The protagonists and antagonists of these authors' works have to learn a mad variety of skills, sometimes in a classroom or other formal structure, sometimes in a life-threatening moment-and sometimes both! WonderCon special guest Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns), plus Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre (Honor Bound), Alexa Donne (Brightly Burning), and Henry Lien (Peasprout Chen series) will discuss the lessons they learned while instructing their characters in conversation with librarian Judy Price-Neeb (Chula Vista Public Library).
Friday March 29, 2019 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT
Room 213AB
There's much more to building a fantasy world for readers than just removing or replacing technology and adding mythical creatures. Authors Sam Sykes (Seven Blades in Black), Mary E. Pearson (Dance of Thieves), Tricia Levenseller (Warrior of the Wild), Kali Wallace (City of Islands), and Livia Blackburne (Rosemarked) discuss the joys and challenges of bringing new worlds into creation with Nadine Armstrong (occasional bookseller, always reader).
Friday March 29, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 300B
Being a successful author is an entirely different proposition than it was just a few years ago. The introduction of the e-reader and the rise of self-publishing have turned the industry on its head-and new authors are benefitting. Learn how to harness your strengths and take charge of your career in a candid discussion of the self-published world with Amazon bestselling author and WonderCon special guest Michael C. Grumley and hear the story behind his one-million-books-sold Breakthrough series, moderated by Gina Smith from Scott Brick Productions.
Friday March 29, 2019 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Room 209
Celebrate a vast array of sentient beings, some of whom may occasionally be more sympathetic than human characters, with creators Dana Simpson (Phoebe and her Unicorn), Leah Thomas (When Light Left Us), Jim Pascoe (Cottons: The Secret of the Wind), Nicole Conway (Dragonrider Legacy series), and Cecil Castellucci (Shade: The Changing Girl), moderated by Maryelizabeth Yturralde (Mysterious Galaxy).
Saturday March 30, 2019 10:30am - 11:30am PDT
Room 300D
Spooks and specters, ghastlies and ghoulies, monsters and mayhem are all part of daily life for the characters in these authors' novels. Nadine Armstrong (occasional bookseller, always reader) leads the discussion of the dark fantastic with Stephen Blackmoore (Eric Carter series), Jessica Cluess (Kingdom on Fire series), Kristi Charish (Kincaid Strange series), Tania del Rio (Warren the 13th series), and Sam Hooker (Terribly Serious Darkness series).
Saturday March 30, 2019 2:30pm - 3:30pm PDT
Room 208
Successful novelists, screenwriters, and actors each bring a different perspective to a discussion on how to create a utopian society for storytelling. Panelists include David Brin (The Uplift War, Existence), Gigi Edgley (Farscape, Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge), Robert Meyer Burnett (Free Enterprise), David Alexander English (Rainbow Gathering organizer, author of 28 books), Jimmy Diggs (Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: DS9), Marc Scott Zicree (Space Command, Star Trek: TNG). Moderated by Mark O'Bannon (The Dream Crystal, Aia the Barbarian).
Saturday March 30, 2019 2:30pm - 3:30pm PDT
Room 300D
TheOneRing.net (TORn) staffers and special panelists Clifford Broadway (host of TORn Tuesday), Kristi Fojtik (founder of Tolkien Forever), Abie Ekenezar (host of Black and Blue: The Series), Justin Sewell (producer of TORn Tuesday), Nicole Roberts (outreach coordinator), and Nancy Steinman (art director and writer) will celebrate their 20th year of reporting on all things J.R.R. Tolkien. The wait to see Professor Tolkien's early life on the big screen is over as Fox Searchlight announced May 10, 2019, as the release date for Tolkien. Panelists also have lots to talk about regarding the Amazon Studios Lord of the Rings project, now in very active pre-production. They'll round things out with some plans for their 20th anniversary celebration events this year, and maybe a Mathom or two. Panelist discussion and Q&A moderated by Cathy Udovch (special events coordinator). We are planning a post panel event, you may want to clear a few hours from your schedule on Saturday evening.
UPDATED: Mon, Mar 18, 11:59AM
Saturday March 30, 2019 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Room 213CD
Panelists discuss influencers from William Shakespeare to the Universal Monsters, from The Great Gatsby to the Heroic Trio, and from superhero squads galore to Dungeons & Dragons. Nadine Armstrong (occasional bookseller, always reader) will help readers discover who else may have had an impact on Sarah Kuhn (Heroine Complex), Ian Doescher (William Shakespeare's Get Thee Back to the Future!), Mallory O'Meara (The Lady from the Black Lagoon), Zara Lisbon (Fake Plastic Girl), C.B. Lee (Sidekick Squad series), and Adam Jay Epstein (Wiley Snare series).
