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Saturday, July 18
 

9:00am EDT

It's now called Romantasy?
Saturday July 18, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Grand Ballroom Salon D (Main Programming)
First there was Romance in my Paranormal, and Urban in my Fantasy.  Now there's Romance in my Fantasy?  What makes a "romantasy" novel?  What draws readers to them?  And what stories are out there after you've read "A Throne of Glass" or "Fourth Wing".
Speakers
avatar for Emily Jane Buehler

Emily Jane Buehler

Literary Guest
I write cozy fantasy romances where everyday people (and fairies) have adventures and fall in love. They are lighthearted stories with action and adventure, love and magic, where protagonists learn to believe in themselves and find their courage. And yes, they are kissing books. They... Read More →
avatar for Alexandra Christian

Alexandra Christian

Literary Guest
Alexandra Christian is an author of romance and horror (two great tastes that taste great together). She began her career in 2010 writing paranormal romance and has since branched out into contemporary, fantasy, and dark romance with occasional forays into horror. She lives in a creepy... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Grand Ballroom Salon D (Main Programming)
  Literary

9:30am EDT

Workshop: Writing Your First Novel - How to Get from the Initial Idea to a Finished Manuscript
Saturday July 18, 2026 9:30am - 11:00am EDT
High Point Room (Panels)

Rumor has it that 95 percent of people who try to write a book give up before finishing, and it can feel like a daunting process. Bruce Buchanan gave up on his first three attempts before finishing The Blacksmith's Boy (and now, several other books!).  In this workshop, he will show you how he changed his approach and process to reach the finish line.
Speakers
avatar for Bruce Buchanan

Bruce Buchanan

Literary Guest
Bruce Buchanan can pinpoint the moment he became a fan of heroic fiction. When he was six, he accompanied his parents to the Kmart in Shelby, N.C., Bruce’s hometown. On his way to scope out the toy aisle, something caught his eye: A Spider-Man comic book, bagged with two other... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 9:30am - 11:00am EDT
High Point Room (Panels)
  Literary, Workshop

11:30am EDT

Humor in Writing
Saturday July 18, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
High Point Room (Panels)
From puns to pratfalls, humor in writing can sometimes be hard to portray.  Join our panelists as they discuss how to write stories that make your reader laugh out loud.

Moderator: Lexx Christian
Speakers
avatar for John Scalzi

John Scalzi

Guest of Honor
John Scalzi is the Hugo-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Old Man’s War, Redshirts, The Kaiju Preservation Society, and Starter Villain, among other novels. Some of his short work was featured in the Netflix animated series Love, Death + Robots.He was president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (now the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association), but he got better.He owns one dog, three cats, a six-necked guitar and a church. His burritos are internet infamous and possibly actual crimes. He lives... Read More →
avatar for Kal Spriggs

Kal Spriggs

Literary Guest
Kal Spriggs is a US Army combat veteran, gamer, and science fiction and fantasy author of over 40 published novels.  He has visited over 35 countries and has worked in a variety of industries including environmental remediation, farming, civil engineering, the military, and transportation... Read More →
avatar for Dave Dobson

Dave Dobson

Literary Guest
A native of Ames, Iowa, Dave loves writing, reading, boardgames, computer games, improv comedy, pizza, barbarian movies, and the cheaper end of the Taco Bell menu. Also, his wife and kids.Dave has written ten novels including fantasy, sci-fi, mysteries, and thrillers. In addition... Read More →
avatar for Richard Kadrey

Richard Kadrey

Guest of Honor
Richard Kadrey is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sandman Slim supernatural noir series. Sandman Slim was included in Amazon’s “100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books to Read in a Lifetime,” and is in development as a feature film.Some of Kadrey’s other books in... Read More →
avatar for Alexandra Christian

Alexandra Christian

Literary Guest
Alexandra Christian is an author of romance and horror (two great tastes that taste great together). She began her career in 2010 writing paranormal romance and has since branched out into contemporary, fantasy, and dark romance with occasional forays into horror. She lives in a creepy... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
High Point Room (Panels)
  Literary

2:00pm EDT

Write Tighter; Write Better (fee $20)
Saturday July 18, 2026 2:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Emerald (Workshops/LARP)
Write Tighter; Write Better (Saturday afternoon)
There are tons of books and classes to teach you about plot and character and story. But to be effective at those things, you need to write sentences. A lot of sentences. In this workshop by Stuart Jaffe, you’ll learn how to craft sentences with power, cut out the wasted words, and maybe even a few secrets and tricks of the trade that’ll bring your sentence writing to the next level. That way, the great idea in your head might actually make it to the page.
Fee: $20

