Thursday Thirteen: Thirteen Pictures of RavenCon 2013

If a picture's really worth a thousand words, I just might be able to make up for being such a bad blogger this year.  Besides, you'd much rather see the faces and costumes of RavenCon than hear me blather.  So, without further ado, thirteen photos from RavenCon 2013

 

Author Laurel Anne Hill shows off a steampunk style perfectly suited to her story in the anthology Shanghai Steam.

 

 

Fan Guest of Honor Carla Brindle and Writing Guest of Honor Kevin J. Anderson frame one of Carla's amazing cakes.  Since RavenCon flaunts Richmond's Edgar Allan Poe vibe, Carla baked a fully functional chest containing a beating cake heart. The book leaning next to it was edible, too.  And I can personally attest that it tasted great.

 

Sarah Black and Braxton Ballew of Valentine Wolfe perform their first concert of the weekend.

 

With Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta as the con's Writer Guests of Honor, the costumes were guaranteed to glory in Steampunk.

 

But Star Wars was well represented by the 501st Legion and this fierce Tusken Raider.  Star Trek sent Klingons...and a jail!  But you have to go to my Flickr page to see that. 

 

There were Steampunk writers, too. From left to right: Emilie Bush, David Lee and a guy I really think I ought to recognize...

 

Comics artist Monica Marier gleefully admitted she crafted her shiny SF costume to draw potential customers' eyes.

 

You knew there had to be at least one panel shot, didn't you?  Here (from left to right) Jim Bernheimer, Gail Z. Martin, Ron Garner and John Betancourt discuss professional self-publishing.

 

There were two book launch parties, but I only took still shots of Leona Wisoker's event. Here Leona (center in black) discusses the role of coffee in the party and in her new novel Fires of the Desert.

 

More Steampunk-y goodness. From some overheard conversation (in the bar, naturally) I understand this group later won the Masquerade. Alas, I didn't catch their names, but I do recall that it was the gentleman's first costume competition.

 

Don't tell anyone, but I can't identify these costumes--and I know I should! Sob.

 

Masquerade Masters of Ceremony Billy Flynn (left in scarf) and Rich Sigfrit (to Billy's right) introduce the Ghostbusters of RavenCon.

 

There were belly dancers, too.  And much, much more.  If you'd like a bigger taste, please, check out the rest of my pictures or follow the links from the RavenCon Facebook page.  It's not too early to sign up for 2014, after all.

 

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Jean Marie Ward

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jean Marie's RavenCon Schedule

RavenCon is this weekend!  I can’t wait, and when you see the schedule they’ve given me, you’ll know why.  And this is only the tip of their programming iceberg.  Glen Cook and Matthew Stewart are the writer and artist guests of honor, respectively.  This year the con hosts its first media guest, Battlestar Galactica’s Nicki Clyne. Not to mention an all-new Masquerade and a concert by Bella Morte, whose lead singer Andy Deane is also a writer and on the program.  
And so am I:

Friday, April 14

4 p.m.

Space Cowboys and Fantasy Noir: From Shadowrun to the Garret Files to Priest, mixing genres can result in some interesting stories.  What genres mix well?
John Betancourt Glen Cook, S. Reesa Herberth, Stuart Jaffe, Michelle Moore, Jean Marie Ward

5 p.m.

Creating a Timeline: How carefully should an author keep track of what happens, when, and where?  What are some techniques to make this easier?
Day Al-Mohamed (m), Pamela K. Kinney, Bud Sparhawk, Jean Marie Ward, Robert E. Waters, Steve White

Saturday, April 15

2 p.m.

Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Reading: Tasty, bite-sized readings from the authors of Broad Universe, an international organization dedicated to promoting science fiction, fantasy and horror written by women.
Danielle Ackley McPhail, KT Pinto, Gail Z. Martin, Jean Marie Ward, Leona Wisoker (m)

3 p.m.

Design a Superhero: What makes a superhero great? Panelists describe what they think makes a memorable superhero.
Butch Allen, Billy Flynn, CJ Henderson, Patrick A. Vanner, Jean Marie Ward

5 p.m.

