Tag Archives: Schedule

Balticon Schedule!

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It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a Balticon. Too long in fact. I miss doing the live convention thing. This year will still be weird, and masks are still required, but it will be good to try to get back to doing the things we all love.

This is my schedule, as long as nothing changes between here and there:

Start Time Duration Room Name Session ID Title


Fri 4:00 PM 1 Hr Virtual Panel Room 1 379 Rating Books in the Algorithm Age


Fri 5:30 PM 1 Hr Guilford 887 Mapping the Landscape


Sat 10:00 AM 1 Hr James 411 Help Me Find a Game I Will Enjoy


Sat 11:30 AM 1 Hr James 416 You Can Start GMing Now: Tips for First-Time Gms


Sat 4:00 PM 1 Hr Club Lounge 381 What Should I Read Next?


Sun 11:30 AM 1 Hr James 965 Finding Your People


Sun 4:00 PM 1 Hr Private Dining Room 943 GMing for Beginners: The Workshop

Philcon Schedule

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I will be attending Philcon again this year as a guest. I am always grateful to be asked to participate. Schedules were recently announced. A number of my friends have posted their schedules already, but I held off just a little. I’m still adjusting to the idea of what I signed up to do…

Fri 6:00 PM in Plaza II (Two) (1 hour)
INTRO TO URBAN FANTASY (3632)

    [Panelists: Vikki Ciaffone (mod), Eric Hardenbrook, Elektra Hammond,
    Bruce Dykes, Michael Hanson]

    Contemporary Fantasy, Portal Fiction, and yes, Paranormal Romance-
    what makes this genre distinct from other kinds of fantasy? What
    books make the best entry point into the various subgenres

Fri 10:00 PM in Plaza III (Three) (1 hour)
CROSSING THE STREAMS (3619)

    [Panelists: Aaron Feldman (mod), Eric Hardenbrook, Joseph Haughey]

    The old policy of fan artists and writers carefully avoiding any
    contact with The Powers That Be is becoming untenable in the age of
    Social Media, where actors routinely retweet fanfic and fanart of
    their characters and more professional authors are going public
    about their history as fanfic writers. But some boundaries are still
    useful to maintain. How can fans and professionals coexist in this
    new status quo

Sat 11:00 AM in Crystal Ballroom Three (1 hour)
HOW DOES A READER DISCOVER NEW AUTHORS? (3492)

    [Panelists: Elektra Hammond (mod), Timothy Pratt, Elyse Rosenstein,
    Mary Spila, Eric Hardenbrook, Phil Giunta]

    In a world where people are more likely to order new releases by
    their favorites off of Amazon than drive to a bookstore and browse,
    how do readers find authors they hadn’t previously heard of

Sun 10:00 AM in Crystal Ballroom Two (1 hour)
ROSIE OR THE ROOMBA? (3678)

    [Panelists: Eric Hardenbrook (mod)]

    Modern science fiction frequently depicts advances for the spaces we
    live in as dependent on the technology inside of them.  What are
    some advances in the technology of the actual buildings around us
    today?

It’s the last one that caused me to hesitate. You read it right – that panel is all me. I have the hour all to myself. IF it all goes wrong, it’s all on me. So I’m going to start digging in and getting my program ready.

Hopefully I’ll see you there!

Balticon!

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It’s that time of year! I’ll be at Balticon again this year – and hopefully I’ll see you there too! My schedule is here:

Friday

Logistics and Tactics: Writing Campaigns

Watertable BC, 5pm – 5:55pm

Writing large scale military campaigns

Genre in the Age of Binge-Watching

Watertable BC, 8pm – 8:55pm


Bad Movie Adaptations

Watertable BC, 9pm – 9:55pm

Sunday

Advancing the Story Without Traumatizing Your Characters

Guilford, 12pm – 12:55pm

Energy Production of the Future

Homeland, 6pm – 6:55pm

Schedule!

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For around 25 years now I’ve been attending the Baltimore Science Fiction Society‘s annual convention. It’s the convention I consider “home base” as it was the first one I ever went to.

Once again this year I am delighted to be an invited guest and will be speaking at a number of panels and attending a book launch (GO JEFF!).

IF any of you are headed to Baltimore this weekend and are interested, here is my schedule:

Finding Your Space in Fandom
[7] Room 7029, 5pm – 5:55pm

Fandom can be big, but we can find each other based on our specifics interests, mutual friends, and online hangout spots.

SMOFing for Fun (But Probably Not Profit)
[12] Club Lounge, 10am – 10:55am

Running conventions is fun, but it’s also akin to herding cats or nailing jello to a wall. Come talk to SMOFs about steering the group, organizing events, and keeping afloat.

What Makes a Good Book Review?
[12] Club Lounge, 11am – 11:55am

There are many ways to approach writing a review. How much do you recap? How much do you focus on the themes or characters? Should review from your own experience or that of the average reader, and how much of a review is just the rating?

