FenCon XVI - September 20-22, 2019 |

Guests of Honor


Trevor Quachri Guest of Honor Before taking the reigns of ANALOG SCIENCE FICTION AND FACT as editor in 2012, Trevor Quachri started off as an editorial assistant in 1999 and worked his way up the ladder at ANALOG and ASIMOV’S SCIENCE FICTION, under Stanley Schmidt, Sheila Williams, and Gardner Dozois, respectively. On top of that, he’s also been a Broadway stagehand, collected data for museums, and executive produced a science fiction pilot for a basic cable channel. He lives in New Jersey with his fiancee, daughter, and way, way too many comic books.(photo credit: Che Ryback)
The Doubleclicks Music Guests of Honor (The Doubleclicks) The Doubleclicks are a folk-pop sibling duo, featuring clever lyrics about dinosaurs, literature, love and the Internet—with a cello, guitar, and meowing kitten keyboard. Their latest CD “Love Problems" debuted at number one on the Billboard comedy albums chart, and they’ve toured the world, playing at conventions, comedy festivals, living rooms and one time in a circus in Australia. Their songs and YouTube videos have been viewed over 4 million times and are frequently featured on BoingBoing, io9, and NPR.
Helen Montgomery Fen Guest of Honor Helen Montgomery is a Chicago fan who recently relocated to Seattle. She is currently a co-chair of the Chicago in 2022 Worldcon Bid, the Division Head for Events for Dublin 2019: An Irish Worldcon, and an Area Head for Capricon in Chicago. Helen has been active in Chicago fandom since 2000, holding many roles for Capricon, including Conchair (twice) and serving on their Board of Directors (twice). She has worked on six Worldcons and three NASFiCs, including Chicon 7 in 2012, when she was one of three “Chairman’s Flying Monkees” (Vice Chairs). She also chaired Smofcon 2016 in Chicago. Additionally, she is the President of the Science Fiction Outreach Project, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that promotes literacy and fandom through the reading of science fiction and fantasy.
Jenn Ravenna Artist Guest of Honor Jenn Ravenna is an illustrator based in Seattle. Her work includes projects in game development, tabletop, publishing, and comics. She is currently an artist on Magic the Gathering. She is also known for her work on Shadowrun Returns and Battletech the Game. Her personal work explores the fantastical in both landscapes and character designs, offering peaceful, ethereal moods
Julie Czerneda Science Guest of Honor (Julie Czerneda) For over twenty years, Canadian author/ former biologist Julie E. Czerneda has shared her curiosity about living things through her science fiction, published by DAW Books, NY. Julie’s written fantasy too, the first installments of her Night’s Edge series (DAW) A Turn of Light and A Play of Shadow, winning consecutive Aurora Awards (Canada’s Hugo) for Best English Novel. Having completed her Clan Chronicles series with To Guard Against the Dark, Julie’s latest SF novel is Search Image, Book #1 of her new SF series, The Web Shifter’s Library, bringing back her beloved character Esen the Dear Little Blob. Julie’s edited/co-edited numerous award-winning anthologies of SF/F, including SFWA’s 2017 Nebula Award Showcase, but nothing prepared her for the sheer joy of opening her Clan Chronicles to fans of the series to produce Tales from Plexis, out December 2018. What’s coming next? Her new fantasy standalone, The Gossamer Mage, out August 2019, and so much more.
Angie Hodapp Special Workshop Guest Angie Hodapp is the Director of Literary Development at Nelson Literary Agency. She holds a BA in English and secondary education and an MA in English and communication development, and she is a graduate of the Denver Publishing Institute at the University of Denver. She has worked in publishing and professional writing and editing for the better part of the last two decades and is the author of Do You Need a Literary Agent?: The Writer-in-the-Know Guide to a Literary Agent’s Role in the Publishing Industry (January 2019). A veteran teacher and speaker, she loves helping authors hone their craft and learn about the ever-changing business of publishing.
Orlando Sanchez Toastmaster (Orlando Sanchez) Orlando has been writing ever since his teens when he was immersed in creating scenarios for playing Dungeon and Dragons with his friends every weekend. An avid reader, his influences are too numerous to list here. Some of the most prominent are: J.R.R. Tolkien, Jim Butcher, Kat Richardson, Terry Brooks, Piers Anthony, Lee Child, George Lucas, Andrew Vachss, and Barry Eisler to name a few in no particular order. The worlds of his books are urban settings with a twist of the paranormal lurking just behind the scenes and generous doses of magic, martial arts, and mayhem. He currently resides in Queens, NY with his wife and children and can often be found in the local coffee shop where most of his writing is done.

