Twitter Updates

    follow me on Twitter

    Tuesday, October 8, 2013

    My Capclave Schedule

    It’s almost here! Capclave, the Washington DC-area science fiction, fantasy and horror convention will run from Friday through Sunday, October 11-13, at the Hilton Washington DC North in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

    This is a big thing—not just for me, but also for fans of Guest of Honor George R.R. Martin. I can’t remember the last time he and fellow Guests of Honor—editor Sharyn November, writer Harold Waldrop—have graced an East Coast con.  Putting on my reporter’s hat, I have no idea how much Game of Thrones/Wild Cards/Old Mars gossip I’ll be able to wheedle out of them. But I plan to give it my best shot.

    And par-tay! At least, when I’m not on a panel. I think you’ll agree my schedule (below) is choice. Hope to see you there!

    Friday

    4 p.m. Salon A

    The Darker Side of Fae (Ends at 4:55 p.m.)
    Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Alethea Kontis, Michelle D. Sonnier (M), Jim Stratton, Jean Marie Ward
    Not everyone can be Tinkerbell, sometimes the world is a little less clean and pure. Is the darker fae a return to time when the fae were strange and alarming?

    10 p.m., Salon B

    Nice Shoes … (Ends at: 10:55 p.m.)
    Panelists:
    Judi Fleming, Jason Jack Miller, Betsy A. Riley, Patrick Scaffido, Jean Marie Ward
    Shoes, do they make the character? What are the tricks to subtly tell the reader about the character through clothes, furniture, job, and hobbies. Is this just a chic lit trait or a common tool?

    11 p.m., Salons CDE

    I'm Just Borrowing the Characters… Writing Fanfic (Ends at: 11:55 p.m.)
    Panelists:
    Janine Spendlove, Elaine Stiles (M), Jean Marie Ward, Steven H. Wilson
    Why do people write fanfic? Is it fair use or unfair abuse? How is it different from retellings of Greek myths or King Arthur? Is using familiar characters and settings "training wheels" for beginning authors or a dangerous crutch that will engrain bad habits? Where are the lines?

    Saturday

    3 p.m., Salon B

    A Survey of Kickass Animals that Probably Don't Exist (Ends at: 3:55 p.m.)
    Panelists:
    Thomas Holtz (M), Diana Peterfreund, Norm Sherman, Howard Waldrop, Jean Marie Ward
    From the Goatman to the Mothman, Yeti to Yowie, and Dodo to Ogopogo. From Bloops to Blobs, Giant Owls to Lizard men, Chupacabres to Mongolian Deathworms. From the foul smelling Skunk Ape of the Florida Everglades, to the brain eating Nandi Bears of Kenya, this course is a basic introduction into the study of absurd animals which purportedly exist based on the sightings and information gathered by stammering lunatics, drunken peasants and other researchers in the field.

    7:30 p.m., Salons A-E


    9 p.m., Salon B

    Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading (Ends at: 9:55 p.m.)
    Panelists:
    Jean Marie Ward (M), Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Day Al-Mohamed, Meriah Lysistrata Crawford, Elektra Hammond, Dina Leacock, Christine Norris, Leona Wisoker
    Bite-sized readings from the writers of Broad Universe.

    Saturday, October 5, 2013

    Looking ahead

    Art by Kelli Neier
    Those of you who obsessively check the sidebar of my website (there's gotta be one of you, right?) will have noticed the release of Hellfire Lounge 4: Reflections of Evil has been pushed back again, and I still don't have a release date for Gaslight & Grimm. (Boo.) But a new story and a new convention have joined the list. (Win!)
    First and foremost in any writer's mind is the latest acceptance. "The Gap in the Fence" is one of my favorite contemporary fantasies, but I wasn't sure it would find a home. Then Janine Spendlove and Ron Garner of Silence in the Library Publishing invited me to submit a story to Athena's Daughters. The fit between story and anthology was so close, it's almost as if I wrote it with Athena's Daughters in mind.
    Athena's Daughters will be the subject of a Kickstarter later in the year. The first level will fund the ebook, which features the beautiful cover by Kelli Neier shown here. As we go up the levels, there will be additional authors, illustrations and a paper edition. You better believe I'll have more about that as we get closer to launch.
    Also listed is my first confirmed con of 2014: World Fantasy Con. The 2014 edition will be happening just a few minutes from my home. But this is one local on I won't be commuting to. I plan to party!
    I also plan to party at next weekend's Capclave, and I'll be posting my schedule early next week. Hope to see you there!