Happy Wednesday fleshlings. It’s time to celebrate because we’ve packed up some authors and shipped them out for a weekend at Dragon Con! Atlanta’s premium pop-culture con, covering sci-fi, fantasy, comics, books, film, gaming and so much more, takes place from the 30th August to 3rd September. Throughout the event we’ve got several writers taking part in panels, signings and readings so go along and say hi! Don’t worry, they’re all very lovely and love chatting about books. Plus it’s also the home of the Dragon Awards – where our very own Cameron Johnston has been nominated for Best Fantasy Novel for The Traitor God. Keep all appendages crossed for him! For more information and to purchase con tickets, visit the website.

D. B. Jackson

Friday 10am Chastain 1-2 – Westin. (1 Hour) Family, Friends, & Foes: Relationships in Urban Fantasy Characters gain support from family and friends, but sometimes have to work with their adversaries, as well. Our panel of authors will explore the various relationships their characters forge within their work. 11.30am Chastain 1-2 – Westin (1 Hour) Realms of the Dead: Ghosts and Spirits in UF Our panelists discuss the various types of ghosts and spirits found in their work, and in the genre. 1pm Embassy EF – Hyatt (1 Hour) Genre Bending What makes a book one kind of fantasy or the other? Explore the boundaries and bendable nature of fantasy classification. Exactly what makes a novel Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Urban, or just plain Fantasy? As if fantasy could ever be plain! 4pm Athens – Sheraton (1 Hour) The Cost of Colonialism: The Ugly Side Of Imperial Europe England, Spain and other Western countries spread their empire across the world. And while it expanded our global view, it came with a heavy cost or those brought into the “Empire”. Explore the consequences of exploration with our panelists and discover the high price of discovery. Saturday 11.30am Embassy CD – Hyatt. (1 Hour) Steampunk/Urban Fantasy/High Fantasy, etc. Is Steampunk loosing its steam? Is Urban Fantasy on the wane? Does anyone read High Fantasy any more? This panel discusses the many subgenres of SF/F and how to keep readers interested. 1pm Embassy G – Hyatt (1 Hour) 15-Minute Mentor Session A chance for budding authors to talk one-on-one with a successful industry professional about business, promotion, the writing process, and career advice. Sign up in the Writer’s Track (Embassy C-D). 5.30pm International Hall South 4-5 – Marriott (1 Hour) Autograph Session Sunday 10am Vinings – Hyatt (1 Hour) Reading Session: David B. Coe 1pm Embassy CD – Hyatt (1 Hour) The Social Media Monster How do you manage your social media and balance a career? It’s all about promotion, right? Panelists discuss ideas about creative marketing strategies designed to launch your project successfully utilizing social media without eating the rest of your life. 2.30pm Regency VI-VII – Hyatt (1 Hour) Mighty Men of SF/Fantasy Fiction Learn, laugh, & get inside info from the major players in today’s SF/Fantasy Fiction landscape. 8.30pm Chastain 1-2 – Westin (1 Hour) Same Places, Different Times: Historical Urban Fantasy Our panelists explore supernatural beings and magic occurring in historical real-world settings. Monday 10am Chastain 1-2 – Westin (1 Hour) Magic Practitioners in Urban Fantasy: Witches and Warlocks Witches and warlocks in the genre range from being an accepted part of their communities to the most feared. Our panel of authors will discuss the characteristics of those in their works.

Myke Cole

Friday 5.30pm Hanover AB – Hyatt (1 Hour) Getting Combat Right Myke Cole will help you evoke battle scenes that are both compelling & realistic. Covering everything from the mechanics of weapons-handling to the emotional state of crisis response, Myke will help those w/o experience paint a believable picture & fellow first-responders tease out their experiences on the page. 10pm Embassy CD – Hyatt (1 Hour) Fightin’ and Writin’ This popular panel discusses how to write a believable fight scene whether your weapon is a sword, blaster, gun, your hands–or maybe a weapon not yet created. Saturday 11.30am L401-L403 – Marriott (1 Hour) Space Wizards & Laser Swords: The High Fantasy of Star Wars Sure it’s got spaceships and interstellar travel. But it also has (Jedi) Knights, magic, damsels and monsters. Is it truly sci-fi or can it be classified as High Fantasy? 2pm Americasmart Building 2 – Booths 1201, 1203, 1300, and 1302 Autograph Session 5.30pm Chastain 1-2 – Westin (1 Hour) For Good or Ill: Magic in UF Magic in Urban Fantasy serves many purposes, and has multiple uses and effects. Our authors will discuss the role magic plays in their work. 10pm Chastain 1-2 – Westin (1 Hour) Violence in Urban Fantasy: Is There a Line? The level of violence in Urban Fantasy varies, sometimes even between books in the same series. Our authors discuss their use of violence in their work, and what lines they may be unwilling to cross for the sake of their stories. Sunday 4pm Embassy G – Hyatt (1 Hour) 15-Minute Mentor Session A chance for budding authors to talk one-on-one with a successful industry professional about business, promotion, the writing process, and career advice. Sign up in the Writer’s Track (Embassy C-D). 7pm Embassy EF – Hyatt (1 Hour) Magic, Psychics, and Superpowers–oh My! There is magic, then there are superpowers and mutants. What is genetic–and is it still fantasy, or is it really science?

Shanna Germain

Friday 4pm Centennial I – Hyatt (1 Hour) Game Mastery 101 Always a favorite, always one of our largest panels! This panel is for both starting game masters and veterans. Come find out about running, creating, and putting together your own roleplaying games from some of the industry’s greatest veterans! Saturday 1pm Augusta 1-2 – Westin (1 Hour) The Role in Roleplaying How do we create rich, complex characters? How do we get the players at our table to roleplay more? How do we bring out those wondrous character moments in our games? Ask our professionals! 4pm Augusta 1-2 – Westin (1 Hour) Monte Cook Games Find out what’s next from the mind of Monte Cook. What new worlds will be explored? What is the next chapter in games like The Strange, Numenera, and Invisible Sun? 5.30pm Augusta 3 – Westin (1 Hour) Gaming with Children Talk about gaming with kids! Our expert designers talk about the challenges & idiosyncrasies of gaming with children, as well as innovations to help you game with the younger generations. Sunday 10am Augusta 1-2 – Westin (1 Hour) Diversity in Gaming: More Action, Less Talk! We continue on our journey, exploring the our ever-changing world & what it means to the gaming community. In this new chapter, we talk about how that community is transforming & how the industry is changing with it.