Trevor Quachri

Guest of Honor

Before taking the reigns of ANALOG SCIENCE FICTION AND FACT as editor in 2012, Trevor Quachri started off as an editorial assistant in 1999 and worked his way up the ladder at ANALOG and ASIMOV’S SCIENCE FICTION, under Stanley Schmidt, Sheila Williams, and Gardner Dozois, respectively. On top of that, he’s also been a Broadway stagehand, collected data for museums, and executive produced a science fiction pilot for a basic cable channel. He lives in New Jersey with his fiancee, daughter, and way, way too many comic books.(photo credit: Che Ryback)

The Doubleclicks

Music Guests of Honor

(The Doubleclicks) The Doubleclicks are a folk-pop sibling duo, featuring clever lyrics about dinosaurs, literature, love and the Internet—with a cello, guitar, and meowing kitten keyboard. Their latest CD “Love Problems" debuted at number one on the Billboard comedy albums chart, and they’ve toured the world, playing at conventions, comedy festivals, living rooms and one time in a circus in Australia. Their songs and YouTube videos have been viewed over 4 million times and are frequently featured on BoingBoing, io9, and NPR.

Helen Montgomery

Fen Guest of Honor

Helen Montgomery is a Chicago fan who recently relocated to Seattle. She is currently a co-chair of the Chicago in 2022 Worldcon Bid, the Division Head for Events for Dublin 2019: An Irish Worldcon, and an Area Head for Capricon in Chicago.

Helen has been active in Chicago fandom since 2000, holding many roles for Capricon, including Conchair (twice) and serving on their Board of Directors (twice). She has worked on six Worldcons and three NASFiCs, including Chicon 7 in 2012, when she was one of three “Chairman’s Flying Monkees” (Vice Chairs). She also chaired Smofcon 2016 in Chicago.

Additionally, she is the President of the Science Fiction Outreach Project, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that promotes literacy and fandom through the reading of science fiction and fantasy.

Jenn Ravenna

Artist Guest of Honor

Jenn Ravenna is an illustrator based in Seattle. Her work includes projects in game development, tabletop, publishing, and comics. She is currently an artist on Magic the Gathering. She is also known for her work on Shadowrun Returns and Battletech the Game. Her personal work explores the fantastical in both landscapes and character designs, offering peaceful, ethereal moods

Julie Czerneda

Science Guest of Honor

(Julie Czerneda) For over twenty years, Canadian author/ former biologist Julie E. Czerneda has shared her curiosity about living things through her science fiction, published by DAW Books, NY. Julie’s written fantasy too, the first installments of her Night’s Edge series (DAW) A Turn of Light and A Play of Shadow, winning consecutive Aurora Awards (Canada’s Hugo) for Best English Novel. Having completed her Clan Chronicles series with To Guard Against the Dark, Julie’s latest SF novel is Search Image, Book #1 of her new SF series, The Web Shifter’s Library, bringing back her beloved character Esen the Dear Little Blob. Julie’s edited/co-edited numerous award-winning anthologies of SF/F, including SFWA’s 2017 Nebula Award Showcase, but nothing prepared her for the sheer joy of opening her Clan Chronicles to fans of the series to produce Tales from Plexis, out December 2018. What’s coming next? Her new fantasy standalone, The Gossamer Mage, out August 2019, and so much more.

Angie Hodapp

Special Workshop Guest

Angie Hodapp is the Director of Literary Development at Nelson Literary Agency. She holds a BA in English and secondary education and an MA in English and communication development, and she is a graduate of the Denver Publishing Institute at the University of Denver. She has worked in publishing and professional writing and editing for the better part of the last two decades and is the author of Do You Need a Literary Agent?: The Writer-in-the-Know Guide to a Literary Agent’s Role in the Publishing Industry (January 2019). A veteran teacher and speaker, she loves helping authors hone their craft and learn about the ever-changing business of publishing.

Orlando Sanchez

Toastmaster

(Orlando Sanchez) Orlando has been writing ever since his teens when he was immersed in creating scenarios for playing Dungeon and Dragons with his friends every weekend. An avid reader, his influences are too numerous to list here. Some of the most prominent are: J.R.R. Tolkien, Jim Butcher, Kat Richardson, Terry Brooks, Piers Anthony, Lee Child, George Lucas, Andrew Vachss, and Barry Eisler to name a few in no particular order. The worlds of his books are urban settings with a twist of the paranormal lurking just behind the scenes and generous doses of magic, martial arts, and mayhem. He currently resides in Queens, NY with his wife and children and can often be found in the local coffee shop where most of his writing is done.

