Our Dragon Con Schedule

Liz and I are so stoked to be returning to Dragon Con in Atlanta GA this year! We will be on a bunch of panels so I thought it would be appropriate to put our schedule here, (For our reference as well) During the weekend, we'll be a part of no less than seven hours of programming, so please stop by and say hi. (Also, apologies for not listing all the panelists on every panel. I'm a spaz and can't find the complete lists)

For anyone coming to Dragon Con this year, we're super excited to see all of our old friends again! Liz will be doing some fabulous cosplay as well, so we will be out and about but if we somehow don't run into you, here is where we will be panel-wise.

Growing Up Steampunk (Nick)
Marriott A708
Friday Sept. 4
4PM
Volunteers from the Alternate History Track share information about Steampunk Culture targeted at kids and families. Panelists: Ciara Knight, Nick Valentino

Steampunk After Dark Live (Live Podcast) (Liz)
Westin Augusta 3
Friday Sept 4
10PM
Imagine yourself in a gin-soaked haze, lounging about on a velvet settee... Steampunk After Dark presents the music for that moment with a live podcast by That Darling DJ Duo! Featuring not only the music of the era but also live commentary, adult themes and steamy good company. Moderator: That Darling DJ Duo Panelists: Crystal Bright, Elizabeth Valentino, Frenchy & the Punk, Kathryn Hinds

The Steamy Steampunk Reading Hour (Liz)
Westin Augusta 3
11:30 PM
This panel will feature both authors and collectors who have come together to make you sweat! With titillation, tease and with some mild trepidation they will read excerpts from both their own works as well as those that have inspired them. Moderator: Odetta von Kasek Panelists: Delilah S. Dawson, Elizabeth Valentino, Nico Murray, Sarah Hunter

The Demimonde and Dark Victoriana of Penny Dreadful (Nick and Liz)
Westin Augusta 1-2
8:30 PM
Sat Sept 5
The demimonde are the fringes of society. The penny dreadfuls were slang for cheap fiction. Learn how they relate to Showtime's hit show in this joint author panel from the Horror and Alternate History Tracks.
Nick Valentino and Elizabeth Valentino

Decadence and Deviance in History (Liz)
Sat Sept 5
10PM
As an exploration of the origins of the modern hedonist's lifestyle, our experts will delve into the humble origins of pornography, sexual deviance and sex workers. From behind closed doors and into the public dungeon we will delve into the decadence and the darker deviant aspects of sexuality.
Elizabeth Valentino

Vintage Advice and Accessories for the Modern Gentleman (Nick)
Westin Augusta 3
Sun Sept 6
5:30 PM
The philosophy of a gentleman entails rules of bearing, style and etiquette. This holistic panel is sure to be educational for all genders. With this truly magnificent assemblage of gentleman, you are sure to gain new knowledge in the art of gentlemanliness.
Nick Valentino

Passing The Steampunk Torch (Nick)
Westin Augusta 3
Mon Sept 7
11:30 AM
Steampunk is out there in our books, comics, movies, and so much more. How do we pass on this knowledge to the new generation of fans? This discussion panel of authors and fans talk about how to introduce children and young adults to the wide and complex world of steampunk.
Moderator: Liz Carpenter Panelists: Christina Guardino, Lonnie Hawkins, Lisa Mantchev, Nick Valentino

All Kinds of Good Things

There is so much awesomeness going on right now, I thought I'd share. Lizzie and I are doing tons of stuff so here we go!

The Gig Harbor Beer Fest
While this isn't work related, we are fiends for getting out and exploring everything we can. We've always wanted to go to the local beer fest and this year we are so there! Food and massive amounts of local brews. We can't ask for much more. Looking forward to trying some weird suds. Here's the link for the people in the area. http://gigharborbeerfestival.com/

Emerald Downs
It's well known that we like to get all snazzy and go to the horse races. This year will be no different. We're heading to derby day this weekend where we will bet and have several Mint Juleps. Go Danzig Moon!!

