Day in the Life of an Idiot

Yeah, so... I nearly entirely forgot about MarsCON this year. But, I was saved, last minute, by the lovely and talented Eric Heideman and Krushenko's programming. So, here's my MarsCON schedule:


SATURDAY, MARCH 5

10:00-10:50 AM, KRUSHENKO'S (ROOM 1117). PANEL: WHAT DO YOU LIKE (AND DISLIKE) ABOUT WRITING? Writers discuss what they like and dislike about the process of writing. Some writers love first drafts and hate revising. Others like the third draft much better. With: Eleanor Arnason, mod.; G. David Lordly (and now me)

NOON-12:50 PM, KRUSHENKO'S (ROOM 1117). PANEL: MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE Catch up on all of Marvel films and TV shows. With: Tony Artym, mod.; Aaron Grono, David J Schwartz, (and now me)

4:00-4:50 PM, RE(A)D MARS II EAGLE'S NEST). PANEL: DYSTOPIA VS. UTOPIA VS. JUST DIFFERENT Sometimes dystopias hold up a distorting mirror to the place and time they were written, while utopias explore possibilities of what our world could be. And sometimes fiction writers explore other worlds and dimensions not for what they can teach us about our world but for the inherent interest of those worlds, because “what if” is such a fun game, and lets our minds roam. Let's explore all three forms. With: Rick Gellman, mod.; Haddayr Copley-Woods, Naomi Kritzer, David J. Schwartz, (and now me)


SUNDAY, MARCH 6

NOON-12:50 PM, RE(A)D MARS II EAGLE'S NEST). PANEL: CYBERPUNK: WRITING AND READING What makes a cyberpunk story? What are the necessary elements? What can come and go freely? What books, stories, and writers have influenced and shaped the genre? Come to discuss the genre that some say we're living in right now. With: David Stegora, mod.; Roy C. Booth, Patrick W. Marsh (and now me)

2:00-2:50 PM, RE(A)D MARS II EAGLE'S NEST). PANEL OR DISCUSSION: THE RISE OF THE FEMALE SUPERHEROES Let's talk about some awesome female superheroes who have become bright sensations in recent years! Why do we love them so much, and how can we get more? With: Cynthia Booth, mod. (and now me).


Marscon is this weekend, March 4 - 5, at the Hilton Minneapolis/St Paul Airport/Mall of America.  For more information check out: http://marscon.org/2016/

Thanks to an unnamed pharmacist at Walgreen's, there is, shall we say, 'movement' in Shawn's recovery.

Last night, we were in desperate straights and Shawn said, "This isn't working; there's got to be some other medicine. Something gentle, but actually effective!" Her father was a small town pharmacist on the Iron Range, back in the corner drugstore days, when you could lean in over the counter and whisper symptoms to a sympathetic ear and get straight-forward advice. So, she sent me to Walgreen's to "talk to a pharmacist."

I really thought that in order to accomplish what she wanted, I'd need a time machine.

But, I must have hit the sweet spot in terms of timing, or, if I were a believer in such things, Pat Rounds looked down upon his daughter's plight and sent me his earthly avatar. It was quiet enough at the store that I didn't even have to wait long for the pharmacist's attention. He actually walked me over to the aisle and pointed out all the important things, taking the time to explain which did what. OH, he said, thoughtfully, you see, what you've been using only really did "x," what you need is "x *and* y." And, he said, if that won't work and she can stand some pressure on her stomach, take a bottle of "z."

We've not even had to resort to "z."

Shawn is still in some wretched pain, but I think, honestly, she'd been losing hope. Faith in recovery is now restored. I suspect that's going to be the real miracle worker.