Program Participants

Joe Abbott Joseph Abbott, aka Fax Paladin, has been filking for basically as long as FenCon has been around and was the very first Friend of the Fen. He’s still trying to work out what he wants to be when he grows up, especially now that “newspaperman” has been taken off the table.
C. Dean Andersson (C. Dean Andersson) (Wikipedia) C. Dean Andersson’s I Am Dracula was honored with a cameo in Amy Hesketh's vampire film, Olalla. Dean’s novels are available in new editions from Crossroad Press. Works in progress include a novel of Swords, Sorcery, and Showbiz, Valkyries from Hel, and part 2 of his Dracula Saga, I Am the Witch.
Lou Antonelli (Lou Antonelli) (Twitter) Lou Antonelli has had 124 original short stories published in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Brazil, India, and Portugal in venues such as Asimov's Science Fiction, Jim Baen's Universe, Tales of the Talisman, Andromeda Spaceways In-Flight Magazine, Greatest Uncommon Denominator (GUD), Daily Science Fiction, Buzzy Mag, and Omni Reboot, among many others. His debut novel, the retro-futurist alternate history “Another Girl, Another Planet”, was a finalist for the Dragon Award for Alternate History in 2017.
Paul Black (Paul Black) (Wikipedia) (Facebook) Paul Black always wanted to make movies, but a career in advertising sidetracked him. He's the international award-winning author of The Tels, Soulware, Nexus Point, The Presence, The Samsara Effect, Cool Brain, and Dark Slide. He has twice won each the Independent Publishers Book Award, London and the New York Book Festival. He has also been on the Barnes & Noble Regional Best Seller list, has won the Writer’s Digest Book Award for Genre Fiction, and was optioned for television.
Lillian Stewart Carl (Lillian Stewart Carl) (Facebook) Lillian Stewart Carl’s work features plots based on mythology, history, and archaeology, often with paranormal aspects. She’s published twenty novels, including the Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron mysteries--the most recent is The Avalon Chanter. Her twenty-five published short stories have been reprinted in Along the Rim of Time and The Muse: Stories of History, Mystery, and Myth. With John Helfers, she was nominated for a Hugo for The Vorkosigan Companion, a retrospective on Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan books.
Peri Charlifu (Aegean Goods) (Facebook) Peri Charlifu is a full-time Colorado artist who has been selling his work professionally for over 36 years and produced over 41,000 pieces. He has won dozens of awards and is founder and guild master of the Arts and Artisans of Colorado artists guild. He works mainly in a High Density mix of Porcelain and White Stoneware. Also his design work is hand painted and carved; food, oven, and microwave safe; and he mixes all his own stains and colors.
Deborah L. Davitt (Deborah L. Davitt) Deborah L. Davitt was raised in Nevada, but currently lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and son. She’s worked as a technical writer on contracts involving nuclear submarines, NASA, and computer manufacturing. Her poetry has received Rhysling, Dwarf Star, and Pushcart nominations; her short fiction has appeared in InterGalactic Medicine Show, Compelling Science Fiction, and Pseudopod. For more about her work, including her Edda-Earth novels and her forthcoming poetry collection, The Gates of Never, please see her website.
Sherri Dean (Facebook) (Twitter) Sherri Dean, yr Feisty Mistress of Fear, is a jack-o-lantern of all trades and a monster of none! In addition to being a published author and artist (Yard Dog Press) she is also an editor, costumer, judge, emcee, and sings as the Monkey Queen with convention favorites Bland Lemon and the Lemonades. Ask for your Monkey Minion button and visit her on Facebook for more feisty fear!
Carole Nelson Douglas (Carole Nelson Douglas) Carole Nelson Douglas’s Vegas feline Sam Spade and Noir narrator, Midnight Louie, has finished his 28-book alphabet title series. His new Cafe Noir series also features her urban fantasy heroine, Delilah Street. Absinthe Without Leave is “Twisty, riveting, and intriguing; zingy humor and powerful emotions.” RT Book Reviews. Brandi Alexander on the Rocks arrives in November, 2019. Carole will reissue her Probe SF thrillers and bestselling Irissa/Kendric high fantasies. She also designs book covers and rescues cats in Fort Worth.
Rhonda Eudaly (Rhonda Eudaly) Rhonda Eudaly lives in Arlington, Texas where she's ventured into several industries and occupations for a wide variety of experience. She's married with dogs and a rapidly growing Minion© army. Her two passions are writing and music, which is evident in her increasing horde of writing instruments. Rhonda has a well-rounded publication history in fiction, non-fiction, and script writing. Check out her website for her latest publications and downloads. (Photo by Bobby Hitt)
