Hey Friends! I’ll be in Durham, NC this weekend from 19-21 April 2024 at FantaSci. Here’s my schedule. If you’re in the area, come say hi!
Appearances
LibertyCon 32 Schedule
Hey Friends! I’m super excited about attending LibertyCon 32 in June! Here’s my tentative schedule, but keep in mind, these things can (and do!) change up to the minute. š
Fri | 01:00PM | Luck is Not a Factor: More Stories from the Four Horsemen Universe |
Fri | 02:30PM | The 4 Horseman RT Mass Autograph Session |
Fri | 03:00PM | Terra Nova: What’s New from the Carreraverse |
Fri | 04:30PM | Terra Nova Mass Autograph Session |
Fri | 05:00PM | Opening Ceremonies |
Fri | 07:00PM | Noir Fatale Roundtable |
Fri | 08:30PM | Noir Fatale Mass Autograph Session |
Sat | 10:00AM | Freehold: Resistance Roundtable |
Sat | 11:30AM | Freehold: Resistance Mass Autograph Session |
Sat | 02:00PM | Baen Traveling Roadshow and Prize Patrol |
Sat | 04:00PM | Chris Kennedy Publishing – The Year Ahead |
LibertyCon is one of my favorite conventions, and I can’t wait to see many of my friends and chosen family there!
Much love,
kc
FantaSci AAR
Maybe two? years ago, I first heard about FantaSci. Mark Wandrey sent me an excited IM and said that there was going to be a new con, a successor to Honorcon, and it was going to have a focus on the Four Horsemen Universe (4HU). I was excited about being part of the 4HU, and the idea of a “4HU Con” was incredibly cool. So as soon as I could, I reached out and asked to be considered as a featured panelist. To my intense delight, I was accepted, and so were a TON of my friends!
Wednesday
Not only was I invited to be a featured panelist, so was my dear friend and completely badass coauthor Marisa Wolf. So she flew in to my local airport on Wednesday, and I knocked off work a bit early to go pick her up…aaaaand the shenanigans started pretty much immediately.
Okay, so real talk? Marisa Wolf cannot open her mouth without making me laugh. Those of you who watched our gigglefest Facebook live know what I’m talking about. She’s fantastic, and I knew that the weekend was off to a fantastic start.
Thursday
Thursday morning, Marisa and I got up early and hit the road.Ā We managed to miss most of the DC morning rush hour on our way down to pick up Jason Cordova and Philip “Doc” Wholrab.Ā For the record, despite what Jason may be telling you, Iām not a total incompetent.Ā I checked (via two GPS programs) whether it would be faster to pick him up first or pick Doc up first.Ā Both Waze and Google agreed.Ā It didnāt matter; six of one, one-half dozen of another.Ā So we jetted over to get Jason and then headed to Docās, and I didnāt pay attention to any of Jasonās verbal directions because I know better.Ā šĀ
Besides, I was already detouring 3 hours out of the way to pick him up. Was 20 min really going to make a difference? I just wanted to see my friends!
We drove through some serious rain and even a little snow, but eventually we acquired the guys and headed south to Durham. The Blue Ridge Parkway was a lot of fun to drive, and I donāt think I scared my passengers too much. Iām a bit of an assertive driver, but we made it safely, so it canāt have been TOO bad. (insert ābut did you DIE?!?ā meme hereā¦)
Road trip complete, we arrived at the con hotel, which was the beautiful Hilton DoubleTree Raleigh-Durham Airport. What a great facility! The wide, welcoming porch and cozy, comfortable lobby was a sign of good things to come. Especially because some of our favorite people in the world were waiting for us right inside.
I ignored all of them. I was highly caffeinated and overhydrated and I had an urgent appointment to see a man about a horse. But once I handled that business, it was fantastic to meet up with Mark and Joy Wandrey, Chris and Sheellah Kennedy, Kevin Ikenberry, Jon Osborne, and too many more people to mention. It was like we knew everybody already! We hugged and chattered and giggledā¦ and eventually got settled into our rooms.
Our hotel room was quite comfortable. We couldnāt adjust the temperature down, and our toilet tank had a tiny leak (that was fixed with a quickness as soon as we discovered it), but the room itself was perfectly situated away from the noise, next to an outside door, and had two very comfortable beds in it. I would stay there again, for sure.
After we got all checked in and settled, Marisa and I headed down to the hotel restaurant to meet up with Mark, Chris, and Kevin for a 4HU Core Authorsā meeting.Ā We discussed <redacted> and <redacted>, and fans of the series will be super excited to know that <redacted> will be teaming up with <redacted> to perform the critical task of <redacted> the <redacted><redacted>.Ā Ā Soā¦ get excited for that!Ā š
The meeting ended, but the discussion and fun continued in the bar, until I couldnāt keep my eyes open any longer. The drive and the week leading up to the con had taken its toll, and I was tired. Marisa and I said our good nights and we both headed off to bed.
Friday
Friday morning, Marisaās sister (codename: Sister Karen) and brother (codename: Sleepy Wolf) flew in to town and joined us at the hotel. We hung out for a bit, and then Jason, Doc, Speaker, and I headed out to Baen HQ while Marisa hung with her siblings for a bit.
Baen was a lot of fun. I got to see Christopher Ruocchio, Tony Daniel, Jim Minz, Grace whose last name I donāt know, and Marla (whose last name I know, but wonāt publicize because sheās not a writer or editor). Plus the office cats. We talked about books and podcasts, got to meet Jacob Holo and his lovely wife (whose name I forget, Iām sorry!) and ran into Steve White once again. Steve was in town to be a special guest of FantaSci, and I was excited to see him and get to meet his super funny, beautiful wife Sandy.
Plus we went to lunch. There were sweet potato fries. And ice cream. It was delicious. Thank you so much, Baen!!
After lunch, Doc and I headed back to the convention and a
few panels. I had āSurviving the
Apocalypseā at 5pm. Speaker moderated
that one, and as ever, did a fantastic job guiding the discussion. Afterwards, we attended opening ceremonies
for the con, followed by āDating Game with Booksā at 7pm.
For āDating Gameā, I cosplayed Evelyn Adamsen, my WWII-era psychic character
from Minds of Men. It was a lot of fun,
but believe you me, Evie was NOT comfortable with some of the questions asked! Nor was she comfortable with some of the
answers provided by āTamir Alcuinā, portrayed by Marisa Wolf. It was a riot of a time, and it only got
better in the second round, when bawdy bachelorette āJoleneā (played by Con
Chair Joel Lyons) grilled three fictional bachelors as played by their authors
(David Weber, Mark Wandrey, and Chris Woods).
It was hilarious.
After that, there was dinner (I think!) and more hanging out with a ton of people at the bar. Which was fantastic, especially because WE GOT AN ORANGE TAG!!!
HUNTER, by Marisa and I, released on Friday, and by Friday night, we were the #1 Hot New Release in Action and Adventure Literary Fiction on Amazon!Ā I donāt want to speak for Marisa, but I was bowled over, flabbergasted, incredibly honored and so, so, so psyched that people liked the book!Ā We really had a great time writing it, and it felt amazing to celebrate the launch surrounded by friends and chosen family.Ā So not for the first time, and definitely not for the last, I will say thank you, FantaSci, for an incredible experience.Ā
Saturday
Saturday was my birthday.Ā š Ā I turned 42, which as everyone knows, is the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.Ā However, in my head Iām still a kid of 7 or so, who finds it necessary to trumpet the news of my birthday from every convenient rooftop.Ā So when we got up and around that morning, I was greeted by a flurry of āHappy Birthday!ā wishes.Ā I couldnāt have asked for more.Ā It made my inner 7-year oldās heart so glad, and made me feel so loved.Ā Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, FantaSci, for celebrating with me.Ā
Programming started bright and early at 9am with the Baen Books Slide Show & Travelling Prize Patrol.Ā This panel is a perpetual favorite for several reasons: Ā
- 1. They give out free books.
- 2. They show off new (and old but still beautiful and amazing) cover art and
- 3. Sometimes I get a chance to talk about my work.Ā
This was one of those times.Ā I got to tell the room about Noir Fatale, and how amazing and cool all of the stories in it are, before I had to leave early to get to my next panel.Ā As always, Jim and Tony D. were incredible presenters, and I wish Iād been able to stay for the whole thing.Ā
But at 10, I had Alternate History Change Points. I ended up being appointed moderator on the spot, and I think we had a pretty good discussion about the nature and definition of alternate history, what makes a good point of departure from the actual timeline, and why we tell various types of alt history stories.
