DragonCon - Atlanta's huge Labor Day geekfest is back and in-person this year. Just to set your expectations, this is neither rant nor rave. DragonCon does hold a special place in my heart. It was my first con, the place my first pro clobbered me for writing garbage, and where I spent year after year glued to a seat in the writing track trying to figure this whole writing thing out.

As a kid of the "Revenge of the Nerds" era who lived under the thumb of real-world Alpha-Beta's, DragonCon was the first place where I got the sneaking suspicion that there were more people like me and that it was okay to be a science fiction and fantasy fanatic.

Well, I'm thrilled to be heading back next week. For those of you coming, I can't wait to make snarky comments that hopefully amuse you. One thing will definitely be different this year - no, still not talking about any of THAT.

This will be the very first year since I got published that I won't be bringing books to the vendor hall or the Fantasy Gather to sell.

I'm bringing them to give away.

Now, if all you care about is the paperbacks, I'll be leaving them with the Fantasy Literature and Urban Fantasy Literature tracks to give away in any way they see fit. If you want an autograph on those paperbacks or want to try out the new tech for an ebook, you're going to have to find me.

I've got a truncated schedule and I'm not going to be staying in an Atlanta hotel. I am fussing with some medical limitations and need to stay close to my Labrador Magesty since she's still reeling from the loss of her sister. I don't want her jumping the fence and getting in an accident while hunting for Myth.

Here's my schedule as it sits right now:

Panel: Trope-a-Licious
Time: Fri 05:30 pm Location: Embassy CD - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: Tropes are powerful story tools, but sometimes you just gotta shake things up! Let's talk not just about the power of a trope but the power of mixing them up.

Panel: Fantasy Gather
Time: Fri 08:30 pm - 12:30 pm
Location: Hanover C-E - Hyatt (Length: 4 Hour)
Description: Be one of the cool kids. Come hang out with a bunch of Authors. Maybe get some free books. 

Title: Hidden World: The Bureau of Magical Things Fan Panel
Time: Sun 10:00 am
Location: Chastain I-J - Westin (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: A moderated fan panel discussion over the first season of the Netflix show from Australia.

Title: My Favorite Character & Why I Killed Them
Time: Sun 01:00 pm
Location: Embassy AB - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: As fans, we sometimes have issues with authors killing our favorite characters. Authors may have some of those same issues. Our panelists tell us when they decided a favorite character had to die & what it felt like to do it.
 
Title: Dames, Damsels, & Dynamite: Blowing the Lid Off the Patriarchy
Time: Sun 02:30 pm
Location: Embassy CD - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: Women of literature are seldom "well-behaved." What empowers these women, the secrets to their success? Surely is it more than just dynamite or lacing up combat boots? We have gathered authors who can tell us what makes these women explode out of our pages and into our hearts.
 
Title: Xenoarcheology Road Show
Time: Sun 07:00 pm
Location: Embassy AB - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: Our panelists take on the role of future archeologists to tell us what some objects from our time were used for.

Title: Where Do Readers Turn When the World Is Too Much? Books!
Time: Mon 10:00 am
Location: Embassy CD - Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)
Description: Fandom & books are great for many--it's the home & world we need & love that we turn to. When we get lucky, we even find those who will escape with us into those worlds. What is it that drives this? And what amazing comfort reads did these authors find during the recent stress