Mark Finn (Mark Finn) (The Gentlemen Nerds) (Skelos Press) (Twitter) Mark Finn is an author, an editor, and a pop culture critic. He is a nationally-recognized authority on Robert E. Howard and has written extensively about the Texas author. He is a managing editor for Skelos Press, and he podcasts with The Gentlemen Nerds. When he is not waxing eloquent about popular culture, he writes comics and fiction, performs community theater, and runs a movie theater in North Texas with his long-suffering wife and their gregarious pit bull, Sonya.
Melanie Fletcher (Melanie Fletcher) When she’s not writing science fiction, Melanie Fletcher writes SF, fantasy, and paranormal romance as Nicola M. Cameron, and cares not who knows it. The fourth entry in her Two Thrones series, King of Blades, was released in July, and the second entry in her Pacifica Rising series, Uncertainty Principle, was released in September. When not writing or fabricating sterling silver jewelry, she’s usually riding herd on her cats (aka the J Crew) or spending time with her husband.
Brad W. Foster (Brad W. Foster) (Jabberwocky Graphix) Hugo-award winning artist Brad W Foster lives to draw, and draws to live, and still loves to see his artwork in that so-last-century thing called "print". Over the decades his work has appeared in hundreds of publications, large and small, and he hopes to add a few thousand more to that list. You can learn more than you would probably care to just by spending a few hours wandering around his website, Jabberwocky Graphix.
Bill Frank Bill Frank was one of the first members of the International Space Center Mission Control team. He happily gave up night and weekend work to move into spaceflight training as a Chief Training Officer--he leads the team that creates problems for astronauts and mission controllers during training events. His voice can be heard in the movies Gravity, The Martian, and Transformers: The Last Knight.
Karl Gallagher (Karl K. Gallagher) Karl K. Gallagher is a systems engineer, currently performing data analysis for a major aerospace company. In the past he calculated trajectories for a commercial launch rocket start-up, operated satellites as a US Air Force officer, and selected orbits for government and commercial satellites. Karl lives in Saginaw, TX withhis family. He writes both science fiction (the Torchship trilogy) and fantasy (The Lost War). His books are available on Amazon and Audible.
Lee Killough (Lee Killough) (Coffee Shop Writers) Lee Killough began storytelling at age five, making up her own bedtime stories. At age eleven these became SF/Fantasy and Mysteries when she discovered the genres in her hometown library, and led to her first publication, a short story in Analog. Seven older novels have been revised and published as e-books (on Amazon and Kobo). Currently in print with Yard Dog Press are: The Leopard’s Daughter, space opera Ancient Enemy, and a writer’s world-building aid: Checking On Culture.
Marshall Ryan Maresca (Marshall Ryan Maresca) Marshall Ryan Maresca is a fantasy and science-fiction writer, author of the Maradaine Saga: Four parallel series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine. This includes The Thorn of Dentonhill, A Murder of Mages, The Holver Alley Crew, The Way of the Shield, and the upcoming Shield of the People. His work also appeared in Norton Anthology of Hint Fiction and Rayguns Over Texas. He lives in Austin with his family.
Kip McMurray Clifford R. McMurray (AKA “Kip”) is a space advocate, writer, singer, and science fiction devotee with extensive knowledge of the politics, history, and current progress of space exploration. A former National Space Society vice-president and Board of Directors member, he yearly publishes at least four space-related articles. Cliff attended both the first and last space shuttle launches, as well the last Apollo launch, and in the evenings can be found telling jokes at parties or singing along at a filk.
Margaret Middleton Filker Margaret Middleton is retired from 25 years of “designing piles of dirt and holes in the ground” for the Arkansas Highway Department. She now lives in Starkville, MS where she roots for the Mississippi State Bulldogs except when they play either the Arkansas Razorbacks or the Texas A&M Aggies. In between sporting events and science fiction conventions, she quilts and collects songs about aviation and the space program.
Michelle Muenzler (Michelle Muenzler) (Facebook) Michelle Muenzler, also known at local conventions as "The Cookie Lady", writes fiction both dark and strange to counterbalance the sweetness of her baking. Her fiction and poetry have been published in magazines such as Fireside, Daily Science Fiction, and Apex Magazine, and she takes immense joy in crinkling words like little foil puppets.
Kathleen O'Brien (Vintage Fashion Explained) (Victorian Smoking Caps) Kathleen M. O'Brien began sewing at age 4, learning traditional techniques from her mother and grandmother. She collects and studies vintage clothing to decipher mysteries of drape and fit found in previous eras. Her costumes include both original designs and reproductions, utilizing many historical techniques. She enjoys sharing both these skills and her collection with others and has published her first e-book Victorian Smoking Caps. Check out her website at Vintage Fashion Explained. Photo ©2012, Carol Schiraldi
