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My Tentative Philcon 2016 Schedule

No Comments » Written on November 7th, 2016 by
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Philcon

Apparently there’s a programming schedule viewable online for this year’s Philcon. I only found out about this because another author let me know that I’m on it (which I expected, though I’ve still not heard a peep from the con about my actual schedule). But, that’s the last bit of complaining you’ll likely hear from me on the topic because I’ve been given a truly wonderful schedule. And here it is:

Saturday, November 19th
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Crystal Ballroom Three | Writing For Aliens: Constructing Languages
with Nathan Lilly (mod), James L. Cambias, Barry B. Longyear, Kathleen Bragg, Samuel R. Delany

12:00 p.m. – 01:00 p.m. | Executive Suite 623 | Readings: C. J. Cherryh & Lawrence M. Schoen
So this year the convention is grouping readings in twos. I’ve been paired with Principal Speaker, C. J. Cherryh. And yes, that sound you just heard is my head exploding. She reads at noon, and I’ll go on at 12:30 (or whenever she says I can). Oh, and I’ll be reading an early chapter from the BARSquel.
with C. J. Cherryh

1:00 p.m. – 200 p.m.| Autograph Table | Signing
I’ll be sitting alongside Larry Hodges. He’s Larry. I’m Lawrence. Get it right.
with Larry Hodges

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Plaza II | Generating a Balonium Field: Pseudoscience in SF Storytelling
While we like to keep real science as accurate as possible, sometimes it’s necessary for a writer to just make things up. How do you do so in a way that sits well with your readers?
with John Ashmead (mod), Earl Bennett, Lawrence Kramer, Joan Wendland

7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. | Executive Suite 823 | Launch Party
Danielle Ackley-McPhail (aka the Queen of Launch Parties) is throwing a bash to celebrate the release of The Best of Defending the Future. There will be food, readings, food, signings, food, and who knows what other kinds of distraction. Oh, and you can buy books too, count on it.
with many many talented authors from the series

I’ll likely also be around for a bit on Friday afternoon and evening, and likely not on Sunday. I’ve got to get back to work on the BARSquel

My 2016 Capclave Schedule

No Comments » Written on September 22nd, 2016 by
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Capclave

After a year of far too much travel, things are finally winding down and the remaining stops on my convention schedule are much closer to home and familiar. Next up is Capclave, just down the road a couple hours in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

In addition to the panels and other items. listed below, please note that I’ll be at the awards presentation on Saturday night. Two of the authors up for the WSFS award this year, Beth Cato and Leona Wisoker, were nominated for stories from the anthology Cats in Space, edited by Elektra Hammond and published by Paper Golem. Neither of these authors can attend, and so it will fall to me to accept on their behalf. A happy chore indeed.

Friday, October 7th
8:00 – 8:55 p.m. | Rockville/ Potomac | An Animal World
Animal protagonists need to be a mix of animal nature and human level intelligence, not just people in animal suits. The panel will discuss the joys and pitfalls of working with these characters.
with Alan Loewen (M), Mike McPhail, Bernie Mojzes, and Michelle D. Sonnier

Saturday, October 9th
12:00 – 12:25 a.m. | Seneca | Reading
If everyone in the room has already read Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard, I’ll read — for the first time anywhere — the opening chapter or two from the sequel!

12:30 – 12:55 a.m. | Author’s hallway table | Author Table
I’ll be putting in some time showing off some of the things I’ve written and/or published. This is a narrow window in which to pick up some classic Paper Golem titles.

2:00 – 2:55 p.m. | Rockville/ Potomac | Writing Gadgets Well
How do you work technology into your story without boring the reader? You want to make your “inventions” believable, but how much is too much?
with Barbara Krasnoff, Edward M. Lerner, and Darcy Wold

3:00 – 3:55 p.m. | Salon A | World Creation and Maintenance
Authors are gods when it comes to world creation. The panelists will discuss not only how they create a world, but also how it can grow, especially if the story is part of a series.
with Ann Chatham, Sarah Beth Durst, and Victoria Janssen

7:30 – 8:25 p.m. | Salon A | Mass Autograph Session
I’ll be sitting at a table somewhere, with paper name tent in front of me, waiting to sign all the things. Please come by with your share.

