My Capclave schedule

With no Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading in sight (sob), this year's Capclave schedule is a peach. I'll be participating in just three program items

Friday, 7 p.m.
Magical Worlds--The various uses of magic in fantasy, science fiction, horror and mainstream fiction. From the Force to spells, the panel will also look at unique forms of magic in a variety of books. Panelists: Danny Birt, Stuart Jaffe (moderator) and Jean Marie Ward

Saturday, 8 p.m.
Capclave Mass Autograph Session--A gathering of all the Capclave authors in one place, ready to sign books and chat!

Saturday, 9 p.m.
Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press Award and Party--Join us for the announcement of the winner of the WSFA Small Press Award. There will also be some other surprises revealed, plus cake! (Have I mentioned I'm nominated? With Capclave guests of honor Carrie Vaughn and Catherynne M. Valente? And Sarah Monette? And Jack McDevitt? And RJ Astruc? (You can't see it on the page, but my grin's reeeeeeaaaaaalllly wide right now. :D Heck yeah, there will be cake! And photos, too.)

This leaves me a lot of time to hang with friends, take pictues and, hopefully, shoot a few new author videos for Buzzy. So drop by and take in a few panels--they don't even have to be mine. You'll be glad you did. Promise!

The annual Dragon*Con photo blog

For those of you who view clicking through picture galleries with the same horror our parents reserved for slide shows of Aunt Ermintrude's trip to the Catskills, today's post at Beyond the Veil is for you. I've cherry-picked some of my best photos of Dragon*Con 2011 and wrapped them in the lightest of all possible con reports. And there isn't a panel table anywhere in sight. Enjoy!

"Lord Bai's Discovery" nominated for WSFA Small Press Award

This one totally blew me away. Lord Bai's Discovery" from the anthology Dragon's Lure has made the short list for the Washington Science Fiction Association's 2011 Small Press Award, along with stories by Sarah Monette, Carrie Vaughn, Jack McDevitt, Catherynne M. Valente and RJ Astruc. The awards will be presented at Capclave, October 14-16, in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

I'm still pinching myself--to think my story about a foodie dragon is being read in such company... I may need a glass of champagne just to calm down.

And to think the only news I thought I'd have today was the posting of Michael Swanwick's Balticon interview. Which you should totally read. He's one of the best raconteur's ever. Then you can go back to watching me shriek and caper around the computer. :D

Dragon*Con Photos & More

It's been a challenging week here at Casa Ward/Uchrin. Days of rain succeeded in doing what earthquake and hurricane failed to do: postpone my work on my Dragon*Con photos and videos.

We're still dealing with the aftermath of the flood, but the photos are sorted and posted at Flickr. I plan to post a Thursday Thirteen at Beyond the Veil in the near future, but Flickr's the place if you want to see the complete set.

Meanwhile, Buzzy Multimedia has posted my interviews with authors Maria V. Snyder and Paolo Bacigalupi. We're also tweaking my Tour of Tor. I'll post the link soon.

Finally, I want to remind everybody that my story "Billy's Monster" will be published in Hellfire Lounge II: Rat Pack Redux. The story leans more toward horror than my usual, but with a scheduled publication date of late September/early October, it's certainly in keeping with the season. ;-)




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The photo at the top is perhaps my favorite from this year's Dragon*Con. It shows Cruxshadows violinist JoHanna Moresco demonstrating violin technique to a young friend before the band's early, early Monday morning show.

The Dragon*Con Schedule Has Landed

One of the best things about being a writer is being able to post a convention schedule. Not only is it a measure of your achievement, it also means you’ll be seeing your long distance friends. And when the schedule happens to be for Dragon*Con, well, let the party begin!

Friday, September 1

11:30 AM: Just the Facts, Ma'am
Description: Non-fiction is a market that needs good writers. If this appeals to you, come listen to these pros tell you how to make it happen.
M Chapman, G. D. Falksen, John L. Flynn, Anya Martin, and Jean Marie Ward
Location: Manila / Singapore / Hong Kong - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

8:30 PM: New and Next Weird
Description: New weird, mash-up, slipstream, interstitial, crossover... what does the future of "genre" hold, especially for the darker fringes of fantasy?
Lou Anders, Stephen H. Segal, Ann VanderMeer, Jeff Vandermeer, and Jean Marie Ward
Location: Cairo - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

10 PM: Broad Universe Reading
Description: Quick cuts read by some by the women authors of Broad Universe
Gail Z. Martin, Jody Lynn Nye, Jean Marie Ward, Trisha Wooldridge (moderator) and many more.
Location: Greenbriar - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

Sunday, September 4

1 PM: Broad Universe Reading Part 2
Description: More great reads by the women authors of Broad Universe.
Gail Z. Martin, Jean Marie Ward and many more.
Location: Fairlie - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

Monday, September 5

11:30 AM: Win, Lose or Draw - SF and Fantasy Style
Description: A replay of our popular game show where your job is to draw sf and fantasy names and phrases to get others to guess them. Prizes available.
MC: Jean Marie Ward
Location: Fairlie - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

Hope to see you there!

Sparkly Cover Goodness

Yeah, I know, you've been wondering whether I forgot how to do this blog thing. Not quite. I just wanted to save it until I had something to make you go Ooooooh! And I do, Ben Fogletto's wonderful cover for Hellfire Lounge 2, where you'll find one of my darker little stories, "Billy's Monster".
I don't have an ISBN or release day yet, but when I do, you'll hear it here first. Not to worry, you won't be bored in the meantime. It'll take days to see all the fabulous details in this image. Enjoy!