John Randall (Zyvex Labs) (NanoRetina) (Teliatry) John Randall is the President of Zyvex Labs, Executive VP of NanoRetina, VP of Teliatry, Adjunct Professor at UTDallas, and a proud former Science GoH at FenCon. John has spent his entire career as a nanofabricator, which might mean that he tells small lies. He plans world domination with Atomically Precise Manufacturing, is an amateur saxophone player, has built robots that make fine art paintings, is working to heal the blind, and loves his wife and kids.
M. T. Reiten (M. T. Reiten) (Facebook) M. T. Reiten has been absent from FenCon for a number of years, but is happy to be back. He is a researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory, practices aidkido, and lives in New Mexico with his beautiful wife and daughter. He is a Writers of the Future winner and has published short stories with Yard Dog Press, World Weaver Press, and in S.M. Stirling's Change anthology. His latest story is "The Post-Apocalyptic Tourist Guide: Santa Fe and Los Alamos."
Ken Ruffin (National Space Society of North Texas) (Facebook) A Trekkie and a former Aerospace Engineering student, Ken served a two-year term on the Board of Directors of the National Space Society (NSS) after having served five years as chapter president of the award-winning NSS of North Texas (NSS-NT). Ken has been the VP of NSS-NT since 2016. Across the DFW Metroplex, Ken gives presentations to inform and inspire the public about "the latest and greatest information in space travel and space development".
Patrice Sarath (Patrice Sarath) (Facebook) (Twitter) Patrice Sarath is an author and editor living in Austin, Texas. Her novels include the fantasy books The Sisters Mederos and Fog Season (Books I and II of the Tales of Port Saint Frey), the Gordath Wood series (Gordath Wood, Red Gold Bridge, and The Crow God’s Girl), and the romance The Unexpected Miss Bennet. You can find more about Patrice and her work at her website.
Brad Sinor (Brad Sinor) (Facebook) (LiveJournal) Bradley H. Sinor has many short stories published in a variety of anthologies. He has several collections: a Holmesian collection, The Game’s Afoot: A Sherlock Holmes Miscellany, published by Pro Se Productions and a collaborated novel with his wife, Sue, in the Ring of Fire universe, called The Hunt for the Red Cardinal, are available on Amazon. Also his short story collection, including stories by Sue, called Of Two Minds is available from Yard Dog Press.
Sue Sinor (Facebook) Sue Sinor started writing at the urging of her husband, Brad. She has stories in several Yard Dog Press publications, as well as others. Sue and Brad have collaborative stories in the anthology Rotten Relations and in Grantville Gazette 4, as well as several for Yard Dog Press. Most recently they have a joint collection, Of Two Minds, and a novel in the Ring of Fire universe titled The Hunt For The Red Cardinal, both available on Amazon.
Libby A. Smith Libby A. Smith’s works have appeared in the anthologies Avast, Ye Airships and Haunted Holidays as well as 4 Star Stories, several Caliber Comics, Atomic Mouse, and in other publications. An adaptation of The Story of the Rainbow Bridge was designed for counted cross stitch by Sue Hillis. Libby lives in Central Arkansas with two sassy cats. She also acts on stage and in films, including The Hanging of David O Dodd which has aired on the Arkansas PBS station.
Kathryn Sullivan (Kathryn Sullivan) (Facebook) Kathryn Sullivan writes young adult science fiction and fantasy. Any place and any object is at risk of appearing in her stories--the river bluffs surrounding Winona, MN, where she lives, can become the windswept cliffs of an alien planet or the deep mysterious woods of a fantasy tale. She is owned by a large cockatoo, who graciously allows her to write about other animals, as well as birdlike aliens.
Shanna Swendson (Shanna Swendson) (Wikipedia) Shanna Swendson is best known as the author of the Enchanted, Inc. series from Ballantine Books, the YA steampunk fantasy Rebel Mechanics, and a variety of geeky pop-culture essays published by BenBella Books. She can occasionally be lured out of her writing cave by movies, promises of Doctor Who episodes, conventions, or new books calling to her from the library or bookstore. Or tea or chocolate (or tea and chocolate, but not chocolate tea).
Laura J. Underwood (Laura J. Underwood) (Facebook) Laura J. Underwood is that strange librarian who writes, draws, plays harp, and collects bjds. She mostly writes epic fantasy but occasionally delves into darker elements like bubbas versus zombies and old folklore. Her latest novel is Angels of Mercy, the story of a small town librarian fighting dark elves and bogies in East Tennessee. She is best known for her Ard-Taebh Chronicles available from Yard Dog Press and her gonzo mystery collaborations with Selina Rosen.
Melanie Unruh (Facebook) Melanie Unruh is a Denver-area artist and maker, specializing in decorative and functional pottery and fantasy and historical sartorial arts. A life-long fan of science fiction and fantasy literature, alternate worlds influence the styles and themes of her art. Currently, Melanie is focused on Steampunk themes and is an instigator for the Denver Victorian & Steampunk Society.

