                              *There are no little boys in Spiderman costumes.                                                                                                                                                    

* People are nice to each other.                                                                                               * They give their guests jewelry! I was given an art nouveau looking, mystic looking necklace, and a pair of blue roses to hang in my ears. I later found out that each guest had been given something different; the jewelers had tailored their jewelry to the personalities of the guests. Go here to read all about it and see lots of great photos: http://www.geekgirlcon.com/            I’m  coming back next year, so join me there! What’s next? I’m coming to New York the first week in November to do a couple of talks and signings for my newest graphic novel, “Lily Renee: Escape Artist,” an all-ages biography of Lily, who was a teenage Jewish girl in Vienna when the Nazis marched in, in 1938, and who escaped the Nazis in 1939 via Kindertransport. The book relates her adventures in England during the Blitz, and how she was finally reunited with her parents, who had escaped to America. Once in America, the refugee family, who had been very well off in Vienna, but who had lost everything to the Nazis, were living hand to mouth when Lily’s mother saw an ad in the paper: a comic book company was looking for artists. Lily, who was an artist, had never read a comic in her life, but she gamely went to a news stand, bought a couple of comics, studied them, and drew some samnple panels. PS: she got the job, and became one of the best Golden Age cartoonists, drawing, among other things, the adventures of the glamorous spy and Nazi-fighter, Senorita Rio, so that Lily, who had been persecuted by the Nazis, got to fight back on paper. Lily herself will be with me, and we’ll discuss and sign the book and answer questions, and I’ll present a Powerpoint slide show. I give great Powerpoint shows, so come see and say hello; both signings are free.

OMG! “Lily Renee: Escape Artist” has just come out and already the book has received a Gold Medal from Moonbeam Children’s Books Awards in the comic/graphic novel category! Oh yeah, the signing schedule: Thursday, November 3, from 7:00-9:00 pm at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) 594 Broadway, Suite 401
(btwn. Houston and Prince Streets)
New York, NY 10012
Tel. (212) 254-3511

And Sunday, November 6, 3:00-5:00 pm at Books of Wonder 18 West 18th Street
 NewYork, NY 10011
Tel: (212) 989-3270