8:30 – 10:00 p.m. | Salon A | WSFA Small Press Award
Come join the convention in honoring both short fiction and small presses. Lots of honorable mentions and someone wins the prize. All things being equal, there’s a 2 in 9 chance I’ll be reading someone’s acceptance speech!

I have really been looking forward to this convention. Low key, good conversation, and some truly wonderful Peruvian food.

See you in Gaithersburg!

Newsletter Subscription Form

Comments Off on Newsletter Subscription Form Written on September 11th, 2016 by
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Why a Newsletter?

Because I want to keep you happy and well fed between published novels.

Here’s what I envision going forward in each issue:

  • weekly reminder links to the popular EATING AUTHORS series, so you never miss a meal
  • never-before published bonus materials involving characters you already know and love.
  • contests for free Advance Reader Copies and chances to be Tuckerized in the next book.
  • details of upcoming signings, readings, and convention appearances, in case I’m coming to a city near you and/or you want to stalk me (but please, in a good way).

Every installment will include the option to opt out if at any time you decide you’re no longer interested. Also, you have my promise that your personal information will never be sold, bartered, or given away to the scum who are trying to destroy your corner of the internet.

That’s the pitch. To sign up, just click here and fill out the form.

My Updated Schedule for MidAmeriCon II

No Comments » Written on August 3rd, 2016 by
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It seems only appropriate that as I head out for a different convention this morning that I update what I’m doing — where and when — during the Worldcon. Here we go:

Wednesday, August 17th:
3:00 – 4:00 (KCCC 2207) Pacing the Novel
How do you intensify a scene, bringing the reader deep into the narrative, and still keep the novel moving? Learn how the three basic types of text (exposition, dialog, and description) affect the pace of your work so you can suspend time or send the story rocketing onward. Panelists share techniques and approaches to balancing intensity and movement in order to draw readers into your characters, allow them to experience key moments in your book, and get them excited about what happens next.
with Melinda Snodgrass (M), Elizabeth Bear, Brooke Johnson, and L. E. Modesitt Jr.

Thursday, August 18th:
9:00 – 5:00 (Marriott 1) SFWA Board Meeting
A long day during which Hamilton‘s “The Room Where It Happens” will be running through my mind nonstop. Maybe.
with Cat Rambo (M), Bud Sparhawk, M.C.A. Hogarth, Susan Forest, Kate Baker, Sarah Pinsker, Matthew Johnson, and Jennifer Brozek

Friday, August 19th:
9:00 – 10:30 (TBA) Codex Breakfast
The annual Worldcon gathering of Codexii and breakfast foods.
with J.W. Alden, Rebecca Birch, Ginny Campen, Tom Carpenter, Beth Cato, J. Kathleen Cheney, Liz Colter, Tina Connolly, Austin DeMarco, SB Divya, Nora Fleischer, Sarah Grey, Amanda Helms, Gary D Henderson, Randy Henderson, Jennifer Hicks, Larry Hodges, Sharon Joss, Anna Kashina, Benjamin C. Kinney, Gary Kloster, William Ledbetter, Fonda Lee, Terra LeMay, Stephanie Loree, Brian K. Lowe, Ronya F. McCool, Rob McMonigal, Mel Melcer, Allison Mulder, Nina Niskanen, Aimee Ogden, Sunil Patel, Laura Pearlman, Sarah Pinsker, Jenny Rae Rappaport, Matt Rotundo, Erica Satifka, Catherine Schaff-Stump, Rebecca Schwarz, Elizabeth Shack, David Steffen, Jeff Stehman, Julie Steinbacher, Andrea G Stewart, Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, K.M. Szpara, Beth Tanner, Erin A. Tidwell, David VonAllmen, Tinatsu Wallace, Fran Wilde, Jay Wolf, Caroline M. Yoachim, and some of their guests (holy crap, that’s a lot of pancakes!)