When it was over, I had time for a quick lunch break before hopping into a panel on Alien Races.Ā This one was a lot of fun, too, in part because Marisa and I both got to be on the panel.Ā Once again, I moderated, and I managed to get about halfway through the panel before we started talking about interspecies sex.Ā šĀ What can I say?Ā It was a fairly rollicking good time, and I may have even succeeded in making Steve White blush.Ā Achievement Unlocked!
After that, we rolled right into the Chris Kennedy Publishing: The Year Ahead panel. Here, Chris gives an overview of his publishing schedule for the year, and the panel and I got to see a very special preview of some seriously badass cover art. Those who were at FantaSci know, but Iāll wait until Chris gives me a green light before announcing it in any more detail. Let me just say that I think youāre all going to like it.
At 3pm, Kevin Ikenberry, Marisa, and I broke off to go talk about the Peacemakers of the 4HU, and what they do and how they do it. That was a fun panel, too, and we had the opportunity to talk a bit more about how we actually make this āshared worldā thing work.
Once that was over, we had an hour or so to get ready before the first ever 4HU Mercenary Dining Out. Iād come up with the idea to do a Merc Dining Out about a year ago, and had volunteered to put it together. Truth be told, due to Joel Lyons and his excellent staff, all I really had to do was come up with a script and program, and get people to play their parts. It was really quite easy, and thatās only because everyone working on it was such a pro. Thank you all.
Marisa and I both cosplayed Depik characters, and the ever amazing Wendy W. did some gorgeous cat makeup on us both. Then I played Madam Vice to Kevin Steversonās Mr. Vice, while Kevin Ikenberry (as Peacemaker Six) served as Sergeant At Arms. Marisa (as Dama Tsan of Whispering Fear Clan) was our expert grog demonstrator, along with Chris Kennedy (as Nigel Shirazi). Mark Wandrey played Jim Cartwright III and presided over the mess, but we were all upstaged by Sheellah playing Alexis Cromwell and Joy playing Sansar Enkh. The ladies looked STUNNING, and when joined by the ever-radiant Sharon Rice-Weber (as Grand Duchess New Montana) and Sandy White, really made the head table shine.
Overall, Iād call the Inaugural Merc Dining Out a success. We had a grog and many toasts, and a lot of fun and noise. The food was delicious, and we got to welcome Jon Osborne to the ranks of the 4HU Core Authors. Once again, thank you, FantaSci, for making the evening so fantastic.
After the Dining Out, I was tired. But we still had a launch party planned in the consuite for Hunter. So you can imagine my surprise when Mark grabbed me and informed me that we had to plot about the sequel to Weaver RIGHT NOW. Iām sure I looked confused, but I figured he must have had an idea or something that he didnāt want to lose and figured that I could roll with it.
So we sat down for about 10 minutes and worked our way through some ideas weād had for the second Tortantula novel in the 4HU. The ideas were good, and I was excited about the book, but I could feel my energy flagging and I knew that if I wanted to do more than put in an appearance at my own launch party, I had better get moving. So when Mark announced āokay, I think thatās it, thank you.ā I took that as a dismissal and headed upstairs to the consuite.
Little did I know, I was supposed to wait for him.
As I walked down the hallway toward the consuite, someone giggled and slammed the door shut. I blinked, but figured that maybe something was going on, and maybe we were meeting up in the other half of the consuite (it was split over two rooms). I poked my head in there, but I didnāt see any of my friends, and so I started to wonder. I walked back out into the hallway, and Kevin Ikenberry appeared.
āCome with me,ā he said, and put his arm around my shoulder.
āI donāt know where our friends are,ā I remember saying. I probably sounded like a lost little girl. I get a bit whiny when Iām tired. #confessions
āItās okay,ā he said, and opened up the door to the consuite.
It was dark inside. I took a step in, and then it dawned on me.
āSURPRISE!ā they yelled, and the lights came on, and all I could see was balloons, and streamers, and a cake, and my beautiful, wonderful, amazing, too-cool-for-this-world coauthor Marisa Wolf with a shit-eating grin bigger than her home state of Texas.
She threw me a birthday party. I had no idea.
There was amazing cake, with the cover art from HUNTER on
it. Joy gave me a gift that nearly made
me cry: a hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind, crocheted Depik that I named Cahli,
after the Governor in the book. There were my friends singing to me and
laughing with me and hugging me and I have rarely felt so loved.
Iām running out of words, so let me just say this. I am so very, very blessed to have these
people in my life. Thank you all.
We stayed in the consuite until it was time to close it
down, and then we cleaned up and headed back down to the hotel bar. We hung out there for a little while longer,
but after awhile, I couldnāt keep my eyes open, and headed to bed. I didnāt want the day to end. What a fantastic birthday. Again, thank you, FantaSci.
(And especially you, Marisa. Words fail me.)
Sunday
Sunday morning, we both slept in. It was glorious. When we eventually got up, we had breakfast in the hotel, and then headed to Chris Kennedyās author table for our signing. We signed and sold several copies of HUNTER, so many that I was barely able to keep one for myself. I think Chris only had two left, and Marisa only one (hers!). Soā¦ that was pretty successful, too!
After the signing, Marisa had lunch with her mom and brother
(not Sleepy Wolf) who came in to town for that purpose, and I grabbed food with
Doc and Jason, and then hung out with Kevin Ikenberry and his buddy Mark for
awhile. We plotted a little, but mostly
just talked about the con and the universe and all the great stuff on the
horizon. FantaSci was starting to wind
down, and while itās inevitable, itās always a little bit sad.
After that, Marisa, Sister Karen, Sleepy Wolf and I joined Joy on the
Uncomfortable Couch in the hotel lobby. (Seriously, that couch sucks. Everything else about the hotel was on point,
zero complaintsā¦ but that couch needs to GO!) where she was taking a break
after tearing down her dealer booth for Spinnerās End Studios. Eventually, my
dear friend and fan Bubba also joined us, and we had a very pleasant
afternoon. At some point, Mark Wandrey
grabbed Marisa to plot about their novel, so thatās exciting, too.
It was warm and cozy, and I started getting sleepy, so I got
up to walk around. I wandered out onto
the back patio, where it was absolutely gorgeous with the sun and a spring
breeze. I decided to grab my laptop from
the room and do a little writing out there.
I got a few words down, not as many as on a non-con day, but not nothing
either.
The work goes ever on.
Marisa and Mark broke up their powwow so that Mark could attend the FantaSci Guest dinner with Joel. Marisa, Bubba, Doc, Jason, Sleepy Wolf, Sister Karen, and I decided to go grab some highly rated hibachi before the Wolf siblings had to head to the airport. I kinda thought it was going to be a Benihana-style steakhouse with the chef and the grill and the flaming onion volcano, but I was wrong. It was a fast-food style order-at-the-window-and-pick-up-when-your-number-is-called kind of placeā¦ but the food was DELICIOUS! Seriously, Iād go back there in a heartbeat! Yum.
Marisa took my car to make an airport run to drop off her brother and sister, and so Doc, Jason, Bubba and I walked over to Cold Stone for birthday milkshakes.Ā Because it turned out that Bubbaās birthday was that week too!Ā And everyone deserves birthday milkshakes.Ā You know Iām right.Ā šĀ
Marisa found us there and then we headed back to the hotel
to hang out with the rest of the crew for just a little bit longer before
admitting that it was over and falling, exhausted, into bed.
Monday
Monday was a long day.
The drive with Marisa, Doc, and Jason was delightful. Getting home to
see my eldest was heart-soothing. For
all the fun and all the love I experienced, Iād missed my husband and
girls. EZ was still out of town with the
little one, so I had to wait an additional day before hugging them, but my
teenager was excited to see me.
Thatās a victory if there ever was one. J Sheās a good kid, and Iād really missed her.
She gives good hugs. Oh, and my two cats
were also happy that we were home. So
that was nice, as well.
Overall Thoughts
- For a first year con, FantaSci ROCKED itā¦ no, scratch that. For ANY con, FantaSci rocked it. Itās kinda mind-blowing that this is their first year. I would never have guessed that if I hadnāt already known. Everything was so smooth and well organized and communicated. Iāll be encouraging all of my author friends to give this con a go. What a great time! Congratulations to Joel Lyons and all of his staff and volunteers. Yāall did this. Well done.
- Sister Karen and Sleepy Wolf are AMAZING con minions! I didnāt give them much airtime above, but they basically spent the entire con running errands for Marisa and me, and getting things done for us so we didnāt have to. Thanks to them, we had programs for the Dining Out, and scripts printed out, and a cake and decorations for my party, and all kinds of stuff. Theyāre really cool people, and I cannot thank them both enough for everything.
