As I mentioned in my last post, I will be attending Context SF convention this week!  From Friday, September 28th to Sunday, September 30th, I’ll be road-tripping to Columbus, Ohio for fun times with friends (old and new).  What is Context?  Well, they say they are “…a friendly convention focused on speculative fiction literature and related games, comics and films.” And this is a convention very much focused on the written word, not so much other media. Writers and readers and publishers mingle and talk about their favorite genre fiction, buy and sell books, and network with each other.

I have to say special thanks to Hydra Publications for offering me table space to sell my books in the dealer room!  So, this year, I will be freed from table-sitting in the dealer room to wander and participate in panel discussions. Here’s what I’ll be doing:
The Science of Yeast Friday, 9pm in the Madison Room.  I have to admit, I am super excited about this panel.  My friend, PhD biochemist Trista Robichaud, came up with this idea and I was honored to be invited!  She will be dishing out the real science, and I’ll be telling the how-tos of homebrewing, along with a few funny personal stories.

Re-inventing “Once Upon a Time”: The Modern Fairy Tale Saturday, 8pm in the Fairfield Room. This is going to be fun.  Of course I’ll talk about my modern fairy tale, Blue Spirit, but also about the stuff I’ve loved to read that influenced me.  Also, some newer literary infatuations along those lines (hint: I’m looking at you, Red Tash). I’m honored to be sitting on the panel with Addie King,  Mindee Arnett, and Guest of Honor L.E.Modesitt.

Fun Diseases For Your Characters Sunday, 1pm in Short North. I will be on the panel with Mary Turzillo, and Brick Marlin and my friend Lucy Snyder. I may want to hold off on lunch until after this one’s over, since my skin’s already crawling in anticipation with what the others come up with. Me, I’m going to describe a paranormal disease afflicting characters in my Road Ghosts novels. Might contain spoilers…

A Simple Source: Plotting Based on a Single Object Sunday, 2pm in the Pickaway Room. Ahhh the MacGuffin, whether a certain Ring of Power, a sculpture of a bird of prey, or a persnickety droid containing dangerous information, plotting based on an object is a standard in genre fiction.  Characters gotta WANT something, so why not a shiny just-out-of-reach MacGuffin?  But how to do it well?  That’s what I’ll be talking about with Steven Saus, Lawrence C. Connolly, and David L. Day.

It’s going to be a great time. I hope to see you there!