Happy Dancing Through Tuesday

This is so good I'm dancing. Patricia Bray and Joshua Palmatier announced the table of contents for their new fantasy anthology, The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity, coming from DAW Tekno Books in March 2012. And the writers are:

Introduction by Patricia Bray and Joshua Palmatier

"We Will Not Be Undersold" by Seanan McGuire

"Changeling" by Susan Jett

"Water-Called" by Kari Sperring

"The Roots of Aston Quercus" by Juliet E. McKenna

"To Scratch an Itch" by Avery Shade

"Continuing Education" by Kristine Smith

"How To Be Human™" by Barbara Ashford

"How Much Salt" by April Steenburgh

"Hooked" by Anton Strout

"Crash" by S. C. Butler

"Fixed" by Jean Marie Ward

"A People Who Always Know" by Shannon Page & Jay Lake

"The Slaughtered Lamb" by Elizabeth Bear

"Corrupted" by Jim C. Hines

Yes! That’s me on that list! “Fixed” is the story of a teenaged cat shifter who gets taken to an animal shelter while wearing fur. Needless to say, he really REALLY doesn’t want to get “Fixed”.

Although you won’t be able to hold the book (or the pixels of the ebook version) in your hands until March, The Modern Fae’s Guide to Surviving Humanity is available for pre-order on a number of sites, including Amazon. Buy, buy, buy! In multiples, if you can. Patricia and Joshua were so much fun to work with, I’d love to do it again.

Meanwhile, I’m grinning from ear to ear.

My first video interview from behind the camera

Be afraid. I'm back to asking nosy questions again, and this time I'm armed with a video camera.  And you thought the Rapture was scary.
My first video interview from behind the camera is now live at BuzzyMultimedia.com.  Carole Nelson Douglas has been writing top flight science fiction and fantasy--to say nothing of her tales of Las Vegas's only cat PI--for thirty years.  In her Buzzy interview, the focus is on her Delilah Street Paranormal Mysteries.  But don't worry.  There are lots of entertaining feline detours along the way.  (Duz said it was vital to mention this point, and who am I to argue with the Feline Overlord?)
More interviews with wonderful writers are in the pipeline--folks like Connie Willis, Joe Haldeman and Michael Swanwick--along with a few surprises.  Meanwhile, my next job is finishing a short story and posting my Balticon photos.  Between the Nebula Awards Weekend and Balticon, it's been a fun couple of weeks.  But now it's back to work.

Nebula Weekend Photos

I know, two posts in a single week. Try not to die of shock. ;-)

I posted my photos of Nebula Weekend on Flickr. I wanted to get them done before heading to Balticon. They're smaller than usual. Next time I won't resize in Corel Paint, but I have the full-size originals if anyone is interested. Besides they're big enough to see the smiles.

When I get back from Balticon, I'll be working pedal to the metal on a fiction deadline as well as on a spate of video interviews for Buzzy Multimedia. Yes, me, making movies. Mwahahaha!

I turned in the first, an interview with Carole Nelson Douglas (the Delilah Street paranormal mystery series, among many, many others) on Tuesday. It should air in a few days. Next up will be the interviews I recorded at the Nebulas: Connie Willis (this year's winner for best novel--I think Connie owns more Nebulas thany anyone), John Scalzi, Joe Haldeman, Mary Robinette Kowal and Chris Claremont.

Who knows who'll find themselves in my lens in Balticon? Be afraid. Be very afraid.

But don't forget to attend my panels!

My Schedule for Balticon 45

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

No, not the big Red/Green holiday. I mean con season! For me it’s kicking off in a big way with Balticon 45 at the Marriott in Hunt Valley, Maryland, this weekend, May 27-30. So far, my schedule includes six panels and events:

Friday, May 27
7 p.m. , Salon B – Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading
Join us for a selection of sweet and savory readings by seven exciting women authors.
Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, D. Renee Bagby, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Gail Z. Martin, Roberta Rogow, Jean Marie Ward (moderator), Phoebe Wray.

10 p.m., Parlor 1041 – Anime: Why Do We Love It?
Anime fans in self-analysis. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Panelists: D. Renee Bagby, Ruth Lampi, Grig “Punkie” Larson, Jean Marie Ward (moderator).

Saturday, May 27
1 p.m., Salon B – Whose Program Is It Anyway?
Panelists—and audience members—behaving badly at cons. What’s the worst thing that ever happened to you or somebody you know at a con? Those are the best stories EVAH!
Panelists: Hildy Silverman, Jennifer Stone, Michael Swanwick, Jean Marie Ward, Leona Wisoker (moderator)

7 p.m., Belmont – Clark Ashton Who? Great Forgotten Science Fiction Authors
So much great literature, so little time. Panelists discuss their favorites among yesterday’s greats and their candidates for that great File 13 in the sky.
Panelists: Marc “Grailwolf” Bailey, Carl Cipra (moderator), Michael Swanwick, Jean Marie Ward, Diane Weinstein.

Sunday, May 28
4 p.m., Salon D – Best SF TV Shows
The audience is invited to help the panel decide which science fiction television shows (a) are really science fiction and (b) the best.
Panelists: Marc “Grailwolf” Bailey, T.J. Perkins, Hildy Silverman (moderator), Suzanne Rosin, Jean Marie Ward.

5 p.m., Salon B – Science Fiction Title Chain
It’s a game! The audience provides the words for a science fiction story or novel’s title. The panelists arrange them in a more or less coherent order, and each panelist comes up with a descriptive synopsis. The audience votes on the synopsis they like best.
Panelists: Lisa Adler-Golden (moderator)Nancy Brauer, Brian Koscienski, Grig “Punkie” Larson, Jean Marie Ward.

And if I’m lucky, I may be added to two more:

History as a Source of Fantasy, 4 p.m. Saturday, Belmont Room.

Ghosts, 5 p.m., Saturday, Salon C.

See you in Hunt Valley!

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