ConGregate 4/DeepSouthCon 55: Full Schedule

*Gaming Schedule is available on OGRe

(AP) = Audience Participation, (ET) = Experts Talk
Note: Barbara Hambly’s Reading & QandA will be on Sunday at 11am in Suite 215!

2:00pm EDT

Landing Your Creative Career (ET)

How do you open the door that leads to a professional creative career? What about changing careers when you've already climbed the corporate ladder? And for students, how do you know where to focus your study? From world builder to professional author, gamer to game developer, audiophile to pro composer, and storyteller to screenwriter-all have common threads that weave a career path. Our guests divulge their secret tips and tricks for creative entrepreneurs and share how they became successful, professional creators!

Moderators

Chris Kennedy

Literary Guest

A bestselling Science Fiction/Fantasy author, speaker, and small-press publisher, Chris Kennedy is a former naval aviator and elementary school principal. Chris' stories include the Occupied Seattle military fiction duology, The Theogony and Codex Regius science fiction trilogies... Read More →

Guests

John G. Hartness

Literary Guest, Falstaff Books

John G. Hartness is a teller of tales, a righter of wrong, defender of ladies’ virtues, and some people call him Maurice, for he speaks of the pompatus of love. He is also the award-winning author of the urban fantasy series The Black Knight Chronicles, the Bubba the Monster Hunter... Read More →

Stuart Jaffe

Literary Guest

Stuart Jaffe is the madman behind The Max Porter Paranormal Mysteries, the Nathan K thrillers, The Malja Chronicles, The Bluesman, Founders, Real Magic, and so much more. He trained in martial arts for over a decade until a knee injury ended that practice. Now, he plays lead guitar... Read More →

Melissa McArthur

Literary Guest, Falstaff Books

Melissa McArthur is the founder and president of Clicking Keys Writer Services, a full-service editing, cover design, and layout company based in the upstate of South Carolina. She also serves as an Acquiring Editor for Falstaff Books, and is an accomplished editor and proofreader.Her... Read More →

Linda Robertson

Literary Guest

Linda Robertson is an internationally published author. She won first place in the OSU/Mansfield Florence B. Allen writing competition (2006). Since then, she's earned a cum laude Associate of the Art’s Degree in English and published several novels and short stories. In addition... Read More →

Friday July 14, 2017 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Salon B-C-D

Art, Experts Talk | Writing, Experts Talk

2:00pm EDT

Costuming Makes The Character (ET)

What do fantasy characters wear and how does that affect the story? Think of Conan the Barbarian or someone from Dune. Very different characters with a very different appearance. Julian May deliberately gave her characters elaborate costumes so she could see them in subsequent masquerades. Certainly the characters in George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones have a definitive fashion sense. How can writers describe clothing to overcome a reader’s bias about how people should look? How can clothes be used as sign posts to help readers conceptualize a strange world?

Moderators

Cheralyn Lambeth

Media Arts Guest

Cheralyn Lambeth is a professional costume, prop, and puppet builder whose work includes feature films (The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Patriot, Evan Almighty, Leatherheads, The Hunger Games), TV programs (Dinosaurs, Homeland, Outcast), and theater/interactive properties (Sesame Street... Read More →

Guests

Larry N. Martin

Literary Guest

Larry N. Martin is the co-author of the new Steampunk series Iron and Blood: The Jake Desmet Adventures and a series of short stories and novellas: The Storm & Fury Adventures set in the Jake Desmet universe. These short stories also appear in the anthologies Clockwork Universe... Read More →

Friday July 14, 2017 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Victorian A

Costuming, Experts Talk | Writing, Experts Talk

3:00pm EDT

Full-time Creative Work on a Part-time Schedule (ET)

Panelists will cover basic, though imperative, approaches and concepts for what you need to know to accomplish any project in any medium with any goal.

