Fan Expo Denver 2022!

Fan Expo Denver logo

I’m happy to announce that I’m appearing at Fan Expo Denver 2022 with friends old and new! I’ll be on five panels, two on Friday evening and three on Sunday. My schedule is below.

Show Off Your Scars (moderator)
Friday, July 1 @ 6pm, Room 710

This panel of pro authors will discuss how they transfer lived experiences to the page, from fights & trauma to the best moments of your life.

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Fandom and Format
Friday, July 1 @ 8pm, Room 710

Fans come from all Media. Discuss the intersection and Overlap of Games, Books, Films and Television and their respective fandoms. Fans can come from any Genre and be welcomed into and become a fan of the others. Also, how do fandoms change/grow across generations? Do fandoms need to adapt to new times, or can they still celebrate the original formats? Great Books become Great Films become games and comics and television. How has the explosion of one fandom helped the others grow.

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Writing a Different Gender
Sunday, July 3 @ 11am, Room 710

If you write, it’s inevitable that you will run into this situation. You identify as female, but have to write a male character. How do you deal with the differences? What sort of research do you do? What are the pitfalls? Do you use a sensitivity editor? How do you respond to criticism? What are some of your triumphs and challenges? From readers, what are some characters who you wouldn’t believe were written by who they were written by?

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Accuracy or Entertainment in Your Writing (moderator)
Sunday, July 3 @ 1pm, Room 710

Does it bother you when a movie, book, or show gets something wrong–a fact, a concept, an idea? Or do you cheer when they make some obscure reference to science or history or culture and get it right? Come join our panel of fiction authors – who also happen to be experts in various fields ranging from programming to history to teaching – as they discuss some of their pop-culture pet peeves, and what they would have done differently. (AND what they think Hollywood or the publsihing insdustry got right!). Come with your own examples, as we attempt to answer the age-old question: what’s more important, accuracy or entertainment? And are they mutually exclusive?

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Writing in a Shared Universe
Sunday, July 3 @ 4pm, Room 710

Writers involved in shared universes discuss what makes it work, avoiding pitfalls, and why shared universes are so much fun.

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I’ve also been remiss in announcing my music and writing activities lately, and will be updating those soon, but here’s a sneak peak:

  • I recently performed filk music in the Festival of the Living Rooms #14, the Festival of Faerie in Louisville, CO, and at Superstars Writing Seminar in Colorado Springs.
  • I published a drabble (100 word short story) in Drabbledark II from Shacklebound books. The story is called “By the Coin”.
  • I was invited to participate in a unique flash fiction coloring book project for Kickstarter, and that campaign kicks off in a couple of weeks. I love this project, and am honored to appear in this Mythic Mongoose Press volume alongside James A. Owen and Kevin J. Anderson. I’ll make an announcement here, on my Facebook page, and various other places when the Kickstarter goes live.
  • Finally, I sold a story to Knight Writing Press for their upcoming Modern Magic anthology. That book is due out later this year.

There has been a lot going on! More coming soon, but for now, I need to get my butt downtown for FanEx!


MileHiCon 51 Schedule

MileHiCon 51 is happening this weekend, and I’ll be appearing on six panels! Please see below for my schedule.

Friday, October 18, 2019

2 P.M., Mesa Verde A — Moderator 101 (M) — I’m honored to be moderating the Moderator 101 panel to kick off the convention. If you’ve never been a panel moderator before, come join us to get a rundown of the dos and don’ts of moderating a MileHiCon panel.

3 P.M., Mesa Verde A — Fannish Civility and Kindness — Genre fans are passionate, but that doesn’t mean those passions have to get in the way of general kindness or civility. This panel is a reminder that we’re all here for the same geeky reasons, despite differences between Hogwarts houses or Federation factions, and a little respect goes a long way.

5 P.M., Mesa Verde B — Project in a Drawer (M) — A discussion of what projects our experts have lurking in basement file cabinets and whether (or when) they might see the light of day.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

12 P.M. Wind River B — The Edward W. Bryant Memorial Panel, 2019 Edition (M) — A discussion of the life and works of the writer Edward W. Bryant, the upcoming Retrospective of his career, his appearance as Memorial Guest of Honor at the 2019 ReaderCon, and other miscellaneous items related to this terrific writer, fan, critic, and human being. Featuring Jean-Philippe Gervais, the publisher of the forthcoming three volume Retrospective of Ed’s work.