- I love my 4HU family so much. Not just my brothers and sisters in the author corps, but all the fans of the series. All you crazy mercs out there who lined up in DROVES to join the brand new fan group, all you wonderful people who bought HUNTER, who reviewed it online, who shared our social media postsā¦ thank you so much. Youāre all amazing, and Iām humbled to know you.
- If I were a betting woman (and I kinda am) Iād say that FantaSci will likely expand at a prodigious rate. Iād recommend getting your tickets for FantaSci 2020 now. Iām sad that I wonāt be there, due to moving to Japan, but youād best believe Iāll be back somedayā¦ and I really hope I see you there!
FantaSci 2019 Schedule
Hey Friends!
I’m super excited to be spending this coming weekend at FantaSci in Durham, NC! If you’re planning on going, here’s where you can find me:
Friday, 22 March:
- 5-5:50pm Surviving the Apocalypse
- 6-6:50pm Opening Ceremonies
- 7-7:50pm Dating Game With Books
Saturday, 23 March:
- 9-10am Baen Book Slide Show & Traveling Prize Patrol (note, this is a 2 hour panel, but I have to leave early to do my next panel at 10)
- 10-10:50am Alternate History Change Points
- 1-1:50pm Alien Races
- 2-2:50pm Chris Kennedy Publishing: The Year Ahead
- 3-3:50pm Peacemakers: One Against The Galaxy
- 5-9:50pm Four Horsemen Merc Dining Out
- 10pm-whenever I fall over HUNTER launch party!
Sunday, 24 March:
- 11am-12pm HUNTER signing with Marisa Wolf at the CKP Booth in the Dealer Room!
- 12-1:00pm Closing Ceremonies
FantaSci is shaping up to be an incredible con! I really can’t wait. If you’re going to be in the area, please come by and say hello!
Take care!
-kc
DragonCon 2018 AAR
DragonCon 2018 After Action Report
Prologue:
The week leading up to DragonCon was quite busyā¦ scratch that.Ā The *month* leading up to DragonCon was quite busy.Ā For those of you not familiar, DragonCon is a 5-day (well, 4, officially) science fiction, fantasy, and pop culture convention held in downtown Atlanta over Labor Day weekend. Ā It is the best convention I have ever attended.Ā It is 85,000 of your closest friends partying 24hours a day, for 5 days over 5 hotels. It is my Superbowl, my Mardi Gras, and my New Yearās Eve all in one. It is my favorite week of the year.Ā Yes, I said week.Ā
See, the thing of it is that DragonCon has grown from a standard weekend convention into an entity all of its own.Ā It is entirely fan-run and fan-organized, and so it focuses entirely on the fan experience.Ā And the same fans come back, year after year to see their favorite stars and their chosen family members.Ā
Several years ago, people started showing up early on Friday to see their friends and hang out before programming officially got started on Saturday.Ā When I first started going, DragonCon was officially a Saturday-Monday convention. Ā But more and more people showed up on Friday, and started the costuming and the party early.Ā But then as the con got more and more popular, the tracks started scheduling programming on Friday as well.Ā Until finally, con-goers started showing up on Thursday to hang out, etc.Ā This prompted the phrase āThursday is the new Fridayā.Ā
Well, fast forward to now.Ā This year, we showed up on Wednesday to a party already in full swing. Ā Tuesday, it seems, is the new Friday, and if thatās the case, then DragonCon runs from the Tuesday before Labor Day, through the Monday holiday itself.Ā
Thus, DragonCon Week: my favorite week of the year.Ā
Hereās how it went down in 2018:
Ā
āYāallā¦ this is WEDNESDAY!!ā
One of the benefits of living close to a major metropolitan area is that itās really easy to find a direct nonstop flight to Atlanta.Ā My husband EZ and I boarded a plane early on Wednesday morning, and arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson just before noon.Ā From there, it was an easy Marta trip to downtown, and a walk through pleasantly cooling rain to our hotel: The Westin Peachtree Plaza.Ā
Every year I sing the praises of the Westin, and this year will be no different.Ā The staff is always incredibly professional and helpful, the rooms are lovely and comfortable, and you really canāt beat the views.Ā Though this year we stayed on a lower floor than in years past, but itās still a good vista over the city of Atlanta.Ā
We checked in with no problems and quickly decided to go find some food.Ā We knew we would probably get the luscious truffled mac&cheese from Meehanās once our friends the Wolfpack arrived, so we opted to walk over to Peachtree Center mall and check out the food court.Ā
This year, the food court was under construction, which severely limited the available floor space for seating.Ā HOWEVER, mad kudos to the Peachtree Center staff and to their liaison with the con, because honestly, it *felt* less full than it has in years past.Ā They did a really great job of delineating traffic areas that were not to be blocked, and it was truly not any harder to find a seat than it was in years pastā¦ though we did opt to get take out quite a bit, due to the construction.Ā
In any case, EZ and I had lunch, and then I asked him if he wanted to walk a 5K with me while we waited for our friends to arrive.Ā
See, I had signed up for the RunDisney Virtual Shorts series, which is a series of 3 virtual 5K races to be done in the months of June, July, and August respectively.Ā But August was super busy, and I hadnāt gotten my race done yet.Ā The races can be run or walked, and while I ran the first two, I knew that walking was going to be my best bet if I wanted to get it done that day.
So, my beloved, amazing husband agreed, and we proceeded to tour all the DragonCon host hotels and refamiliarize ourselves with the ins and outs and secret (not really) passageways that lead from one hotel to the other.Ā We also took the time to locate where badge pickup and most of my programming would be, as I was participating in four tracks this year, plus the Dragon Awards.Ā As he said, he never would have expected that the first thing I wanted to do when I got to DragonCon was a 5K, but there you have it.
Iām full of surprises.Ā
In the course of the 5K, we stopped by and picked up some beverages from the traditionally overpriced liquor store next to the Sheraton, as well as some room snacks from the CVS in Peachtree Center mall.Ā
By the way, Mad Props to the staff of that CVS.Ā As the main entrance to the food court was closed for construction, they had a steady stream of people using their store as a thoroughfare.Ā And yet they were always pleasant and helpful, and restocked nightly to provide con goers with necessary drinks, snacks, and whatnot.Ā Since their inception, that CVS has definitely had a positive impact on DragonCon, in my opinion.Ā
Shortly after we finished our epic 5K, our friends the Wolfpack arrived.Ā The Wolfpack consists of my coauthor, Marisa Wolf, and her entourage.Ā In this case, her entourage consisted of her husband, Jeremy (whose last name isnāt Wolf, but he isnāt a writer or con pro of any kind, so Iām not going to tell you what it is). Ā Ā They got all checked in, and we decided to head down to Meehanās for the aforementioned mac&cheese.
It was delicious as always, as were the beverages my party consumed.Ā I rather think we might have been āthat tableā as we got louder and louder, especially after two of my other dearest friends arrived.Ā Cassie&Casey hadnāt attended DragonCon in 5 years, due to real life military commitments, but this was their triumphal return.Ā They met us at Meehanās, and the party just kept going.Ā
Eventually, someone (it may have been EZ, Iām not sure) kicked out the idea of a hotel bar crawl, and the rest of the group enthusiastically agreed.Ā We paid our bill at Meehanās, and headed down to the Hyatt bar for round 1.Ā
At the Hyatt, we found Kevin Ikenberry and Quincy Adams, as well as our friends Danielle and Charlotte and some other folks. Ā I think EZās buddy Seth joined us there as well.Ā He joined us at some point, at any rate. Ā We enjoyed hanging out with them for a bit, and then headed onward to the Marriott via the sky bridge.Ā
And the Marriott was already lit.Ā I mean, the floor wasnāt as crowded as it would become on Friday and Saturday nights, but there were legit costumes to be seen, and people to see and hang out with.Ā Around this time, Marisa coined the phrase that would be our rallying cry for the rest of the evening:Ā āYāallā¦ this is WEDNESDAY!ā
Indeed.Ā Which meant that there were many, many more days of con goodness to enjoy.Ā We continued on from the Marriott bar to the Hilton bar, where we learned about the price of tapwater and the importance of speaking to the manager when things arenāt quite right.Ā
By then I was done, so we headed back, and I crashed out, excited about the prospect of the 5 days ahead.