Modern Fairy Tales: Lost Girl, Grimm, and Once Upon a Time all bring fairy tales to the TV screen.  What makes some shows work, and others not?
Butch Allen, Flynnstress, Warren Rochelle, Suzanne Rosin, Michelle D. Sonnier, Jean Marie Ward

Sunday, April 16

11 a.m.

Are Panels About Vampires Played Out?  Every year, we have a panel asking if vampires are passé.  Are panels asking if vampires are passé…passé?
Scott M. Baker, Keith R.A. DeCandido, KT Pinto, Jim Stratton, Jean Marie Ward, Robert E. Waters

2 p.m.

Military Science Fiction and Fantasy: Panelists discuss the various subgenres of military SF and fantasy, from Star Trek to Battlestar Galactica to the Black Company.
Glen Cook, Mike McPhail, Tony Ruggerio, Janine K. Spendlove, Patrick A. Vanner, Jean Marie Ward (m)

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Waiter, There's a Romance in my Fantasy...Doing the Time Warp

Long ago (well, it was a different millennium) in a galaxy not that far away I launched Crescent Blues, a weekly nonfiction electronic magazine dedicated to the proposition that all genres are created equal. 
The notion didn’t seem terribly radical.  After all, I’d hung around bookstores (I told you it was long ago).  I spied with my own little eyes (not Google Glass, oh no) that while people might head to one genre-specific section the minute they arrived at the store, they invariably moseyed elsewhere before hauling their stash to the cash register.  Books and magazines were—and remain—impulse buys, and like potato chips, nobody could read just one.

Mainstream readers shopped mystery.  Mystery readers (ahem) probed science fiction.  SF readers checked out the jacket copy on the fantasy next shelf or explored the thin slice of retail space remaining for westerns.  Fantasy readers wandered into the horror aisle or hung out in the romance section, and romance readers read everything.  In quantity.

Crescent Blues page views reflected my observations.  Readers would come for an interview with a specific writer or media personality and wander deeper into the site.  Their page trails formed an electronic version of “If you like this writer, try that” one that seldom ever remained in genre for long.  

A lot has changed in merchandising and marketing of narrative nonfiction and fiction since then, but the pattern hasn’t changed.  People continue to read across genre.  Not only that, some of the intervening years’ most famous and popular books and series straddle genre lines.  The fantasy of Harry Potter is wrapped around a mystery core.  For the Twilight series, fantasy adds the spice to a very traditional sweet romance.  Charlaine Harris addresses mainstream themes of prejudice in America's so-called melting pot in her Sookie Stackhouse series.  Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series uses mystery as a framework to explore—and denounce—violence against women.  George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones is as more about Realpolitik than fantasy dragons.  Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games series mixed reality TV and the Iraq War with dystopian SF.  And that doesn’t even address mash-ups like Pride and Prejudice with Zombies or Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.

This shouldn’t surprise anyone.  If the notion of blending genres unsettles you, think about it another way: How many of your favorite dishes contain just one ingredient?  I agree, there’s nothing like the flavor of a ripe tomato fresh off the vine or a handful of blackberries you picked yourself.  But even those flavors are complex—sweet yet salty and acidic, and sweet and tart.  But consider, a steak has no flavor if you cook it without salt.  And what about those of us who salivate at the thought of some childhood favorite—Mom’s spaghetti sauce (the ONLY thing my mom could cook) or a favorite aunt’s lemon meringue pie.  They’re a riot of flavors, which by some miracle of talent and art come together just right.

It’s something to think about the next time you hear someone say they don’t like this kind of story or that kind of movie.  They’re only fooling themselves.  They wouldn’t know what to do if someone tried to take the romance out of Castle or the fantasy out of Desperate Housewives.

On a purely promo note, I’ll be thinking about it a lot during the next week.  My first panel at RavenCon, April 14, will be “Space Cowboys and Fantasy Noir”, featuring con guest of honor Glen Cook.  To quote the program, “From Shadowrun to Garret Files to Priest, mixing genres can result in some interesting stories.  What genres mix well?”

To which I plan to reply: All of them.

