Before My First Professional Sale

     For the years 1977 through 1980, I was still writing for fanzines and newsletters. I wouldn’t make my first paying sale until early 1981, but that’s explained in DOTTY’S DIMENSIONS: THE PREFACE. Meanwhile, most of my writing covered my trips and science fiction convention (SF con) reports. I didn’t take any major trips in those years; instead, I mostly visited places in Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia for the day; New York City for day or overnight trips: and Washington, DC, for a night or two.

     As for the SF cons, my first con was a Star Trek (ST) con in July of 1977 in Philadelphia for four days. A professional convention promoter ran this con for a profit, but I still enjoyed it. For those four nights, I partied at room parties and at the hotel’s bar. I also observed different events on the main ballroom stage: a talent show that included Dora the Singing Andorian singing “Am I Blue?”, a concert by a rock/Trek group whose name I forgot, the Greater Overbrook String Band—from the Mummers’ Parade, and the Masquerade. During the four days, I listened to panels covering subjects as diverse as the return of ST to TV or films to real space exploration. In the main ballroom, I saw some of the stars from ST on stage: James Doohan, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, and Grace Lee Whitney. I also watched different ST episodes in the screening room, the ST Bloopers, a few SF films, and some films from NASA. Then I stepped into and looked around the Art Show room, and I browsed and bought a few things in the Dealers’ Room. In the end, I made a few friends, and like London, I vowed that I would attend another SF con someday.

     That someday with the SF cons came in October 1977 when I 1) attended a ST Mini Con in King of Prussia, PA—an edge city outside of Philly. This was a much more scaled-down version of the four-day con I went to in July. It included two rooms: a conference room where a big-named-fan (BNF) named Joan Winston talked about the different SF and ST cons that she attended and included slides from some of those cons, and a few other people who discussed fanzine writing. The committee also showed a few ST episodes. The other room was a small Dealers’ Room where I browsed and bought a few items. Unlike the July con, some fan dealers ran this con instead of a professional convention organizer.
     The following April (1978), the same group also ran a 2) similar ST mini-con at the same place. 
     It wouldn’t be until February 1979 that I attended a multi-day con, three days to be exact. This con was a 3) ST con in NYC, and the same professional con organizer who ran the four-day con in Philly ran this con as well. I did much of the same things that I did at the Philly con, and many of the same ST cast members that were at the Philly con were here too. The big difference was that I also met Dr. Isaac Asimov. I talked with him a bit, and he gave me a French kiss—twice! (I later learned from others about his reputation with the women.) This was also the first “snow con” for me because on the third day it snowed for up to around 16 inches! Therefore, I had to stay an extra night in the hotel. 
     Later that year, in September 1979, I went to the same place in NYC again for 4) another ST con that the same pro-con promoter ran. There were many similar panels, films, and other events as at the last NYC con; the big difference to me was that this three-day con drew more people than the February con, and one of the guests was Angelique Pettyjohn. (She played Shana, in the ST episode, “The Gamesters of Triskelion.”) First, she appeared in her Shana costume and wig, and she did a dance on stage; later, she appeared as herself in her normal clothes and hair. As for the weather at this con, it proved as hot as the February con was cold! The temperature on one of the days went to over 100 degrees. 
     The following July in 1980 felt just as hot when I went to 5) another three-day ST con: Shore Leave, about 20 miles north of Baltimore, Maryland. Unlike the other multi-day ST cons, a ST club, the ST Association of Towson, ran this con. It was their first three-day con, and in some ways, it showed: Some of the speakers never showed up, and some of the films never arrived. (Others told me that this happens a lot with first time, three-day cons. Then, if the con committee keeps at it, the cons get better with each passing year. In Shore Leave’s case, that did happen.) Nevertheless, I did enjoy this con and made a few more friends.

     Then, in November 1980, I went to my first general SF con: Philcon or Philadelphia SF Conference. The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society has run this con since 1936, and both the club and con have been non-profit. Although Philcon, or as long as I’ve been attending Philcon, has been a three-day con, for 1980, I attended for a day. Like the ST cons, the committee provided a Dealers’ Room, Art Show, panels—including panels about space exploration, etc. Nevertheless, the big differences were that the guests-of-honor (GOH) were SF writers and SF artists—not stars from ST or other SF TV shows and films. While a few of the panels covered TV or movie SF, most of the other panels covered literary SF. Even many of the publications for sale in the Dealers’ Room were more diverse. Some of the dealers sold TV and film tie-in SF books, but many other dealers sold original SF. The same applied to the Art Show. Some of the art works were characters and scenes from SF TV shows and films, but many others covered original SF and fantasy. My favorite part of the con was listening to SF author Ben Bova give his GOH speech, “Building a Real World.” (At that time, he was the editor of Omni magazine.) Overall, after attending the 1980 Philcon, I asked myself, “Where have I been all these years?” Since then, I have attended every Philcon except for one in 1983—due to the flu. 
     Later, my final con before my first professional sale was a ST con called Starcon in January 1981. This three-day con was in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, and I knew that the first three-day or any kind of con could have its troubles, but the troubles with this ST con were very bad, and the con chairperson had all the charm of a used-car salesperson. Many panels were cancelled, some guests never showed up, and neither did many of the films. I did enjoy what they had left of the con, and they had some of the stars from ST there: George Takei, Walter Koenig, and Bruce Hyde. (Hyde played Lt. Riley in a few of the first-season ST episodes.) However, they never had another con again—unlike Shore Leave. 
     Then, in the spring issue of Shoestring Travel Quarterly, my first bit of paid writing appeared, and I’d like to think that my life changed after that. (By the way, this magazine folded in the 1990s.)