Posts Tagged ‘convention’

I’ll Be a Guest at Phantastika in Berlin this October

I am pleased to announce that I will be an author guest of Phantastika, a convention celebrating the fantastic in media, literature, and the arts, as part of German Comic Con in Berlin.

The event takes place on Saturday, October 20, and Sunday, October 21, at Station Berlin.

In addition to yours truly, the event will host numerous author guests whose works include science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction.

I just want to say that I am excited and honored to have been invited as a guest of this event. It’s been several years since my last trip to Germany, and when I remember what a wonderful time I had there, I feel great anticipation for my next visit. I love Germany and the German people, and it fills me with joy to know I can look forward to their hospitality once again.

See you in Deutschland, meine Freunde!

Where to find me at GenCon 2018

This year I will once again be taking part in the GenCon Writers Symposium as an author guest. The symposium runs from Thursday, August 2, through the morning of Sunday, August 5, on the second floor of the Downtown Marriott, adjacent to the Indiana Convention Center.

My schedule of events for this year’s GCWS is as follows:

Thursday 8/2

10am–11am, Boston Room
What Is Historical Fantasy?

1pm–2pm, Ballrooms 3-4
Justice and Law Enforcement in Speculative Fiction

2pm–3pm, Ballroom 1
You Got Science in my Fantasy!

Friday 8/3

10am–11am, Signing Table (main show floor)
Signing: I will be signing autographs alongside Gail Z. Martin

Noon–1pm, Ballrooms 3-4
Playing in Someone Else’s Sandbox

4pm–5pm, Ballroom 1
Action!

Saturday, 8/4

Noon–1pm, Austin Room
What Makes a Story Science Fiction?

7pm–?, Ballrooms 3-4
Return to the Forbidden Library
(Watch me and fellow authors play AD&D for your amusement!)

 

If you’re coming to this year’s GenCon as either an attendee or a guest, I’ll look forward to seeing you in Indianapolis!

My schedule for Shore Leave 2018

It’s that time of year again, when Star Trek writers from all over converge upon a sprawling hotel in a suburb of Baltimore and make it their own for a convention weekend known as Shore Leave.

This is my 15th time as an author guest at Shore Leave, and I’m looking forward to spending time with friends old and new in between panels and autographing sessions.

Note that the convention’s programming team, in its inscrutable wisdom, somehow neglected to schedule me for any panels or activities on Saturday, so I plan on just crashing a number of panels even though I’m not listed on any of them.

If you’re going to be at Shore Leave this weekend, here is where to find me.

Friday – July 6

End at the Beginning
5pm-6pm, Salon F
Non-linear narratives and how to use them.

Glenn Hauman’s Wake
9pm–10pm, Hunt-Valley Ballroom
A mock wake for Glenn Hauman to celebrate the launch of the new Crazy 8 anthology They Keep Killing Glenn (which, as it happens, contains my original short story “The Look on Your Face“).

Meet the Pros
10pm–Midnight, Hunt-Valley Corridor
Come meet me and the other author guests. Chat with us, buy us drinks, buy our books, get autographs, get abused. Whatever gets us paid.

Saturday – July 7

As noted above, I have no officially scheduled items this day. Here are some panels I might crash.

What Is Star Trek?
9am–10am, Belmont Room
Originally, I was scheduled on this panel. I asked if it could be moved later than 9am, and for asking the question I was kicked off the panel. Just to spite them, I might drag my ass out of bed and show up to this anyway.

When Does It Count as Representation?
10am–11am, Salon E

Dramatic Readings
4pm–5pm, Salon A

Continuity vs. Canon
5pm–6pm, Chase Room

Sunday – July 8

All Fiction Is Political
11am–Noon, Chase Room
How do our politics and/or ideology affect what we choose to write and/or read?

Ordinary Heroes
Noon–1pm, Salon A
How do “common-folk” heroes differ from their larger-than-life counterparts?

Why the NSA Hates Us
Noon–1pm, Chase Room
Authors’ search histories must give the national-security community nightmares.

[A sharp-eyed reader might have noticed that I’m double-booked on Sunday from Noon to 1pm. Place your bets now on which Noon panel I will choose to attend.]

See y’all at the con!