Let's hope she's going to be well enough to be on her own this weekend, because I'd almost forgotten that it's MarsCON 2015. I hunted and pecked through the on-line programming list and I think I found everything I'm scheduled to be on:

How Come Nobody’s Heard Of Me, Dammit!!
Room 419 (Krushenko’s) -- Friday 04:00 pm
Let’s figure out all the things we did wrong!
With: Lyda Morehouse, Naomi Kritzer, mod.; Rachel Gold, Michael Merriam


Fiction Reading: Lyda Morehouse
III Eagle’s Nest (Re(a)d Mars) —Friday 08:00 pm
Come hear our Author Guest of Honor read her work.
With: Lyda Morehouse

FanFiction - Who, What, and Huh?
IV Hawk’s Ridge (Anime/YA) — Friday 09:00 pm
From the basics for the beginners to your favorite websites to share your own stories.
With: Lyda Morehouse, Rakhi Rajpal mod, Bailey Humphries-Graff, Susan Woehrle

Marvel Phase 2, on to Phase 3
Room 419 (Krushenko’s) — Saturday 12:00 pm
Catch up on all of Marvel films from phase 2: Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and X-man Days of Future Past. Marvel One-Shots: Agent Carter, All Hail the King, on TV with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter. (There will be spoilers for all listed above.) The end of phase 2 with Avengers: Age of Ultron and the start of phase 3: Ant-Man, Captain America 3, Doctor Strange, and the rest of phase 3.

With: Lyda Morehouse, Tony Artym, mod.; Aaron Grono, Bill Rod, Ruth Tjornhom

The Rise of Women Superheroes
Room 419 (Krushenko’s) — Saturday 01:00 pm
Let’s talk about some awesome female superheroes who have become breakout sensations in recent years! Why do we love them so much, and how can we get more?
With: Lyda Morehouse, Christopher Jones, mod.; Cynthia Booth, Catherine Lundoff, Chandra Reyer

What is Anime?
IV Hawk’s Ridge (Anime/YA) — Saturday 02:00 pm
What really is Anime? What’s the real difference between Anime and cartoons, and why do we classify them like that? Hear all the facts and argue it out yourself!
With: Lyda Morehouse, Bailey Humphries-Graff, Hojo Moriarty

Lyda Morehouse Interview
Room 419 (Krushenko’s) — Saturday 04:00 pm
Learn about the mind and works of our Author Guest of Honor.
With: Lyda Morehouse, Naomi Kritzer, Interviewer

Mass Autographing
Room 419 (Krushenko’s) — Saturday 05:00 pm
The Author Guest of Honor and other interested authors sign their work.
With: Lyda Morehouse, Sammi Kat, Rachel Gold, Michael Merriam, Kathryn Sullivan, et al.

The Wyrdsmiths: Twenty Years
III Eagle’s Nest (Re(a)d Mars) — Saturday 08:00 pm
GoH Lyda Morehouse is in a writers’ group that was founded in 1994. How does a critique group sustain itself for two decades?
With: Lyda Morehouse, Naomi Kritzer, mod.; Eleanor Arnason

Hero Support: Sidekicks and Minions
III Eagle’s Nest (Re(a)d Mars) — Saturday 09:00 pm
How does your hero go about getting a really good sidekick or a really good minion? Who are some of your favorites in literature and other kinds of storytelling? Who is the hero of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?
With: Lyda Morehouse, Rick Gellman, mod.; P M F Johnson, Ozgur K. Sahin, Tyler Tork

Otaku Dilemma: Wait for Season Two or Read the Manga?
III Eagle’s Nest (Re(a)d Mars) — Sunday 11:00 am
Your friends just turned you on to a hot new anime (think: “Attack on Titan” or “Yowapeda”) and you burned through the first season in one sitting. Now you’re wondering that age old question, should you jump in and read the manga or sit back and wait for season two to air? What are the pros and cons to reading “ahead”? Is there a reason that waiting is better, is there a reason NOT to wait?
With: Lyda Morehouse, mod