Reading Outside Your Genre
[5] Mount Washington, 6pm – 6:55pm

If you only stay within genre you love to read, it can be hard to figure out where to best start exploring outside your comfort zone. How can you learn to enjoy books you might not otherwise be interested in, and how do you approach difficult-to-read and older styles of writing?

New Story!

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Just in time for that perennial Summer launching Memorial Day weekend – Fortress Publishing presents : TV Gods – Summer Programming! 18 stories taking your favorite pantheons and mashing them up with memorable TV shows to allow hilarity to ensue. Only $16 and available from Fortress Publishing after 5-27-17.

I’m really looking forward to the book launch at this year’s Balticon!

My story “Somebody’s Got Talent” will be one of the stories in there! IF you want a little teaser – here’s the cover art:

Giving

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A friend of mine is hosting an event. IF you’re in my area (Central PA) I really hope you’ll come out for The Resurrection Pact launch for Leukemia Research & Family Support event.

Saturday May 13th at the FABULOUS Cupboard Maker Books in Enola from 1 pm to 3 pm is when it all goes down!

The part I find most exciting is that I was asked to help. Here are the details:

“Welcome to your alternate life!”

This is the theme of our The Resurrection Pact book launch and signing event taking place at Cupboard Maker Books on May 13th from 1-3pm to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Central PA and Vickie’s Angel Foundation Both assist the greater Harrisburg area and do great work.

The theme reflects the idea of who you project into social media and virtual worlds like Facebook, free-play realms like Second Life, and online role-playing platforms such as World of Warcraft. What mask do you wear online? Are you a troll? A romantic? A super-heroic adventurer? A robot from the future? Fry Cool on Venus? Come out and show your “alt-self”!

Cupboard Maker Books has agreed to donate 50% of ALL used book sales on Saturday (open to close) split equally between LLS and Vickie’s Angel Foundation. Jay will be donating all proceeds from book sales from 1pm to 3pm. There will be auctions, some small prizes awarded, and we’ll have some special guests (to be announced). Best of all, you’ll be supporting a great cause.

Plus, The Wicked Kitchen will provide some amazing snacks for those stopping in to the event!

This event is intended to benefit the programs that help research new treatments for leukemia and also assist families and survivors pay their bills and help them in the rigorous daily challenges of supporting loved ones fighting cancer and help survivors offset the costs of returning to life after winning the toughest battle of their lives.

Come out and help support a friend and a worth cause!

I’ll pencil you in…

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I’ve been criticized lately for being too busy. This is not from my family, this is from other people. Friends of mine seem to think I do too much – and I will tell you flat out I don’t understand that criticism. Just don’t get it. How can I NOT be busy? There are not enough hours in the day for all the cool stuff there is to do in the world!

There have been many flavors of this critique of how I use my time, but the least flattering of them was something along the lines of, “go ahead, tell us again how big your junk is…”

Am I busy? You bet I am. I’m scheduled flat out until sometime in June. No, I’m not joking. There are times in there that are less busy than others. There are things I’ve lined up that have piled on top of each other, but that happens from time to time. I can’t say that I’m always happy with it. Sometimes the circumstances mean I miss something along the way. Am I doing this as some form of competition? Of course not. It’s not a win/lose kind of thing! Everyone should find stuff they’re passionate about and get out there and do it!

I can say for certain that I have no intention of changing. The stuff I do is based on people I have made commitments to. I am cautious about who I commit to when I’m asked to do things. I am busy. I am also connected to some amazing things and wonderful people. IF I say I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it – and I don’t particularly care what you think of my schedule. I love the things I do. I help with conventions, I write, I create art, I run professional organizations – and have a great time on the way. Stay home and watch TV if you want, I’ve got things to do and people to meet. I mean, seriously – how many people have you met that do old timey strongman stunts these days like, tearing a license plate in half, ramming nails through board using bare hands OR:

Seriously, would you want to miss out on dinner with somebody that has stories like that?

PHILCON!

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I was very happy to be invited as a guest to the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society’s annual convention. I have commented on this before, but I hesitated to post anything more until it was all ‘official’.

Now it’s official!

Here’s my schedule for the weekend:

Fri 6:00 PM in Plaza IV (Four) (1 hour)
JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER (2175)

[Panelists: Ray Ridenour (mod), Maureen O. Betita, Gail Z. Martin,
Andi O’Connor, Eric Hardenbrook, Ty Drago]

A cover shapes the expectations the reader brings to the book. What
if it is deliberately misleading? Can a deceptive cover bring the
book to its audience? How hard is it to appreciate a story based on
its own merits when you’re comparing it to the story you thought it
was going to be

Sat 11:00 AM in Crystal Ballroom Three (1 hour)
HOW DO WE CHOOSE THE BOOKS WE READ? (2176)

[Panelists: Todd Dashoff (mod), Eric Hardenbrook, Deborah Stanish,
Joan Wendland, Carl Fink, Gary Feldbaum]