The Brass Screw Confederacy
It's not a con, it's a massive gathering of awesome steampunk-ness that will take over the Victorian town of Port Townsend WA in less than a month. They have burlesque, music, vendors, peep shows... yes, I said peep shows, and after hours parties for this very special event. We will be there as featured sponsors selling and signing Dreadfuls, books, posters and more! So if you're planning on coming (you totally should if you're in the Pacific Northwest) come say hi and get a drink with us when the vendor hall closes. Check it out, this is a very different steampunk event.
The Brass Screw Confederacy

Dragon Con
Lizzie and I are professional guests of the mighty Dragon Con this year. Personally, I've been dying to get back to Atlanta to see so many friends and this is such an honor to be invited to the con. I think we'll be doing panels so I'll let you know more on that when the schedule comes out. Till then, Lizzie is already working on some really fun Cosplay for the weekend. I'll give you some hints: GoT, Planet Terror, maybe Big Hero 6?
DRAGON CON

Here's the crew from my last D*C

IFCon
What can I say, this year we are so humbled by all the awesome cons we get to attend. IFCon is a first year all around blockbuster con happening in Victoria BC. Lizzie and I will not only have an entire booth there, but we will be doing panels and will be the celebrity guest judges at the adult costume contest. We are so excited to get back to Canada. Victoria is such an amazing city. If you've never been, you need to look into going. Imagine a European city with killer nightlife, shockingly awesome architecture and sweet British style pubs.
Check them out here

Cosplay Cruises
Speaking of the masterminds behind IFCon, they are doing something really amazing in less than a year. Cosplay and themed cruises!! They already have a Cosplay Cruise and a Power Ranger Cruise planned but they want your help. They need input on what you would like to see for future cruises. This is a simple, super quick survey (no signup required at all). Help them out and tell what you would like to see. They would be very appreciative for your input and I will give you a hug.
Take the super fast survey

Steamposium
Last year's Steamposium was an absolute blast. We got to meet some of the cast from Firefly, Steam Powered Giraffe, Steampunk Boba Fett, and Kato and the Steam Girls... It was awesome. This year we will be back, slinging Dreadfuls and hanging out with some fabulous people at Seattle's newest steampunk convention.
Check out their site here

Norwescon Awesomeness

Our second year at Norwescon was yet another great time spent with great people from every corner of fandom. We sat next to author Thomas Gondolfi, and newly Hugo Award nominated Jennifer Brozek. With the second issue of The Dreadfuls literally just out, it was a great opportunity to meet new fans, friends and get to see so much cool stuff.

George R.R. Martin was the guest of honor so there was plenty of Game of Thrones cosplay and they had an Iron Throne attendees could snap pictures in. Norwescon has always been impressive since they have such a wide variety of fandom going on. Like many of the mega-cons, there is a big cross section of love for all things pop culture and media and we're just excited to be a small part of it. Thank you Norwescon, we can't wait until next year!

We have several cons in the works so I'll let you know more as we do, but many exciting things are happening. We just got the email that we will be attending the mighty Dragon Con this year as professionals and we are tickled to death about it! So Atlanta, we will be seeing you in September!

Without further adieu, pictures from Norwescon!

The royal court at The Iron Throne!

House Valentino

More House Valentino

Lizzie Looking amazing as usual in front of the table.

FedEx Wedding Dress. She denied cosplaying a "mail order bride"

Wicked Fairy Lizzie

A brilliant Pop Up Cafe perfect for GoT fans. Yes, you read that correctly, that says "Reek Dog" I had several of them and they were great! 

I just had to get my picture with this awesome Princess Mononoke

Awesome Thundercats cosplay. She even had the spots on her arms and hair. 

Steamduck Learns To Fly

Steamduck Learns To Fly is the second steampunk children's book by writer extraordinaire Emilie P. Bush and illustrator William Kevin Petty and it's OUT RIGHT NOW! How brilliant is this?! Not only is it a super original and awesome idea but it's so well done! Seriously, I want each one of these for my kids. Hm, the holidays are coming up...