Ā
āThursday = Recovery Day?ā
One of the benefits of not drinking alcohol is that I require significantly less recovery than those who do.Ā šĀ Thursday morning, I woke up relatively early (before 0900, I believe) and texted Marisa to see if she wanted to hit the pool with me.Ā I like swimming as a form of exercise at a con.Ā Itās relaxing.Ā
She agreed, and so we went through the labyrinthine procedures required to get to the Westin rooftop pool.Ā Itās a lovely facility, and we enjoyed a relaxing swing and chatting with some fellow pool enthusiasts for about an hour.Ā Then it was back to the room to clean up, grab the husbands, and decide what to do next.Ā
Iām pretty sure we headed back to the Hyatt bar for lunch.Ā Honestly, Iām not really sure.Ā I know we spent most of Thursday hanging out with our various friends:Ā Cassie and Casey again, as well as Mike Massa and his wife Lorna, Griffin Barber, Rob Hampson, Philip Wholrab, and Christopher L. Smith up in Speakerās Speakeasy, as well as Bridget and Larry Correia.Ā We also ran into Chris Kennedy and his wife Sheelah, Mark Wandrey and his wife Joy, Jon Osborne, and Christopher Woods and his wife Wendy.Ā Oh, and John Ringo, of course.Ā Iām almost positive I saw all of those individuals at some point on Thursday, but it really is a blur in my memory.Ā I just know that I was hanging out all day and it was fun. Ā It was like the DragonCons of old, before I started doing panels and other programming.Ā
Originally, the plan was that Thursday would be a day of recovery, but not so much for this hard-going crew.Ā We may be too old to push it up every weekend like we did back in our 20s, but damn if we canāt push it up for one week a year.Ā šĀ
We went back to Meehanās for dinner, and this time, they put us in the back room.Ā Which was awesome, because we continued to be rowdy and fun.Ā We started applauding wildly whenever our server walked into the room, and whenever new people were seated back there with us.Ā Another rowdy table joined in, and before you know it, we were singing Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of our lungs.
Which, if youāre keeping track, makes this two years in a row for Queen sing-a-longs at DragonCon.Ā šĀ
After dinner, I think we went up to Speakerās Speakeasy for more hanging out, but I donāt really remember.
I went to bed at some point.Ā Iām not sure when.Ā
Ā
āFriday.Ā Game Face Timeā
Friday morning started off with an 1130 panel for the Alt History track.Ā It was a panel designed to be a track kick-off event, and I was honored to sit beside S. M. Stirling on it.Ā Iāve met Steve before, but this year we had a number of panels together, which was a lot of fun.Ā The man has a near-encyclopedic knowledge of a great many subjects, and heās a real blast to talk to.Ā
After that, we grabbed lunch, and I headed to Military Sci-Fi Writers & Creators in the Military SF Media track.Ā This was a fun panel consisting of several talented creators, including my friend Van Allen Plexico and new friend Amy J. Murphy.Ā I always love meeting new people.Ā
Friday nightās dinner wasā¦ more food court? Iām not really sure.Ā Iām pretty sure we met up with the CKP writing factory folks at the Westin Bar and hung out there for awhile.Ā Again, I donāt really remember what all we did that night, but I know we walked around a fair bit and did a lot of hanging out and socializing.Ā
After dinner, we headed down to the Fantasy Lit trackās new event: the Fantasy Gather.Ā This was the brainchild of the new track director, Cisca Small, and it was a huge success.Ā Fantasy writers came together in a ballroom with small tables to hawk books, hang out with fans and each other, and just really network and have a good time.Ā Marisa and I bonded with the other members of our CKP family, and got to meet some new folks as well.Ā I also got to see and give hugs to Monalisa Foster, Jody Lyn Nye and Todd McCaffrey, which was cool.Ā It was a very well attended event that was a lot of fun.Ā I hope the fans all gave it great feedback, so that weāll see it return next year.Ā
Oh!Ā Friday might have been the day when Marisa and I went with Bridget, Brandy, and Cathy to buy corsets and fun hats.Ā We shopped at Timeless Trends and my all-time favorite milliner, The Blonde Swan. Bridget got an amazing red and black corset that she wore on Sunday night, and she looked jaw-droppingly gorgeous in it.Ā
There are many, many beautiful things to be acquired at DragonCon if you have the cash.Ā It is known.Ā
Ā
āSaturday. The Busy Dayā
Saturday was my heaviest day, programming wise. Ā I started off with āAmazons and Assassins,ā which was panel about using history as inspiration for fiction.Ā I was late, thanks to running to the wrong room in the Hyatt at first, but the other panelists were gracious about it.Ā
From there, I headed back to the Westin for an Apocalypse Rising panel called āAlternative Apocalyptic Weapons & Armorā, which (to my initial surprise) I moderated.Ā This was actually one of my favorite panels.Ā We had a fairly packed house, and both panelists (Mike Massa and Michael Z. Williamson) are good friends of mine.Ā We spent about an hour talking about improvising survival gear (not just weapons and armorā¦oops!) with what you have around you.Ā The crowd was interactive and it was a really good time.Ā Kudos to Hans Eckman for running a great show.Ā
After that, the Mikes and I hustled back to the Hyatt for the Baen Books Travelling Roadshow and Prize Patrol.Ā The roadshow is always an amazing time, with Toni Weisskopf, Jim Minz and the Baen crew show off new cover art and give out free books.Ā They also announce the winner of the Readersā Choice Award for the Yearās Best Military and Adventure Science Fiction.Ā The finalists are chosen from short stories released throughout the previous year and collected in an anthology edited by David Afsharirad. I was honored to have my story āFamily Over Bloodā included this year.Ā
And it won.Ā š
I was flabbergasted.Ā I didnāt know what to say.Ā I gave MadMike Williamson a hug, because I was sitting next to him, and because he was the editor of FORGED IN BLOOD, which is the National Bestselling anthology set in his Freehold Universe where āFamily Over Bloodā first appeared.Ā
Then I went up, and David presented me with the plaque and prize, and I completely babbled into the mic because I couldnāt figure out what to say.Ā Toni laughed at me and told me that was enough, and I went and sat back down.Ā I felt foolish, but I seriously had no idea what to say.
So I blushed and went back to my seat, and enjoyed all the gorgeous art that happened next.Ā I also enjoyed Dave Butlerās impromptu Witchy Eye singalong.Ā And I got to talk about NOIR FATALE with Larry Correia, so that was awesome as well.Ā The entire Roadshow was really cool, and I was a little sad when MadMike and I had to leave to go grab food before heading to a signing in the dealer room.
The signing was at The Missing Volume, the online/con bookstore owned by my friend Glennis.Ā It was awesome to see her and her husband Tom for a few moments.Ā Even if it was only a few minutes.Ā
After the signing, my husband caught up with me, and we did a little shopping.Ā We also got some food with the Wolfpack. After that, Marisa and I went up to the Marriott top floor for a reception for the Dragon Award Finalists.Ā That was really fun, and it was awesome to hang out with my fellow finalists and some of the past winners.Ā
Unfortunately, I had to leave *that* early, too.Ā Because I was moderating a panel called āTemporal Temptationsā for the Alternate History track. On this late-night, adults-only panel, the lovely Tamsin Silver, Marisa Wolf, and I read some naughty scenes from various time periods.Ā We shared a lot of laughs with a really great audience, and it was an awesome time.Ā
The last panel of the night (starting at 0100, if youāre keeping track ā I told you Saturday was busy!) was a really interesting panel on the decadence of Weimar Berlin.Ā Very cool discussion, and I got to hang out with Steve Stirling again, so that was fun.Ā
And after that, I fell exhausted into bed.Ā My husband, on the other hand, went out.Ā And stayed out till 0600.Ā Heās awesome.Ā šĀ
Ā
āSunday ā The Dragon Awardsā
Sunday morning, I woke up and headed across the street to Pittypatās Porch to enjoy the annual Baen Brunch.Ā I got to hang out with Jim Minz and David Boop, as well as Marisa, Griffin, Bridget, Chrisā¦ and just a bunch of my Baen family.Ā I also had the honor of meeting Toniās gentleman caller, who weāre calling āHandsome Devilā. Ā The food was delicious, as always, and it was a really great time.Ā
After that, I headed back to my room and changed, then met up with some of my CKP family in the Hyatt bar.Ā We hung out there until it was time to go to the Dragon Awards in the Hyatt.Ā The Dragon Awards were a lovely ceremony, MCed by the masterful Chuck Gannon.Ā Though I didnāt win, I was super psyched to congratulate Sarah A. Hoyt and Kevin J. Anderson for their win with UNCHARTED. Ā
Afterwards, I got to chat with Laurell K. Hamilton and her husband Jon for a bit.Ā Theyāre a super cool couple, and she sent me an amazing story for NOIR FATALE, so it was good to catch up with them and their awesome assistant, Shawn.Ā
But then I had to head over to another panel on the fine distinctions between Magic, Psychics, and Superpowers.Ā Another really cool discussion, with an engaged audience and some very cool panelists.Ā
From there, I headed down to the Four Horsemen Universe panel, moderated by my buddy Speaker. Ā This was a fun panel where we got to talk about how Mark Wandrey and Chris Kennedy took a cool military SF idea and turned it into an unstoppable phenomenon.Ā That was a blast.Ā We had a great time talking about the universe and showing off cover art, and then we all headed upstairs for the Corsets&Kilts party.Ā Chris Kennedy decided to sponsor the party this year, and it was the standard rip-roaring good time.