Moderators

Samantha Bryant

Author, Dangerous When Bored

Samantha Bryant writes superhero and horror stories, which one depends on whether she wants to save the world today, or burn it down. She is best known for her Menopausal Superhero series of novels through Falstaff Books, winner of a Jacquis Award for feminist writing. Well, that... Read More →

Guests

Glenda Finkelstein

Literary Guest

Glenda has a wide and varied career as a writer having published song lyrics, human-interest articles, poems, short stories, novels, and screenplays. Her interest in writing was not just a happenstance having a great-grandfather who was a wonderful poet, and aunts and uncles who nurtured... Read More →

Chris Kennedy

Literary Guest

Ian J. Malone

Literary Guest

Ian J. Malone is the owner of Sharkflight Publishing and author of THE MAKO SAGA, a space opera trilogy about five college buddies turned interstellar war heroes via beers and a video game. As a graduate of Florida State University, Malone has written in a variety of arenas ranging... Read More →

Michael D. Pederson

Fan Guest

Michael D. Pederson is the publisher/editor/graphic designer responsible for Nth Degree. Mike began his career as a writer/publisher in 1988 when his SF short story, “Dust Storm,” won first place in a local writing contest. In the 1990s, he wrote and published the Raven comic... Read More →

Friday July 14, 2017 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Boardroom

Art, Experts Talk | Costuming, Experts Talk | Writing, Experts Talk

5:00pm EDT

Writing in Multiple Tie-In Universes (ET)

Our panelists have written official novels for Star Wars, Star Trek, and Beauty and the Beast, as well as Sherlock Holmes pastiches. Given that they also write a lot of other fiction, the panelists discuss the differences between writing original fiction and writing for pre-existing franchises/worlds.

Moderators

Amy H. Sturgis

Literary Guest

Amy H. Sturgis (http://amyhsturgis.com) earned her Ph.D. in Intellectual History from Vanderbilt University, teaches Liberal Studies at Lenoir-Rhyne University, and specializes in Science Fiction/Fantasy and Indigenous American Studies. She is one of the staff members behind the Hugo Award-winning StarShipSofa podcast... Read More →

Guests

Alexandra Christian

Literary Guest

Alexandra Christian is an author of paranormal romance with a speculative slant. Her love of Stephen King and sweet tea has flavored her fiction with a Southern Gothic sensibility that reeks of Spanish moss and deep fried eccentricity. As one-half of the writing team at Little Red... Read More →

Melissa McArthur

Literary Guest, Falstaff Books

Richard C. White

Literary Guest

Richard C. White is a science fiction/fantasy author, but he has also been known to do dark fantasy, new pulp, historical adventure, fantasy noir, and even non-fiction. His latest release was Harbinger of Darkness and earlier this year he released a dark fantasy short story collection... Read More →

Friday July 14, 2017 5:00pm - 5:50pm EDT
Provincial

TV/Film, Experts Talk | Writing, Experts Talk

6:00pm EDT

On Writing Short Stories (ET)

Short stories are often a great way to begin writing. Our panelists talk about how they got their start, what interests them in writing short stories and where new authors can look to publish their work.

Moderators

Gray Rinehart

Literary Guest

Gray Rinehart writes science fiction and fantasy stories, nonfiction, songs ... and other things. He is the only person to have commanded an Air Force satellite tracking station, written speeches for Presidential appointees, originated a poetic form, and had music on The Dr. Demento... Read More →

Guests

Steven S. Long

Literary Guest

Steven S. Long is a writer and game designer who's worked primarily in the tabletop roleplaying game field for the past twenty years. During that time he's written or co-written approximately 200 RPG books. He's best known for his work with Champions and the HERO System, but has worked... Read More →

Edmund R. Schubert

Literary Guest

Edmund R. Schubert is the author of the novel, Dreaming Creek, and over 50 short stories. Some of his early stories are collected in The Trouble with Eating Clouds; newer ones can be found in This Giant Leap. Schubert also contributed to and edited the non-fiction book, How to Write... Read More →

Stephen J. Simmons

Science Guest

Stephen J. Simmons was raised by a feral pack of English teachers in a tiny hamlet in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, and went to high school in Albany. He spent twenty-one years in the Navy, both as a nuclear operator on five fast-attack submarines and as an instructor... Read More →

Friday July 14, 2017 6:00pm - 6:50pm EDT
Victorian B

Writing, Experts Talk

6:00pm EDT

Writing Sherlock Holmes and Other Icons (ET)

Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Superheroes... What are the challenges with writing these iconic characters? And if you change them - how do you make sure to capture their essence? When writing an iconic character, how do you determine what makes them iconic? Is it Sherlock Holmes being a detective, or Bond working for MI-6? What happens if Holmes is a Demon, or Bond is set in a Fantasy World?