5 P.M., Mesa Verde B — SF Poetry Slam (M) — A tradition at MileHiCon, it’s once again time for the SF Poetry Slam/panel. Generally, this is more of a reading than a traditional poetry slam. We will be featuring at least three members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association, and anyone else who wishes to read their SF-related work is welcome to join in.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

10 A.M. Mesa Verde B — Gaming as a Way of Exploring Identity — Roleplaying games, whether tabletop or online, have always been a good way to explore identity and gain different perspectives into oneself and one’s beliefs. This panel digs deep into using roleplaying games to explore self-identity.

Publication and Convention Announcement

It’s been a busy summer, and it keeps getting busier. Today, I’m happy to announce that Itty Bitty Writing Space, the anthology of flash fiction containing my story “Jalopy Racer”, is available for purchase on Amazon! I should be receiving my contributor’s copies soon, and three copies are on their way to libraries as part of the Kickstarter early backer perk. The link to purchase a copy is at left.

If you happen to pick up a copy of IBWS, please consider writing a short Amazon or Goodreads review. It really helps us authors with product visibility on the Amazon website!

My other announcement is that I’ll once again be participating in Myths and Legends Con on August 9-11, 2019, as a panelist, writer, and musician. This may very well be the final MALCon, so please try to make it!

The location for MALCon has changed this year. It will be held at the Radisson Denver-Aurora, located near the intersection of I-225 and Parker Road, 3155 South Vaughn Way, Aurora, CO 80014.

My panelist schedule is preliminary and subject to change, so please check this link for any last minute changes. Without further adieu, here’s my schedule:

Friday, 8/9/2019
Fri, 5:30 PM-6:20 PM, Musical performance by Stace Johnson (Arapahoe Room)
Fri, 9:00 PM-9:50 PM, So Charming, Not Creepy (Golden)

Saturday, 8/10/2019
Sat, 12:00 PM-12:50 PM, Intro to Filk (Pikes Peak A)
Sat, 2:00 PM-2:50 PM, Verse in the ‘Verse: Poetry and the Firefly Universe (Golden)
Sat, 3:00 PM-3:50 PM, Author Autograph Mega-Session (Arapahoe Room)
Sat, 5:00 PM-5:50 PM, Geek Songwriting (Pikes Peak A)
Sat, 7:00 PM-7:50 PM, Storytelling via Songwriting (Golden)
Sat, 8:00 PM-10:50 PM, Open Filking (Pikes Peak A)

Sunday, 8/11/2019
Sun, 10:00 AM-10:50 AM, Polyamory and Non-monogamy in Science Fiction and Fantasy (Evergreen)
Sun, 12:00 PM-12:50 PM, Author Readings – Ritchey, Berger, Johnson (Mt Evans)
Sun, 2:00 PM-2:50 PM, MALCon Farewell Session (Golden)

Announcements Galore!

Convention season is starting, and I have a couple of announcements for May.

First, I’ll be wearing both my writer and musician hats at the Aurora Mini-Con 2 on Saturday, May 18, 2019. I’ll be on the Authors Unbound panel with my friend Greg Hyde and two other writers at 12:30 PM, then kicking off the musical portion of the con at 2 PM, opening for Tonks and the Aurors! The convention is free and family-friendly, so bring the kids. Here’s a Facebook event link for your calendars.

Then, a couple of weeks later, I’ll be braving the crowds at Denver Pop Culture Con again (formerly Denver Comic Con.) I’m on the “I Sing and I Know Things” panel with Losing Lara (Wizard Rocker extraordinaire) and members of Sunnydale High (a Buffy the Vampire Slayer themed geek punk band.) We’ll be answering questions and playing music at 3:00 PM on Friday, May 31, 2019 in the Coast City room. Here’s a Facebook event link for that, too.

Finally, the Itty Bitty Writing Space flash fiction anthology containing my story “Jalopy Racer” is progressing quite well, and the books should be going out sometime in June. I’ll post a cover image at left as soon as I get one, and I’ll add an Amazon link for those who missed out on the Kickstarter when the book becomes available for post-Kickstarter purchase. I’m really looking forward to reading the 99 other stories in the book!

Denver Comic Con 2018 Recap and General Update

My first Denver Comic Con as a panelist has come and gone, and I enjoyed myself immensely. Thanks to the efforts of superwoman Shannon Lawrence, I was able to participate in five panels over the three days of the convention. Here are some personal highlights.