Joe Abbott

Joseph Abbott, aka Fax Paladin, has been filking for basically as long as FenCon has been around and was the very first Friend of the Fen. He’s still trying to work out what he wants to be when he grows up, especially now that “newspaperman” has been taken off the table.

C. Dean Andersson

(C. Dean Andersson) (Wikipedia) C. Dean Andersson’s I Am Dracula was honored with a cameo in Amy Hesketh's vampire film, Olalla. Dean’s novels are available in new editions from Crossroad Press. Works in progress include a novel of Swords, Sorcery, and Showbiz, Valkyries from Hel, and part 2 of his Dracula Saga, I Am the Witch.

Lou Antonelli

(Lou Antonelli) (Twitter) Lou Antonelli has had 124 original short stories published in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Brazil, India, and Portugal in venues such as Asimov's Science Fiction, Jim Baen's Universe, Tales of the Talisman, Andromeda Spaceways In-Flight Magazine, Greatest Uncommon Denominator (GUD), Daily Science Fiction, Buzzy Mag, and Omni Reboot, among many others.

His debut novel, the retro-futurist alternate history “Another Girl, Another Planet”, was a finalist for the Dragon Award for Alternate History in 2017.

Paul Black

(Paul Black) (Wikipedia) (Facebook) Paul Black always wanted to make movies, but a career in advertising sidetracked him. He's the international award-winning author of The Tels, Soulware, Nexus Point, The Presence, The Samsara Effect, Cool Brain, and Dark Slide. He has twice won each the Independent Publishers Book Award, London and the New York Book Festival. He has also been on the Barnes & Noble Regional Best Seller list, has won the Writer’s Digest Book Award for Genre Fiction, and was optioned for television.

Lillian Stewart Carl

(Lillian Stewart Carl) (Facebook) Lillian Stewart Carl’s work features plots based on mythology, history, and archaeology, often with paranormal aspects. She’s published twenty novels, including the Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron mysteries--the most recent is The Avalon Chanter. Her twenty-five published short stories have been reprinted in Along the Rim of Time and The Muse: Stories of History, Mystery, and Myth. With John Helfers, she was nominated for a Hugo for The Vorkosigan Companion, a retrospective on Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan books.

Peri Charlifu

(Aegean Goods) (Facebook) Peri Charlifu is a full-time Colorado artist who has been selling his work professionally for over 36 years and produced over 41,000 pieces. He has won dozens of awards and is founder and guild master of the Arts and Artisans of Colorado artists guild. He works mainly in a High Density mix of Porcelain and White Stoneware. Also his design work is hand painted and carved; food, oven, and microwave safe; and he mixes all his own stains and colors.

Deborah L. Davitt

(Deborah L. Davitt) Deborah L. Davitt was raised in Nevada, but currently lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and son. She’s worked as a technical writer on contracts involving nuclear submarines, NASA, and computer manufacturing. Her poetry has received Rhysling, Dwarf Star, and Pushcart nominations; her short fiction has appeared in InterGalactic Medicine Show, Compelling Science Fiction, and Pseudopod. For more about her work, including her Edda-Earth novels and her forthcoming poetry collection, The Gates of Never, please see her website.

Sherri Dean

(Facebook) (Twitter) Sherri Dean, yr Feisty Mistress of Fear, is a jack-o-lantern of all trades and a monster of none! In addition to being a published author and artist (Yard Dog Press) she is also an editor, costumer, judge, emcee, and sings as the Monkey Queen with convention favorites Bland Lemon and the Lemonades. Ask for your Monkey Minion button and visit her on Facebook for more feisty fear!

Carole Nelson Douglas

(Carole Nelson Douglas) Carole Nelson Douglas’s Vegas feline Sam Spade and Noir narrator, Midnight Louie, has finished his 28-book alphabet title series. His new Cafe Noir series also features her urban fantasy heroine, Delilah Street. Absinthe Without Leave is “Twisty, riveting, and intriguing; zingy humor and powerful emotions.” RT Book Reviews. Brandi Alexander on the Rocks arrives in November, 2019. Carole will reissue her Probe SF thrillers and bestselling Irissa/Kendric high fantasies. She also designs book covers and rescues cats in Fort Worth.

Rhonda Eudaly

(Rhonda Eudaly) Rhonda Eudaly lives in Arlington, Texas where she's ventured into several industries and occupations for a wide variety of experience. She's married with dogs and a rapidly growing Minion© army. Her two passions are writing and music, which is evident in her increasing horde of writing instruments.

Rhonda has a well-rounded publication history in fiction, non-fiction, and script writing. Check out her website for her latest publications and downloads.

(Photo by Bobby Hitt)

Mark Finn

(Mark Finn) (The Gentlemen Nerds) (Skelos Press) (Twitter) Mark Finn is an author, an editor, and a pop culture critic. He is a nationally-recognized authority on Robert E. Howard and has written extensively about the Texas author. He is a managing editor for Skelos Press, and he podcasts with The Gentlemen Nerds. When he is not waxing eloquent about popular culture, he writes comics and fiction, performs community theater, and runs a movie theater in North Texas with his long-suffering wife and their gregarious pit bull, Sonya.