Moderators

Amy H. Sturgis

Literary Guest

Guests

Alexandra Christian

Literary Guest

Misty Massey

Literary Guest

Misty Massey is the author of MAD KESTREL, a rollicking adventure of magic on the high seas (Tor), KESTREL'S VOYAGES, a collection of short stories featuring those rambunctious pirates (Amazon) and the upcoming KESTREL'S DANCE (Lore Seekers Press). She is a co-editor of THE WEIRD... Read More →

Melissa McArthur

Literary Guest, Falstaff Books

J. Matthew Saunders

Literary Guest

J. Matthew Saunders is the author of the Daughters of Shadow and Blood trilogy inspired by the Brides of Dracula, the Dreadful Penny occult detective series, and numerous fantasy and horror short stories. He is a member of HWA.He was born in the small Appalachian town of Clayton... Read More →

Friday July 14, 2017 6:00pm - 6:50pm EDT
Boardroom

Writing, Experts Talk

9:00pm EDT

From Nancy Drew to Anita Blake (ET)

From Nancy Drew to Anita Blake, female detectives have graced bookshelves for many years. What skills do you need to bring writing these leading women to life? Where can you find great new female detectives?

Moderators

Melissa McArthur

Literary Guest, Falstaff Books

Guests

Janet Carden

Literary Guest

Roger and Janet Carden are the husband and wife team behind Crimson Streets (2016-present), an online magazine dedicated to fiction in the style of the pulp magazines of yesteryear. They focus on fast paced stories of action, adventure, and intrigue; from hard boiled dicks and dangerous dames, to bold aviators and unspeakable horrors. Before starting Cri... Read More →

Nicole Givens Kurtz

Literary Guest

Speculative pulp author, Nicole Givens Kurtz, writes science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Her most popular work, futuristic pulp series, Cybil Lewis blends whodunit mysteries within futuristic, post-apocalyptic world-building. Her novels have been named as finalists in the Fresh... Read More →

Darcy Wold

Artist Guest

Darcy Wold is a part-time artist, an inveterate editor, and an even more inveterate reader. In her day job, she works for CDISC (a standards development organization specializing in clinical data interchange) as a publishing editor and a technical metadata curator. Both roles involve... Read More →

Friday July 14, 2017 9:00pm - 9:50pm EDT
Boardroom

Writing, Experts Talk

10:00pm EDT

Romance in Genre Fiction (ET)

From Laurell K Hamiliton's Anita Blake's active romantic life to the relationships that bedevil Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden, how do you add romance to genre writing? Do you follow the typical "romance" plot lines? Or do you follow the more typical genre plot? How do you know when you are writing a "romance" novel that takes place in a science fiction/fantasy setting vs a "science fiction" novel with romantic elements?

Moderators

Alexandra Christian

Literary Guest

Guests

Melissa McArthur

Literary Guest, Falstaff Books

Linda Robertson

Literary Guest

Friday July 14, 2017 10:00pm - 10:50pm EDT
Victorian A

Writing, Experts Talk

10:00pm EDT

Writer Beware (ET)

Writer Beware’s mission is to track, expose, and raise awareness of the prevalence of fraud and other questionable activities in and around the publishing industry.

Moderators

Richard C. White

Literary Guest

Guests

Roger Carden

Literary Guest

Friday July 14, 2017 10:00pm - 10:50pm EDT
Boardroom

Writing, Experts Talk

9:30am EDT

Mixing Historical Research with Genre Fiction (ET)

Given that historical fiction itself is a demanding genre requiring a lot of effort if one wants to do it right,our panelists discuss the challenges they've faced and choices they've made in blending historical work with the fantasy and mystery genres.