1:00 – 2:00 (Autographing Space) Autographing
I will be signing all the things (yes, I said it, all of them!).
with Jeanette Epps, Alex Jablokow, Lyda Morehouse, and Mary A. Turzillo

4:00 – 5:00 (Literary Beer Space) Literary Beer
Sign up and come by and we will talk about stuff like language and death and why I don’t drink beer.
with Karl Schroeder (who will presumably be at another table talking about other stuff)

Saturday, August 20th:
8:30 – 9:30 (Marriott Lobby) Stroll with the Stars: Farm to Table
Before the city temperatures rise and the humidity takes over join us for a stroll of the The City Market where you can buy fresh fruit, vegetables and baked goods at KC Tradition.
with Eva Elasigue, Esther Friesner, Jennie Goloboy, Mary Robinette Kowal, Geoffrey A. Landis, Perrianne Lurie, Jeff Orth (M), Cat Rambo, Julia Rios, Tex Thompson, Mary A. Turzillo, and Carol Wolf

11:00 – 1:00 (KCCC 2205) SFWA Business Meeting
All members of SFWA are encouraged to attend to hear the latest updates from the board about what SFWA has been doing and what plans are in place for the next year.
with Kate Baker, Jennifer Brozek, M.C.A. Hogarth, Matthew Johnson, Sarah Pinsker, Cat Rambo, Susan Forest, and Bud Sparhawk

3:00 – 4:00 (KCCC 2210) Ask a Scientist
Do you have a pressing question about the earth’s warming, worm holes, advances in communication technology, cloning? A panel of scientists in varied areas of expertise are here to answer your scientific queries. Answers will be timed out at five minutes each, so don’t ask for a detailed explanation of General Relativity! Please keep questions brief and specific.
with Rachael Acks, Bill Higgins (M), Claire McCague, and Geoffrey A. Landis

5:30 – 6:00 (KCCC 2203) Reading
To absolutely no one’s surprise, I will read a bit from Barsk.

Sunday, August 21st:
8:30 – 9:30 (Marriott Lobby) Stroll with the Stars: The Hugo Hangover
As we recuperate from the pageantry of the Hugo Awards join authors, artists, editors, fans and scientists as we look for the perfect hangover cure.
with David Brin, Eva Elasigue, Gay Haldeman, Joe Haldeman, Perrianne Lurie, Jeff Orth (M), Cat Rambo, Michelle Sagara, Alan Stewart, Tex Thompson, and Carol Wolf

10:00 – 12:00 (KCCC Lester Young B) Writers Workshop 4B
with Kelly Robson and three writer/student/victims

In addition, you’ll find me attending other authors’ readings, popping in at the Hadley Rille Books anniversary celebration, and hanging out in the bar and the SFWA suite.

My Tentative GenCon Writers’ Symposium 2016 Schedule

No Comments » Written on July 27th, 2016 by
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GenCon Writers' Symposium

Huh. Oh well, I thought this had posted to the blog a couple weeks ago, but apparently not. Soo…

And now for something completely different, in a calendar year that has had me bouncing around the country to an unprecedented number of conventions and bookstore signings — and beginning about two weeks before I head off to Kansas City for the Worldcon — I’m going to Indianapolis to take part in the GenCon Writers’ Symposium 2016.

And not just me, but dozens of brilliant authors (as well as some agents and editors) too. And, oh yeah, I think there’s a big gaming convention going on around us at the same time.