Melanie Fletcher

(Melanie Fletcher) When she’s not writing science fiction, Melanie Fletcher writes SF, fantasy, and paranormal romance as Nicola M. Cameron, and cares not who knows it. The fourth entry in her Two Thrones series, King of Blades, was released in July, and the second entry in her Pacifica Rising series, Uncertainty Principle, was released in September. When not writing or fabricating sterling silver jewelry, she’s usually riding herd on her cats (aka the J Crew) or spending time with her husband.

Brad W. Foster

(Brad W. Foster) (Jabberwocky Graphix) Hugo-award winning artist Brad W Foster lives to draw, and draws to live, and still loves to see his artwork in that so-last-century thing called "print". Over the decades his work has appeared in hundreds of publications, large and small, and he hopes to add a few thousand more to that list. You can learn more than you would probably care to just by spending a few hours wandering around his website, Jabberwocky Graphix.

Bill Frank

Bill Frank was one of the first members of the International Space Center Mission Control team. He happily gave up night and weekend work to move into spaceflight training as a Chief Training Officer--he leads the team that creates problems for astronauts and mission controllers during training events. His voice can be heard in the movies Gravity, The Martian, and Transformers: The Last Knight.

Karl Gallagher

(Karl K. Gallagher) Karl K. Gallagher is a systems engineer, currently performing data analysis for a major aerospace company. In the past he calculated trajectories for a commercial launch rocket start-up, operated satellites as a US Air Force officer, and selected orbits for government and commercial satellites. Karl lives in Saginaw, TX withhis family.
He writes both science fiction (the Torchship trilogy) and fantasy (The Lost War). His books are available on Amazon and Audible.

Lee Killough

(Lee Killough) (Coffee Shop Writers) Lee Killough began storytelling at age five, making up her own bedtime stories. At age eleven these became SF/Fantasy and Mysteries when she discovered the genres in her hometown library, and led to her first publication, a short story in Analog. Seven older novels have been revised and published as e-books (on Amazon and Kobo). Currently in print with Yard Dog Press are: The Leopard’s Daughter, space opera Ancient Enemy, and a writer’s world-building aid: Checking On Culture.

Marshall Ryan Maresca

(Marshall Ryan Maresca) Marshall Ryan Maresca is a fantasy and science-fiction writer, author of the Maradaine Saga: Four parallel series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine. This includes The Thorn of Dentonhill, A Murder of Mages, The Holver Alley Crew, The Way of the Shield, and the upcoming Shield of the People. His work also appeared in Norton Anthology of Hint Fiction and Rayguns Over Texas. He lives in Austin with his family.

Kip McMurray

Clifford R. McMurray (AKA “Kip”) is a space advocate, writer, singer, and science fiction devotee with extensive knowledge of the politics, history, and current progress of space exploration. A former National Space Society vice-president and Board of Directors member, he yearly publishes at least four space-related articles. Cliff attended both the first and last space shuttle launches, as well the last Apollo launch, and in the evenings can be found telling jokes at parties or singing along at a filk.

Margaret Middleton

Filker Margaret Middleton is retired from 25 years of “designing piles of dirt and holes in the ground” for the Arkansas Highway Department. She now lives in Starkville, MS where she roots for the Mississippi State Bulldogs except when they play either the Arkansas Razorbacks or the Texas A&M Aggies. In between sporting events and science fiction conventions, she quilts and collects songs about aviation and the space program.

Michelle Muenzler

(Michelle Muenzler) (Facebook) Michelle Muenzler, also known at local conventions as "The Cookie Lady", writes fiction both dark and strange to counterbalance the sweetness of her baking. Her fiction and poetry have been published in magazines such as Fireside, Daily Science Fiction, and Apex Magazine, and she takes immense joy in crinkling words like little foil puppets.

Kathleen O'Brien

(Vintage Fashion Explained) (Victorian Smoking Caps) Kathleen M. O'Brien began sewing at age 4, learning traditional techniques from her mother and grandmother. She collects and studies vintage clothing to decipher mysteries of drape and fit found in previous eras. Her costumes include both original designs and reproductions, utilizing many historical techniques. She enjoys sharing both these skills and her collection with others and has published her first e-book Victorian Smoking Caps. Check out her website at Vintage Fashion Explained.

Photo ©2012, Carol Schiraldi

John Randall

(Zyvex Labs) (NanoRetina) (Teliatry) John Randall is the President of Zyvex Labs, Executive VP of NanoRetina, VP of Teliatry, Adjunct Professor at UTDallas, and a proud former Science GoH at FenCon. John has spent his entire career as a nanofabricator, which might mean that he tells small lies. He plans world domination with Atomically Precise Manufacturing, is an amateur saxophone player, has built robots that make fine art paintings, is working to heal the blind, and loves his wife and kids.