Moderators

Amy H. Sturgis

Literary Guest

Guests

Barbara Hambly

Writer Guest of Honor

Since her first published fantasy in 1982 – THE TIME OF THE DARK – Barbara Hambly has touched pretty much all the bases in genre fiction, including mainstream historical fiction, historical murder mysteries, fantasy, science fiction, comic books, graphic novels, media tie-ins... Read More →

Kim Headlee

Literary Guest

Kim Headlee lives on a farm in southwestern Virginia with her family, cats, goats, Great Pyrenees goat guards, and assorted wildlife. People and creatures come and go, but the cave and the 250-year-old house ruins—the latter having been occupied as recently as the midtwentieth century—seem... Read More →

Tally Johnson

Paranormal

Mr. Johnson is a graduate of Spartanburg Methodist College and Wofford College with degrees in history. He is the author of Ghosts of the South Carolina Upcountry, Ghosts of the South Carolina Midlands, Ghosts of the Pee Dee (all for The History Press) and he also has a story in An... Read More →

Linda Robertson

Literary Guest

Saturday July 15, 2017 9:30am - 10:20am EDT
Provincial

Featured Guests, Experts Talk | Writing, Experts Talk

11:30am EDT

Writing Time Travel (ET)

Paradoxes. Infinite Loops. Multiple timelines. Time travel is hard. Writing it is even harder. Our panelists discuss some of the things that make writing time travel challenging.

Moderators

Michael D. Pederson

Fan Guest

Guests

Simon Hawke

Literary Guest

Simon Hawke was born Nikolai Yermakov to Russian immigrant parents in 1951 in New York City. He grew up on Long Island and has also lived in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., California, Colorado, and Arizona. He has traveled extensively, usually by motorcycle, and after 50 years... Read More →

Steven S. Long

Literary Guest

Saturday July 15, 2017 11:30am - 12:20pm EDT
Provincial

Writing, Experts Talk

12:00pm EDT

Sit Still, Look Pretty (ET)

Female characters from Rey and Jyn to Wonder Woman and Harlequin are known both for thier beauty but also for thier stregnth. How do these characters "own thier dreams" and move beyond being someone's girlfriend? The damsel in distress. The evil seductress. The tough girl who dies. Why are so many female characters such cookie-cutter archetypes? Why do so many fictional women lack the depth and variety of character of their male counterparts? How can fans and writers work together to create richer stories with more women who don't "Sit Still, Look Pretty."

Moderators

Alexandra Christian

Literary Guest

Guests

Glenda Finkelstein

Literary Guest

Alex Matsuo

Literary Guest

Alex Matsuo is an actor, dramaturg, playwright by day, and a paranormal researcher and author by night. She is the founder of the Association of Paranormal Study, which specializes in private home investigations and consultations. She is the author of The Haunting of the Tenth Avenue... Read More →

Angel Metro (Gild the Mourn)

Maya Preisler

Artist Guest, Geek Life

Maya Preisler has been creating art and telling stories since they were old enough to hold a pen, writing and illustrating their first science fiction novel at age eight. Maya is the proud author of a genre-bending spec fic novel and a short story in Corvid-19. Their artwork graces... Read More →

Saturday July 15, 2017 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Victorian A

Fandom, Experts Talk | TV/Film, Experts Talk | Writing, Experts Talk

12:00pm EDT

Heroes, Anti-Heroes, Villains (ET)

What really makes them different, and does it matter? How are they similar? Would you tell a story from the villain’s POV (e.g. Murder of Roger Ackroyd, The Demolished Man)?