Sunday March 31, 2019 10:00am - 11:00am PDT
Room 300B
An arguably established aphorism in the field of speculative fiction is that stories that focus on technology can lack emotional content. Panelists including WonderCon guests Cory Doctorow (Radicalized) and Michael Grumley (Breakthrough series), S.B. Divya (Runtime), J. Dianne Dotson (Heliopause: The Questrison Saga), and Maura Milan (Ignite the Stars) will get to the heart of the matter with moderator Maryelizabeth Yturralde (Mysterious Galaxy).
Sunday March 31, 2019 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Room 300B
Led by author Peter Clines (Dead Moon, Paradox Bound, the Ex-Heroes series, numerous short stories, and countless articles on the film and television industry), this session focuses on the business of prose publishing. The Writers' Coffeehouse is a bunch of writers sitting around talking about writing. No agendas, no requirements-just chat about markets, about pitching and selling, about conquering frustration and defeating writer's block, and about all of the good things that come from the community of writers. It's open to everyone-from absolute beginners to award-winners and bestsellers. Just show up, hang out, and talk. Or don't talk-lurk in the back and take notes.
Sunday March 31, 2019 11:00am - 1:00pm PDT
Room 204C
Not all female artists/creators are about unicorns and glittery vampires and silly pseudo-bondage. Some women create truly dark and challenging art and content, with just a touch of humor and whimsy. Whether it's comic books, novels, or art, these are the women who are creating content that connects with our deeper, darker side. Featuring Megan Hutchison (Rockstars), Mairghread Scott (Marvel Rising), MD Marie (Vindication), Susan Lee (Wraith of Love). Moderator Barbra Dillon of Fanbase Press.
Sunday March 31, 2019 11:30am - 12:30pm PDT
North 200B
The Winner Twins, Brittany and Brianna, multiple award-winning and national bestselling science fiction authors known for their popular Strand series, explain how to create your own novel step by step, from building your universe to overcoming writer's block to the different paths to publishing. The twins, who are on staff at UCLA, have taught their unique creative writing method to hundreds of thousands of convention attendees, teachers, and students across the country. They will be joined by Todd McCaffrey (New York Times bestselling author, Dragonriders of Pern) and Steven Sears (writer and producer, Xena: Warrior Princess, The A-Team, Father Dowling Mysteries, Swamp Thing), plus other panelists to be announced.
Sunday March 31, 2019 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
Room 300B
Hear from experienced KidLit agents about the do's and don'ts of getting published. There will be Q&A, but no book pitches. Panelists include Annie Bomke (Annie Bomke Literary), Laura Bradford (Bradford Literary), Masha Gunic (Azantian Literary), Thao Le (Sandra Dijkstra Literary), and Patricia Nelson (Marsal Lyon Literary). Moderated by Henry Herz (How the Squid Got Two Long Arms).
Sunday March 31, 2019 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Room 209
WonderCon special guest Kendare Blake, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling fantasy series Three Dark Crowns, shares a brief and irreverent look at how she got here. Topics that may or may not be covered: switching genres from horror to urban fantasy to high fantasy, how to query an agent, drafting versus revisions, hairless cats, possible mix-ins for mac and cheese, and book-to-movie/TV adaptations. The Q&A will be wide open.
Sunday March 31, 2019 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT
Room 208
Come for a fantastic discussion with WonderCon special guest Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn) and moderator Delilah S. Dawson (Kill the Farm Boy: Tales of Pell), covering 50 years of The Last Unicorn, Star Trek, writing fiction and non-fiction, and evolving perspectives.
Sunday March 31, 2019 2:30pm - 3:30pm PDT
Room 213AB
Writing a first draft can be nerve-wracking. No matter your level of experience, we all struggle with doubt, insecurity, and perfectionism. A panel of published writers shares their expertise in overcoming these hurdles to your novel, screenplay, or academic publication. Dr. Billy San Juan (president: San Diego Chapter of HWA) is joined by Jonathan Maberry (New York Times bestselling author, V-Wars), Christine Boylan (TV writer, The Punisher, Castle, Once Upon a Time), Dr. Travis Langley (author, Batman and Psychology), Dr. Janina Scarlet (author, Superhero Therapy), Jonathan Butler (TV writer, The Flash), and Danielle Kaheaku (Barking Deer Press).
Sunday March 31, 2019 3:30pm - 4:30pm PDT
Room 208