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Two Cons, One Reading and a Book Signing

So it isn’t Four Weddings and a Funeral. We have pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. And Charlaine Harris. And Rachel Caine. And Roxanne St. Claire. And…



My 2010 convention season got off on a splendid start at RavenCon, April 9-11 in Richmond, Virginia. Two of this year’s guests of honor were artist R. Cat (left) and Rachel Caine, his wife and bestselling author of the Weather Warden and Morganville Vampire series. In addition to being totally great people, they’re totally into great clothes. Here Rachel works a wonderful, burn-out velvet top, while R. Cat displays his leather coat, vest and spiffy watch chain.



Last RavenCon, DragonMoon writer and editor Valerie Griswold-Ford (left, raising shooter glass) asked me to contribute a story to her magic pirate anthology. I did…four months late. Gulp. (What can I say? It was a really busy year.) Needless to say, I missed my deadline, big time. But Val let me attend the Rum and Runestones RavenCon launch party anyway. Lifting a skull to toast the new anthology is fellow writer/editor Danielle Ackley-McPhail. My story for Dani’s Dragon’s Lure, “Lord Bai’s Discovery”, did make the deadline and will be available in June. And all is not lost for that pirate story. If Rum and Runestones does well, Val is up for a sequel.



In addition to the rum (There must be rum!) the Rum and Runestones party featured filking by Danny Birt (right), a writer who made the deadline.



This year’s RavenCon did not host a Masquerade, though there numerous costume panels and wonderful hall costumes. My favorite was the One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying Purple People Eater…even if I’m not too sure about that tongue.



Conventions and conferences aren’t just tribal gatherings; they’re also an opportunity to do good, often through charity auctions such as the one held at this year’s RavenCon. Radio personality and fan favorite Kelly Lockhart (in the beret) and writer/editor Lee Martindale (seated, in brown) whipped the fans into a bidding frenzy. Together they raised $1000 for the Virginia Aviation Museum.



For me, the panel highlight was “Unusual Occurrences…Even for a Convention” late Saturday night, April 10. (From left to right) Master costumer and publisher Anita Allen, Artist Guest of Honor R. Cat, writer/editor Davey Beauchamp and writer Patrick A. Vanner recounted tales of con fans and guests behaving so badly, I couldn’t stop laughing, even when it hurt. Lesson to remember: try to behave at a conference. If you don’t, somebody will be taking notes.



The day after I returned from Richmond, I headed to Washington, D.C., for a Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading at the Library of Congress hosted by the Library’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum. I was so excited, it was hard to stand still enough to read “Lord Bai’s Discovery”. I mean, the Library of Congress—the high temple of writers everywhere. After the reading, we enjoyed a personalized tour of the Library’s Jefferson Building, the oldest of the Library of Congress buildings and, bar none, the most beautiful building in our nation’s capital. Here you see our hostess and tour guide Colleen Cahill (second from left), Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Samhain Publishing author Christine Norris (right). (I’m the one on the left in the hat.) Fellow reader Sarah Avery left before this photo was taken in the Library’s Map Reading Room. I chose this picture to highlight of one of the room’s Map Ladies—the other figure wearing a hat. Her clothes are made entirely of maps.



Here it’s just me—providing the proof I signed at the April 16 Turn the Page Bookstore Café mega-signing featuring Nora Roberts, Charlaine Harris and Roxanne St. Claire. My outpost of commerce was right in front of a bookcase loaded with jewelry and bath products, all lovely and all likely to tip over whenever I wriggled in my chair. Eep! But both With Nine You Get Vanyr and Fantasy Art Templates profited from the occasion.



The Washington Romance Writers 2010 Retreat, held in Leesburg, Virginia, April 16-18, had great panels. But some of my best photos happened when I turned the camera away from the main event. Here I surprised featured guests Roxanne St. Claire (center) and Charlaine Harris (right) telling fortunes with the Sugar Packet Tarot during the Editor/Agent Panel, the evening of April 16. According to Rocki: “Your past tastes bitter, but your future has an equal chance of being sweet.”



This year Romance Writers of America president Michelle Monkou (center) received the chapter’s Nancy Richards-Akers Mentoring Award, April 17. Aptly enough Michelle, shown here as the award citation is read, was WRW president when the award was created. This is one of those times when con synchronicity cannot be ignored. Exactly one week before, I was sitting in the audience of a panel where fantasy writer Lawrence Watt-Evans praised the career-nurturing efforts of RWA and its local chapters.