And then it was time to head to Cruxshadows. Ā It had been five years since I last jammed at that concert with my friends Cassie and Casey, and it was really great to be there beside them once again.Ā At 0100 on Monday morning, the concert is always the harbinger of the end of the Con, but itās also one last chance to really turn things up and (as Marisa would say) RAGE!Ā
And then we had Waffle House, and then went to bed.Ā
Ā
āMonday ā The Last Tomorrowā
Despite Cruxhadows being the harbinger of the end, I actually had two more events on Monday.Ā The first was an Apocalypse Rising survival Q&A panel.Ā It was lightly attended, but still a lot of fun.Ā Then I had a signing with John Ringo at Glennisās at 1500.Ā That was good, because I had an opportunity to chat with John about our upcoming collaboration with Chris Smith: GUNPOWDER AND EMBERS.Ā It should be out sometime in the Fall of 2019, I believe, so thatās exciting!Ā
Afterwards, all that was left was to pack out of our room, have a last really fun lunch with Griffin Barber and Doc, and head up to Speakerās to say a last few goodbyes before heading to the airport in the afternoon.Ā
Our flight home was delayed until quite late at night, and when we did get home, I fell, exhausted and happy, into bed.Ā
Ā
āThe SummaryāĀ
This was the best DragonCon Iāve had in years.Ā And hereās why (in no particular order)
1. Arriving on Wednesday gave us two days of old-school just hanging out before programming started, which was ideal.Ā It was like the way I used to do con, before I got the opportunity to sit on panels.Ā
2. Cassie and Casey were there!Ā I have missed them so much, and it was so fantastic to party with them once again.
3. Our group was big enough and diverse enough (and adult enough!!) that we could split up into multiple pairings and go and do the things we wanted to do without anyone getting butthurt.Ā Which was great.
4. The traffic flow was fantastic.Ā I canāt remember ever feeling totally crowded as I have in the past.Ā
5. The programming was phenomenal.Ā Special thanks go to the Alternate History, Fantasy Literature, Sci Fi Literature, Apocalypse Rising, and Military Sci-Fi Media tracks for all of their hard work.Ā Thank you so much for letting me be part of your program.Ā I hope you were happy with what you got.Ā šĀ
As always, weāll be back next year, unless The Day Jobā¢ has dramatic plans for our family.Ā But until then, remember, you gotta keep DragonCon in your heart.Ā šĀ
DragonCon 2018 Tentative Schedule!
Hey lovelies!
As promised, here’s my tentative schedule for DragonCon 2018!Ā I say “tentative” because all schedules at DragonCon are tentative until after the event has already happened!Ā šĀ For best results, I highly recommend the DragonCon app, which updates daily with the schedule changes.
But, for your situational awareness, here is what I’ve got so far:
——————-
Title: Chronos: A Beginner’s Guide to Time Travel Fiction and Media
Description: More than a 101 for Alternate History or Steampunk, this primer is a very brief survey of the topics covered in our track. Alternate History and Historical Fiction, Steampunk, Time Travel media, and much more. This all-ages panel is for those who wonder, “What if?” and, “Where do I start?”
Time: Fri 11:30 am Location: Athens – Sheraton (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Kacey Ezell, S.M. Stirling)
——————-
Title: Military SciFi Writers and Creators – Media Edition
Description: A roundtable with military science fiction writers and artists–whether in tie-ins or independent worlds–to discuss the genre, trends, real-world accuracy, and working within the complex worlds of Military Sci-Fi.
Time: Fri 04:00 pm Location: Chastain DE – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Van Allen Plexico, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Georges Jeanty, Kacey Ezell, Amy J. Murphy)
——————-
Title: Fantasy Gather
Description: Celebrate the start of the Con & meet the voices of Fantasy literature. Authors will be here to meet you & sign books. Who knows what surprises & treasures you will find?
Time: Fri 08:00 pm Location: Hanover C-E – Hyatt (Length: 4 Hours)
(Tentative Panelists: )
——————-
Title: Amazons and Assassins
Description: Using elements of history and changing them in Fantasy novels, from the classic castle to genies and demons.
Time: Sat 11:30 am Location: Embassy EF – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel
(Tentative Panelists: Eric Flint, S.M. Stirling, Hawkings Austin, Kacey Ezell, Jason Cordova)
——————-
Title: Alternative Apocalyptic Weapons and Armor
Description: In an apocalypse you will need to make or forage for weapons and protection. Our experts will lead the discussion on what to look for, replacements for defensive items we have today, and how to create your own tools.
Time: Sat 01:00 pm Location: Chastain F-G – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel
(Tentative Panelists: Kacey Ezell, Michael Z. Williamson, Mike Massa)
——————-
Title: Prepping Lessons from Combat Veterans and First Responders
Description: “No plan survives contact with the enemy” is a long-standing military quote. This panel is your chance to find out what works and what doesn’t from people who have served and survived during military and domestic conflicts. A practical and tactical discussion not to be missed.
Time: Sat 10:00 pm Location: Chastain F-G – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Kacey Ezell)
——————-
Title: Temporal Temptations: Erotica of Alternate Eras
Description: Authors and fans share some of their favorite seductive prose from history or their own imaginations. From samples of history’s raciest writings to original works, this one is sure to be quite the bodice ripper. Come with your smelling salts and your fans to ward away the vapors.
Time: Sat 11:30 pm Location: Augusta – Sheraton (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel
(Tentative Panelists: Kacey Ezell, Eric Renderking Fisk)
——————-
Title: The Decadence and Liberation of Weimar Germany: An Explicit History Revue
Description: Much more than Berlin Babylon, the history of the Weimar Republic is one of sexual liberation, decadence, and depravity in the face of post-war economic collapse. Learn about the perverse, grotesque, alluring, and appalling times that are sure to shock and amaze from our fans of erotic history.
Time: Sun 01:00 am Location: Athens – Sheraton (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Austin Sirkin, S.M. Stirling, Kacey Ezell, Rox of Spazhouse)
——————-
Title: Third Annual Dragon Awards Presentation
Description: The winners of the Third Annual Dragon Awards will be announced.
Time: Sun 01:00 pm Location: Centennial I – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Larry Niven, Bill Fawcett, Tim Powers, Dr. Charles E. Gannon, Eric Flint, Richard “Lord British” Garriott, Mike Capps, Katherine Kurtz, Steven Barnes, Peter Kelamis, Lou Ferrigno)
——————-
Title: Magic, Psychics, and Superpowers–oh My!
Description: There is magic, then there are superpowers and mutants. What is genetic–and is it still fantasy, or is it really science?
Time: Sun 07:00 pm Location: Embassy EF – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Moderator / MC for panel
(Tentative Panelists: Myke Cole, Kacey Ezell, Cody Martin, Shawnee Small, Robert Jackson Bennett)
——————-
Title: The Four Horsemen: A Roundtable Discussion
Description: The Four Horsemen is a popular independent series with books & anthology taking place in a dynamic shared universe. The authors discuss the books, story, & how it all came to be.
Time: Sun 08:30 pm Location: Embassy AB – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Robert E. Hampson, Kevin Ikenberry, Chris Kennedy, Mark H Wandrey, Kacey Ezell, Jason Cordova)
——————-
Title: For Survival: Open Jam
Description: If you didn’t find the exact survival panel you wanted or didn’t get all your questions answered, a mix of our experts from the weekend return to answer your questions one last time. Open Jam is the 100% audience generated Q&A session on everything survival that you always dreamed of.