People with broad taste choose from many different story types. On
what basis do we make these choices? Why do some readers focus on
one sub-genre or one writer

Sat 12:00 PM in Plaza II (Two) (1 hour)
MILITARY CULTURE IN SCIENCE FICTION (2139)

[Panelists: Mike McPhail (mod), Christopher Weuve, Eric Hardenbrook,
Jack Hillman, John Skylar]

How accurately is it depicted in SF literature, and how has it been
extrapolated into future settings? Who is writing it believably

Sat 5:00 PM in Plaza V (Five) (1 hour)
HOW GAMING IS IMPORTANT TO FANDOM (2073)

[Panelists: Tony Finan (mod), A.T. Greenblatt, Joan Wendland, Eric
Hardenbrook, Muriel Hykes]

Despite being an intersection of innovative storytelling formats,
fantastic visual artistry, audio dramas, and community interaction,
Gaming’s place in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror is often overlooked.
How do card, board, video, and other games continue to influence the
way genre stories are told? How else has Gaming affected the nervous
system of fandom over the years

Sat 9:00 PM in Plaza II (Two) (1 hour)
FANZINES OF THE PAST, PRESENT, AND…FUTURE? (2179)

[Panelists: Steve Wilson (mod), Phil Giunta, Eric Hardenbrook, Chris
Fuller, Victoria Janssen]

Before online social media, before Fanfiction.net and AO3, before
podcasts and youtube, fandom’s creative outlet and primary method
of keeping the lines of communication open was the humble fanzine.
The advent of the Internet may have seen a downturn in their
production, but not in our desire to create and communicate. How did
fanzines get us where we are today? How much or our heritage still
lies bound between those now-musty pages, and what’s being done to
preserve it? Where do we go next

Sun 10:00 AM in Plaza II (Two) (1 hour)
WHY CAN’T I GET MY BOOK CLUB TO READ WHAT I WANT? (2173)

[Panelists: Evelyn Leeper (mod), Rodney Somerstein, Eric
Hardenbrook]

How do you propose a title in a way that makes people want to read
it? How does one run a successful book discussion group in general

I’ll be a panelist and not a moderator for any of these topics. I’m looking forward to the discussions and interesting tidbits I always pick up during these discussions. IF you’re in the area, get out to the convention. I love to go to these and if you’re a fan I’m betting you’ll love it too.

philcon_logo

Balticon 49

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I was told that I am bad at self promotion. I know this is true. I am going to attempt to be better about getting info out there.

This (Memorial Day) weekend I will be attending Balticon 49. I have been going to Balticon for a long time (though not as long as many – I believe my first was 27 when Don Maitz was the artist GOH). I will be a guest / participant as well as an artist in the art show. I do not have confirmation that I was in time for a “meet the artist” time slot – but I do have 3 panels that I will be on. They are:

Saturday

7:00 PM Fiction Writing for Gamemasters (and Vice-Versa) Derby
Eric Hardenbrook (M), PC Haring, Neal Levin, James Daniel Ross

They’re different skill sets, but have much in common. How does the prose writer learn to function in real‐time? How can an experienced gamemaster apply their skills to a self‐contained, linear story?

Sunday

12:00 PM Getting into Short Fiction Salon C
John Skylar (M), Scott H Andrews, 2015 Compton Crook Winner, Eric Hardenbrook, Samuel Lubell

Online publishing and new press opportunities have created a renaissance in short science fiction and fantasy writing. Our panelists discuss where to go to find short stories and novellas to read, who and what a reader new to the sub-genre should look for, and why shorter works of SF/F have persisted and thrived.

1:00 PM Writing Interesting and Effective Short Stories Pimlico
Joy Ward (M), Eric Hardenbrook, Joshua Palmatier, Bud Sparhawk, Martin Berman-Gorvine

How do you make a large world without a large word count? Making a big story out of a small space.

I am looking forward to the convention – hopefully I’ll get to see you there!

Balticon 48!

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I am very excited to be heading to Hunt Valley today for Balticon. For anyone that missed my original post on Facebrick – here’s where I’ll be:

Writing the Economics of Magic (Panel) (Participant), Fri 18:00 – 18:50, Salon C (Hunt Valley Inn)
Fortress Press Book Launch (Other) (Participant), Sat 18:00 – 20:00, Con Suite (Hunt Valley Inn)
Film the Raven Evermore: Films Based on the Tales of Poe (Panel) (Participant), Sun 22:00 – 22:50, Belmont (Hunt Valley Inn)
Long-term Career Planning for Creatives: Surviving the Next 10 Revolutions (Panel) (Participant), Mon 08:00 – 08:50, Chase (Hunt Valley Inn)

I am also looking forward to seeing the liar’s panel and Mark Van Name’s new spoken word show. IF you’re headed to the convention I highly suggest both of these panels!

Looking forward to seeing everyone there!