It's a special two-for 10 for Tuesday this week. We're going to start with my top 10 nerdy gatherings and then I'll recount my best moments last week at LTUE. I'll go deeper into this this Friday on the Hardcore Fanboy Podcast.

The 10 Nerdy Gatherings that Made an Impact on My Life

1) Ecclecticon - A science fiction convention in Sacramento, the first I've ever attended as a teenager. This one validated all my love of nerdy everything growing up. I had found my people.

2) Black Point Forest Renaissance Faire - The original Northern California Renaissance Faire. Without performing here, my life would have been vastly different. I most likely wouldn't have stepped onto the path as a professional storyteller.

3) The Great Western War - An SCA event in Southern California, where I truly stepped into myself as a performer and got a taste of celebrity.

4) Harvest Moon Swing Out - Back in my swing dancing days in the 90's, this was my favorite dance camp. This had some of the best teachers, several of them definitely heroes – still, it was small enough to get one-on-one time with them. Each time I went there, I became an exponentially better dancer.

5) Silicon Valley Comic Con - I'd been to other comic cons as a pro before this one, but SVCC was the first that I felt respected me as a fully professional writer, and not just someone who got a small press table. I hosted the costume masquerade here many years in a row, and I consider each one among the highlights of my career as a speaker and performer. This is also where my friendship with David Gerrold began.

6) Valhalla Renaissance Faire - I've been performing at this faire across my entire life and never had a bad year. Even one year with storms and downpouring, I had loyal fans shivering in the seats and cheering me on.

7) Life, the Universe, and Everything - I've made so many friends, sold a great many books, and recruited so many members of the Gallowglas Army at this writing symposium. This event inspired my rogue programming and the Genre Underground. My writing career would not be the same without attending this event for as many years as I have.

8) The World Science Fiction Convention (Specifically 2012) - Not all WorldCons are created equal, as each is in a different city and organized by largely different groups of fans. However, each one I've attended holds a place in my heart because of the amazing moments and connections made. I don't have any concrete reasons why I favor Chicago in 2012, but that's my quintessential WorldCon.

9) Adventurer's Inn - This was a fantasy live-action role-playing event that existed long before most other LARPs. Without these weekends, I wouldn't have Grandfather Shadow, the concept of the Lord Morigan, the Morigahnti, Galad'Laman, or Julianna.

10) San Diego Comic Con - Face it. You knew this was going to be on the kist, just because it's SDCC.

10 Best Moments at LTUE
In no particular order, and you can read more about these moments in a new column, From the Front Lines, on the Gallowglas Army site.

1) Crafting the Gallowglas Army Cocktail - Every year at LTUE, we have a Gallowglas Army cocktail. Since returning to the hotel after Covid, I've sat at the bar on Tuesday nights and worked with Mike the Bartender to create this elixer. This year, we used High West Campfire as the base for a blackberry-infused delight - using crushed blackberries. The drink was so good, the hotel went through four bottles of Campfire from Wednesday through Saturday evening.

2) Masterclasses - Every Wednesday, I teach two or three masterclasses. Each time I teach them, it's a highlight of my weekend. This year, the students asked deep and insightful questions, truly justifying all the time and thought I've put into creating my writing curriculum.

3) Gallowglas Army Bingo Cards - This was the first time we've done the bingo cards. Every square was included to build engagement with my "brand." Generated lots of buzz. Several people got their bingos and earned free books. Working out how to modify them for Renaissance faires.

4) Bard for Life - Of course, my storytelling performance was one of my highlights, but this year, I was in rare form.

5) Nerdy Trivia - After BfL, we retreated to the hotel lobby for Nerdy Trivia. I'm getting pretty good at these, and they are growing in size. Top three teams won Gallowglas Army swag and books.

6) The Gallowglas Narrative Algorithm - I spoke about this writing concept in a solo presentation, and just like my masterclasses, attendees absorbed what I had to say and asked insightful questions.

7) Re-Inspired Marketing - While working my table in the dealers room, I came up with a spontaneous and awesome new sales pitch for The Re-Imagined Princess. We almost sold out of all the copies we took. Gives me new energy when working on the sequel, The Re-Imagined Dragon.

8) Villainry Academy Panel - In this panel, we talked aboutwriting great villains, with the panelists assuming the roles of iconic villains... well... except me, because I've gotta buck the system when I can. This one was a whole lot of fun.

9) Genre Underground - My nerd-themed poetry open mic never fails to spark people's creative spirit. Many people tell me it's the highlight of their weekend. This was a great event, with multiple people stepping onto the stage for the first time.

10) Having a Welcoming Community - Friday evening, after Genre Underground, a young lady came up to me and thanked me for having a warm, safe, and welcoming community. This makes me so proud of the Gallowglas Army. This kind of interaction says so much more about the GA than it does about me. Yes, everyone gathers around me, but people can only have this reaction when the community as a whole creates this air of acceptance and welcoming.