Time: Mon 11:30 am Location: Chastain F-H – Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
(Tentative Panelists: Michael Z. Williamson, Hans Eckman, Kacey Ezell)
LibertyCon 2018 AAR
Tuesday:
Yep, you read that right.Ā I started my Liberty Con journey on Tuesday.Ā As some of you may know, Iām working on a new trilogy with John Ringo and Christopher L. Smith.Ā Since John lives in the vicinity of Chattanooga, I decided to head down a few days early to work with him on the project.Ā So Coriel and I hopped in the car and made the 12 hour drive.Ā Aside from a speeding ticket (damn speed trap on 81 got me) and some raging thunderstorms (RAAAAAGGGEEEE) we arrived safely and checked in just in time to get some food and sleep.
Wednesday:
Woke up with Coriel and used the gym at the Chattanooga Marriott.Ā We had a good little workout and got to spend a little time together.Ā Then we got cleaned up, met up with Nico who traveled in, and got in touch with John.Ā I abandoned Coriel and Nico to go to work with John, and I think the two of them took a stroll in downtown Chattanooga together.
Meanwhile, John and I went to Rembrandtās, which is a really cool coffee shop in the Art District of Chattanooga.Ā We ate and talked while he sprinkled magic fairy dust over what Chris and I had written so far.Ā After the heat and the sun started to get to us, we changed venues to Chattanooga Billiard Company.
Yep.Ā The secretās out.Ā John Ringo writes books in a pool hall.Ā š
In seriousness, itās a very cool pool hall, and the patrons and staff I spoke to were really great people. Ā We had a productive session and made a lot of progress.
Afterward, we met back up with Nico and Coriel and John took us on a walking tour of downtown Chattanooga.Ā Itās really a very cool town, and one Iād like to check out aside from a Con.
Thursday:
Nico, Coriel, John and I met back up and went to City CafĆ© for breakfast.Ā The one near the hotel was closed, so we headed out to another location across town.Ā There I got my much anticipated waffles with ice cream.Ā We also got trapped by a series of storms, so I jokingly directed John to pull out his laptop and get to work.Ā To my surprise, he did, and I unknowingly started one of the jokes of the weekend.Ā Apparently, Iām quite the taskmistress when I want something done.Ā Who knew?Ā š
In any case, I ran Nico and Coriel back to the hotel and just missed seeing Speaker by about 5 minutes.Ā Then I headed back to City CafĆ© and picked John up.Ā We then repaired to his bunker/office for more work.Ā I got to say hello to the lovely lady Miriam, which was amazing.Ā John and I got more work done and decided to head back to the hotel at around 5pm.
And we walked in to DragonCon.
Okay, not really.Ā But bear with me for a bit.Ā For several years at DragonCon, Thursday was known as āthe new Fridayā.Ā Meaning that the wise and/or lucky con goers would arrive on Thursday to hang out and pregame with their friends before programming began on Friday.Ā Last year at Dragon, programming began on Thursday, and EZ and I joined the legions of smart and/or lucky congoers arriving on Wednesdayā¦ which has officially been dubbed āthe new Fridayā at DragonCon.
But DragonCon has 70K attendees over 5 hotels in Atlanta!Ā Liberty is limited to one percent of that in one hotel in Chattanooga!Ā And yetā¦
Thursday was definitely the new Friday this year at Liberty Con.Ā Because despite the flooding storms that still poured down over Chattanooga and played havoc with peopleās travel plans, nearly EVERYONE arrived on Thursday.Ā Old friends, new friends, friends we hadnāt yet metā¦ it was overwhelming and insane and really, really cool.
I met up with Coriel, Nico, and Marisa Wolf.Ā We had our āPush Up Badassā dinner with Cathe Smith and her fiancĆ© Mike, Toni Weisskopf, and Christopher Ruocchio.Ā We got to see Toniās amazing sword room, which was 100% worth every breath of hype.
Afterwards, we headed back and socialized with so many people.Ā I saw Speaker, finally.Ā And EP and Doc and Jeremy (aka Stitch) and his new bride Emily (aka Liloā¦ seriously guys, theyāre perfect together!), Joseph Capdepon and his lovely Bonnie, Jamie and Michelle Ibson, and Chris and Madi Smith arrived.Ā We spent a few minutes hanging out with Griffin Barber and Chuck Gannon in the hotel bar, as well as Chris Kennedy and Mark Wandrey with Keven Ikenberry and Jon Osborne and Chris Woodsā¦ and so many others I cannot possibly list them all.Ā Please donāt be offended if Iāve left your name out. Ā There was much mingling and saying hello and roaming around to see different people.Ā I think I went to bed around 1am, but I honestly donāt remember.
Friday
I remember waking up at 0730 and wondering why on earth I was awake so early!Ā But I got up and got some breakfast with Marisa and Nico, I believe.Ā My first panel was at 1pm, and it was a blast.Ā We talked about the future of the Black Tide Rising series, and John and his co-editor Kelly Lockhart hammed it up as usual, and John first started telling people about me keeping him chained in the basement while he worked on our project. Ā š Ā Ā The panel was followed by an autograph session, which was a ball as well.
After that, I assume I ate lunch, but I canāt really remember. I do know that the next event was the Homo Stellaris panel, where Les Johnson and Speaker talked about their upcoming anthology that addresses the question: who do we have to become in order to colonize the stars.Ā I have a small story with Doc in that anthology, and it was fun to sit together and talk about our contribution.Ā Unfortunately, that meant I missed my friend Nicoās reading, since it was scheduled opposite.
Following that, I got tagged to sign a bunch of 4HU books for sale, and so was tied up for a while until it was time for first dinner.Ā Marisa and I had a late 4HU dinner planned, but we knew we were going to need something before 2115 that night, so we grabbed a bite in the hotel bar with John F. Holmes and his lovely partner Karen, along with Doc.Ā It was great to see them, and we made a new friend as well.Ā Paul Sparks found himself at our table and joined in the conversation, so that was cool.
Thatās part of what makes Liberty the great con that it is.Ā Random strangers become good friends.Ā It happens ever year.Ā I hope it never stops.
That night, Jamie Ibson hosted the BADASS party (Books and Drinking, Authors Signing Stuff) along with Nathan Balyeatās Completely Random Cocktail Hour. Marisa and I put in appearances at both parties before we had to head off to the Galactic Governors dinner for the supporters of the 4HU Challenge Coin Kickstarter Campaign.Ā That was really great as well, and fun to meet and spend time with a few fans of the runaway series.
After that, more circulating and hanging out.Ā I may have sung āPossum Kingdomā a capella into a microphone and done makeshift karaoke to NINās āCloserā.Ā No big deal.Ā Griffin and Karen Barber, Marisa, Mike and Lorna Massa, and Jim Minz wonāt tell on me.Ā I thinkā¦Ā š
At some point, I went to bed again.
Saturday
Saturdayās panels started off with the Four Horsemen Roundtable, which was a blast!Ā We got to award red shirt coins to the people we killed off in our stories and answer questions about what weāve written and whatās going on in the future.Ā Following that, I sat in on the panel called āAll The Shades of Noirā with Larry Correia, Cedar Sanderson, and Ed McKeown.Ā I had a particular interest in this panel, since I am co-editing a Noir anthology with Larry for Baen books.Ā I ended up running a microphone for the large crowdās questions.
After that, I had to go try to give blood.Ā I had a 1315 appointment, but they were so backed up with their processing that I didnāt get a chance to donate before I had to head off to my next panel. Ā Maybe next year.
My next panel was the Baen Roadshow, which is a centerpiece of the con in many ways.Ā After LibertyCon last year, Monalisa Foster approached me about cosplaying a member of Tom Kratmanās Amazon Legion, and between us we hatched a plot to ambush him and present him with a Balboan flag at this yearās Roadshow.Ā Thanks to our inside woman, Toni Weisskopf, and to my fellow Amazonas: Monalisa, Emily, Tara Urbanek, Melanie Boyd, and my daughter Coriel.Ā We were able to pull off what Tom himself described as āWell thatās just fucking coolā.Ā šĀ Thereās video floating around, so if someone wants to post it in the comments, that would be amazing.Ā (Thanks to Gerry and Jamie and all the videographers!)
But it turned out that Toni had more than one surprise up her sleeve.Ā As soon as the Amazonas marched back to our staging area behind the air wall, Toni called me back out again and revealed the preliminary sketches for the cover art for NOIR FATALE!Ā I confess, I squealed and jumped up and down like a little girl.Ā Not exactly the military image the Amazonas are known for, I confess.Ā šĀ But still, it was an amazing moment, and having cover art revealed at LibertyCon was a bit of a dream come true for me.Ā šĀ Achievement Unlocked!
After the roadshow, we had the ShaāDaa:TOYS roundtable.Ā I was able to read a part of my story with Marisa Wolf called āUnderneathā.Ā Unfortunately, I had to bail early, because I had to change and get ready for the next commitment: the Baen dinner.