Anyway, here’s where you can find me:

Thursday, August 4th
9:00 a.m. (Capital 1) Special Event: Symposium Opening Ceremonies
With Marc Tassin

10:00 a.m. (Chamber) Short Fiction: Plotting Short Stories
With Donald J. Bingle, Gabrielle Harbowy, John Helfers (M), and Sunil Patel

2:00 p.m. (Chamber) Short Fiction: Where to Start the Story
With Marie Brennan, Steve Drew (M), Cat Rambo, and Peter Tieryas

Friday, August 5th
9:00 a.m. (Chamber) Marketing: Social Media 101
With Gwenda Bond, Joshua Alan Doetsch, Steve Drew (M), Melanie R. Meadors

1:00 p.m. (Causus) Writing Novels: Story Arcs that Drive the Reader
With Matt Forbeck, John Helfers (M), Jody Lynn Nye, and Aaron Rosenberg

2:00 p.m. (Capital 1) Character Craft: Characters That Aren’t Reflections of You
With Rachel Dunne, Susan J. Morris (M), Carrie Patel, and Aaron Rosenberg

5:00 p.m. (Cabinet) Writer’s Craft: How to make your alien language alien

Saturday, August 6th
12:00 p.m. (Chamber) Writer’s Craft: Fun Story, Smart Message
With James Lowder, Christoper Rowe, Aaron Rosenberg, and Gregory A. Wilson (M)

5:00 p.m. (Congress II) Reading
With Sunil Patel

As always, all of the above can change, from topics to timing to the people listed. If I become aware of any major changes prior to the event, I’ll do my best to post a “final” schedule.

See you at GenCon!

My Partial Schedule for MidAmeriCon II

No Comments » Written on July 18th, 2016 by
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The Worldcon is about a month away and while they haven’t yet assigned all the supplemental bits of programming yet (i.e., Literary Beers, Readings, Kaffeeklatsches, Autographing, children’s program, workshops, or demonstrations), I can share my upcoming panels and a few other bits with you. And so I shall.

Wednesday, August 17th:
3:00 – 4:00 (Kansas City Convention Center) Pacing the Novel
How do you intensify a scene, bringing the reader deep into the narrative, and still keep the novel moving? Learn how the three basic types of text (exposition, dialog, and description) affect the pace of your work so you can suspend time or send the story rocketing onward. Panelists share techniques and approaches to balancing intensity and movement in order to draw readers into your characters, allow them to experience key moments in your book, and get them excited about what happens next.
with Melinda Snodgrass (M), Elizabeth Bear, Brooke Johnson, and L. E. Modesitt Jr.

Thursday, August 18th:
9:00 – 5:00 (Marriott 1) SFWA Board Meeting
with Cat Rambo (M), Bud Sparhawk, M.C.A. Hogarth, Susan Forest, Kate Baker, Sarah Pinsker, Matthew Johnson, and Jennifer Brozek

Friday, August 19th:
9:00 – 10:30 (TBA) Codex Breakfast
The annual Worldcon gathering of Codexii and breakfast foods.
with J.W. Alden, Rebecca Birch, Ginny Campen, Tom Carpenter, Beth Cato, J. Kathleen Cheney, Liz Colter, Tina Connolly, Austin DeMarco, SB Divya, Nora Fleischer, Sarah Grey, Amanda Helms, Gary D Henderson, Randy Henderson, Jennifer Hicks, Larry Hodges, Sharon Joss, Anna Kashina, Benjamin C. Kinney, Gary Kloster, William Ledbetter, Fonda Lee, Terra LeMay, Stephanie Loree, Brian K. Lowe, Ronya F. McCool, Rob McMonigal, Mel Melcer, Allison Mulder, Nina Niskanen, Aimee Ogden, Sunil Patel, Laura Pearlman, Sarah Pinsker, Jenny Rae Rappaport, Matt Rotundo, Erica Satifka, Catherine Schaff-Stump, Rebecca Schwarz, Elizabeth Shack, David Steffen, Jeff Stehman, Julie Steinbacher, Andrea G Stewart, Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, K.M. Szpara, Beth Tanner, Erin A. Tidwell, David VonAllmen, Tinatsu Wallace, Fran Wilde, Jay Wolf, Caroline M. Yoachim, and some of their guests (holy crap, that’s a lot of pancakes!)