Moderators

Allen Wold

Literary Guest

Allen Wold was born in south-western Michigan, where he began writing when he was about eight years old. He still has some of those early “stories” somewhere. He finished high school in Tucson, Arizona, and graduated from Pomona College, in Claremont, California, where he later... Read More →

Guests

Barbara Hambly

Writer Guest of Honor

Darin Kennedy

Author

Darin Kennedy, born and raised in Winston-Salem, NC, is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Bowman Gray School of Medicine. After completing family medicine residency in the mountains of Virginia, he served eight years as a United States Army physician and wrote his first novel... Read More →

Melissa McArthur

Literary Guest, Falstaff Books

Michael G. Williams

Literary Guest

Michael G. Williams writes wry suburban horror: stories of monsters, macabre humor and the deceptively picturesque. He is the author of the novels Perishables (2012 Laine Cunningham Novel Award), Tooth & Nail, Deal With the Devil, and the forthcoming Attempted Immortality. Michael... Read More →

Saturday July 15, 2017 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Boardroom

Writing, Experts Talk

Tags Writing

1:00pm EDT

Writing from Different Perspectives (ET)

Authors often try to write about protaganists that are different from themselves. Our panelists discuss why they feel it is important to capture these characters perspectives, the challenges faced in trying to be authentic, respectful, and sensitive in thier portrayal, and what they think about current debates and controversies about the importance of diversity, authenticity, and representation in fiction.

Moderators

Amy H. Sturgis

Literary Guest

Guests

Samantha Bryant

Author, Dangerous When Bored

Barbara Hambly

Writer Guest of Honor

Larry N. Martin

Literary Guest

Michael G. Williams

Literary Guest

Saturday July 15, 2017 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Boardroom

Featured Guests, Experts Talk | Writing, Experts Talk

3:30pm EDT

The Stages of a Writer's Experience (ET)

Each writer’s learning and career experiences are unique, but might there be similarities in the stages of their progress? Assuming a panel of four writers, each at a different stage of his/her career--say, beginner, moderately published, established, and master--what experiences of learning and success might each have encountered in their careers to date and how might they agree or differ?

Beginner William C Tracy, moderately published Paula Jordan, established Gail Z Martin, and master Timothy Zahn explore the likenesses and differences.

Moderators

Ian J. Malone

Literary Guest

Guests

Paula S. Jordan

Science Guest, The Wordshop

Paula S Jordan, a former orbit analyst, writes moderately hard, character-driven science fiction, with three stories (so far) in Analog. Her first novel, a present-day alien contact story set in western North Carolina, is nearing completion. Working title: Of Seas and the Stars... Read More →

Gail Z. Martin

Literary Guest

Gail Z. Martin is the author of Vendetta: A Deadly Curiosities Novel in her urban fantasy series set in Charleston, SC (Solaris Books); Shadow and Flame the fourth and final book in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books); The Shadowed Path (Solaris Books) and Iron and Blood a... Read More →

William C. Tracy

Science Guest

William C. Tracy is a North Carolina native with a masters and BS in mechanical engineering. He also has a BA in toy design. As such, he has both designed and operated heavy construction machinery (big toys) and is an expert in linkage design and optimization. He has been a Professional... Read More →

Timothy Zahn

Special Guest

Timothy Zahn was born in Chicago in 1951 and grew up in the western suburb of Lombard. He attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, earning a B.S. degree in physics in 1973, and moved on to the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana for graduate work. He earned a M.S... Read More →

Saturday July 15, 2017 3:30pm - 4:20pm EDT
Victorian A

Writing, Experts Talk

5:00pm EDT

Writer Guest of Honor Event (ET)

John Hartness interviews Barbara Hambly! Interview may be recorded live.

Moderators

John G. Hartness

Literary Guest, Falstaff Books

Guests

Barbara Hambly

Writer Guest of Honor

Saturday July 15, 2017 5:00pm - 5:50pm EDT
Salon B-C-D

Featured Guests, Experts Talk | Special Event, Experts Talk | Writing, Experts Talk

5:00pm EDT

Genre Blending: Science Fiction, Fantasy and More (ET)

Mixing science fiction and fantasy with other genres like mystery and westerns can give you a genre cocktail that is great...or very, very bad. Some authors have been hugely successful, while others have crashed and burned. Our experts tell you how to get it just right.

Moderators

Chris Kennedy

Literary Guest

Guests

Darin Kennedy

Author

Nicole Givens Kurtz

Literary Guest

Misty Massey

Literary Guest

J. Matthew Saunders

Literary Guest

Saturday July 15, 2017 5:00pm - 5:50pm EDT
Boardroom

Writing, Experts Talk

6:00pm EDT

Stories from the Author - Writing in Someone Else's World (ET)

Authors share some stories of the challenges and unique situations that they encountered writing in these unique worlds.

