My Schedule for Balticon 50

Taking a moment away from baking double batches of molasses cookies and pecan snowballs to share my tentative schedule for Balticon 50. Why did I tantalize you by mentioning baked goods made with butter and sugar and vanilla and all sorts of wonderful things? Because they and a lot of other homemade goodies will be waiting for you at the E-Spec Books Launch Party on Sunday night. I’m also bringing chocolate to the Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading Sunday afternoon.
This means you’re coming to Balticon, right? Right?
Can’t wait to see you there!

Saturday 1-1:50 PM, Guilford (Renaissance)
Writing: It's My Job AND What I Do For Fun—Our panelists discuss how awesome it is having their job be something they love to do: the work itself, the fan, the other authors they meet, the places they get to visit.
Panelists: Carl Cipra (Moderator), Keith DeCandido , Jody Lynn Nye, Jean Marie Ward

Saturday 6-6:50 PM, St. George (Renaissance)
Steampunk and Urban Fantasy Readings with Keith R. A. DeCandido, Christine Norris, Jean Marie Ward, and D. C. Wilson

Sunday 3-4:20 PM, Pride of Baltimore (Renaissance)
Broad Universe Rapid Fire Readings—The woman of Broad Universe are back with flash readings to tweak your appetites!
Panelists: Randee Dawn (Moderator), Roxanne Bland, Carmen Webster Buxton, LJ Cohen, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Kelly A. Harmon, Lisa Hawkridge, Tamara Siler Jones, Paula S. Jordan, Gail Martin, Jody Lynn Nye, Jean Marie Ward

Sunday 7-9 PM, MD Salon B (Renaissance)
E-Spec Books Launch Party—The authors contributing to Gaslight and Grimm, The Weird Wild West, The Side of Good/The Side of Evil and Defending the Future invite you to help them celebrate! Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, R. S. Belcher, Danny Birt, Keith DeCandido, John L. French, Eric Hardenbrook, Kelly Harmon, Chris Hiles, Emily Leverett, Diana Bastine, Gail Z. Martin, Mike McPhail, Bernie Mojzes, Christine Norris, Jody Lynn Nye, Ken Schrader, Bud Sparhawk, David Lee Summers, Jean Marie Ward, Robert Waters, Jeff Young

Monday 12:00 - 12:50 PM, Parlor 8029 (Renaissance)
What's Hot Short Fiction?
Panelists: Sarah Pinsker (Moderator), Alex Shvartsman, Michael Underwood, Scott Edelman, Jean Marie Ward

SynDCon Schedule

As you probably guessed from my silence on the blog-waves, I’m lost in the writing cave again. But I’ll emerge for two days this weekend to participate in the seminars and wonderfulness that is SynDCon, the Washington DC area’s premier gaming convention.
My schedule comprises three panels in the auditorium of the con hotel, the Hilton Conference Center in Rockville, MD. (It really is only steps away from the Twinbrook Metro!)

Saturday, April 2
Noon – 2 p.m.
Getting Published in Fiction
Four crazy writers tell you how they convinced people to pay them for doing what they’d do for free. I suspect there will be some funny rejection stories, too. After all, misery does love company.
Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail (moderator), Vonnie Winslow Crist, Jean Marie Ward & Diane Whiteside

6 – 8 p.m.
The Literary Handyman Mini-Writer’s Workshop
This is where Dani puts on her editor’s hat and gets to the guts of what makes a good, saleable story, with Vonnie and I sharing our scars--er, learning experiences.
Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail (moderator), Vonnie Winslow Crist & Jean Marie Ward

Sunday, April 3
Noon – 2 p.m.
Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Reading
Join the women writers of Broad Universe for a selection of small yet tasty bites of fiction. The current plan calls for each of us to read twice. I’m planning a selection from “Personal Demons” (my contribution to Hellebore & Rue) and the first unveiling of a Sooper Sekrit ProjeK, which will not be mentioned in paper or pixies--er, pixels until the anthology table of contents is announced…by somebody else. But I can tell you this: There will be cats. And of course, chocolate. Can’t have an RFR without chocolate!
Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Kelly A. Harmon, Jean Marie Ward (moderator) & Diane Whiteside.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

The Library of Congress, signing with Nora, and DragonCon--oh my!

RavenCon isn’t the only thing on my calendar this month. Monday, April 12, barely hours after I return from Richmond, I’ll be reading at the Library of Congress in downtown Washington, D.C. The Library of Congress! You can’t see it, but I’m grinning so hard my cheeks are aching.

The reading resulted from a collaboration between the library’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum and Broad Universe, an international organization dedicated to exploring and promoting the work of women writers in science fiction, fantasy and horror. It will take the form of a four-person Rapid Fire Reading featuring Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Sarah Avery, fellow BtV blogger Christine Norris and me. You’ve already seen the poster I prepped when the reading was announced. Now you can read the bios, too, in the hand-out I’ll be using as our program.

But that’s not the only reason I may expire of excitement. I’ve been added to the roster of major authors (like Charlaine Harris!) signing with Nora Roberts at Turn the Page Bookstore Café in Boonsboro, Maryland, on Friday, April 16. My name and web site link seem to wander around the page, but the confirmation of my presence is right there at the bottom of the page: the buy link for Fantasy Art Templates.

I signed With Nine You Get Vanyr at the Turn the Page spring mega-signing in 2007. Nora and the top names sell hundreds of books, and even small fry like me sell in the dozens. This time, there are some new rules. For example, the writers can only sign books purchased at the event. Trust me, that’s a relief. Yes, you sign that much.

Finally, it’s official. I’m on the guest list at DragonCon. Atlanta, here I come. I can’t wait.

Library of Congress... Squeee!

The Library of Congress Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum has invited four Broad Universe members--Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Susan Avery, Christine Norris and me--for a Rapid Fire Reading at the Library's Madison Building at 12:10 p.m., April 13. You can see the details (and our neat flyer) here.

This is not Broad Universe's first RFR at the Library of Congress this year. We were preceded by Catherine Asaro, Kelly A. Harmon, Ellen Kushner and Sue Lange earlier this month. Which means we've got a tough act to follow.

I'm bringing Bai.

Hope to see you there!