Of course, sometimes the main event should not be ignored, especially when it’s Romance Jeopardy, which is NOT FAIR. This ringleaders of this year’s game were Cathy Maxwell (Scarecrow), Karen Smith (Glinda the Good Witch) and Kathleen Gilles-Seidel (Cowardly Lion), who led contestants down the Yellow Brick Road and encouraged them to “Surrender, Dorothy!”



This year fellow Retreat photographer Julie Ray Stewart and I couldn’t resist capping the event by photographing each other. Julie has been recording Retreats since the conference was held in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.

That's it...for April. If you want to see the rest of the photos--and the rest of my con galleries--feel free to check out my Flickr page. You never know what mischief my camera will get into next.

RavenCon Anon

RavenCon 2010 makes Richmond, Virginia, the place to be this weekend, April 9-11. The con features Rachel Caine, author of the best selling Weather Warden and Morganville Vampire series, her multi-talented artist husband R. Cat and gaming guru Steve Long as guests of honor, as well as lots of other talented writers, artists, gamers and costumers you really want to meet.

With a guest list like that, you know I couldn’t stay away. Not only that, I even strong-armed—ahem, persuaded the con committee to let me play on some panels. My schedule follows. I hope you’ll join me there!

Friday

7 p.m.: Two Way Street
Writers and artists often feed each other muses. Artists talk about the writers who inspired them and vice versa.
Panelists: R. Cat (Artist Guest of Honor), James Enge, Heidi Hooper, Jean Marie Ward (Moderator), J. Andrew World

10 p.m.: Where Have All the Female Vampires Gone?
Help us find out.
Panelists: Jim Blanton, Rob Floyd, Kalayna Price (Moderator), Jean Marie Ward

Saturday

11 p.m.: Ghost Hunting—New Trend or Passing Fad
There's a lot of stuff on TV and in literature—but is anyone still pursuing this at home? What makes or breaks the hunt for a ghost and how long will it continue?
Panelists: Pam Kinney, Cheralyn Lambeth, Laura Underwood (Moderator), Jean Marie Ward

Sunday

10:30 a.m.: Jean Marie’s Koffee Klatsch
Come rescue me from talking to myself for a half hour after wrestling ghosts ‘til the wee hours of the morning. I will have chocolate…

Noon: That’s Bull
We all agree it's fiction but there are times when even authors take too much liberty. Panelists discuss what they have read and perhaps their own forays across the line of believability. How far will a reader be willing to go to suspend disbelief? Does a writer lose credibility or are they just pushing the envelope?
Panelists: Laura Cory-Haywood, Sarah Harvey (Moderator), Larry Hodges, Jean Marie Ward

1 p.m.: Leyaks Don’t Get No Respect
World mythology is full of weird and wondrous beings who've yet to make their mark on the fiction bestseller lists. Writers and artists talk about their favorite obscure creatures and why they deserve their time to shine…or darkly glow, as the case may be.
Panelists: Iver Cooper, Kalayna Price, Jean Marie Ward (Moderator), Leona Wisoker

2 p.m.: Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading
Four first-rate authors read exciting, bite-sized excerpts of their work that will leave you hungry for more. (Check out the flyer if you want to know more about the writers.)
Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Debra Killeen, Jean Marie Ward (Moderator), Diane Whiteside

My Spring...In Pictures

Three conferences in five weeks--and people wonder why I have no brain cells left. A lot of great memories. Tons of pictures. But no brain cells.

I still haven’t posted all of them on my Flickr page, but rather than do real work while I’m at a family wedding in Florida (and taking more pictures), I thought I’d give the readers of Beyond the Veil a sneak peek of the photos to come--and a good reason to start planning for the 2010 conference season.

First up is the Washington Romance Writers annual retreat, this year held in Leesburg VA, April 17-19. The featured speakers were P.C. Cast and Carla Neggers.




















Here, P.C. gives new meaning to the phrase “Talk to the hand”. She also may have scarred one of the Hall’s waiters for life with her story of the centaur with, um, two.




