Every year, Baen generously puts on a dinner for its writers/artists and editors.Ā This year, I had the opportunity to meet artist Guest of Honor Jon Picacio.Ā Unfortunately, I didnāt get to hang out with him as much as I would have liked, but I hope weāll meet again.
I did meet up with my self-proclaimed BFF Bridget Correia.Ā We hung out together until I had to run down to do a reading for Tom Kratmanās Carreraverse anthology.Ā The reading was well attended and, I think, produced some enthusiasm for the project as a whole, which is excellent.
Next up:
My book launch party!
Did I mention that I launched a book this weekend?Ā WEAVER, cowritten by me and Mark Wandrey, released on Friday.Ā Itās the story of a pair of unwanted beings who found love and purpose in one another. Itās a deep dive into the life of a Tortantula/Flatar pair, and another look at the Mercenary Life that underpins the structure of the Galactic Union in the 4HU.Ā Initial reviews are favorable, so if you havenāt read it yet, please consider picking it up.Ā I hope you love it!
So, yes, I went to the book launch party. It was packed and a lot of fun.Ā Mark and I gave a signed copy of WEAVER to David Weber. I hope he enjoys both the story and the signatures, which were meant in the spirit of fun.Ā š
I hung out with Griffin some more, as well as Massa, John Ringo and Kelly Lockhart, and the one and only Jack Clemons.Ā Oh, and the lovely Jenny Ringo!Ā Who I was so excited to see.
I think I went to bed around three. Ā Again, I donāt really know.
Sunday
Once again, I woke up early.Ā I have no idea why.Ā I was scheduled for the Kaffeklatch, but Rich Groller told me that I should feel welcome to skip it if I needed to, since I had a particularly heavy programming schedule. So I did, and got breakfast with Marisa and Nico in the hotel buffet.
Then Risa and I headed off to the Chris Kennedy Publishing Year Ahead panel, where we talked about our various projects with the members of our CKP family, witnessed Jason Cordova finishing a book, and Risa talked up the Dragon Awards.
Then I had two hours of Authorās Alley scheduled.Ā During which time I tried not to hit Dan Hoyt with my rack (š), was photographed (along with Marisa Wolf and superfan Brian āBubbaā Gnad) by the supremely talented Oleg Volk, and sold and autographed a ton of books.Ā That was a lot of fun, and apparently everyone but me sold out of copies of ASSASSIN.Ā Good weekend!Ā š
By 3, the con was over.Ā I missed the closing ceremonies because I had to clean up my Authorās Alley.Ā Once that was done, I damn near collapsed in Speakerās suite surrounded by my chosen family.Ā I rallied to go to the traditional āmeat faucetā with Coriel and everyone, but not before I stole 5 min to talk magic and magic systems with Dave Butler.
Afterwards, I really did collapse in Speakerās suite.Ā I was exhausted on every level, but I felt so full of love for the endless parade of friends and family. Iām sure I was not fit company on Sunday, as I couldnāt really form coherent words very well, but I appreciate my cabal for taking care of me.Ā We laughed and played games and shot nerf guns in Speakerās suite until about midnight, when I finally gave up and went to bed.
Monday
Drove home. 11 Hours.Ā No ticket this time, though.Ā Ā So thatās a bonus.Ā š
Final Thoughts.
- I now know what my upper limit for programming for a single weekend is. šĀ I had such a fun doing all those panels and round tables and whatnot, but damnā¦ I was spent.
- LibertyCon 32 sold out in less than 6 hours. 6 HOURS, yāall!Ā Iāve said it before and Iāll say it again.Ā LibertyCon is The. Best. Networking. Con. Around.
- My kid is awesome.
- My friends are awesome.
- My coauthors are awesome.
- My publishers are awesome.
- I love you all. See you next year!
LibertyCon 31 Schedule
So Summer is almost upon us.Ā After this past winter, I wasn’t sure we’d ever get here.Ā šĀ But sure enough, it’s turning muggy and hot in in the DC area, and my thoughts are turning to “how long before I can get into a pool??!!””
Besides swimming pools, summer is my favorite time of year for another reason… it’s CON season!Ā Although, to be fair, some really great cons occur in the autumn, winter and spring as well.Ā But in my head, summer = cons = LibertyCon!
For those of you who don’t know, LibertyCon is an intentionally small (locked at 750 members!) SciFi/Fantasy Lit convention held in Chattanooga, TN at the end of June.Ā It is, by far, the best networking Con I’ve been to, and has rapidly become a highlight of my year.Ā I went for the first time in 2015, and I’ve been back every year since. I won’t miss it if I can help it!
Memberships are sold out for this year, but if you’re going, here’s my schedule.Ā Please come say hi, get an autograph, or buy a new book!Ā š Ā I really love meeting all of you, and catching up with those of you I already know.Ā Brandy, the ConChair for Liberty, likes to call it “our family reunion”, and that’s really what it is.Ā I can’t wait!Ā š
For my full schedule including descriptions, please visit LibertyCon’s awesome website.Ā But for now, here’s a preview:
Day | Time | Name of Event | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri | 01:00PM | Black Tide Rising Roundtable | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri | 02:30PM | Black Tide Rising Mass Autograph Session | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri | 03:00PM | Homo Stellaris: Becoming the People of the Stars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri | 05:00PM | Opening Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri | 07:00PM | What’s New From Copper Dog Publishing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri | 09:00PM | TBI & PTSD from the Observers Point of View | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat | 10:00AM | The Four Horsemen Roundtable | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat | 11:30AM | The 4 Horseman RT Mass Autograph Session | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat | 02:00PM | Baen Traveling Roadshow and Prize Patrol | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat | 04:00PM | The Sha’Daa: TOYS Roundtable | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat | 05:30PM | Sha’Daa: TOYS – Mass Autograph Session | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat | 06:00PM | Baen Dinner | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat | 09:00PM | Copper Dog Publishing / Moondream Press Book Launch/Room Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat | 09:00PM | Seventh Seal Press & Chris Kennedy Publishing Book Launch Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat | 10:00PM | Readings from the Carreraverse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sun | 10:00AM | Kaffeeklatsch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sun | 12:00PM | Chris Kennedy Publishing – The Year Ahead | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sun | 01:00PM | Author’s Alley (Burkhead, K. Ezell / Chris Smith, Gibbons, Leacock, Lowery) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sun | 02:00PM | Author’s Alley (Allen, K. Ezell / Chris Smith, C. Kennedy, S. Osborn, Schantz) |
Last but not least, special thanks to Brandy Spraker for giving me permission to use the amaaaaaazing LibertyCon artwork for this post.Ā This is the caliber of stuff you’ll find there, folks.Ā It’s definitely a con for the bucket list!!
kc
New Nonfiction Article and General Update!
Hey Friends!
I know it’s been awhile, but I have some exciting news!Ā I’m honored to announce that my nonfiction article “Character of the Female Warrior: An FAQ” has been published on Baen.com!Ā This one was a lot of fun to write, in part because I teamed up with a phenomenal officer and leader, Lt Col Jen Whetstone.Ā In the article, we discuss what makes a female warrior character realistic or unrealistic, and why we’re drawn to such characters.Ā I hope you’ll check it out.Ā Let me know what you think!
Other than that, it’s been crazy busy around here, but in a good way.Ā Along with work and family stuff, I’ve been doing a ton of writing.Ā I recently finished the first draft of a super secret project with my friend Griffin Barber.Ā Additionally, fans of the 4HU will be pleased to know that Mark Wandrey and I finished Weaver and turned it in last week.Ā I’m really excited to bring this one to you guys, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.Ā I’ve also finished cowriting a short story for an anthology edited by Les Johnson and Rob Hampson, as well as a story for Michael Z. Williamson’s second Freehold anthology (which, incidentally, was cowritten by Rob Hampson!Ā We just really like working together, apparently!)
On the convention front, I’m planning for both LibertyCon and DragonCon this year.Ā I really can’t wait to see everyone and catch up.Ā Let me know if the comments if you’re planning to attend either or both of those cons, or what fun plans you have for the summer!
MarsCon 2018 AAR
As usual, I stayed up too late the night before.Ā I was at work, doing an overnight shift, and I played around on my computer until past 0100.Ā I will never know why I feel compelled to do this to myself.Ā I feel like a little kid who is afraid she’ll miss something if she goes to bed.
For the record, this is happening right now.Ā It’s 0129, and I know it’s going to hurt to wake up in the morning and drive to BWI to get Risa.
