Going to DragonCon

I’m about to leave for my favorite summer camp for wayward adults: Dragon*Con. This year they’re working me to the bone, and I hate to suffer alone. So if you’d like to drop by to cheer, jeer or just say hello, this is where you’ll find me:

Saturday

Paranormal Romance vs. Urban Fantasy - The panel hopes to explore what distinguishes the two genres and whether it’s possible for writers to break genre barriers and still keep their core audiences. Panelists: Raven Hart, Rita Herron, Carol Malcolm (Moderator), J. Kessler, Jean Marie Ward. 2:30 p.m., Montreal/Vancouver Room (Hyatt)

Magic and Religion in Science Fiction and Fantasy - Magic as religion? Or religion as magic? Is there such a thing? Can it be both? A. Davis, Glenda Finkelstein (Moderator), Katherine Kurtz, Jody Lynn Nye, Jean Marie Ward. 4 p.m. Fairlie Room (Hyatt)

Attack of the Dead Authors Society - You want to see what happens when I channel Mary Shelley? It ain’t gonna pretty--especially when they let me loose against a bunch of guys. I'm not kidding, despite Stephanie's presence on the panel, they're all coming as male authors. That is so wrong on so many levels. Come and see the carnage--I mean, fun. Joe Crowe, Larry Davis, Van Allen Plexico (Moderator), Stephanie Souders, Jean Marie Ward. 10 p.m. Fairlie Room (Hyatt)

Sunday

Other Worlds, Other Times - Romance is now exploiting the tropes of science fiction--space voyages, time travel, magical lands, etc. What are the key motifs for today’s romance writers? How do they use them differently than their SF/fantasy colleagues--especially when, under other names, they may be the same people? They’re letting me run this one, and for some reason, they expect me to be conscious the morning after the Cruxshadows' midnight concert. I believe the term "cock-eyed optimist" was coined for situations like these. Panelists: Sandra Hill, Susan Kearney, Susan Sizemore, Jean Marie Ward (Moderator), C.L. Wilson. 10 a.m., Montreal/Vancouver Room (Hyatt)

Dark Secrets, Shadowed Hearts - Tortured anti-heroes or insufferable jerks? Why we lover (or hate) alpha males and “bad boys”. Panelists: Carole Nelson Douglas, Rita Herron, Donna Lynch, Carol Malcolm (Moderator), Jeanne C Stein, Jean Marie Ward. 1 p.m., Montreal/Vancouver Room (Hyatt)

Plumbing the Anima: On Fritz Leiber - Everything Fritz Leiber will be up for discussion. Since he’s the fantasy writer who inspired me to write fantasy, I’m looking forward to this. I’d look forward to it more if there were more of us on the panel, though. Panelists: T. Leonard, Jean Marie Ward. 2:30 p.m. Greenbriar Room (Hyatt)

Monday

Tales of Dragaera - This time around this discussion centers on Steven Brust. Expect the good, the bad, and lots of Eastern European food porn. Panelists: Van Allen Plexico, Jean Marie Ward. 11:30 a.m., Greenbriar Room (Hyatt)

What’s Next for Romance? - These days, it seems you can’t have a con without asking this question. Industry professionals talk about the current trends in the romance genre and where they expect the field to go next. Panelists: Althea Kontis, Carol Malcolm (Moderator), Deborah Smith, Jean Marie Ward. 2:30 p.m., Montreal/Vancouver Room (Hyatt)

See you there!