Welcome, everyone, to another edition of Author's Corner. I had a very exciting trip to Orlando for MegaCon recently. I had the opportunity to meet a number of interesting people at the convention. First, though, I'd like to offer a special thanks to Beth W for inviting me to MegaCon and to congratulate her on a very successful convention.

I met a very gifted and hard-working film star by the name of Debbie Rochon at the convention. She was a pleasure to talk with. If Fractured Time ever becomes a film, I'd love to see her star in it. Some of you may know her from any number of Troma Films movies.

Another interesting person is Lex Lang. Here is a man who works more hours in a week than I could imagine. He writes music; stars in stage plays; is currently directing a play, and does voice-over for hundreds of characters in cartoons, shows and films. While at the convention, he spent a lot of time to raise money for charity.

On a different note, I was involved in two panels oriented toward new writers. The attendance was excellent and the audience was very attentive. I had visits from many of them at my table afterwards, where we had some very pleasant conversations. MegaCon was truly a memorable event.

Coming up on March 25th, I will be at Barnes & Noble in Philadelphia (18th & Walnut) from 7:30 - 9:30. This event is part of the Philadelphia Fantastic reading series.

As of now, BaltiCon is my next convention appearance over Memorial Day weekend. I don't have details yet on what I'll be doing, but they should be forthcoming soon. You can find out more about BaltiCon at www.balticon.org

Currently, I'm working on episode three of the Twisted Fate TV series. I'm hoping to complete the movie portion of the trilogy by the end of May. Should the screenplay for the Fractured Time movie sell, I want to have the remainder of the package available. Once that's finished, I can return to the Space Frontiers series.

I'm awaiting confirmations from several conventions at this point. The following are "confirmed" appearances thus far:

This month's writers' tip is about public speaking. To me, public speaking is an art that takes a lot of practice to learn and to maintain. Mindset and mood have a huge impact on your ability to speak in a smooth and legible manner. When conditions like fatigue or nervousness become an obstacle, you need to rely on your ability to entertain people. If not, you'll quickly find an empty room. Sometimes you'll want to be formal, while other times, you can be laid back and informal.

When starting out in public appearances, it's good to start small and develop a comfort zone. For a new writer, bookstores are a good proving ground because your listening audience is usually one to three people. When you become comfortable in this arena, then you're ready to move on to auditoriums, festivals and conventions. There, you'll encounter larger groups.

Thanks for joining me. I hope you'll be here next month for another edition of Author's Corner.

- Michael D'Ambrosio

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