But I’ll do it!Ā Because Risa!Ā WOOOOOOOOO!
*
Yeah, getting up sucked.Ā šĀ One of these days, I’ll learn not to do that to myself.
In any case, I woke up on Friday and eventually made it out the door and onto the road to drive to BWI to pick up my friend Marisa.Ā The timing worked out really well, because all I had to do was drive up to the curb and she hopped in.Ā It was like we’d planned it or something.Ā šĀ Ā Then we headed back to my house, because in my infinite wisdom, I’d forgotten a jacket and some other necessaries.Ā So Risa and EZ got to hang out for a bit, which is not to be missed.Ā EZ may be my soulmate, but he’s definitely Risa’s partner in comedy crime.
Jacket and necessaries acquired, Risa and I set off for a 3 hour road trip down to Williamsburg VA.Ā The drive is usually a pretty one, through some of Southern Maryland’s rural and Amish country.Ā It was pretty this time too, but in an otherworldly, etherical way.Ā For whatever reason, thick fog banks draped large swaths of the route, and it looked like something out of Silent Hill whenever we crossed a bridge and disappeared into the featureless white on the other side.
But we made it, got checked in, and headed to the Con.
First on the agenda:Ā getting badges.Ā My first impression was that MarsCon is a very well organized convention.Ā It was super easy for me to get badged as a pro, and Risa easily purchased her membership onsite.Ā We met up with Chris Kennedy for a few minutes, and then it was time to dive right in to the panels.
I will say this:Ā this was the busiest panel schedule I’ve had yet.Ā 10 panels over the course of 2.5 days.Ā And they were frequently an hour apart.Ā It was exciting and the topics were enjoyable and interestingā¦ but it was busy.
My favorite panel of Friday night might have been the āReady, Set, Flash!ā panel, where the audience supplied the details and my fellow panelists and I had to compete to tell a story in 5 minutes.Ā Hilarity predictably ensued, and I won one of the rounds thanks to the creative and blatant use of profanity in the very first line.
Friday night, Marisa and I headed back to the hotel relatively early, and then proceeded to stay up till 0200 talking about politics and plotlines, etc.Ā Because, you know, slumber party!
Saturday morning, Risa met up with a friend for breakfast and I made my way over to the Genre Blending panel at the crack of eleven.Ā We had a really good time there, and Chris Kennedy did a great job moderating.Ā I confessed out loud to being āgenre fluidā, as in, I just canāt pick a genre to play inā¦ theyāre all so great, I want to play in them all!Ā I also had the pleasure of sitting next to Guest of Honor Carrie Vaughn, who was extremely nice.Ā I really enjoyed chatting with her during the panel and in the green room afterwards.
Marisa joined me in the green room shortly thereafter, as did Drew Avera.Ā Drew was one of the other panelists on the āReady, Set, Flashā panel, and he told us that he had a new idea.Ā He wanted to do short, two-minute interviews with various authors to find out why they started writing and what their process is.Ā Heās calling it Author Mechanics, and itās super fun.Ā Both Risa and I interviewed for it.Ā You can find Drewās channel here:Ā https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw10Jav-mHgYheGsIiHrp5gĀ Go check them out. š
I had a total of six panels on Saturday, but the highlight was the Baen Books Travelling Roadshow and Prize Patrol.Ā Hosted by Baen Empress and High Priestess Toni Weisskopf, the Roadshow has a long tradition of irreverent commentary, beautiful artwork, and free books.Ā šĀ Whatās not to love?Ā I got to give away a signed copy of Forged In Blood, (which, by the way, just won the 2017 Preditors & Editors Reader Poll for Best Anthology!) and talk about the projects Iāve contributed to.Ā I also got to talk about D. J. Butlerās Witchy Eye, because I nearly bounced out of my chair when Toni brought up the slide. šĀ I recently read this masterpiece (yep.Ā I said it.Ā Itās a MASTERfreakingPIECE!) and relished the opportunity to share my enthusiasm with the crowd.
After the Roadshow, Marisa and I met up with Jim MInz and our friend Erin at an Italian place called Maurizioās for dinner. Ā There, we proudly claimed the title of āthat tableā as we proceeded to laugh long and hard at one anotherās stories and quips.Ā The food was to-die-for good, too, as were, Iām told, the pomegranate limoncello margaritas.
One more panel on Westerns in SF and Fantasy, and then Risa and I met up with Chris and Mark for some 4HU/Assassin strategy talk.Ā We were joined by the lovely Sheelah and Joy, as well as by Erin.Ā We proceeded to talk about alligators and headbutting them, geese and getting smacked by them, school and work and travelā¦ all the things, as Risa says.Ā Definitely all the things.
But more importantly, we brainstormed and discussed the future of the Depik race and the 4HU as a wholeā¦ and I think you guys are really going to like where this is going.Ā So buckle up, fans.Ā Weāre going for a ride!
Sunday morningās 1100 panel came a hair too early, thanks to our late night on Saturday, but we made it.Ā The panel was titled Theogony Books and Beyond, 30 Books in 2018.Ā There, Chris Kennedy shared the future of his various imprints, including Seventh Seal Press, which publishes the Four Horseman Universe.Ā Though the panel was but lightly attended, it was very exciting.Ā I canāt wait to see everything come to fruition in 2018.
Not the least of which is Assassin!Ā Chris announced at the panel that Assassin will launch on 23 February, 2018.Ā Just over a month from now!Ā So, if youāre excited to learn more about the catsassin race, get ready!Ā š
Overall, I really enjoyed Marscon.Ā The programming was a lot of fun, even if I felt completely slammed with panels.Ā One suggestion I have for the staff: I prefer when a panel has a predesignated moderator, who can prepare questions and sort of steer the discussion.Ā Every panel I was on had someone step up to moderate (including me, once), but I do think itās better if the moderator can prepare in advance.
Other than that, though, everything was really well organized and ran so smoothly, it didnāt seem as if the con was crowded at all.Ā I was amazed when I heard what the attendance numbers were.Ā Either those numbers (1500?) were way off, or the flow was just that good, because it felt as if a fraction of that many people were there.
Thanks again to Crystal Smalling and all of the staff at MarsCon for putting on a kickass event.Ā I was so pumped to go, and Iād love to return again next year!Ā I highly recommend this con to anyone looking for a break from the midwinter blues.Ā šĀ Great time.
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MarsCon 2018 Schedule
WooHooo!Ā I’ll be at MarsCon 2018 in Williamsburg, VA next weekend.Ā (12-14 Jan 2018)Ā Here’s my schedule (next to the lovely sunset pic for attention! ):
Kacey Ezell
6pmĀ Ā FriĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Large AuditoriumĀ Ā Ā Opening Ceremonies
7pmĀ Ā FriĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Room LĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā An Introduction to Alternative History
9pmĀ Ā FriĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Room LĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā All Nerds are Socially Awkward and Other Myths
11pm FriĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Room 7Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ready, Set, Flash!
11amĀ SatĀ Ā Ā Ā Room 7Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Genre Blending
1pmĀ Ā SatĀ Ā Ā Ā Room 8Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Themās Fighting Words…
3pmĀ Ā SatĀ Ā Ā Ā Room 8Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Evoking Emotions, Provoking Readers
4:30pm-6pmĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā SatĀ Ā Ā Ā Room 6Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Baen Books Traveling Road Show
8pmĀ Ā SatĀ Ā Ā Ā Room 8Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā There Can Be More Than One…
9pmĀ Ā SatĀ Ā Ā Ā Room 8Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Westerns in Science Fiction and Fantasy
11amĀ SunĀ Ā Ā Room 6Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Theogony Books And Beyond: 30 Books In 2018
If you’re planning on attending the Con, please say Hello!Ā It should be a blast, and a welcome break from mid-winter mundania!Ā š
PS.Ā I’m dragging my coauthor, the fabulous Marisa Wolf along.Ā šĀ So you’ll get to meet her, too!
The Fedora Chronicles Interview!
So, at DragonCon, I had the opportunity to meet a really terrific gentleman named John Pyka, who also goes by the moniker Big Daddy Cool.Ā John is an authority on all things Dieselpunk, and he invited me to take part in a podcast run by himself and his friend, Eric Renderking Fisk.
Thus, I had the opportunity to join them for an episode of The Fedora Chronicles.Ā šĀ Please go check it out, we really had a blast talking aboutĀ Minds of Men and all things Dieselpunk.Ā It was really a lot of fun.
Special thanks to John Pyka aka Big Daddy Cool and Eric Renderking Fisk for the chance to hang out!