Hi everyone! How are you all doin’?

Anyway so I’ve just about come back from the strange land of the Finnish. A land where you cook in saunas and spank each other with big leafy things, and where they apparently find a need to put up “no alcohol” signs in the trains and have “sips” instead of chips.

They had a convention in Helsinki, where one of the guests of honor was no one else than Mr. George RR Martin, the author of the amazing “a song of ice and fire” book series. If you haven’t read them, I recommend them dearly.

A couple of friends and I dressed up as some of the characters from the books. I was Arya Stark of Winterfelt. All of us managed to pick characters who were supposedly not dead yet and so in the masquerade we participated in we won the “we are not dead yet” award. Mr. Martin and his wife Paris, were really nice and we got the chance to talk to both of them. I admit that I was a little star struck at first, but it eased up as the convention went. Before leaving us Paris told me that I looked a lot like she imagined Arya. I can’t say how happy that made me. I’ve been all happy about it since.

Mr. Martin was not the only guest of honor though. Mr. Alistair Reynolds renowned sci-fi author was there as well as Mr. Adam Roberts who proved to be not only a skilled author, but also witty as hell. I had my books signed by both of them and got a chance to chat to both of them which was very fun. Adam Roberts signed the supposed “talking out of the arse”- book he has written, better known as “the land of the headless”.

Aside from the authors and the dressing up we sold our fanzines in the artist alley and I think it all went rather well, so we were happy. Finncon was all in all a success and fun. I talked to a lot of people who proved interesting, goofy and all around cheerful. I can’t think of any real boring moments. Well there were some, but without a little boredom you can’t know when it’s amazingly fun, can ya?

So now I’ve had my ramble, thanks for reading this far.

Peace out.