Vegas, baby! See me at the Star Trek 2017 Convention (#SFWApro)

BREAKING NEWS! I am now a listed guest of The Official Star Trek 2017 Convention taking place at Rio Suites Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada!

I will be part of Creation Con’s celebration of Star Trek Discovery on the con’s opening day, Wednesday, August 2.

Joining me will be my longtime partners in creative mischief, Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore, as well as many members of the cast and creative staff of Star Trek Discovery itself. I’ll be there to talk about my upcoming novel Desperate Hours, the first original novel based on the new show — and I’m told we’ll be revealing its cover and its descriptive blurb live at the Discovery publishing panel.

Here is my official schedule for the show:

Wednesday, August 2

5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. — Pavilion (Main Theater)
Star Trek: Discovery Comics & Novels Revealed
Join Kirsten Beyer, Sarah Gaydos, Mike Johnson, David Mack, and Ed Schlesinger as they offer a first look at the new Star Trek: Discovery novels and comics coming this fall.

Thursday, August 3

12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. — Brasilia 4-6 (Secondary Theater)
Inside Trek: Star Trek Authors & Their Books
Meet the authors and editors that are expanding the Star Trek universe with new novels, travel guides, science books and unique (and funny) views of Trek fandom. Hear about their favorite stories, writing Trek, and the stories they really want to tell. Panelists: John Van Citters, Dayton Ward, David Mack, Kevin Dilmore, Ethan Siegel, Robb Pearlman, and Ed Schlesinger.

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. — Away Mission Booth (Amazon Room)
Autographing: David Mack
I will be signing books and comics on a complimentary basis. Whether you buy my work at the show or bring it in from home, I will be happy to sign it for you at Star Trek: Las Vegas!

Friday, August 4

11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. — Brasilia 7 (CBS All Access)
Inside Trek: David Mack, Author
I’ll be chatting one-on-one with Jordan Hoffman, host of Engage!, the official CBS.com Star Trek podcast, about my work for Star Trek, what I look for in a Star Trek story, and whatever else comes to mind in this half-hour candid talk.

After that, I will just be haunting the convention, lingering in the bar, or perhaps writing my new novel in a cabana by the pool. Feel free to approach me (as long as I’m not eating) for autographs and idle chatter.

#SFWApro

Shore Leave 39: My Schedule at the Convention

It’s that magical time of year again, Trek fans — time for my favorite yearly event, the Shore Leave Convention in lovely Hunt Valley, Md.!

Once again, for reasons surpassing understanding, the fine folks at Shore Leave have deigned to invite me as an author guest and put me on programming for their attendees’ collective amusement and edification.

Whether you’re a fan or a cyberstalker looking to make that transition into meatspace harassment, here’s everything you’ll need to find me at this weekend’s Shore Leave!

Friday, July 7

10pm–Midnight
Meet the Pros — Hunt Valley Corridor
Come down to the lower level of the Hunt Valley Inn, buy some books, and spend a couple of hours chatting with authors and having them autograph books for you.

Saturday, July 8

Noon–1pm
“Does Fiction Go Too Easy on Evil?” — Chase Room
In reality, evil is often boring, ugly, and stupid. But compelling villains in fiction are often stylish, intelligent, and competent. Is fiction doing society a disservice by giving evil a good name?
— David Mack (M), Jenifer Rosenberg, Mary Fan, Richard C. White, Glenn Hauman

2pm–3pm
“The Art of Secondary Characters” — Chase Room
Supporting characters can fade into the background or steal a story. Our authors discuss how to know which is appropriate, and the craft to making such players come alive when the story needs them.
— David Mack (M), Heather E. Hutsell, Richard C. White, Dave Galanter

5pm–6pm
Upcoming Star Trek Books — Belmont Room
A preview of forthcoming Star Trek novels from Simon & Schuster, with some of their authors as well as other Trek-related titles due out this fall and into 2018.
— Scott Pearson (M), David Mack, Christopher L. Bennett, Dayton Ward

Sunday, July 9

10am–11am
“Friendship Is Magic” — Chase Room
In SF/F, heroes have friends and companions; villains have only minions. Our authors examine how cultural narratives about heroism, sex, gender, class, and community influence how we depict being alone and being connected.
— David Mack (M), Mary Fan, Michael Critzer, Amy Imhoff, TJ Perkins

11am–Noon
“Where No Tale Has Gone Before” — Chase Room
After more than 50 years, how can there still be fresh stories to tell in Star Trek’s shared universe? Our panel of Trekspert storytellers discuss what they think makes for solid new Star Trek tales.
— David Mack (M), Dayton Ward, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Christopher L. Bennett, Scott Pearson

And that’s the sum of my programming activity for the weekend. If you’re trying to catch up with me on Sunday, make sure to come to my panels, because as soon as they’re over, I’ll be looking to get on the road and head for home.