Always one of the conference highlights, this year’s Romance Jeopardy (which is NOT FAIR) featured a do-wop theme, including a group sing-along featuring writers Kathleen Gilles Seidel and Karen Smith, and St. Martin’s editor Jennifer Enderlin. This is probably the worst picture of Jennifer evah, but I knew she’d appreciate the combination of expression and horns.

Next up was RavenCon 2009. Richmond’s premier sf/fantasy con served up a big helping of Edgar Allan Poe in honor of the writer’s 200th birthday. But oddly enough, the con’s ghost in residence was nowhere in evidence in the RavenCon edition of the Dead Authors Society.













But we did put on a good show, with costumes and everything. The channelers were (from left to right) Lyn Gardner (as artist and fantasist William Morris), yours truly (as Mary Shelley), Peter Prellwitz (as Louis L’Amour, whose western novels inspired Gene Roddenberry) and Laurel Anne Hill (as David Gemmel).











OK, I admit it, I haven’t read Harry Potter, but thanks to Luna-C, I’ve seen all seven books…in 45 minutes. No fooling. Of course, covering about a gazillion words in 45 minutes doesn’t leave a lot of room for frills. Here we see Snape snarking away, while fellow cast members change on stage for their next entrances.

If it’s Memorial Day, it must be Balticon, Baltimore’s long-running sf/fantasy con. Balticon is one of the most costume-rich conventions in the Mid-Atlantic region. It’s not just the Masquerade, but the dances and the LARP-ing too.




















About that, I have only two words to say: steampunk pirate. This shot was taken at Dancing in the Gears, the con’s first steampunk ball. People were dancing quadrilles and promenades. I was too, thanks to a very nice man named Colin Wolfe, who partnered me in spite of my two left boots. (Thanks, Colin!)












But it wasn’t all about the dressing up. There was a lot of good writing info too, including “Escaping the Death Spiral”, the only panel I managed to catch with Steve Miller (one half of the Liaden Universe writing team--unfortunately, Sharon Lee couldn't make it). No, the session--featuring Patrick Thomas (l), Marshall S. Thomas (no relation) and Miller (r)--wasn’t an intense technical discussion focusing on gravitational vortexes. It was about what to do when your current book sells less than your last.

Wait, as any writer will tell you, that IS a black hole…

Anyway, the panelists came up with some good ideas on how to keep moving your writing and your career forward. Most resonant for me was Miller’s advice--keep connected with the fans. With cons like these in my life, that isn't a job; it's a total pleasure.

Jean Marie Ward

Going to RavenCon

My 2009 conference season starts off with a bang this Friday at Richmond’s RavenCon. If you’re in the neighborhood of the Crowne Plaza West, drop by and say hello--and hang around for the festivities. Mary Shelley’s going to be making a return engagement, and this time I think I can get the hair right. As for the rest, I think they’re going to get their money’s worth...

Friday

5 p.m.: Twice-Told Tales

Some of the most popular adult and young adult fantasy in today’s market are retellings of classic fairy tales and myths. What’s the allure? How do writers find something new to say about the stories we all know?

Panelists: Marcia Collette, Edmund Schubert (moderator), Jean Marie Ward, John C. Wright

7 p.m.: Writing 411: (Not Necessarily) The Usual Suspects (90-minute literary workshop)

Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Jack Bauer, Reno—chances are the thing you like best and remember longest about your favorite stories are the characters. This session will discuss the importance of characters in the creation of plot.

Panelists: Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Jean Marie Ward, Allen Wold (moderator), John C. Wright

10 p.m.: Urban Fantasy 101

Werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters—these used to be classic “horror” elements. What defines Urban Fantasy and how does it differ from classic horror?

Panelists: Danny Birt, Marcia Colette, L. Jagi Lamplighter, Hildy Silverman, Jean Marie Ward (moderator)

Saturday

3 p.m.: Dead Authors Society

Four authors channel the spirits of their favorite dead authors for the duration. Talk to William Morris, David Gemmel, Louie L’Amour and Mary Shelley live…sort of.
Panelists: Lyn Gardner, Laurel Anne Hill, Peter Prellwitz, Tony Ruggiero (moderator), Jean Marie Ward

6 p.m.: Books on TV

Several new series are popping up on TV based on popular novels--TrueBlood and Legend of the Seeker, for example. How closely do these TV shows follow their inspiration and will book fans follow them to television?

