All the cool kids posted their Dragon Con schedules last week. But I held out until I could be sure I had a reading. Thanks to John Hartness of Falstaff Books, now I do! On Saturday afternoon at one o’clock you can hear me read a teaser from “Blood and Strawberries”, the urban fantasy novella Falstaff will be publishing in 2018!
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Although the con’s programming folks hope their schedules are firm and good, things can change up to the minute we start the panel. Heck, I’ve sat on panels where things continued to change even after we took our places at the table. Wild as they seem, many of the details of my story “Protective Coloring” in Gilded Dragonfly Books’ new anthology The Rise of the Phoenix were drawn straight from con life.
But enough with the shameless self-promotion. You’re here for the schedule–and a fine one it is!
The Oldest Profession: History’s Most Famous Harlots
Description: History has a lot of unsung heroes, none more surprising as its harlots. Contrary to what you may have read in the history books, our present has been shaped and often guided by some of the most notorious and celebrated madams and working women. This survey panel showcases some of the best!
Time: Fri 10:00 PM Location: Athens – Sheraton (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Faith Hunter, Cherie Priest, Jean Marie Ward, Misty Massey)
Falstaff Books Reading
Description: John Hartness and the writers of Falstaff Books read from their new and forthcoming titles.
Time: Sat 1 PM Location: Piedmont – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: John Hartness, Darin Kennedy, Jay Requard, Joelle Reizes, R.R. Virdi, Jean Marie Ward)
No Ordinary Town: A Midnight, Texas Fan Panel
Description: A moderated fan-panel discussion of the show based on the best-selling book series by Charlaine Harris
Time: Sat 05:30 PM Location: Chastain 1-2 – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Jeri Westerson, Jean Marie Ward)
Lost Worlds: The Science Fiction of Arthur Conan Doyle
Description: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is best known for Sherlock Holmes, but he also wrote sf. Our panelists help to shed light on these works.
Time: Sat 07:00 PM Location: Embassy AB – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Bethany Kesler, Jaym Gates, Jean Marie Ward)
The Deviance and Depravity of Victorian England
Description: The repression of the Victorian era meant depravity of the most devious kinds behind closed doors. This panel goes over the pornography, taboos, sexuality, and gender identity of those naughty Victorians. We’ll also be including visual examples from the era for the oh so mature of audiences.
Time: Sun 01:00 AM Location: Athens – Sheraton (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Sara E Neathery, Jean Marie Ward, Karianne Gottschalk)
1632: The Ring of Fire Series Author Roundtable
Description: 1632 and the subsequent novels, anthologies, and sprawling speculative fiction work of Eric Flint, Charles E. Gannon, and other authors who have contributed to anthologies have expanded this 17th Century Alternate History work into a grand shared world to be enjoyed, explored, and discussed.
Time: Sun 04:00 PM Location: Augusta – Sheraton (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel
(Tentative Panelists: Jean Marie Ward, Eric Flint, Dr. Charles E. Gannon, Griffin Barber, Toni Weisskopf)
Playing in Someone Else’s Universe
Description: The rise of indie publishing and crowdfunding has led to an increase in shared world anthologies and other projects, many in well-established fictional universes. Panelists discuss the challenges they’ve faced adapting to worlds not of their own making.
Time: Sun 05:30 PM Location: Embassy AB – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel
(Tentative Panelists: Jean Marie Ward, Dr. Charles E. Gannon, Kacey Ezell, Todd McCaffrey, Griffin Barber)
Collaborations, Critique Groups and Beta Readers
Description: Today’s writers find creative help in ways writers of the past didn’t have access to. What’s right for a writer depends on many things. This panel discusses whether a collaboration, critique group or beta reader is the perfect choice–and how to find them.
Time: Sun 07:00 PM Location: Embassy CD – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel
(Tentative Panelists: Jean Marie Ward, Jane Yolen, Jake Bible, David B. Coe, Mercedes Lackey, Richard Lee Byers)
Beyond Victorian: Alt. History in Other Cultures and Eras
Description: if you can’t bear the sight of one more crumpet, how about nativepunk, retrofuture, or “Amish sci fi”? There’s a multitude of cultures and eras and subgenres that are begging to be explored. Our panelists explore new lands and times into the various aspects of alternate history.
Time: Sun 08:30 PM Location: Athens – Sheraton (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel
(Tentative Panelists: Jean Marie Ward, Margaret S. McGraw, A. J. Hartley, Michael Bunker)
Win, Lose Or Draw
Description: Our host, Jean Marie Ward, puts contestants through their paces testing out their artistic abilities in getting teammates to guess names, places, things from science fiction and Dragon Con itself. There will be prizes!
Time: Mon 01:00 PM Location: Embassy AB – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel
(Tentative Panelists: Jean Marie Ward)
Looking forward to seeing you there!