Saturday, August 20th:
11:00 – 1:00 (Kansas City Convention Center) SFWA Business Meeting
with more SFWA members than have been together in one room in KC for a long while

3:00 – 4:00 (Kansas City Convention Center) Ask a Scientist
Do you have a pressing question about the earth’s warming, worm holes, advances in communication technology, cloning? A panel of scientists in varied areas of expertise are here to answer your scientific queries. Answers will be timed out at five minutes each, so don’t ask for a detailed explanation of General Relativity! Please keep questions brief and specific.
with Rachael Acks, Bill Higgins (M), Dr. Claire McCague, and Dr. Geoffrey A. Landis

Sunday, August 21st:
10:00 – 12:00 (Lester Young B, KCCC) Writers Workshop 4B
with Kelly Robson and three writer/student/victims

In addition, I’m hoping for a reading, a signing, and maybe even a kaffeeklatsche. And if someone is organizing the daily Strolling with the Stars, expect to see me there at least twice. If the con gets around to sharing these details with me, I promise to pass them on to you.

In addition, I’ll probably be attending a lot of other authors’ readins, popping in at the Hadley Rille Books anniversary celebration, as well as hanging out in the bar and the SFWA suite, a lot.

My Tentative Confluence 2016 Schedule

No Comments » Written on June 28th, 2016 by
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Don’t look for me in the greater Philadelphia area come the end of July. I’ll actually be at the other end of the state. For the first time ever, I’ll be attending Confluence, which this year runs July 29 thru 31st.

Even better, I’m one of the convention’s GOHs — which means someone else is providing me with Diet Coke!

They have lots of things planned for me, and I’m hoping there may even be some Barsk-based hall costumes (with a potential Tuckerization up for grabs), but we’ll have to wait and see. In any case, they sent out tentative schedules with a month to spare, so here’s mine:

Friday, August 29th
4:00 p.m. (Commonwealth East) Invented Languages
Characters need to speak it, but readers need to be able to follow it, too. How to invent a new language for a story, and make it “work.”
With Fred Capp

6:00 p.m. (Ballroom 1) GOHs Gone Wrong
Confluence’s featured author guests discuss the many things in their writerly careers they have done badly, backwards, or just plain wrong. NB: Authors are professionals, do not try this at home.
With Saladin Ahmed

9:00 p.m. (Ballroom 1) Meet the Confluence guests
Emcee Kevin Hayes will introduce the Confluence guests of honor and special guests. There may be singing and tomfoolery.
With Saladin Ahmed, Jeff Bohnhoff, Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff, Steve Goodie, and Kevin Hayes

Saturday, July 30th
11:00 a.m. (Commonwealth West) Communicating with Aliens
A standard theme in SF is the challenge of communication with an alien intellect. This is often treated as a novel enterprise. But humans have millennia of experience communicating with nonhuman intelligence. We have coevolved and can communicate with domesticants, commensals, prey, and predators. Experts in interspecies communication through shared work can cast insight into the bridges and the barriers with new and newly encountered form of nonhuman intelligence.
With William Keith, Charles Obendorf, Bud Sparhawk

12:00 p.m. (Kaffeeklatsch Room) Anthropomorphic SF: Not Just Furries In Space
What are the pros and cons of bringing in anthropomorphic characters in lieu or in addition to traditional aliens in science fiction? GOH Lawrence M. Schoen discusses how the nonhumans in his novel Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard resonant better than aliens.
Kaffeeklatsch – advance sign-up in Registration required

2:00 p.m. (Solstice) Perhaps It IS A Good Day To Try… Klingon
An introduction to the Klingon language. No one will be admitted during the voiced velar fricative portion.

Sunday, July 31st
10:00 a.m. (Equinox) Reading
Warning: There may be elephants. Oh, who are we kidding, of course there’ll be elephants. Also Q&A if desired.