Moderators

Michael D. Pederson

Fan Guest

Guests

Barbara Hambly

Writer Guest of Honor

Simon Hawke

Literary Guest

Allen Wold

Literary Guest

Timothy Zahn

Special Guest

Saturday July 15, 2017 6:00pm - 6:50pm EDT
Boardroom

Featured Guests, Experts Talk | Writing, Experts Talk

6:00pm EDT

Using Martial Arts in Writing Fight Scenes (ET)

Join our panelists as they speak about using Martial Arts in writing fight scenes. They will talk about the different forms of Martial Arts and how the descriptions of their actions vary in the writing.

(Note: There will be a follow up, hands-on panel, "How to Survive a Horror Story" at 7pm in Provincial.)

Moderators

William C. Tracy

Science Guest

Guests

Kim Headlee

Literary Guest

Dr. Tedd Roberts

Science Guest

Dr. Tedd Roberts (aka Speaker to Lab Animals) claims he was born to wonderful parents, grew up in Texas, attended university then went on to grad school. He is a Professor at a medical school where his research focuses on the drug and radiation effects on hippocampus and memory... Read More →

Saturday July 15, 2017 6:00pm - 6:50pm EDT
Victorian A

Writing, Experts Talk

7:00pm EDT

Creating Magic (ET)

Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson has written several "laws" of magic. His first law is this: "An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic." Our panelists talk through how one creates a magic system, how magic can work in a setting, etc.

Moderators

Steven S. Long

Literary Guest

Guests

Alexandra Christian

Literary Guest

Melissa McArthur

Literary Guest, Falstaff Books

Linda Robertson

Literary Guest

Michael G. Williams

Literary Guest

Saturday July 15, 2017 7:00pm - 7:50pm EDT
Boardroom

Writing, Experts Talk

8:00pm EDT

Working Methods (ET)

What is the environment like when you write? Do you need privacy, silence, music? Longhand or keyboard for first drafts or coarse editing? Notes, outlines, floor plans and maps? Other visual references? Lots of coffee?

Moderators

Allen Wold

Literary Guest

Guests

Tally Johnson

Paranormal

J. Matthew Saunders

Literary Guest

Edmund R. Schubert

Literary Guest

Saturday July 15, 2017 8:00pm - 8:50pm EDT
Victorian B

Writing, Experts Talk

8:00pm EDT

Writing Believable Military Science Fiction - or “How to Not Suck at Mil SciFi” (ET)

Ever picked up a military scifi book and lost your suspension of disbelief within a page or two because it was so very, very wrong?
Want to learn how to get it right? Come talk with the experts on how they nail their military scifi and write books that readers can't put down.

Moderators

Chris Kennedy

Literary Guest

Guests

Ian J. Malone

Literary Guest

Alan Pollack

Artist Guest of Honor

Alan Pollack was born in New Jersey in 1964. Influenced at an early age by artists such as Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo, Alan knew that fantasy illustration would be his career of choice. After graduating from high school, he studied at several colleges. At the School of Visual... Read More →

Toni Weisskopf

Special Guest

Toni Weisskopf succeeded Jim Baen as publisher of Baen Books, a leading publisher of sf and fantasy, in 2006. She has worked with such authors as David Weber, Mercedes Lackey, David Drake, Lois McMaster Bujold, Eric Flint, Wen Spencer, Larry Correia, Charles E. Gannon, and many others... Read More →

Richard C. White

Literary Guest

Saturday July 15, 2017 8:00pm - 8:50pm EDT
Boardroom

Writing, Experts Talk

9:00pm EDT

Anthology Panel : Lawless Lands (ET)

Join the publisher and authors of the Lawless Lands Anthology as they talk about the process, the Kickstarter and maybe read from their stories!

