Conned!

Let me remind you -- I'm going to be a guest at MarsCon this weekend, in my hometown of Williamsburg, VA, so if you're at all local and like sci-fi/fantasty conventions, you should definitely drop by and say hi!

I'm going to be participating in three panels and one contest. Here's the details on those:

Friday, 8 PM – The Horror, the Horror: The Life of an Erotica Editor
Elizabeth Brooks, Kathryn Lively, Michael O'Brien, Helen Madden
Sure, it's hot and steamy once it's on the bookshelf, but did you ever wonder what goes into compiling an erotica anthology? Our authors and editors will give you a behind-the-scenes look on the process of curating an erotica anthology. From query letters that will make your hair stand on end to endless formatting nightmares, the roller coaster ride of story selections to the tragedy of writing rejection letters, they will peel away the sexy veneer and show you the dark side of editing erotica.

Friday, 10 PM – An Alien inside Me
Elizabeth Brooks, Sapphire Phelan, Michael O'Brien, Helen Madden
Discussion panel: Erotica from alien points of view and orientations other than your own.

Saturday, 9 PM – Afraid of the Dark?
Elizabeth Brooks, JM Snyder, Michael O'Brien, Helen Madden
How far is too far for erotic genre romance? Our panel of erotica writers explores the limits of what readers, and publishers, will take.

Saturday, 11 PM – Erotica a la Carte: Iron Chef
Nobilis Reed, Helen Madden, Leigh Ellwood, Elizabeth Brooks, JM Snyder
MarsCon’s erotica writers put their creativity and quickness to the test as they compete for a spot in the finals of this multi-Con writing event. Competitors are given a secret ingredient, and twenty minutes to write a piece of smutty flash fiction using their ingredient. When the time is up, stories are read aloud. Winners are judged by audience acclamation so come pick your smutty favorites in an hour of fast-paced fun.

And that's just the stuff I'll be in! There's tons of other stuff to do, from the family-friendly (magic show, no-sew costuming and crafts, face painting, pirate sing-a-long) to the no-fooling ID-checked-at-the-door adults-only (Steampunk sex toys, 50 Shades fanfic). There are geeky panels and activities for writers, readers, anime-fans, movie-fans, gamers, artists, and crafters. There are comedy, costume, and dance shows, and tons of geek-oriented music (including the awesome Jonah Knight, who let me use one of his songs for my book trailer for Brainsss). There are presentations from NASA on the future in space exploration. There are self-defense workshops from a local dojo. And there's the best damned Con Suite in the history of cons. Ever. Ever. Seriously, if you've ever even thought about going to a sci-fi con and are remotely in the area, check out the website at http://www.marscon.net/ -- look at the programming, look at the photos from years past, and come out!

And if you do come, find me and say hi! I'll have books for sale and postcards and bookmarks for free, and I'd love to chat!

I'm gonna be a busy woman.