BaltiCon Schedule, 2 new anthologies, & a general update

Ok, just a quick-ish update before I hit the rack.

As I’m sure you may or may not have picked up on I’m crazy busy at the moment, so you get this update in list form:

1- In celebration of being asked to be a Guest of Honor at a convention for the first time, I’ll be giving away free kindle copies of War of the Seasons: The Human on May 30th and 31st, the two days leading up to ConCarolinas. (as a reminder, kindle versions of WotS: The Human are always free to amazon prime members).

2- I’ll be offline/traveling out of the country for the next week or so, but I’ll be back just in time for BaltiCon (schedule posted below)

3- In case you haven’t heard, I’ve got a new short story anthology coming out next month at Origins Game Fair. It’s titled Time Traveled Tales and in addition to yours truly, also features stories from some of my very favorite people (and authors) Aaron Allston, Donald J. Bingle, Sarah Hans, R. T. Kaelin, Jean Rabe (also the editor), Steve Saus, Michael A. Stackpole, Bryan Young, and Timothy Zahn.

You can read a great post about it on Aaron Allston’s blog (OH MY GOSH I’VE GOT MY VERY OWN TAG ON HIS BLOG! Must not fangirl… too much.) Toche Station also posted about it here (holy cow I’ve got ANOTHER tag! WOOOO!).

4- I’ve got another anthology coming out. This one is non-fiction and is about world building. In addition to myself, Bryan Young, Steve Saus, and many others contributed essays about the different aspects of world building. Bryan posted about it (and the previous anthology, Time Traveled Tales) on his website here. BTW, you can pre-order Bryan’s newest book, Operation Montauk here – trust me you’ll be glad you did. This story was a BLAST!

5- My BaltiCon schedule is ready:

Autographing: D. H. Aire, Paulette Jaxton and Janine K. Spendlove
Friday at 6:00 pm in Maryland Foyer
D. H. Aire, Paulette Jaxton and Janine K. Spendlove signing at the Autograph Table in the Maryland foyer.
Speakers: D.H. Aire; Paulette Jaxton; Janine K. Spendlove

SE-9a. Friday Face Time: Meet the Guests — Mix and Mingle
Friday at 9:00 pm in Con-Suite
Mix and mingle with the Guests of Honor and Balticon 46 Program Participants.
Moderator: Con Chair
Speakers: Jody Lynn Nye (Guest of Honor)

C-2. Costuming the Young Fan
Saturday at 9:00 am in Salon D
C-2. Costuming for the pint size is fun! Those little bodies don’t use much yardage! We’ll discuss how to make a tiny costume that looks like the real deal, mostly, yet won’t break the bank. Turn your tiny tike into a superhero, a fairy princess, a Jedi or anything in between..
Moderator: Pavlina
Speakers: Nancy Frey; Janine K. Spendlove; Jacalyn (Lady Ozma) Stanley; Ming (Cookie) Diaz

C-5. Just Dandy: The Importance of Accessories in Steampunk
Saturday at 1:00 pm in Salon D
Finding the perfect accessories is vital to having the perfect steampunk costume: Find out the best places to get these accessories and tips and tricks to making your own.
Moderator: Elektra Hammond
Speakers: Janine K. Spendlove; Jared Axelrod; Doc Coleman; Rebecca K. Davis

R-43. Readers Ask Why
Saturday at 5:00 pm in Salon A
Starting Panel is: Moderator: Catherine A. Asaro; Panelists: John G. Hemry, John C. Wright, Danny Birt, Steven H. Wilson Panelists swapping in: Andrew Fox, Chuck Gannon, Nathan O. Lowell, Janine K. Spendlove;
A changing panel of authors is on the hot seat as their fans ask why their characters behave as they do, why the author chose this sort of magic instead of another, why the world a book is set in has certain dominant properties/elements. Once a panelist (or moderator) answers a question, they’ll swap seats with a panelist waiting in the first row to replace them. Audience members who take more than 30 seconds to ask their question will get buzzed and must sit down and shut up with their question unanswered! Oh! And panelists who take more than 2.5 minutes to answer a question must take the moderator role and can only answer another question after all the panelists at the table when they took the moderator seat have swapped out. Oh! And one more thing: Panelists who write SF/Fantasy/Horror under more than one name can swap in again under their other pen name if they — literally — wear a different hat.
Moderator: Catherine A. Asaro
Speakers: John C. Wright; Steve Wilson; Janine K. Spendlove; John Hemry (Jack Campbell); Charles Edward Gannon; Danny Birt; Nathan O. Lowell; Andrew Fox

R-47. Alternate History — Changing the Real World
Saturday at 7:00 pm in Chase
Panelists discuss what’s necessary to write alternate history that is believable.
Moderator: Carl Cipra
Speakers: John Hemry (Jack Campbell); D.H. Aire; Chris Evans; Janine K. Spendlove

R-50. A Ritual of Passage for Modern Western Civilization
Sunday at 9:00 am in Salon D
Look to SF and Fantasy for sources: Heinlein’s Tunnel in the Sky is a good example of a story that tells us how to turn kids into grownups at puberty or early adolescence. Bring maturity into the teen culture, and ground the ritual in the larger culture. Do we want young adult literature to, without preaching at them, encourage young people to become responsible adults.
Moderator: Tyler Waldman
Speakers: Janine K. Spendlove; Paul D. Lagasse; Judi Fleming; Christine Norris

Readings: Colin Earl, Darrel Schweitzer, Janine K. Spendlove and Patrick Thomas
Sunday at 10:00 am in Pimlico
Darrel Schweitzer, Janine K. Spendlove and Patrick Thomas reading from their works. Please note that the authors are listed in alphabetical order, NOT in reading order. They’ll determine reading order amongst themselves.
Speakers: Janine K. Spendlove; Darrell Schweitzer; Patrick Thomas

C-8. The Warriors Creed
Sunday at 11:00 am in Salon D
Ever wondered how to make that super cool Stormtrooper armour? What about some cool anime armor? Chain mail? We’ve got you covered. From vacuum forming to fun foam and everything in between — we’ll give you overviews of the techniques and see examples of all.
Moderator: Karen L. Dick
Speakers: Janine K. Spendlove; Heidi Hooper; Lisa Adler-Golden; Jason McClain; William H. Kennedy

R-15. Young Adult Fiction
Sunday at 8:00 pm in Belmont
Is YA Science Fiction Failing to Educate While It Entertains? Should it be aspiring to do so?
Moderator: Lane Jagi Lamplighter Wrignt.
Speakers: Ruth Lampi; Janine K. Spendlove; Michael A. Ventrella; Maria V, Snyder

T-1. Fessing Up to the Adult Themes in YA Literature
Sunday at 9:00 pm in Parlor 3041
Young adult literature is growing up, tackling such hard issues as good and evil, abuse, abandonment, grief and loss. And then there’s sex. Is there a line that shouldn’t be crossed or is no subject taboo for today’s teens? A roundtable of teens and YA authors discuss these topics and taks squestions and comments from the audience.
Moderator: Jean Marie Ward;
Speakers: Sarah Taylor; Janine K. Spendlove; Mike D’Ambrosio; Daniel Hack; Sarah Sexton

Lastly, need a copy of my books? As it happens you can buy them here.