Emilie P. Bush is also the writer of Chenda and The Airship Brofman, The Gospel According to Verdu and children's book Her Magesty's Explorer (A steampunk bedtime story). She's an excellent writer and a wonderful person. I was fortunate enough to see her read at Anachrocon in Atlanta, GA and I was on a panel with her at Dragon Con a few years ago and I have to say her panels are not to be missed.

Check out Steamduck Learns To Fly:

Steamduck is back with another adventure! Author Emilie P. Bush and illustrator William Kevin Petty bring this follow up to their bestselling children’s book Her Majesty’s Explorer: a Steampunk bedtime story. In Steamduck Learns to FLY! the plucky mechanical duck discovers that REAL birds do more than swim. He turns to his old friend and maker – the Otter – to learn a few things about flying. They try and fail with propeller contraptions, hot air balloons and more. Despite all the mishaps, the pair eventually defy gravity and take to the sky.

Steamduck Learns To Fly on Amazon.com

Steamduck Learns To Fly Book Trailer

Like Steamduck on Facebook

Drinks!

Today we're going to take a quick break from wonderful authors, music, and steampunk culture to talk about drinks. Homemade drinks at that! Lizzie and I are always on the search for wonderful and powerful new adult beverages that have yet to be discovered or have been sadly forgotten in the past. When we lived in Nashville one of our favorite places to go was the famous Patterson House which is a speak easy style place that serves drinks from the prohibition era along with seasonal offerings that you're not going to find at most other places.

So we've stumbled upon a few of our own really great and easy to make drinks that we'd like to share.

The Nikki Heat
Named after a fictional character in the show Castle, The Nikki Heat is a slight variation of a drink I tasted from John "Ichabod" Anderson at Dragon Con a few years ago. It's spicy, sweet and tastes like Christmas!
1.5 oz. Fireball Whiskey
3 oz. Cream Soda
.5 oz Grenadine
Serve over ice and enjoy.

The Valentino
Named after our surname, Lizzie constructed this drink that's smooth, a little sweet and can transport you to your favorite beach in one sip. Warning, you can probably drink ten of these if you're not careful.
2 oz. Coconut Rum
4 oz. Pomegranite/Cranberry Juice
1 sliver of lime
Serve over ice and enjoy.

Orange Hook
The Orange Hook (which I just named because we couldn't think of a great name before) was discovered by Lizzie when she had a beer in one hand yet was craving orange juice. With the beer flavor still in her mouth she took a sip of orange juice and wow... genius struck. It sounds gross but it's amazing! Think of a more robust mimosa. The measurements for this drink vary as you can drink a lot so it depends on the glass you're using.
1/3 glass of Copper Hook Beer (from the redhook brewing company)
2/3 Non pulp orange juice.
Serve cold (No ice) and enjoy and enjoy and enjoy.

When L. Ron Hubbard Came Down from Outter Space

I'm not sure how to even start this... So much has happened that my head is spinning, quite literally at times. I was home for three days after Toronto and I was back on the road heading to Atlanta for Dragon Con. We arrived around 9:00 on Thursday evening where we went directly to Pre-reg to get our badges... Of course they closed the line so we were out of luck. After a quick recovery pint, we were back at it exploring the calm before the storm in the D*C hotels. You could feel the buzz in the air. The lobbies and halls were full of people ready for 4 days of fandom and general insanity. Friday we woke up super early and got our badges then I bolted back to the room to get ready for the "New Voices In Steampunk" Panel where Kimberly Richardson, Emilie Bush, Clay & Susan Griffith and I talked about Steampunk and read sections from our novels. Despite my general dislike for reading in front of a crowd, I pulled off my section without too much of a hitch. The panel went wonderfully, with everyone chiming in on the different aspects of steampunk and steampunk literature. Good times with amazing people... I really can't ask for much more.


Decatur Book Festival On Saturday I took off from Dragon Con to brave the sun in Decatur, GA for the Decatur Book Festival. Thirty thousand people converge on this book fest for all things literary. I was at the Echelon Press booth and holy cow, it was amazing. And for the first time in this blog's history, you get to see a video of me all giddy as I sign someones Kindle... Under Charlene Harris' autograph by the way.


