COSine 2024 – After-Action Report | Runnin Off at the Mouth….

COSine 2024 Signs. (Image, not the Signs themselves, © 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Last weekend I attended my fourth COSine conference. My schedule had been the following:

Sat 9 a.m., Main Events: Give Yourself Permission to Suck
Sat 2 p.m., Lobby Nook: Encouraging Advice for Artists and Writers
Sat 5:30 p.m., Atrium: Author Signing

Both of my panels had been wonderfully moderated and done, and the author signing had two really fun moments, which I’ll get to in a little (with lots of pictures).

COSine 2024 Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream! (Image, not the Ice Cream, © 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Give Yourself Permission to Suck

This panel was about allowing yourself to just be who you are and write as the writer you are now. Many can get frozen at “not being good enough.” Don’t worry about it. Just write. Our moderator had some really great questions, none of which I remember. But trust me, they were good and she did an great job moderating.

Encouraging Advice for Artists and Writers

This was a lobby “round table” discussion of artists and writers (who, really, are also “artists” of the written word) who helped out those in need of advice and encouragement. We had two young girls who were in need of lots of assistance, so we all put in our two-cents of advice, and wow, the girl wrote everything down! She and her friend were both appreciative. It was a fun round table.

Author Signing

COSine 2024 Who Else Books...Some of My Books! (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Well, this was interesting! After I’d set up and prepared for the opening to the public, Nina (pronounced “NINE-ah”), co-owner of Who Else Books with her husband, Ron (pronounced “RON”), who is pictured to the left, above, came over and told me that she’d sold “a couple of” my books! Who Else Books stocks books of the attending writers at the cons. They’re such a sweet couple and they help out tremendously by taking up this mantle. Anyway, after chatting for a few with Nina, and the public filtering in, a lady soon approached me with one of those sold books (Do The Dead Dream?)! This lady was so cool and she told me a few things that really made my day! She said that “…I am her generation…” and that “…I should keep on writing.” She was very intent as she told me these things. It was…weird…but very cool.

I thought, man, what an interesting thing to say, that last one! She must have either read my blogs or I must’ve said something on one of my panels (which I know I had, but I’m no longer sure exactly what I said…cons are like that…). But it wasn’t just this, but that this lady was my first-ever “in-the-wild” human to buy one of my books elsewhere…then later seek me out for an autograph!

Wow.

Okay, here are (in no particular order), shots from the author signing: a bunch of people, a couple of Kevins, a few Shannons, more people, illuminated water, a Michael, a John and Karen Stith, A few Lous (trying to pay me off), a robot, more illuminated water, and a me or two…

COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Kevin Ikenberry & Company! COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Two Of My Favorite People! John and Karen Stith. John Is Holding His Book That Is On It's Way Into A Film! COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Patrick Smythe and Moi. COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Lou Berger Being Lou Berger! Yes, He Gave Permission To Use These. COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Lou Berger Being Lou Berger! Yes, He STILL Gave Permission To Use These. COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Lou Berger Finally Trying To Pay Me Off To Leave Him Alone. I took The Money...And Stayed. COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Makerspace Robot. Forgot Its Name. COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Cool Illuminated Water Behind Me. COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Cool Illuminated Water Still Behind Me. COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Shannon Lawrence! We Took "Stalky" Photos of Each Other and Sent Them to Each Other. We Sat Kattycorner From Each Other. COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Shannon Lawrence. COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Shannon And I Took "Stalky" Photos of Each Other and Sent Them To Each Other. We Sat Kattycorner From Each Other. COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Shannon's Stalky Image of Me! Oddly, I Was Texting Her That Image Above When She Took This! Allegedly. COSine 2024 Author Signing. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

There was another round table, called Graveyards Appeal. That was a fun “panel” that talked about (surprise) the appeal of graveyards. My friend, Patrick Smythe, found a cool list of what all the gravestone symbols mean. That was neat. Here’s the link. Here’s also a hand-jammed listing of that link:

Graveyards Appeal Roundtable, Lobby. Graveyard Symbol Meanings. COSine 2024.

More images from the con:

COSine 2024 Hard Sci-Fi Panel. COSine 2024 (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

COSine 2024 Military Fiction Panel. COSine 2024 (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

COSine 2024 Back To The Moon Panel. COSine 2024 (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Steve Leininger

This was pretty cool! The engineer who developed the first Tandy, TRS-80, computer (in 1977) was there! My first computer was a Tandy. Steve is retired, but, like me, has plenty of things to do, one of which is a board member of Pikes Peak Makerspace, in Colorado Springs (“Walk in with an idea, walk out with it in your hand“). From their web page:

“Pikes Peak Makerspace is a community of cooperative hobbyists and early-stage entrepreneurs that empowers members to turn ideas into reality. We strive to provide access to tools and resources to confidently and safely design, develop, and make.”

I find this exceedingly cool! Check them out! But what was funny was that they made fun of the TRS-80 as “I used to be famous!”

In Conclusion

Overall a fun and cozy con! So many good people. Met some new ones. It’s a wonderful con, run by wonderful folks, who give up so much of their time and bend over backwards to help everyone and do the right thing. When I’d realized I’d never received the e-mail for getting on these panels this past summer, due to a glitch, and further, because of medical issues I was going through at the time, I hadn’t noticed it until, like, December, Arlen Feldman immediately did his best to squeeze me in and got me on the above-listed panels. I couldn’t thank him enough. Thanks, man. The other members of the COSine Board are Morland Gonsoulin, Karen Jordan, and Eli Roa–thank you all (including all the other volunteers!) for all that all did to get this con up and running!

Steve Leininger And Karen Jordan. Closing Ceremonies, COSine 2024. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Closing Ceremonies. COSine 2024. (© 2024, F. P. Dorchak)

Thanks for stopping by!

Previous COSine Posts

Previous MileHiCon Posts

4 Responses to COSine 2024 – After-Action Report

Karen A Lin says:

January 26, 2024 at 10:32 am

It was fun reading about your experience, see familiar faces, and to hear about the woman who (woowoo!) suggested you keep on writing. I would have gotten goosebumps if I were you.

- fpdorchak says:
  
  January 26, 2024 at 12:45 pm
  
  It was kinda strange. Almost like a “spiritual messenger”? Or someone sent to make sure I do not give up? It was so weird.
  
  - Karen A Lin says:
    
    January 26, 2024 at 1:12 pm
    
    I did not astral travel. I promise.
    
    - fpdorchak says:
      
      January 26, 2024 at 1:14 pm
      
      🤣