No Country for Old Heroes / Happily Ever After
Room 419 (Krushenko’s) — Sunday 12:00 pm
Topic one, No country for old heroes…. Life after heroism. How do former heroes—real or imaginary—continue to have meaningful lives? Topic two, Happily Ever After. Consider act two of Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Many if not most stories end at the moment of maximum joy for their characters. But life is more complicated. How do two people—real or imaginary—go about staying reasonably happy together for a long time? What are some good examples of this in fantasy literature?
With: Lyda Morehouse, Rick Gellman, mod.; Rachel Gold, Ozgur K. Sahin

Convoluted Quests: The Modern Writing Career
III Eagle’s Nest (Re(a)d Mars) — Sunday 03:00 pm
Book contracts, self-publishing, short fiction, editing… writing careers these days are often made up of a patchwork of options. Join GoH Lyda Morehouse and other professional writers to talk about how they’ve dealt with current publishing realities.
With: Lyda Morehouse, Naomi Kritzer, mod.; Roy C. Booth, Michael Merriam, Kathryn Sullivan

I will, of course, also be at Opening Ceremonies and Closing Ceremonies as to be expected. I may be AWOL from the con for a brief period on Saturday morning in order to take my son to his swimming class, but otherwise he and I will be around the whole weekend. Maybe, with luck, Shawn, too.

The last thing I wanted to report is that I finished reading THE GIRL IN THE ROAD and am now on to what appears to be a contemporary fantasy novel called MEMORY GARDEN.

THE GIRL IN THE ROAD is a difficult book to describe or categorize. I was talking to a friend about it and, while there were a ton of things I really enjoyed in the book (future India, future Africa, the strange journey across the wave power generator), the main character(s) were problematic in that they were not only typically unreliable, they were also, at times, hallucinatory. I can't say that necessarily got in the way of my enjoyment of a book, but I'm usually a careful enough reader that I can get to the end and have a fair idea of what happened. I'm not nearly as sure as I normally am having finished THE GIRL IN THE ROAD. Again, I'm not entirely sure that detracted from my enjoyment of the book, honestly. It was well written, engaging, science fictional and many things like that that I normally enjoy but... I don't know that I could recommend it with out the caveat of, "Okay, but this one is seriously TRIPPY."

Between THE GIRL IN THE ROAD and ELYSIUM, OR, THE WORLD THAT CAME AFTER, I have to wonder if 'trippy' is the new black. From the looks of things (so far) MEMORY GARDEN is more traditional in its narrative tropes, but we'll see. THE BOOK OF THE UNNAMED MIDWIFE had some oddities in its storytelling practices, but I wouldn't have labelled it "trippy," per se. I will say, in light of the conversations I've been having about women's writings, all of the four books I'm mentioning here are very feminine in their approach to science fiction.

I think a lot about what my friend Richard had to say when trying Margaret Atwood's HANDMAID'S TALE for the first time. The books women write are often (though obviously not always), quite intentionally, infused with the feminine. It probably does seem somewhat alien and unsettling to someone who isn't used to ever thinking about pregnancy, periods, and sex (and its corollary: death). These things all showed up in the books I've been reading--sometimes just casually, but sometimes as the point. THE BOOK OF THE UNNAMED MIDWIFE is very much a female apocalypse, both literally and figuratively. ELYSIUM less so, because the gender of our pov character constantly shifts.

So, it's been an interesting ride so far. The library tells me that ANCILLARY SWORD is ready for me to pick up (speaking of oddities in gendering. I read a large part of ANCILLARY JUSTICE before I had to return it and the ship AIs, who are the pov characters, always identify any human they encounter as 'she' regardless. They will sometimes tell you 'she was male.' But it really f*cks with a person's perception of gender identity, gender stereotypes and other such things when everything is always female. Makes you think. Particularly when women are always told, "oh, 'he' includes you." I'm thinking, by this way this feels, that doesn't work the way we think it does.)

I'm looking forward to reading that one, too.

All this reading has also inspired me. I'm about 3,000 words into a short story that, I'm thinking, is ultimately about redemption. I saw an anthology call for "angel and demons" and so I started considering what I might write since, as you know Bob, this is directly in my areas of interest. So, fingers crossed.

