I survived! and my Norwescon Schedule

I survived the sleepover. Except that girlie now has what you might euphemistically call intestinal distress. By which I mean I’m washing a lot of clothes and her sheets (that I incidentally watched just yesterday) because, well, it got ugly, poor thing. Now she’s sipping Apple Juice and nibbling crackers. Gotta get some probiotics into her.

I have no idea what to wear to Norwescon. I have some cool costumery type things, but I just don’t know if I want to wear corsetry if I don’t know how uncomfortable it might be for the duration of a day in a hotel I’ve never been to. Same with shoes. I have a newish pair of boots that are very comfortable, but are they comfortable for 8-12 hours? My hotel is across the parking lot, so going back to change isn’t necessarily swift. Guess I’ll figure it out. Hopefully soon, since I’ll be leaving on Wednesday. My reading is Thursday night.

And speaking of Norwescon, here’s where you can find me. Also, I’m up for getting together inbetween and feel free to chat me up. My hair as some serious streaks of bright purplish blue in it right now. Bright. Can’t miss me.

Diana Pharaoh Francis reads Blood Winter Thursday 9:00pm-9:30pm Cascade 1
An excerpt from the latest Horngate Witches novel. Rated R
Diana Pharaoh Francis

Crowns & Swords Friday 2:00pm-3:00pm Cascade 5
Countless novels have been set in the intertwined worlds of monarchy and fantasy, often involving epic battles. Given that many fantasy novels are set in worlds drawn from medieval Europe, it’s no surprise to see so many stories based around monarchies – kings and queens, tyrannical emperors, and long-lost heirs to the throne. How much of fantasy’s appeal is grounded in this familiar setting, and how can this long-standing tradition be updated or refreshed; or should it be abandoned entirely?
Diana Pharaoh Francis, Gregory A. Wilson, Heather Hudson, Linda Pearce

Writing a Series Friday 6:00pm-7:00pm Cascade 3&4
Many of the most commercially successful speculative novels are series. Authors talk about how (and whether) they planned to write a series. How do you avoid repetition while keeping the setting and characters consistent from book to book?
Ken Scholes, John (J.A.) Pitts, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Rhiannon Held

Rogues and Anti-Heroes in Fantasy Saturday 10:00am-11:00am Cascade 7
From Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, to the denizens of Thieves’ World, to Alec and Seregil of Lynn Flewelling’s Nightrunner series — loveable rogues and anti-heroes have been part of Fantasy since the early days. But why do we love them? Do they fulfill some need in us when we “aim to misbehave?” Come join us as we talk about our favorites and muse about which ones show promise in current fantasy fiction.
Diana Pharaoh Francis, Brenda Carre, Peter Blanton, Mark Nelson

Autograph Session 1 Saturday 2:00pm-3:00pm Grand 2
Our Attending Professionals are available to sign autographs. PLEASE NOTE: So that as many fans as possible can participate, we will be enforcing a three-items-at-a-time (or single-sketch) autograph limit.
Autumn Grieve, Camille Alexa, Kevin J. Anderson, Carol Berg, S. A. Bolich, Clinton J. Boomer, Kurt Cagle, Chelsea M. Campbell, Charles “Zan” Christensen, Brenda Cooper, Erik Scott de Bie, Cymbric Early-Smith, Ellen Forney, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Jean Johnson, Karen Kincy, Nancy Kress, Edward Martin III, Susan R. Matthews, Angel Leigh McCoy, Dan Murphy, Mark Nelson, G. David Nordley, Brian D. Oberquell, David J. Peterson, Cat Rambo, Jon Rogers, Lorelei Shannon, Jack Skillingstead, Jeff Sturgeon, Jonny Nero Action Hero, Dennis R. Upkins, G. Willow Wilson

How to Write Vivid Scenes Saturday 5:00pm-6:00pm Cascade 5
What makes writing vivid? What does vivid writing do for the reader? How can you edit existing writing to make it more vivid? How to use all five senses.
Diana Pharaoh Francis, Karen Kincy, S. A. Bolich, William F. Nolan

Congratulations, It Sucks! Saturday 8:00pm-9:00pm Cascade 8
How to tackle a major rewrite. Rescue your story from your writing, and actually learn from your mistakes while you fix them.
Diana Pharaoh Francis, Chelsea M. Campbell, Jack Skillingstead