Panelists: James Fulbright, Jean Marie Ward

10 p.m.: Love at First Bite

What is it about vampires? From TrueBlood to Twilight, vampires seem to be taking over. What makes them fun to read and watch? Oh… and do they deserve “human rights” or are they “monsters”?

Panelists: Paul Bibeau, Marcia Collette, Tony Ruggiero (moderator), Jean Marie Ward

Sunday

Noon: Does Blood Smell?

A panel about some of the more “icky” aspects of writing and research.

Panelists: Laurel Anne Hill, Gail Martin, Tony Ruggiero (moderator), Maggie Stiefvater, Jean Marie Ward

T13: RavenCon 2008

Vampires, time-travelers and Poe--oh my! RavenCon 2008 was all that and more.



Since my first panel wasn’t until 6 p.m. Friday evening, I headed for downtown Richmond and the historical canals surveyed by George Washington. Originally, the canals were all business, but these days they’re all about history and wild life. Here, turtle sun themselves on a “turtle tree” and eye the newly hatched goslings on the opposite bank.



The Poe Museum is the oldest building in Richmond. It hosted Lafayette and survived “The Great Conflagration” of 1865, but Edgar Allen Poe never lived here. However, given its history, there probably isn’t a safer location for the relics of Poe’s life.



Back at the hotel, roomie Jana Oliver shows the cover flat for her third Time Rovers novel, Madman’s Dance, slated for an October release. Her partners in crime for the “Writing Full Time” panel are (left to right) C.J. Henderson, Dennis Danvers and David B. Coe.



Con Chair Michael Pederson at the podium) amazed his audience by personally greeting over fifty of RavenCon’s guests, including Fan Guest of Honor “Filthy Pierre” (writer and filker Erwin S. Straus, shown here in the in the white shirt) and Artist Guest of Honor Stephen Hickman (in the baseball cap).



Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show editor Edmund Schubert (standing) looks impressed with Pederson’s performance. But notice the woman not looking at the stage? That’s writer Gail Z. Martin, who’s probably scoping out her next target--er, interview. Gail’s video blogs of the con are linked to her regular blog, or you can go direct to her coverage of the Wicked Game launch party by clicking here. You might even recognize some folks.




You can’t have a great con without great costumes. This wonderful gown was the height of European women’s fashion in 1537.



The con’s Saturday night parties opened with “Livers for Boobies”, a drinking contest to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The competition pitted writer Davey Beauchamp (in white, seated on the lap of artist Bryan Prindiville) against writer/editor Valerie Griswold-Ford (far right). We never did get to find out who could drink the most. Davey forfeited when he ducked out to the Wicked Game launch party once too often.



Jana photographs Jeri cutting the cake for the Wicked Game launch party. The logo on the cake was developed for WVMP, the radio station featured in the book. Wicked Game will be released May 13.



With the cake cut, the party ramped into high gear. I was sorely tempted to steal the WVMP t-shirt draped over the picture, but I was good.



Lee Gilliland, queen of the RavenCon con suite and wife of Hugo award-winning author Alexis Gilliland, goes for the gold. I didn’t even need a flash for this shot.



Whose panel is it anyway? Well, the panelists were (left to right) broadcaster Jon Stallard, writer Stuart Jaffe, Robot Battles co-creator Kelly Lockhart, Writer Guest of Honor C.S. Friedman and writer/editor Danielle Ackley-McPhail. But the audience set the topics under discussion.



Between one commitment and another, I didn’t get to attend any of fantasy icon Katherine Kurtz’s panels so I sat in on her Koffeeklatch, an informal one-on-one session held in the Crowne Plaza’s restaurant. The conversation touched on her husband, Scott, but I never twigged onto the fact her Scott was Scott Macmillan, the author and screen-writer who was also featured on my last panel of the day, “The popularity of the paranormal in both nonfiction and fiction”. Afterwards, both Scott (left) and Katherine (center) joined me for a photograph. It was the nicest possible cap to a wonderful con.

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