I don't think I can really pull off 'trippy' though, so....

I don't have a smart phone, so I can't live tweet everything as it goes down at CONvergence, but I thought I would post today's schedule:

FRIDAY

12:30pm – 1:30pm
Atrium 6
Marvel Film Roundup
Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier have been out, and Agents of SHIELD, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Defenders, and Ant Man are on the horizon. How do they all compare? What do you want to see next? Panelists: Lyda Morehouse, Allyson Cygan, Shaun Duke, John Seavey,


5:00pm – 6:00pm
Atrium 7
Cyberpunk 101
Discuss the cyberpunk genre in books, film, and games; from Neuromancer and Snow Crash to Deus Ex and The Matrix. Panelists: Elizabeth Bear, Lyda Morehouse, Spencer Kennedy, Christoforo Pasquarette

If you were to use the nice app that shows you my schedule, however, you'd see me signed-up (?) or otherwise listed on "Ask a Librarian" and "10 Must-See Anime Movies." I'm not officially listed in the program as on those, however, so I'm not sure why they're showing up in my schedule. After last night I'm just has happy not to be on a panel with anime experts, but I'm kind of bummed not to be on the librarian panel. I'm NOT a librarian, but I work at a library and I thought it would be nice to let some interested parties know that you don't have to have a library degree to work with books.

So, about yesterday, let's see... parking was its usual nightmare. I did manage to get a spot in the old Sofiteil lot (it's now a Radisson, maybe?) At any rate, I booked it from there to my first panel about young adult novels and the dystopia genre. I tried to get a moderator rustled up from the people who were there, and I would have taken point myself, but for my voice. But, ultimately, the last person to walk in was the one we "volunteered." She did a fine job, though there was at least one panelist who maybe got three words in. If I'd learned the blue-haired young panelist's name earlier (Kethry), I would have jumped in (like I do) not just for myself, but to ask her opinion as well. Probably my favorite moment of that panel, however, was when a woman in the audience posed a fascinating sort of question comment about how it seems that a lot of the "revolutions" that happen in many of the current dystopia novels actually seem subversively conservative or reactionary. I had one of those "mind = blown" moments, but without my voice I couldn't catch hold of that thread and really explore it. Ultimately, I think the panel was good, but it was one of those that could have been better.

I ended up not going to the panel "Female Superhero Films: Why Can't We Have One?" because I wasn't listed in the actual program. I have plenty of panels otherwise, so it seemed wisest to stay off it. I mean, as you see above, I have a bunch other panels that seemed to have mysteriously attached themselves to my schedule. I'm going to treat that as some kind of glitch, especially since none of these "extra" panels are printed on the back of my badge, which comes directly from the programming/green room.

So, since I had no panel to scurry off to after the YA one, I hung out with my friend seanmmurphy. We connected up with matociquala and Sigrid Ellis at the bar. Once we were there we ran into haddayr and Adam Stemple (with his kids in tow)... so that was sort of a classic con moment. I bonded with Sigrid because she'd just had throat surgery, so neither one of us could talk much. Later in the hall I ran into naomikritzer and jiawen.

My final panel was "Into to Anime" but everyone there at the panel already knew a lot about anime. As I later told jiawen, it wasn't so much as an introduction as a 'hook-up.' But, I think there are only three anime panels in the whole con, so all the fans are going to all of them.

Anyway, today I'm going with Mason, who is dressed as kid Luffy. He looks adorable. I'm going to take a picture to post tomorrow. Okay, I have to run get dressed.

Happy American Independence Day to my friends celebrating it! Today always makes me think of my favorite story from our trip abroad. My folks took Shawn and I to London in the 1990s, and I arranged for us to get ticket to the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. (It was so long ago, I actually had to write a letter.) At any rate, while we were standing in line to get in, an English couple heard our accents and exclaimed, "Why are you here? This isn't _your_ history!" My dear papa, without missing a beat, said, "Yes it is. We just rebelled."

