My 2014 Mysticon Schedule

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Michael A. Ventrella

This weekend (February 21 – 23, 2014) I will be a programming guest at Mysticon in Roanoke, Virginia.

They’ve asked me to be a guest before, but I’ve generally said no because it is so far away! However, this year I gave in.

I’ve only been to Roanoke once before. When I was in college, a bunch of us drove there from Richmond to see a concert with Elvis Costello and Squeeze.

I figured more people would read this if I had a picture of Q here

I’m sure it’s changed a bit in the last 35 years or so…

Anyway, Mysticon looks to be fun. The main guest is John DeLancie, who played “Q” on all those Star Trek shows. Also in attendance will be many of my friends, including some I have interviewed here on this blog: Keith R.A. DeCandido, Gail Z. Martin, KT Pinto, Peter Prellwitz, Tony Ruggiero and Allen Wold.

And if you’re a fan of my Fortannis anthologies, you’ll find some of those authors as well (namely Davey Beauchamp, Danny Birt and Tera Fulbright, as well a few who will be in the forthcoming collection A BARD DAY’S KNIGHT — Angela Pritchett and the aforementioned KT Pinto).

Anyway, if you’re there, be sure to say hi! I’ll be on a bunch of panels and my artist wife Heidi Hooper will be judging the Masquerade competition and hosting some art panels as well.

Here’s my schedule:

The Biggest Mistakes Made by Beginning Authors (Friday 4 pm): We’ll discuss not only writing mistakes but also promotional mistakes. How writers have screwed themselves over and killed their chances of making it in the publishing world doing easily preventable things! With Tony Daniel, A.J. Hartley, Jonny Lupsha, and Gail Z. Martin.

Who is Behind that Curtain? (Friday 5 pm): The use of different points of view can reveal or obscure elements of your story from the audience. Do certain points of view only work with certain types of stories? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each form? With Stuart Jaffe, Gail Z. Martin, and Patrick Thomas.

If You Spell “Cheif” Like That One More Time!! (Saturday 11 am): Our guest editors offer tips on how to avoid their reject pile and provide insight into some of their pet peeves when reading a submitted manuscript. With Anita Allen, Laura Haywood-Cory, and Michael M. Jones

Dancing Neck to Neck: Romancing the Vampire (Saturday 6 pm): Explore the evolution of the blood sucking undead from foul, fearsome creature prowling the Carpathians to debonair, bodice ripping object of modern desire. With Alexandra Christian, Kenneth Hite, and KT Pinto

I Am the Game Master, You Are My Pawns: Game Mastering Basics (Saturday 7 pm): How do you keep players engaged in a game? How do you manage different kinds of role-players and types of play? What about interruptions like roommates and smartphones? Share your secret techniques and best practices for running role-playing games (and other moderated games) that keep players coming back for more. With Brandon Blackmoor, Kenneth Hite, John Jones, Greg Porter, and John Watts

The Eye of Argon (Saturday 11 pm): The worst science fiction story ever written gets a reading by our brave panel as they compete to go the longest without tripping over a misspelled word or laughing uncontrollably. Audience members are also encouraged to take a chance. Can you keep a straight face, especially when the panel begins acting out the story? With Keith DeCandido, Gail Z. Martin, KT Pinto and Peter Prellwitz.

Making Politics Work in Fiction (Saturday midnight): Real world political narratives are filled with cultural revolutions, passionate speeches about social change, war, and intricate, Machievellian plots. How can you portray them convincingly in your story? From noble houses in fantasy worlds to galaxy-spanning empires in SF, how do you make them believable and engaging without burying your reader in the intricacies of your setting’s political theory? With Brandon Blackmoor, Tom Kratman, Peter Prellwitz, and Leona Wisoker

Tooting Your Own Horn (Sunday noon): Done properly, self-promotion is an important part of building a career. Poorly executed, self-promotion can do more harm than good. Our panelists will discuss what works and doesn’t work along with these common questions: Do book-signings really help a small author? Are bookmarks and/or postcards effective at garnering attention? Does a blog help or hurt an author? Does an author have to have a website? With Tally Johnson, Gail Z. Martin, Michael Pederson, and Gray Rinehart.