Art

I picked up this beautiful piece of artwork by Chaz Kemp, one of my favorite local artists. Nearly every aspect of this piece has personal meaning to me, and I’m honored to own it.

 

"Insight" by Chaz Kemp

“Insight” by Chaz Kemp

 

I also stopped by the VisiColors booth and picked up some very cute stickers for my girlfriend.

 

VisiColors Stickers

VisiColors Stickers

 

Inspiration

I was lucky enough to get in the front row for Frank Miller’s Q&A session, though I couldn’t afford an autograph. Miller is by far my favorite comic book writer thanks to his incredible “Born Again” run in Daredevil. His economy of language and ability to tell a gripping story in so few words is inspirational to me. It’s no secret to people who have known me for a while that even though I haven’t collected comics for a long time, Daredevil is my favorite superhero, and seeing the man behind The Man Without Fear speak is a bucket list item I can now check off.

 

Comic book legend Frank Miller

Comic book legend Frank Miller

 

Also, after fighting my way through the throngs of people in the exhibitor hall, I finally found Connie Willis‘s signing table and she signed my personal copy of Edward Bryant’s Sphere of Influence. I’m honored to have a story in the same book as her, especially since it’s my first fiction sale. (I also got a free copy of Crosstalk, which she also personalized for me!)

 

Connie Willis personalization on the Prologue page of Edward Bryant's Sphere of Influence

Connie Willis personalization on the Prologue page of Edward Bryant’s Sphere of Influence

 

Artistic Growth and Exposure

After fighting through a writing slump in recent months, I feel like I’m finally moving again. With another recent sale to Martian Magazine (to be published online the week of July 23rd), I’m feeling motivated again, and event submitted a piece of flash fiction to Postcard Poems and Prose from my phone while at Comic Con. There’s a lot of my dad in that story, so it’s fitting that I submitted it over Father’s Day weekend, and I hope it does well in their “Clutch” contest.

I attended a panel on geeky songwriting (“I Sing and I Know Things”) featuring my friends Losing Lara and Seth Phillips, and Lara was kind enough to give me a shoutout about my upcoming Westercon 71 / MALCon 6 concert on Sunday, July 8th at 2 PM. Watch this space for a more detailed announcement about that con appearance, coming soon.

 

Seth Phillips, Will Plumb, and Losing Lara

Seth Phillips, Will Plumb, and Losing Lara

 

Big Audiences without Anxiety

I’ve been participating on panels at SF conventions for over 15 years, and I’ve helped organize them as far back as 1987. But Denver Comic Con is an order of magnitude larger than any other convention where I’ve appeared, so the panel attendees were an order of magnitude larger, as well. Here’s a shot of the audience for my final panel, on “Black Mirror and the Evils of Technology.” DeAnna Knippling did a masterful job moderating the panel, and the time flew by.

Audience for "Black Mirror and the Evils of Technology"

Audience for “Black Mirror and the Evils of Technology”

Even better, when I saw the size of the line before the panel and the number of people streaming in, I barely got nervous at all. The only time this introvert’s social anxiety really kicked in was when I was trying to thread my way through the exhibit hall during its busiest times. For me, that’s a major win.

 

General Update

My life has become very busy lately, between convention appearances, musical gigs, stories published, and everyday work and relationships. Add to that the fact that I’m currently displaced from the room I rent and living out of boxes because the owners of my home are renovating the basement where I live, and I would normally be freaking out. But I’ve realized that I’ve changed a lot in the last couple of years, and the positive changes are mostly due to things I have put in place myself. I told a colleague last September that I really wanted to focus on my writing and music, and good things are coming from that. Even the displacement has had positive effects; it has disrupted my normal routine enough that I’ve broken out of some habits that were taking too much of my time and reducing the quality of my sleep.

However, there have also been some challenges because of these positive changes. I’ve had to erect some boundaries in order to stay on track and not get behind. One of these is in the area of computer consulting. I’ve done consulting on the side for years, but I’ve never done it with a monetary focus; it’s always been about helping people resolve problems inexpensively. But if I want to keep up the momentum on my creative endeavors, I can’t accept any new clients, and I have to be judicious about helping existing clients. That means I’ve had to say “No” to some people who have wanted my help recently, and that’s a new — and difficult — thing for me.

Sometimes I wish I could clone myself so that I could have WriterStace, PoetStace, MusicStace, FriendStace, and ConsultingStace for various tasks. When it comes down to it, though, MeStace is my default setting; I don’t need to create him, and he takes precedent over all others, perhaps for the first time in my life.