I swear an Irish family behind us nodded quietly. :-)

Perhaps today, I can get Mason to watch School House Rock with me again, and we can all sing along to the Preamble and "Lovely Lady Liberty, with her book of recipes, and the finest one of all... the great American Melting Pot!"

But, okay, enough of such red, white and blue talk. This weekend is also the beginning of CONvergence, whose theme this year is, perhaps ironically, "The British Invasion." Last night, I went to the pre-party that's open to guests of honor and former guests of honor, like myself. I brought along Eleanor Arnason, partly because I had a feeling that if I didn't offer to give her a ride, she wouldn't go, but also because I knew she wouldn't want to stay terribly long (being somewhat crowd shy) and, if left to my own devices, I might stay out all night.

Anyway, it was a nice gathering. I was happy to be able to introduce Eleanor to Christopher Jones (my Marvel/DC comic book artist friend) and one of the Guests of Honor, Charlie Jane Anders (of io9, whom I know from early WisCON days.) Eleanor couldn't take the crowded room, so she headed off to the hotel bar. I hung around a little and chatted with some other friends like Anton Petersen and Dave Hoffman-Dachelete (and his all-grown-up daughter Sari!) and then found Eleanor talking to Peg Kerr in the bar.

All and all a good start to my con, I think.

My schedule is nothing like last years (wherein I attempted to break the record for most panels at a con):

Thursday, July 4
3:30pm
Books Everyone Else Loves But I Hate
Don't be ashamed to share your true feelings. It's OK to have your own sense of style and which books you prefer. Come vent with us. Panelists: David Schwartz, William Alexander, Jason D. Wittman, Lyda Morehouse, Laura Thurston

Friday, July 5
8:30pm
They Came From Fandom!
Professional writers who started out as fans before becoming pros spill their "secrets". How did fandom influence your writing? What fandoms were/are you a part of? Did your relationship with fandom changed when you got published? How did you do it? Panelists: Catherine Lundoff, Joan Marie Verba, Emma Bull, Lyda Morehouse, Patrick Nielsen Hayden

Sunday, July 7
9:30am
Neil Gaiman's Sandman
For many people, this is when graphic novels started. They were certainly groundbreaking. Let's discuss. Panelists: Jamie Cleven, Lyda Morehouse, Roy Cook, Mark Goldberg

Christopher Jones also invited me to crash his Avengers panel:
Friday, July 5
12:30pm
Marvel Universe Phase 2
We know they're coming. And Joss Whedon is in charge. What can we expect from the next phase of marvel films and what have we seen so far? Panelists: Daniel Wallace, Christopher Jones, Matt Gamble (mod), Michael Lee, Charlie Jane Anders

But, we'll see what the moderator says when I get there. Regardless, I may try to be in the audience for that one.

So, there's not a lot today, but I was thinking that tomorrow will be my big day to spend at the con.

This weekend is MarsCON. I'll be in attendance all weekend and my schedule is (at least preliminarily) this:

Gender Limitations in SF/F
Re(a)d Mars/Taylor (2nd Floor)— Friday 06:00 pm
Discuss how strong female characters are frequently portrayed as abandoning most, if not all, things feminine. Also, male characters who take on what are considered traditionally female roles are being portrayed as emasculated. Can a powerful female character be warm and nurturing and can a house husband be more than a punch line?
With: W. Scott Patterson, mod.; Rachel Gold, Lyda Kimberly Long-Ewing, Lyda Morehouse, Kathryn Sullivan

Writing Comedy in Speculative Fiction
Re(a)d Mars/Taylor (2nd Floor)— Friday 09:00 pm
How can one blend comedy and speculative fiction to their mutual advantage? Do you have personal faves among those who do the blending?
With: Roy C. Booth, mod.; P M F Johnson, Lyda Morehouse

