Walk Into The World Of Fantasy At Incon

As one of the main writers for the television series “Beauty And The Beast,” George R.R. Martin helped create one of America’s biggest and unlikely heartthrobs.

Martin, who wrote for one of TV’s most original shows for three seasons, will speak this weekend at the annual Inland Empire Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention (a.k.a. INCON) at Cavanaugh’s Fourth Avenue.

“Beauty And The Beast,” which ran from 1987-1990 on CBS, was sort of an off-kilter romance between Vincent (the Beast), who lived in an underground community, and Katherine, an attorney.

The series was a hit and garnered a strong and loyal following.

“We had very enthusiastic fans,” Martin recalled last week in a phone interview. “I think partly it was that the show was unique; there was nothing else like it on television. A lot of other shows are a dime a dozen. … And there’s been nothing like ‘Beauty And The Beast’ since.

“It was not only a romantic show, which is the thing that everybody picks up,” he said. “It was also an extremely intelligent show, which is something that we, those of us who worked on it, take a lot of pride in. Vincent was always reciting poetry or talking about Jack London or Mark Twain or Scott Fitzgerald.”

Romantic and intelligent, the TV show was canceled after only three seasons. “Beauty And The Beast” enjoyed two successful seasons before ratings dipped during the third, when the show’s cast began to unravel.

One of the main reasons for the show’s demise was the departure of co-star Linda Hamilton, who was pregnant at the time.

Following “Beauty And The Beast,” George developed new TV shows. “I wrote pilots, some of which were filmed, some of which were not,” he said.

None of which made a splash.

At INCON, Martin will show one of the pilots that never aired.

Today, the writer spends most of his time writing novels and short stories and editing an anthology series of short stories. He writes science fiction, fantasy and horror.

Martin, whose best-known novel is the vampire thriller “Feevre Dream,” prefers to write books over TV scripts.

“Television is certainly lucrative and has a regular segment to it. Ultimately it is a collaborative medium and you’ve got a lot of people telling you what to do.

“In books, you’re god. You get to do everything in books. You decide how the story goes, and your editor is going to help you tell the story you want to tell. For any kind of artist or creator, it’s a much more gratifying experience,” he paused, “in every way except financially.”

During the weekend, Martin will sit in on a couple of panels. He’ll also be reading from his soon-to-be-released book “Game Of Thrones,” the first volume of a fantasy trilogy.

INCON has a number of other activities on tap for this year’s convention.

Tonight, there will be an artists’ reception to open an exhibit of science fiction and fantasy art. It’s at 7 p.m. at Cavanaugh’s Fourth Avenue in Room 304.

INCON officially commences on Friday.

The event features a movie room, an animation room devoted to Japanese animation, costuming panels, costuming workshops (just in time for Halloween) and various other exhibits.

Discussion topics this year include “Secrets of the Unconscious Mind” and “Ebola: The Next Plague?”

Just like last year, there will be plenty of gaming. In fact, Cathleen Adkinson, a creator and co-owner of the popular fantasy card game “Magic The Gathering,” will be speaking along with one of the artists who designed some of the cards.

A dance is scheduled for 9 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, there will be a costume contest at 8 p.m.

For those interested in purchasing collectibles or memorabilia, a shop will have such merchandise for sale.

Though closing times Friday and Saturday night are listed as 9, gaming will continue later and the dance will go on as long as there are people on the dance floor. Last year, it went until 3 a.m.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY CONVENTION The annual Inland Empire Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention will be Friday from 4-9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Cavanaugh’s Fourth Avenue, 110 E. Fourth. Tickets are $25 for the weekend, or $15 Saturday and $12 for Friday or Sunday.