Highlights of Rogelio and Richard's attendance at WorldCon 2024 in Glasgow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAY 1 - Chris Baker (Fangorn)

​Chris was a Guest of Honor at this WorldCon. He gave generously of his time, appearing in ten or so events -- culminating as an award presenter at the Hugos. We attended Chris's retrospective of his career as a top-shelf concept artist for Film and TV, starting with his being recruited by Stanley Kubrick, and then, after the director's untimely passing, working with Steven Spielberg on the film: AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. And then going on to build out an amazing portfolio. We are thrilled and honored that Chris created the cover art for our book ONE MILLION TIMES.

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DAY 2 - Roger Sayer and INTERSTELLAR

The film INTERSTELLAR, directed by Christopher Nolan and shaped by science consultant Kip Thorne of Caltech, arguably the world's leading gravitational physicist, featured an evocative organ score performed by Roger Sayer, Organist and Music Director at Temple Church, London. We had the opportunity to chat with Mr. Sayer after his reprise performance at WorldCon and explored the idea of an organ score to convey the range of emotional responses to the depths of time: poignancy, regret, confusion, loss, and the role of memory.

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​​DAY 3 (1:00 pm) - Our Cover Reveal for ONE MILLION TIMES

Our publisher, Peter Buck of Elsewhen Press, invited us to participate in his planned book launch at WorldCon, featuring three other authors, and we were honored to do so. 

In true Traverser fashion, Chris “Fangorn” Baker somehow found a wormhole in spacetime, jumping from the chaotic vastness of Worldcon straight into the Argyll 3 Room just as the clock struck 1:00 pm. With perfect travel-timing, he joined Rogelio and the rest of the gang, sending our ONE MILLION TIMES cover reveal ceremony into unforgettable hyperdrive! Next, our Guest Author, Teika Marija Smits, capably recounted the history of our TV Series and Book project. Finally, Richard gave a reading from our story "A Rest Stop for Weary Travelers.”

We look forward to our book launch proper when ONE MILLION TIMES is published in 2025.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAY 3 - (2:30 pm) - Christopher Priest MEMORIAL

Our entire ONE MILLION TIMES journey began when teenage Rogelio read one of the first books by a then-new British science fiction author, Christopher Priest. Life took a transformative turn when their pen-pal friendship blossomed into a collaboration on a short film, which eventually led to their first meeting at “The Stooge” screening during Novacon 50 in Buxton, England. So, the coincidence of the book cover reveal aligning—on the same day, back to back—with the memorial for this beloved author felt like reaching the final stop on a long and emotional rollercoaster. At the Lomond Auditorium, it was hard to hold back tears while listening to passages from Christopher Priest's letters, read by a panel of family and close friends: authors Nina Allan, Lisa Tuttle, Alastair Reynolds, Wendy Aldiss, Matt Hill, Meg MacDonald, John Clute, and Paul Kincaid. Our whole time travel dream began with Christopher Priest's generosity and his enchanting tale of “The Stooge”—a gift that keeps on giving. Being able to embrace Chris’s widow, Nina, and his twin children, Elizabeth and Simon, was the poignant wrap to this incredible journey. Whatever road lies ahead, our mentor will continue to walk with us, offering his critique, advice and humor.

Chris perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAY 4 - The Hugo Awards

What a thrill to witness this award ceremony live! The Hugos have the glitz and the scale of the Oscars. This year the event was hosted by WorldCon Chair Esther MacCallum-Stewart, who had invited us to WorldCon when we met her the previous year at NovaCon in Buxton, England. The acceptance speeches ranged from heartfelt to provocative, with some political statements and amusing glitches along the way. This year, new categories for Film / TV production joined the list of awards, stimulating our dreams of being on the stage someday. Content from ONE MILLION TIMES would be eligible at WorldCon 2026, which will be in Anaheim, California!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAY 5 - Field trip to Edinburgh

Our ONE MILLION TIMES stories feature castles from around the world, and we took advantage of the Glasgow venue to make a day trip to Edinburgh. We saw the famous Castle first-hand, soaked up the ambiance of this medieval city, and enjoyed the vibe swirling around The Fringe, the month-long art festival, featuring buskers of many varieties and talents. We also completed our shopping before the return trip. While Rogelio, the filmmaker, took photos and ceremoniously pinned a single flyer for our series in Edinburgh Square—an act he views as monumental as sending the golden record into space aboard the Voyager probe—Richard, the scientist, sighed and picked up some fine samples of Scotch whisky.