The Future of Fandom
Re(a)d Mars/Taylor (2nd Floor)— Friday 10:00 pm
Paul Valery wrote, “The future isn’t what it used to be.” What did SF fandom used to be, how has it changed, and how will it change? Will it thrive into the future?
With: Rick Gellman, mod.; Lyda Morehouse, Michael Lee

Female Fandom in Comics
Krushenko’s (13th Floor)— Saturday 02:00 pm
Women are becoming more involved with the comics industry, and this has brought female readers and comics to the forefront. However, we are still seeing sexism despite these facts. In some cases, misogyny has increased. How do readers face these situations and what can be done to rectify these problems?
With: W. Scott Patterson, mod.; Cynthia Booth, Christopher Jones, Rebecca Marjesdatter, Lyda Morehouse

How to Write a Good Fight Scene
Re(a)d Mars/Taylor (2nd Floor)— Saturday 03:00 pm
Writers trained in various fighting techniques offer tips on how to make a fight feel like it really happened.
With: Sarah Clemens, mod., S.N. Arly; Doug Hulick, P M F Johnson, Lyda Morehouse

Clone Rights, and Those of Other Genetically Engineered People
Re(a)d Mars/Taylor (2nd Floor)— Saturday 09:00 pm
Would current law allow the genetically engineered to be enslaved or discriminated against? Why is there such a gap between the way much of science fiction treats such people and how they would have to be treated in reality.
With: G. David Nordley, mod.; , Prof Tom Gardner, Naomi Kritzer, Kimberly Long-Ewing, Lyda Morehouse

Good Blog/Bad Blog: Modern Technology and Artists
Krushenko’s (13th Floor)— Sunday 10:00 am
What modern technology is available for artists (for self promotion, research, networking, other reasons)? Online research, boon or bane? What purpose can a blog serve? What things can go wrong? Discussion boards—good, bad, or dependent on how they’re used? Facebook? G+? Twitter? How can these be useful? When do they become a hindrance?
With: S.N. Arly, mod.; Haddayr Copley-Woods, Naomi Kritzer, Lyda Morehouse

---

A lot of great topics that I'm looking forward to exploring. I'm intrugued to be on "How to Write a Good Fight Scene" as I'm not sure I know that much about it, but it should be fun, regardless!

Hope to see some of you there. Full con report to follow.

Starting tomorrow (actually, for me, tonight), I will be assuming my duties as one of the guests of honor at CONvergence. If you're headed to, as many locals refer to it, "The Con," please feel free to stop by and say hello (or ogle my time-traveling hair.)  My schedule can be found at:   http://schedule.convergence-con.org/?s=Lyda+Morehouse.

I don't have my list of appearances yet, but I wanted to remind everyone that Diveriscon (guest of honor, includes among others, *moi*) is NEXT WEEKEND (July 29 - 31).

Also:

On Thursday, July 28, the Speculations Readings Series presents a discussion: “Dark Descents, Ascending Wonders: The Worlds of Speculative Fiction” featuring DAVID G. HARTWELL, LYDA MOREHOUSE, and JOHN CALVIN REZMERSKI. See the Diversicon 19 Guests page for more about these three authors. The event will take place 6:30-7:30pm at DreamHaven Books, 2301 E. 38th St., Minneapolis.

Please, please, please, PLEASE come to Diversicon. It's a tiny little con, and, in all honesty I'm a little worried about being stuck there without someone as cool as YOU to talk to.

I promise to be as entertaining as possible.

In all the excitement with Shawn, I forgot to look through my e-mail for my MarsCON schedule. I _do_ plan to be there, though I'm going to be late for my first panel (which I'm supposed to moderate), because we'll be coming back from Mason's swimming class -- which finishes at 11:00.

