News & Blog

Necon 38 is coming up this weekend! Necon is my favorite annual convention. I’ve been attending since 2000, and only missed two years between then and now. Here’s where you can find me over the course of the convention:

Friday, July 20th

The Spark: What Inspires a Great Short Story, 2:00 PM
This will be a fun panel! Here’s the official description: “It’s the question all short fiction writers hate — ‘Where do your stories come from?’ And since most Necon Campers are too old to believe that old wives’ tale about a stork, we’ve gathered some of the best in speculative short fiction to give us a glimpse into their creative process.” With Meghan Arcuri-Moran, Christa Carmen, Nicholas Kaufmann (M), Toni L.P. Kelner, Ed Kurtz, Lisa Manetti, Helen Marshall

Meet the Authors Party, 8:00 PM
I will have copies of Chasing the Dragon, Dying Is My Business, and In the Shadow of the Axe for sale! (Sorry, I’m all out of copies of Die and Stay Dead right now.) I will also be happy to sign any books or magazine appearances of mine that you bring along!

Saturday, July 21st

The Infamous Necon Roast, 9:00 PM
Once again I will be co-hosting the roast with Jeff Strand. This year’s victim is a doozy! You won’t want to miss this!

Sunday, July 22nd

Necon Town Meeting, 11:00 AM
I was responsible for putting together most of the programming this year, with the tireless Matt Bechtel’s help, so if you liked what we did come tell us so! If you didn’t like what we did, come tell us that, too.

You can also find me attending other cool panels, hanging out in the lobby or lounge, or browsing the dealer’s room. Come say hello! I look forward to seeing you there!

Readercon 29 is just a few weeks away! I have received my programming schedule, so here’s where you can find me over the course of the convention:

Friday, July 13th (yikes!)

Kaffeeklatsch, 11:00 AM, Seven Masts
Come join me for some morning coffee and a lively discussion about my books, the writing class I will be teaching for LitReactor in the fall, lessons from my career, and the usual selection of bad jokes!

The Eternal Appeal of the Dragon, 5:00 PM, Salon 6
Dragon mythology continues to resonate for modern readers and authors. Dragons are often heroes, companions, romantic interests, sages, and mentors as well as forces of great destruction. How have stories about dragons changed over time, and what drives that change? What is it about dragons that has such enduring appeal? With Randee Dawn (moderator), Miriam Newman, Gregory A. Wilson, and my good pal Chandler Klang Smith!

Saturday, July 14th

Reading, 2:00 PM, Salon B
Come hear me read from…something!

Sunday, July 15th

How Horror Stories End, 12:00 PM, Salon 6
The reader’s expectation of a horror story’s ending — or anxiety over the question of how it will end — significantly shapes the experience of the story. Which horror stories require cathartic happy endings, and which are satisfying even when evil wins? If the reader likes everything about a horror story but the ending, does that spoil the story or just lead to fix-it fanfic? What moral messages are sent by a horror story’s ending? With Jess Nevins, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, Ellen Datlow, and moderated by my brother from another mother Jack Haringa!

You can also find me attending other cool panels and readings, wandering around the lobby, or browsing the bookshop. Come say hello! I look forward to seeing you there!

Necon 37 is this weekend! This is the writers’ conference I’ve been going to the longest, ever since 2000. I’ve only missed two in the ensuing years, which makes this my sixteenth time! Here is where you can find me on programming:

Friday, July 21st

1:00 PM   Kaiju Big Battle: Why Giant Monsters Are on the Rise Again
John Goodrich, John W. Dennehy, Nicholas Kaufmann (M), Gemma Files, Craig Shaw Gardner, Darrell Schweitzer
We all grew up on Saturday afternoon movies with badly overdubbed dialogue and massive, larger-than-life monsters. Those monsters are on the rise again like … well, like Godzilla rising from the Pacific! But why? Our panelists discuss the resurgence of giant monsters and try to formulate a plan to save Tokyo.

(I’m looking forward to moderating a panel on one of my favorite subjects: giant monsters!)

8:00 PM  Meet the Authors Party

(If all goes well, I should have print copies of In the Shadow of the Axe to sell and sign at Necon! Fingers crossed they arrive in time!)

Saturday, July 22nd

9:00 PM  The Infamous Necon Roast
In the immortal words of the Human Torch, “Flame on!”

(Once again, Jeff Strand and I will be co-hosting the annual roast. Who is the lucky recipient of this dubious honor? You’ll have to be there to find out, especially because it might be YOU!)

Sunday, July 23rd

11:00 AM  Necon Town Meeting
Tell us what we did wrong, what we did right, and what you’d like to see us do next year.

(Come yell at us for putting you on a 9 AM panel Saturday or Sunday morning!)

The rest of the time, you’ll find me milling about. Necon is a small, intimate gathering, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding me if you want to say hello or ask me to sign a book for you. I’m friendly, I promise! (Except during the roast.)

For reasons beyond my control, my reading time has been changed from 11 AM on Friday to 2:30 PM on Friday. This change won’t be in the program book, but it will be reflected in the mobile version of the program and the printed grid. Sorry for any inconvenience this last-minute change may cause!

You can see my entire, updated Readercon schedule here.