The little boy gazed up at the beautiful girl seated cross-legged on a tree stump. She wore tights, a sparkly skirt, and enormous plastic wings. Her wild hair was decorated with twigs, leaves and flowers. Her small, pointed face was painted with make-up. Strands of plastic ivy decorated the guitar across her lap.
Whispers prowl through the rubble that surrounds the leaning house. Half-fallen buildings stand on either side, as though a careless giant strode through the town and only by chance missed the one house—surely when the gods choose to wreak destruction on all, they are not so capriciously merciful to one.
APEX MAGAZINE: What sparked the idea for “Sprig” and made you want to write it down?
ALEX BLEDSOE: The initial inspiration came from taking my kids to their first Renaissance Faire this summer. My own history with renaissance fairs is pretty iffy, so I resolved to try to see the experience through their eyes.
I became a professional at SF/F conventions through a retro route; I started as a fan. For years, my husband and I attended conventions (mostly media), went to panels, attended parties, collected autographs, and made friends with fans, conrunners, and pros.
If the Programming Team at a science fiction convention does its job properly, the end result should be a clean schedule that always presents interesting items for attendees and program participants alike.