I'm going to quick send off a note to Eric about that. In the meantime, this is where and when you can expect to see me:

Saturday, March 5:

11:00-11:45 AM--Krushenko's/Concierge (Room 1332)
Panel: Vampires: Why They Die in the Daylight and Don't Sparkle
DJ Vlad, mod.; Lyda Morehouse

Noon-12:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars/Taylor (2nd Floor)
Broad Universe Rapidfire Readings
Catherine Lundoff, host; Lyda Morehouse, Kathryn Sullivan, Anna Waltz

2:00-2:45 PM--Krushenko's
Panel: MARVELVERSE from the Civil War to the Heroic Age
Lyda Morehouse, mod.; Roy C. Booth, Eric M. Heideman

4:00-4:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars
Panel: Writing and Getting Read: Finding an Audience
Anna Waltz, mod.; Rob Balder, Lyda Morehouse

9:00-9:45 PM--Re(a)d Mars
Panel: Cops and Gumshoes in Fairyland
Rick Gellman, mod.; Lyda Morehouse

Sunday, March 6

10:0-10:45 AM--Krushenko's
Panel: Alternate Sherlocks
Eric M. Heideman, mod.; Cynthia Booth, Lyda Morehouse

11:00-11:45 AM--Krushenko's
Panel: The Future is Seriously Dark for 16 Year Olds
Lyda Morehouse, mod.; S.N. Arly, Naomi Kritzer

I'm going to be in attendance at MarsCON this weekend. It will be at the Holiday Inn Select in lovely Bloomington, Minnesota. More info here: http://marscon.org/2009/index.php

Here is my annotated schedule:

Friday, March 6
9:00 - 9:45 pm
HOW TO SURVIVE A ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

A small group of people, who have made it be their hobby to think about what to do when zombies infest the world, share their knowledge with those who are willing to accept it. Instructions on locations, weapons, and specific situations will be explained with questioning throughout out the whole thing.
With Brian LaBounty, Jr., Kevin Berg, Erik Pakieser, Lyda Morehouse[1]

Saturday, March 7
Noon - 12:45 pm
BROAD UNIVERSE RAPID-FIRE READING

A series of twelve minute readings by Broad Universe members. BU promotes work of women SF/F/H writers
Catherine Lundoff, hoest: Kimberly Long-Ewing, Lyda Morehouse, Catherine Schaff-Stump[2]

Saturday, March 7
1:00 - 1:45 pm
GOOD THINGS IN SMALL PACKAGES

Small and medium press publishing for sf/f/h writers and readers: what's out there? What are the differences between presses that do POD (print on demand), ebooks, and small print runs? What's in it for writers? For readers?
Catherine Lundoff (mod); Roy C. Booth, Rob Callahan, Lyda Morehouse, Bryan Thao Worra [3]

Saturday, March 7
3:00 - 3:45 pm
TRUE BLOOD TO TWILIGHT

Vampires in literature, films, television, comics, and games (Radio perhaps?)
Cythnia Booth (mod); Jeanne Cavols, Jessie Berg, Roy C. Booth, Lyda Morehouse, Jason D. Wittman. [4]

Saturday, March 7
10:00 - 10:45 pm
THE DAY STAR WARS DIED FOR ME

Come discuss with your fellow panelists the day the Star Wars saga died for you.
With: Ben Ellis, Romeo Azar, Lyda Morehouse, Roy C. Booth, Cynthia Booth. [5]

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End Notes:

[1] It should be noted that I am not at my best any time after, say, eight at night. Also, I'm not actually a zombie expert at all, and so the "questions" part will probably be me.

[2] I'm currently thinking about reading a short segment of my short story "The VanBuylen Effect" which appeared in the 09 issue of Tales of the Unanticipated because it's, like, the only SF I really have.

[3] I signed up for this panel to get the scoop on the small press deal, since I'm going to have a novel published by a small press for the first time this fall (provided, of course, I finish it on time.) I'm also hoping to provide, if necessary, the counter point of someone who's had years of experience with a New York publisher as well.

[4] Vampires! Finally!

[5] Another late-night-out-of-my-element panel for me, but Romeo is awesome so I may drag myself back to the con in order to have this conversation with him.