See you at the con, folks!

My Farpoint 2017 Schedule

For those of you attending Farpoint 2017 in a few weeks, here’s where you’ll be able to catch up with me at the show. The convention will take place Friday, February 17, through Sunday, February 19, at the Radisson Hotel North Baltimore, in Timonium, MD. The full schedule and program book are available online.

Friday — 17 February

“Robot/AI or Slave?”
5pm — Chesapeake 1
In much of science fiction, robots are thinking beings designed and programmed to be servitors. That sounds a lot like slavery. When we talk about robot/AI uprisings, are we talking about slave revolts? From the Butlerian Jihad in the Dune books, to Asimov’s laws of robotics, to the Terminator, are stories of rebellious synthetics actually tales of slaves who decide not to be slaves?
—David Mack, Jay Smith, T. Eric Bakutis, Jim Werbaneth

Farpoint Book Fair
10pm–Midnight — Dulaney/Valley 1
Meet and mingle with the authors at the Book Fair! Bring copies of my work for autographs, or just stop by to say “hi!”

Saturday — 18 February

Reading
12:40pm – Chesapeake 3–6
I will be reading a short selection from my upcoming original novel The Midnight Front.

Signing
1pm–2pm — Main Atrium
If you have any of my work you’d like autographed, bring it with you. Or just stop by to chat.

“The Shape of Stories”
2pm — Chesapeake 1
Kurt Vonnegut once theorized that there are only six basic shapes that stories can take. Other writers have developed their own theories about the universal structures that every story in the world can fit into. This panel will discuss various aspects about story theory, from what these categories are, how to use them to write insanely great endings, and how writers can incorporate this knowledge into their own plotting.
—Don Sakers, Stephen Kozeniewski, David Mack, Susanna Reilly

Signing
3pm–4pm — Main Atrium
If you have any of my work you’d like autographed, bring it with you. Or just stop by to chat.

Sunday — 19 February

“Writing for the Eye vs. the Ear”
Noon — Chesapeake 1
An old bit of advice most writers hear at some point is that we should read our work aloud, supposedly to help us recognize awkward bits of phrasing. But does it work? Taking the question further, does this work better with dialogue than with description? Better with fiction than non-fiction? Is it possible for a writer who delivers effective readings to miss the fact that their prose, absent their performance, is dead on the page?
—David Mack, Don Sakers, Aaron Rosenberg, Lauren Harris

#SFWApro

My 2016 World Fantasy Con Schedule – #SFWApro

If you’ll be attending World Fantasy Convention 2016 this coming week in Columbus, OH, and are interested in catching up with me, here are my two scheduled turns on programming:

Thursday, 27 October

“When to Stop”
5pm – Union AB
Some series seem to go on forever. At what point must there really be an ending? Trilogies seem to be a default, but urban fantasy series (e.g., Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake novels) seem to just go on and on. Is the long series simply a factor of market forces or is there a storytelling imperative behind it? With declining shelf space and ever more demands for the attention of readers, are the long-form series becoming less desirable?
— Sarah Avery, J.L. Doty, Summer Hanford, Mark Van Name (m), David Mack

Saturday, 29 October

Author Reading: David Mack
4pm – Union C
My current plan is to read a brief excerpt from The Midnight Front, my upcoming original contemporary fantasy/secret history novel being published by Tor Books in early 2018.

Beyond these two bits of business, I can be counted on toe haunt the hotel bar, and I suspect I’ll make the rounds of the industry parties on Friday and Saturday nights.

If you’re at the con and I’m in a public space (and not using my earbuds), feel free to come say “hello”!

#SFWApro