Of course, we are a month out, and anything above could change. I will likely post a “final” schedule a week or so before the convention.

See you at Confluence!

My FINAL 2016 BayCon Schedule

No Comments » Written on May 3rd, 2016 by
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BayCon

Now that it’s actually May, the Powers That Be over at Baycon have a couple minor tweaks to my schedule. Here now is the result, so you can properly find or stalk me.

NB: I do not have a formal signing slot in the program. That’s not a problem, as panels leave plenty of time at the end for brief conversations and autographs. Feel free to come at me with something you want signed at the end of one of my panels, or wherever you happen to find me.

Friday, May 27th
12:00 – 1:00 p.m. (Convene ) Opening Ceremonies
The official start of what you know will be an awesome weekend!
With David Gerrold, Chris Butler, Anastasia Hunter, and The Library Bards

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. (Connect 4) How to Remember EVERYTHING!
Mnemonics and You! Come here me explain how memory works and how to enhance yours.

2:30 – 4:00 p.m. (Collaborate 2) Star Trek – Why We Still Love It
From The Man Trap to to Star Trek Beyond, the franchise has spanned 50 years and still captures new generations of fans. Our panelists talk about the shows, the movies and the captivating universe that is Roddenberry’s legacy.
With David Gerrold, Wanda Kurtcu, and Irene Radford

7:00 – 9:00 p.m. (Convene) Meet The Guests
All attendees are invited to come meet and mingle with our guests at an informal reception.

Saturday, May 28th
10:00 – 11:30 a.m. (The Courtyard) GOH Breakfast
We’ve got to eat, and apparently it’s a spectator event at this convention.
With Chris Butler, David Gerrold, Bonnie Gordon, Anastasia Hunter, and Xander Jeanneret

11:30 – 1:00 p.m. (Collaborate 2) Klingon 101
What’s the point of a convention having a Special Language Guest is you can’t learn some Klingon? In less than an hour I will teach you 80% of Klingon grammar. Believe it!

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. (Synergy 4) How Can Science Fiction and Fantasy Blend Well?
Yeah, how? Well, I could tell you here, but then you wouldn’t come to the panel. Ha!
Jennifer L. Carson, Jacob Fisk, Todd McCaffrey, and Irene Radford

Sunday, May 29th
12:00 – 12:30 p.m. (The Courtyard) Reading
Come and hear me read from Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard.

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. (Strategy) A Chat With Lawrence M. Schoen
They tell me there is ***LIMITED SEATING*** for this event. Please visit Prog Ops to sign up and be a part of the small group of attendees with whom I will officially chat.

2:30 – 4:00 p.m. (Convene) GoH Interview: Lawrence M. Schoen
They won’t tell me what the questions are in advance, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be under oath. With luck, they will not be solicited questions from colleagues and family members.

5:30 – 7:00 p.m. (Synergy 5) Linguistics For The Storyteller
This is more than a “how to write” panel. Language is everywhere in our stories: it’s the vehicle we use to tell them, but also the engine that runs societies and personal relationships, and the tool that characters use to define their own identities. Linguistics is the study of language structure, from the level of sound, to word and sentence structure, all the way to the level of political discourse. Come learn about how it can turn your gut knowledge of language into a more conscious and powerful tool.
With Juliette Wade (M)

Monday, May 30th
10:00 – 11:30 a.m. (Synergy 4) Second Life’s Second Life
The living world is not enough. Come here us discuss existence in the virtual world of Second Life.
With David Ciriello (M)

1:00 – 2:30 p.m. (Engage) How We End
Death – social and personal experiences, in life and literature.
Gregg Castro (M), Colin Fisk, Setsu Uzume, Fred Wiehe, and Randy Smith

As always, be aware that some of the people listed on the items above may have to drop out due to other obligations (or be replaced by clones, pods, or distant cousins). Times of things are unlikely to change but I’ve been told a location or two might so always check the latest updates. And, as noted previously all attendees are responsible for their own action verbs.

See you at BayCon!