Moderators

Melissa McArthur

Literary Guest, Falstaff Books

Guests

Alexandra Christian

Literary Guest

John G. Hartness

Literary Guest, Falstaff Books

Nicole Givens Kurtz

Literary Guest

Misty Massey

Literary Guest

Saturday July 15, 2017 9:00pm - 9:50pm EDT
Boardroom

Writing, Experts Talk

10:00pm EDT

The Dichotomy Between Good and Evil (ET)

Sometimes a hero has to make a bad decision and sometimes a villain falls onto the side of good. What makes a hero or a villain as these lines become blurrier? How do creators seek the balance that keeps readers rooting for and against their favorite characters?

Moderators

Samantha Bryant

Author, Dangerous When Bored

Guests

Kim Headlee

Literary Guest

J. Matthew Saunders

Literary Guest

Edmund R. Schubert

Literary Guest

Michael G. Williams

Literary Guest

Saturday July 15, 2017 10:00pm - 10:50pm EDT
Boardroom

Writing, Experts Talk

12:00pm EDT

Darker Side of Steampunk (ET)

When Horror meets Steampunk. Prostitution, side shows, grave robbery, class divisions, drug abuse, child labor, the list goes on. In this panel we will discuss some of the darker historical and societal aspects of the Victorian Era and how these facts can inspire character and art and literature.

Moderators

Gail Z. Martin

Literary Guest

Guests

Tally Johnson

Paranormal

Larry N. Martin

Literary Guest

Sunday July 16, 2017 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Victorian B

Writing, Experts Talk

1:00pm EDT

The Science in SF (AP)

Lightsabers, Phasers, faster than light travel...how much real science is in our science fiction? Our panelists talk about the fantastic science in science fiction - how much is currently possible? How much is currently in the works?

Moderators

Jim Beall

Science Guest

Jim Beall (BS-Math, MBA, PE) has been a nuclear engineer for over 40 years, a war gamer for over 50, and an avid reader of science fiction for even longer. His experience in nuclear engineering and power systems began as a naval officer, shortly after surviving one of Admiral Rickover’s... Read More →

Guests

JT "The Enginerd"

Science Guest

JT “The Enginerd” is an all-purpose geek. She obtained her Masters of Science in Engineering Mechanics with a focus in biomechanics from Virginia Tech in 2013. Her research focused on animal locomotion and included the analysis of beetle respiration and helping construct a platform... Read More →

Larry N. Martin

Literary Guest

Gopal Metro (Gild the Mourn)

Guitarist/Engineer, Gild the Mourn

William C. Tracy

Science Guest

Sunday July 16, 2017 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Victorian A

Science, Experts Talk | Writing, Experts Talk

Tags Science

1:00pm EDT

Falstaff Spotlight (ET)

We shine the spotlight on one of our local publishing companies - Falstaff Books. Falstaff Books is a digital and print publishing company based in Charlotte, NC, dedicated to bringing to life the best in fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and dramatic literature. We love bringing amazing stories to light and giving incredible writers a voice. The battered, ignored, rejected “misfit toys” of fiction are all welcome at Falstaff Books, where we understand that every scar is a story and only with different voices can harmony be created.

Moderators

John G. Hartness

Literary Guest, Falstaff Books

Guests

Darin Kennedy

Author

Melissa McArthur

Literary Guest, Falstaff Books

Sunday July 16, 2017 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Provincial

Writing, Experts Talk

Tags Writing

1:00pm EDT

Logistics of Distribution (ET)

You’ve printed your book, now what? From Kickstarter rewards, to magazine subscriptions, to direct sales – the panelist will discuss all aspects of distributing the final product through various channels.

Moderators

Roger Carden

Literary Guest

Guests

Chris Kennedy

Literary Guest

Ian J. Malone

Literary Guest

Sunday July 16, 2017 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Boardroom

Writing, Experts Talk

2:00pm EDT

Fusion: Alternative Histories and Mixing Genres (ET)

What happens when dragons fight in World War I? What happens when Germany wins WWII? Our panelists discuss what happens when you mix history and fantasy. Or when you mix fantasy and real life physics. How does mixing genres impact your writing styles and who has done it well?

Moderators

Writing, Experts Talk