M. T. Reiten

(M. T. Reiten) (Facebook) M. T. Reiten has been absent from FenCon for a number of years, but is happy to be back. He is a researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory, practices aidkido, and lives in New Mexico with his beautiful wife and daughter. He is a Writers of the Future winner and has published short stories with Yard Dog Press, World Weaver Press, and in S.M. Stirling's Change anthology. His latest story is "The Post-Apocalyptic Tourist Guide: Santa Fe and Los Alamos."

Ken Ruffin

(National Space Society of North Texas) (Facebook) A Trekkie and a former Aerospace Engineering student, Ken served a two-year term on the Board of Directors of the National Space Society (NSS) after having served five years as chapter president of the award-winning NSS of North Texas (NSS-NT). Ken has been the VP of NSS-NT since 2016. Across the DFW Metroplex, Ken gives presentations to inform and inspire the public about "the latest and greatest information in space travel and space development".

Patrice Sarath

(Patrice Sarath) (Facebook) (Twitter) Patrice Sarath is an author and editor living in Austin, Texas. Her novels include the fantasy books The Sisters Mederos and Fog Season (Books I and II of the Tales of Port Saint Frey), the Gordath Wood series (Gordath Wood, Red Gold Bridge, and The Crow God’s Girl), and the romance The Unexpected Miss Bennet. You can find more about Patrice and her work at her website.

Brad Sinor

(Brad Sinor) (Facebook) (LiveJournal) Bradley H. Sinor has many short stories published in a variety of anthologies. He has several collections: a Holmesian collection, The Game’s Afoot: A Sherlock Holmes Miscellany, published by Pro Se Productions and a collaborated novel with his wife, Sue, in the Ring of Fire universe, called The Hunt for the Red Cardinal, are available on Amazon. Also his short story collection, including stories by Sue, called Of Two Minds is available from Yard Dog Press.

Sue Sinor

(Facebook) Sue Sinor started writing at the urging of her husband, Brad. She has stories in several Yard Dog Press publications, as well as others. Sue and Brad have collaborative stories in the anthology Rotten Relations and in Grantville Gazette 4, as well as several for Yard Dog Press. Most recently they have a joint collection, Of Two Minds, and a novel in the Ring of Fire universe titled The Hunt For The Red Cardinal, both available on Amazon.

Libby A. Smith

Libby A. Smith’s works have appeared in the anthologies Avast, Ye Airships and Haunted Holidays as well as 4 Star Stories, several Caliber Comics, Atomic Mouse, and in other publications. An adaptation of The Story of the Rainbow Bridge was designed for counted cross stitch by Sue Hillis. Libby lives in Central Arkansas with two sassy cats. She also acts on stage and in films, including The Hanging of David O Dodd which has aired on the Arkansas PBS station.

Kathryn Sullivan

(Kathryn Sullivan) (Facebook) Kathryn Sullivan writes young adult science fiction and fantasy. Any place and any object is at risk of appearing in her stories--the river bluffs surrounding Winona, MN, where she lives, can become the windswept cliffs of an alien planet or the deep mysterious woods of a fantasy tale. She is owned by a large cockatoo, who graciously allows her to write about other animals, as well as birdlike aliens.

Shanna Swendson

(Shanna Swendson) (Wikipedia) Shanna Swendson is best known as the author of the Enchanted, Inc. series from Ballantine Books, the YA steampunk fantasy Rebel Mechanics, and a variety of geeky pop-culture essays published by BenBella Books. She can occasionally be lured out of her writing cave by movies, promises of Doctor Who episodes, conventions, or new books calling to her from the library or bookstore. Or tea or chocolate (or tea and chocolate, but not chocolate tea).

Laura J. Underwood

(Laura J. Underwood) (Facebook) Laura J. Underwood is that strange librarian who writes, draws, plays harp, and collects bjds. She mostly writes epic fantasy but occasionally delves into darker elements like bubbas versus zombies and old folklore. Her latest novel is Angels of Mercy, the story of a small town librarian fighting dark elves and bogies in East Tennessee. She is best known for her Ard-Taebh Chronicles available from Yard Dog Press and her gonzo mystery collaborations with Selina Rosen.

Melanie Unruh

(Facebook) Melanie Unruh is a Denver-area artist and maker, specializing in decorative and functional pottery and fantasy and historical sartorial arts. A life-long fan of science fiction and fantasy literature, alternate worlds influence the styles and themes of her art. Currently, Melanie is focused on Steampunk themes and is an instigator for the Denver Victorian & Steampunk Society.

If you are interested in being a participant this year, please read our program participant guidelines before contacting us. We hope it will answer most of your questions. Thanks.