My Albacon Schedule

Until I typed all this out – ok I cheated and copied and pasted it but still….i had NO idea how busy I’m going to be this weekend…..LOL 🙂 So…take a look

This is going to be a list of things I’m going to tape and things I’m going to be at. If you are at the Con this is where I’ll be and what I’ll be taping. 🙂 Come see me in my panels or find me and say hello! 😉

Friday:

10am
(taping)
Getting Started as a Writer
How to organize yourself, your thoughts and get rolling.
Henderson, Holzner, Ivey, Pinto (M)

(going)
Characters Readers will LOVE
How do you write characters that will live forever in the hearts and minds of your readers?
Freedman, Johnson (M), Schwabach, Mead, S Miller

11am
(hoping to tape)
Pitching your Project to an Agent or Editor
Finding a hook, being direct and selling your pitch
Hartwell, Holzner, R Miller (M)

(going)
Finding Time to Write
Few writers have the luxury of working at it full time; how do they successfully carve out writing time and maintain their discipline?
Crowley, Jamison, Pinto, Roman (M)

12noon
(taping)
Paranormal Romance: the Hottest Genre
All about the genre that selling like hotcakes and what makes it a success
Crowley, Darvill, Price (M), Valerie

(going)
Plotting your Narrative
Get to the heart of your story: the narrative line. How do you build it, how do you keep conflict occurring and bring satisfaction at the end?
Ivey, Nayman, Pinto (M), Schwabach

2pm
(taping)
Collaboration: Heaven or Hell?
Collaboration can mean a project that never would have lived but it takes skill to juggle schedules and working styles
Miller, Prellwitz, Price (M), Roman

(going)
Get Your Story Off the Ground
You’ve got a great idea but you don’t know where to begin; how do you nail down all those wild thoughts and build a story?
Jamison (M), Mead, Pinto, Schwabach

3pm
(in as moderator – taping)
Social Media & Promotion
How to use the myriad frequencies of social media to promote your work without allowing it to suck up all your time
Alexandre (M), Holzner, Laity, Roman, Ventrella

(taping)
Romance that Thrills
What makes a romance live forever? How can you give your readers the ride of their life and an ending that satisfies?
Crowley, Ivey (M), Johnson

4pm
(In – taping)
Promotion on a Low Budget
What are the secrets to promotion that doesn’t break the bank, but gets your name out there where it matters.
Alexandre, Price (M), Johnson, Kempe, Westfield

(taping)
Fan Fiction: Stepping Stone?
More and more writers are making the leap from fan fiction to pro status: can fanfic be a writing workshop for you?
Ivey, Jamison, Prellwitz, Sawicki (M), Spoor

6pm
(in as moderator – taping)
Not a Vampire:
Horror Beyond Bloodsuckers
Forget vamps: we have zombies! Not to mention ghosts, Lovecraftian eldritch horrors, shape-shifters and more.
Alexandre (M), Henderson, Holzner, Kessler, Mason, Sawicki, Schwabach

(taping)
Out of the Word Processor and Into the Bookstore
You’ve sold your manuscript and signed the contract. What happens to your book now? Learn all the steps of a book’s journey from author’s
submission to readers’ hands, as hardcover, paperback and ebook
editions. It’s a long road with more twists and turns than you might think, especially in the digital age.
Arthen (M), R Miller, Strock

7pm

(taping)
Paranormal Investigation:
Field work and research
Albany Paranormal Research Society

(going)
How to Feed the Writer’s Mind
What does it take to keep the creative mind well fed? How do you replenish the well of creativity? Are there sure fire ways to avoid the dreaded block?
Mead, Pinto, Redick, Schwabach, Steele (M)

(taping)
Mixing Humor with Your SF:
Nayman

9pm

(attending)
FANTASY BALL

Saturday

11am

(in- taping)
Paranormal Romance v. Urban Fantasy
Is there a difference? As paranormals get grittier and fantasy explores romance, are the lines blurred?
Alexandre, D’Arc, Darvill, DeCaprio, Price(M)
12noon

(taping)
Hard SF v Soft
It’s difficult to avoid making the title suggestive but the real question is how much the distinction still means.
Cramer, Frederick, Freedman, Nayman, Steele (M), Strock

(going)
Vampires: Sparkling or Bloody?
Vampires: rotting corpses who feed on human vitality or dreamy sparkly beautiful mopey demi-gods? Discuss.
Arthen, Crowley, Darvill, Kessler (M), Pinto, Westfield

1pm
2pm

(taping)
eBooks and eReaders
Ebooks are outselling hardcovers: the future is here! What’re the best ereaders–and can you sign them somehow?
D’Arc, Kempe, S Miller, Roman, (M) Westfield

Doctor Who
(taping) _may go to
A lively discussion of the long-term series whether you think the latest doctor is dreamy — or a punk kid who can’t hold a candle to Tom Baker
Lieven, Rothman, Schwabach (M), Spoor, Thomas

3pm

(in- taping)
Social Media & the Writer
Social media has brought the reader and the writer closer together than ever: what are the pros and cons of this, and how best to use it?
Alexandre, Miller, Nayman, Pinto (M), Strock, Valerie

(might tape)
The Making of Coyote: R&D and Writing
Our guests of honor break down the process of creation
GoHs Allen Steele & Ron Miller

4pm

(taping – might go)
Bringing History to Life
From steampunk to alt history, the past is more present than ever: how do you make it believable without using *all* of your research?
Holzner (M), Jamison, Mead, McCullough, Park, Schwabach

5pm

(taping)
Are Publishers Still Necessary?
Electronic media makes it possible to get your work directly to readers: is this always a good thing?
Henderson, Prellwitz, R Miller, Sawicki, Spoor, Valerie (M), Ventrella

(going – may tape)
Reading:
Kessler

6pm

(taping)
Healthy Living for Readers & Writers
Be honest: we spend a lot of our time sitting and reading or writing. Can we be a little more healthy?
Dumas (M), S Miller, Valerie

(in – taping)
Turning Fiction into Audio Form Workshop
Learn how to record your fiction to share with the world from one who knows the ropes
Alexandre

7pm
(taping)
The Mainstreaming of Genre Fiction:
Does it Help Us?
Some of the most successful mainstream writers are looting the spec fic tropes: is this raising our respectability?
D’Arc, Ivey, Mason (M), Redick, Schwabach, Strock

(going -taping)
Connecting with Readers Workshop
What does it take to reach readers? How do you cultivate a relationship with your fans?
Arthen, Price (M)

8pm

(going -taping)
Steampunk: Gathering Steam & Going Mainstream
It’s a fashion, it’s a genre, it’s an art exhibit at Oxford University: why is steampunk so hot?
Darvill, Marlowe, Park, Price (M)

11pm

(in – taping if allowed)
Steamy Romance Reading
The stories don’t have to be scorching, but it helps! This is a 18+ event. Attendees will have the chance to win some swag thanks to Authors After Dark.
Alexandre, Arthen, Crowley, D’Arc, Darvill, Jamison, Kempe, Lynne, Marlowe, Price, Westfield

Sunday:

12noon

(going -taping)
Sex & Gender in Spec Fic
Why are male characters still the default for so many writers? Does “strong female character” just mean she kicks ass? And what about sexuality other than F/M?
D’Arc, Holzner (M), Kessler, Price, Schwabach