After the fest I went directly back to Dragon Con where we hit the party scene trying to get pictures of the lunacy and generally people watching. There's nothing that can overwhelm the senses quite like Dragon Con. Despite my lack of energy, it was an amazing time. I got to hang with a lot of friends and met a ton of good people. Can't wait for next year! Speaking of good friends, Bill Harris is an amazing steampunk gun maker with his company, The Venusian Airship Pirate Trading Company. He made 2 guns which he debuted at Dragon Con from Thomas Riley. Here's a picture of Cynthia's yet unfinished revolver from the beginning of the book. Thanks Bill! You rule!


Steampunk Tales #8 Steampunk tales is an online digital short story magazine full of some of the newest steampunk writers. I have a story in the latest issue called "Double Crossed at Gray Raven Mill". This story was born at St. Louis' Steamposium to benefit Cystic Fibrosis research. The good, Baron Bon Bar won that auction and well, 5 months later I'm happy to say, it's out! Check out this issue with my story and other stories from Cindy MacLeod, and G.D. Falksen here: http://www.steampunktales.com/

Next up I'm heading to The Bookmarks Book Festival in Winston-Salem, NC this weekend which should be an absolute blast. I don't know my booth number yet, but it shouldn't be too hard to find me. Come and say hi... I should have the new Sky Pirate Patches available. If you mention this blog I'll give you something for free. There's so much going on it's hard for me to keep up with it. Seriously, things are crazy. In addition to all the writing and traveling I'm doing for Thomas Riley, there are super secret things in the works as well. I'll give you a hint on one of them... My Gencon/Origins/Megacon friends will be super excited about it.

Fan Expo 2010 Report

Let me just come right out of the gates and say Fan Expo was absolutely amazing. We broke all sales records once again and the great con goers were exactly that. Great!


We arrived in Toronto and our first contact was an insane cab driver. This guy was nuts. I actually tried to video tape him in the dark cab... those tapes may never be released.

The good Ensign and I settled into the hotel and discovered that we were very close to everything. The Convention center was 2 blocks away and we had enough bars to keep me happy. The next moring we hit it hard... setting up at such a big con was awesome and I have to say the staff was really great. We checked in and got on the floor in no time, which is pretty unreal when you consider that there were hundreds of vendors ranging from local jewelry makers to Marvel Comics. Here's a shot of part of Friday's crowd.


Saturday was unreal. The entire convention center was packed and getting outside to get food or anything was a 30 minute ordeal at the least. Trust me, I'm not complaining. We had innumerable people come by the table and pick the books up. We also had a bunch of fun raffles of homemade steampunk weaponry, which everyone seemed to love. Lot's of good costumes too:


I was a panelist in the steampunk 101 panel and people waited 2 hours to get in. There were so many people in the room the entire floor was covered with people sitting all around us. It's such a cool sight as this is the second time this has happened in the last few months. Steampunk is getting so huge. It's unreal to see it grow so quickly.

On our return home day (Monday) we decided to have a "Canada Day". We went to Tim Hortons, got coffee and Dutchies then we were off to The Hockey Hall of Fame. Ok, this place is so awesome. Besides that it's big and has tons of nifty things to look at, they have the best interactive games ever. My favorite was where you put on goalie gloves and stop real hurling pucks that shoot out of holes in a screen. We have video of that as well. If you like hockey and are in Toronto, this is a must see.




So what do I say? This was a truly amazing con. Like I said, we broke all records. I'm already signed up for next year and I can't wait.

Dragon Con
I leave for Dragon Con on Thursday evening. Yes that has not afforded me much sleep or recovery time from busting my ass in Canada but Dragon Con is always such a blast. I'll be on the "New Voices in Steampunk" panel at 11:30AM in the Westin Hotel. GUESTS: Clay & Susan Griffith, Nick Valentino, Emilie Bush, Kimberly Richardson

On Saturday I'll hop skip and jump over to Decatur GA for the Decatur Book Festival all day where I'll be joining my fellow Echelon authors at booth 107. Then right back to Dragon Con for Saturday night's insanity. So I'm a busy boy... These events are especially great because I get to see all my friends in one place. Well, ok two places. See you all soon!