I'm attending Bouchercon once again--the annual World Mystery Convention! Bouchercon has become one of my favorite cons and I continue to be impressed with how well-run and organized they are.

One of the things I like about the programming (other than the cool topics) is that the panels aren't pushed right up against each other--after each panel they build in an autographing session (for all the authors on panels during that past hour) which usually takes place in the dealer room. It's a great idea and I wish more cons would do the same! It drives a lot of traffic into the dealer room and many books are sold and many books are signed!

As for my programming items this year: Unless one is a big name crime writer, being asked to sit on one panel is the norm. This year I'm on a Saturday panel, and I think it'll be a lot of fun:

Saturday, September 8th @ 12:00pm: Interesting Day Jobs Lead to Interesting Stories

I'll be at MileHiCon 10/27-10/29 along with my Iron Angels co-author, Eric Flint who is a Guest of Honor.

Friday, October 27:
3:00pm - Living Life in the Open:  Panelists explore the impact of big data, surveillance, drones, data mining algorithms, etc., on public-private life.
Panelists: Arlen Feldman, Andrew Burt, Veronica Calisto, Alistair Kimble, Deena Larsen

6:00pm - Knives, Tanks & Things That Go BOOM!:  How did the technologies, understanding, and culture of violence change throughout history, and why? How can we use this to understand our favorite fandoms, or create our own "cult of the gun" in our fictional worlds?
Panelists: Kevin Ikenberry, Jonathan Brazee, Travis Heermann, Alistair Kimble, Kerry Major

9:00pm - Creatures of A Different Night:  New twists on old monsters—what’s out there beyond vampires, werewolves, and zombies.
Panelists: Travis Heermann, Vivian Caethe, Amalie Howard, Alistair Kimble, Sam Knight

Saturday, October 28:
10:00am - Different Roads Taken To Success:  Not everyone’s path to success is straight and narrow—find out how these panelists have forged their own paths.
Panelists: Emily Mah, R. Alan Brooks, Alistair Kimble, Shannon Lawrence, James Van Pelt

I'm attending Bouchercon once again--the annual World Mystery Convention! Bouchercon has become one of my favorite cons and I've been impressed with how well-run they are.

One of the things I like about the programming (other than the cool topics) is that the panels aren't pushed right up against each other--after each panel they build in an autographing session (for all the authors on panels during that past hour) which usually takes place in the dealer room. It's a great idea and I wish more cons would do the same! It drives a lot of traffic into the dealer room and many books are sold and many books are signed!

I know at least one of the dealers will have copies of my recently released novel Iron Angels on hand. I think mystery/crime readers will enjoy it as the novel has quite a bit of FBI procedure between the covers.

As for my programming items this year: Unless one is a big name crime writer, being asked to sit on one panel is the norm. This year I'm on a Friday panel, and I think it'll be a lot of fun:

Friday, October 13th 3:30-4:30:  Fact v Fiction. Novelists and true crime folk mix it up
Ann Cleeves, Mike French, Stephanie Gayle (M), Alistair Kimble, Spencer Kope, Luci Zahray

I was invited to attend Dragon Con this year as a professional. Dragon Con is held annually in Atlanta, Georgia and other than E3 in Los Angeles, I haven't been to a convention this huge (from what I've heard and read, Dragon Con attracts more than 70,000 people). 

What makes this convention cool for me is that the novel I wrote with Eric Flint, Iron Angels, will be officially released on September 5, but will be available at the convention.

I have a fairly light schedule, which suits me fine as I really want to walk around and mingle and hang out with friends!

Schedule:

Friday, September 1st:

Title: Murders, Mysteries, and Mayhem in Alternate History
Description: This mature themes panel will go over a multiverse of ways to murder, discuss some of the millions of history's mysteries and their alternative solutions, and a variety of ways the world ends in magnificent mayhem with a panel of authors in this late night roundtable.
Time: Fri 11:30 pm  Location: Athens - Sheraton (Length: 1 Hour)
Panelists: S.M. Stirling, David B. Coe, D.Alan Lewis, Alistair Kimble

Saturday, September 2nd:

Title: Autographing Session
Description: I'll be at The Missing Volume booth with Eric Flint signing copies of Iron Angels.
Time: Sat 12:00 pm  Location: Americasmart building 2, First Floor Booths 1400, 1402, 1301, 1303. (Length: 1 Hour)

Title: Baen Books Travelling Roadshow
Description: Baen Books slideshow regarding available titles as well as upcoming releases.  Of course, Iron Angels will be in the slideshow!
Time: Sat 2:30 pm  Location: Regency V - Hyatt (Length: 2.5 Hours)

I'll be attending and participating in this year's World Science Fiction Convention, also known as MidAmeriCon II and WorldCon, held in Kansas City, Missouri. I've been attending WorldCon since 2011, but this is the first year I am participating on panels.

Having moved around the country quite a bit starting in 1993 (the U.S. Navy, a couple of other jobs, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation contributed to this somewhat nomadic lifestyle), my friends are typically not residing where I currently live, so I enjoy traveling to these conventions to hang out with my friends for a few days. Despite WorldCon being a fan-based convention rather than professional convention, plenty of business is conducted at restaurants and whichever bar happens to be the designated hangout bar--this is also known as "bar con." Writers, editors, and agents all tend to congregate at this location and I have to admit, most of my networking has occurred at the bar. I know this paints the people involved in the publishing industry as a bunch of drunks and is one of the great cliche's when it comes to writers, but we like to have a good time and let loose, what can I say?

The staff in charge of programming has kindly arranged for me to participate on 5 panels!

Futuristic Crime Investigations

Wednesday 15:00 - 16:00, 2204 (Kansas City Convention Center)

Whether it is the shiny and clinical crime investigation of Minority Report (short story, film and TV), or the rough and dirty type in Leviathan Wakes (novel, and now the TV show The Expanse), crime investigations are as much a part of futuristic SF as spaceships and aliens. Do these investigations function in any way that is based in reality? How do they reflect our opinions on crime and those who investigate crime today?

The Future of Forensics

Thursday 12:00 - 13:00, 2209 (Kansas City Convention Center)

Forensic scientists analyze scientific evidence in criminal investigations and, as with all science , the methods available grow and change and improve on a regular basis. This panel of experts discuss what is current and lead to where it might go next. 

Creating the 1632 Universe

Thursday 17:00 - 18:00, 3501B (Kansas City Convention Center)

A look at how Eric Flint created the 1632 universe, how other authors have contributed, and how a fandom has grown up around it complete with its own conventions and publishing house.

Bogus Science in TV Shows

Saturday 12:00 - 13:00, 2502A (Kansas City Convention Center)

Television procedurals like Numbers, CSI, and Scorpion purport to use science to solve their cases of the week, but in actuality, their science is as fake as anything in The Expanse or Fringe.  Could these shows succeed using real science?  How does their depiction of science impact people's perceptions of science in the real world? CSI makes forensics look case solving and utterly dependable, but that’s not how it works in the real world.

Programming for Mature Fans at SF Conventions

Saturday 13:00 - 14:00, 2204 (Kansas City Convention Center)

It is important to create programming for audiences in all walks of life, interests, and needs. We have programming that is diverse in content as well as programming on race, gender, politics, and more. Among all of this, what kind of programming should we have for older fans? Are conventions still relevant to people in their 70s, 80s and 90s . If not, what kind of programming should be available and what can we do to help encourage them to stay in the fold?