Schedule for ConDFW

I will be attending ConDFW Feb. 18 and 19. I have attended every one since 2003, which was the first con I ever attended. I am very pleased with my schedule, especially since I'm on an abbreviated time frame; I have to work until mid-day Saturday and then drive to Dallas. But I have four panels in two days, plus a reading and a signing. Excellent.

The days starts Saturday with a reading at 3 p.m. I share the hour with Melanie Fletcher and Linda Donahue - certainly two of the nicest people I know.

Then I segue into a signing at 4 p.m. with Rie Sheridan Rose and O.M. Grey - another pair of very pleasant people.

My first panel follows immediately at 5 p.m. in the Manchester Room. The topic is "Flying the Friendly Dirigible Skies: Steampunk Aviation" - a great choice in light of my story "Great White Ship" which is being published this spring by Daily Science Fiction. My fellow panelists include Cherie Priest, Martha Wells, Julie Barrett, and Shanna Swendson (moderator). The panel description is follows:

"One of the traditional views of the steampunk genre is the dirigible, or the zeppelin. In fact, it is often used to illustrate to modern audiences that they are in an alternate reality – if they see a dirigible, they know it’s not their world. For examples, look at Blade Runner (dirigible ads floating 24/7), Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (Zeppelins docking with the Empire State Building), etc. So, let’s fly a floating flammable gas bag and see what the future really is!"

My panels on Sunday are as follows:

Churchill 11 a.m. - Escape from the Slush Pile. Chris Donahue, Michael Ashleigh Finn, Kevin Hosey, Jaye Wells. I am the moderator. "We bring back this popular panel from last year to tantalize people with mistakes and errors you should try not to do. Beware: someday you may end up here if you do not learn from your mistakes… Come and learn from our editors on what to avoid so you don’t end up on the slush pile."

Warwick 1 p.m. – Writers to Keep an Eye On… Cherie Priest, Rachel Caine, Michael Ashleigh Finn. I'm also moderating this one. "An annual discussion, our panelists have a lively discussion on who are the upwardly mobile in writing. Who has a good handle on writing? Who is a hack and won’t stick around long? Expect opinions to fly hot and heavy."

Manchester 3 p.m. – How to Fix Terrible Prose - Writing Seminar. Panelists: Mel White (moderator), Lou Antonelli, Adrian Simmons, Lee Martindale. "Ever wanted to find out how to fix terrible writing but never knew how to do it? Led by Mel White, this panel seeks to do group therapy – taking a piece of horrible writing and fixing it so it is a shining jewel of prose. Well, maybe not, but group participation is going to be requested, so good luck and have fun!"