It’s time to take off and visit creating fantasy civilizations in The Panel Room 196.
Join Jamie Garner, Kristin Jackson, Amy Kaplan, Gini Koch, Ken Lange, Wendy Van Camp, and host James P. Nettles III as they talk about some of their favorite fantasy worlds, and the influences they use to create their own!
Here are some fun Sunday activities at Balticon 59
Sun 1:00 PM, May 25, What’s in a Name? (Kent)
Andrew McDowell (moderator), Bjorn E. Hasseler, Martin Wilsey, A. L. Kaplan, Jo Miles
Sun 2:30 PM, May 25, Short Fire Readings: (St. George)
J. D. Blackrose, Carolyn Ives Gilman, Somto Ihezue, A. L. Kaplan, Mary G. Thompson
Sun 5:30 PM, May 25, The Prop Shop: Making Cosplay Props and Weapons (James)
Tyaz Cosplay, A. L. Kaplan, Aaron Fors, Hanna Fors
Sun 8:30 PM, May 25, Eye of Argon Reading (Mount Washington)
Ian Randal Strock, Jean Marie Ward, A. L. Kaplan, Mary G. Thompson
Looking for something fun to do this Saturday?
Come to the ‘Everybody Eats’ panel at Balticon.
Sat 11:30 AM, May 24, Everybody Eats (Pride of Baltimore II)
Mark L. Van Name (moderator), Ruthanna Emrys, Martin Wilsey, A. L. Kaplan, Jo Miles
This year’s Balticon is going to be great. These are the panels I’ll be on.
Sat 11:30 AM, May 24, Everybody Eats (Pride of Baltimore II)
Sun 1:00 PM, May 25, What’s in a Name? (Kent)
Sun 2:30 PM, May 25, Short Fire Readings: Blackrose, Gilman, Ihezue, Kaplan, Thompson (St. George)
Sun 5:30 PM, May 25, The Prop Shop: Making Cosplay Props and Weapons (James)
Sun 8:30 PM, May 25, Eye of Argon Reading (Mount Washington)
May 23-26-2025
Renaissance Harborplace Hotel
202 East Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
I had a great time at Awesome Con on Saturday.
And yes, I am wearing my WOKE AND PROUD t-shirt.
This time I didn’t need to explain to anyone what WOKE was and lots of people wanted to know where they could buy the design. (Visit my Redbubble Shop) I guess people are waking up. (pun intended)
The panel was a lot of fun with great questions from the audience. We probably could have used another 45 minutes.
Pictured from right to left: Mayonn Paasewe-Valchev, A. L. Kaplan, William Ray, Katie Aiken Ritter, Harrison Demchick
Is is photo was taken 10 minutes before the panel began. (9:45 on a Saturday morning!) By the time the panel started, there were no empty chairs. I didn’t crop the picture so you could see the scale of the room.
Awesome Con runs from April 4-6, 2025, and I’ll be there on Saturday.
The Writer’s Ally Presents: How Authors Craft Great Characters!
Whether novel, movie, TV series, or comic book, the key to any great story is a great character. But what makes a character great? How do you craft a character who is dynamic and compelling–a character who compels readers and viewers to keep reading? This discussion will bring together a panel of published authors to discuss the mechanics of top notch characterization: defining characteristics, fatal flaws, conscious wants and unconscious needs, and character arc. In discussing the characters they’ve created and the characters they love, they’ll teach you how to build characters—main characters, supporting characters, heroes, villains, and everything in-between—that readers will never forget.
Panelists: Harrison Demchick, William Ray, A. L. Kaplan, Mayonn Paasewe-Valchev, Katie Aiken Ritter
Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025
Start Time: 10:00 AM
End Time: 10:45 AM
Room/Location: Room 206
Awesome Con
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mt Vernon Pl NW
Washington, DC 20001
It’s official. I will be a program participant at Balticon 59
Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention
4 fun filled days of amazing programing
May 23 – 26, 2025
Renaissance Harborplace Hotel
202 East Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
The Atholton High School PTA Craft Fair is the perfect place to finish your holiday shopping.
Approximately 50 vendors.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
10 AM – 3 PM
6520 Freetown Rd, Columbia, MD 21044
I’ll be there with books, jewelry, and more!
This will also be the school’s kick off for a 60 day shoe drive campaign to help others in Third World Countries. Bring some clean- still usable shoes and grab some wonderful gifts for yourself or others!
Sometimes a blessing can be a curse.
Young Maya bears the mark of the moon goddess, a sign that would doom her to be sacrificed in her village where the death god is revered. Forced to dye her golden eyes dark, Maya lives in constant fear of discovery. To save her family and the village’s future, she must find the courage to stand up to the high priest before he can bring the death god into this world.
Plagued by memories not her own, a young hummingbird struggles to decipher the visions and powers that set her apart from her fellow birds. But the road to awareness is fraught with danger that could doom her to repeat history.
One step toward understanding.
One stride toward survival.
One leap toward flying free from the past.
A Hidden Past – A Deadly Secret
Gifted with the ability to wolf-talk, Kara has lived with the wolves since she lost her memories eight years ago. Now at sixteen, snippets of her past send her searching for answers.
But the warm welcome she receives in the human village hides more danger than life with the pack.
Plagued by memories not her own, a young hummingbird struggles to decipher the visions and powers that set her apart from her fellow birds. But the road to awareness is fraught with danger that could doom her to repeat history.
One step toward understanding.
One stride toward survival.
One leap toward flying free from the past.