Speakers
SJ

Stuart Jaffe

Guest Lecturer

Saturday July 18, 2026 2:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
Emerald (Workshops/LARP)
  Literary, Workshop

3:30pm EDT

Small Press Publisher Roadshow (Sol, Prospective Press, Brain & Brain Press, Space Wizard Science Fantasy)
Saturday July 18, 2026 3:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Piedmont Salons 1-2 (panels)
Join publishers Gail Z. Martin, Robert Hampson, Jason Graves and Bill Tracy as they share the newest releases in their respective publishing houses.
Speakers
avatar for Dr. Robert Hampson

Dr. Robert Hampson

Literary Guest
Professor, Neuroscientist, and Unofficial Penguin WhispererWhen not advancing the frontiers of neuroscience or constructing elaborate multiversal portals in his office, Dr. Rob can be found lecturing to an elite audience of penguins in lab coats. An advocate of hands-on learning... Read More →
avatar for Gail Z. Martin

Gail Z. Martin

Literary Guest
Gail Z. Martin writes urban fantasy, epic fantasy, steampunk and more for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing and Darkwind Press. Urban fantasy series include Deadly Curiosities and the Night Vigil (Sons of Darkness). Epic fantasy series include Darkhurst... Read More →
avatar for Larry N. Martin

Larry N. Martin

Literary Guest
Larry N. Martin writes science fiction, steampunk, and urban fantasy. He is the author of the portal gaming fantasy: The Splintered Crown, and Salvage Rat, the first in his space opera series.Together with Gail Z. Martin, Larry co-authors the snarky monster hunter series Spells, Salt, & Steel, the post-apocalyptic series Wasteland Marshals, the Joe Mack Shadow Council Files series, and the steampunk series The Jake Desmet Adventures... Read More →
avatar for William C. Tracy

William C. Tracy

Literary Guest
William C. Tracy (he/him) writes and publishes queer science fiction and fantasy through his indie press Space Wizard Science Fantasy. His largest work is the Dissolutionverse: a space opera with music-based magic including nine books and a TTRPG. He’s also published Fruits of ... Read More →
avatar for Jason Graves

Jason Graves

Literary Guest
Jason is a writer of words, a doodler of drawings, and fixer of other peoples’ words and doodles. Many years ago, he founded Prospective Press. Before that, he slogged through University and earned a Master of Science degree in the Arcana of Genetics. Oh, and he was once punched—lightly—by... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 3:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Piedmont Salons 1-2 (panels)
  Literary, Roadshow

5:00pm EDT

Book Launch!!! (Cheralyn Lambeth)
Saturday July 18, 2026 5:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Piedmont Salons 1-2 (panels)
Cheralyn has a new book!  Come see, hear, buy the real thing!


Speakers
avatar for Cheralyn Lambeth

Cheralyn Lambeth

Film Guest
Cheralyn (Cher) Lambeth is a professional costume, prop, and puppet builder whose work includes feature films (The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Patriot, Evan Almighty, The Hunger Games, Are You There, God?  It's Me, Margaret), television shows (Dinosaurs!, Homeland, Outcast, The ... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 5:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Piedmont Salons 1-2 (panels)
  Literary

6:00pm EDT

Baen Books Traveling Roadshow and Prize Patrol
Saturday July 18, 2026 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Piedmont Salons 1-2 (panels)
Join Gray Rinehart as he shares the best of what's going on in the Baen universe. (And there will be giveaways!)
Speakers
avatar for Gray Rinehart

Gray Rinehart

Literary Guest
Gray Rinehart is an award-winning author, an editor, a singer/songwriter, and a retired Air Force officer. He is the only person to have commanded a USAF satellite tracking station, written speeches for Presidential appointees, devised a poetic form, and had music on The Dr. Demento... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Piedmont Salons 1-2 (panels)
  Literary, Roadshow

6:30pm EDT

Law Enforcement for Writers: You Have the Right to Write it Right
Saturday July 18, 2026 6:30pm - 7:30pm EDT
Grand Ballroom Salon C (panels)
From standard issue guns for your police officers, to Miranda Rights and questioning, our panelist discuss some common misconceptions around the law and suggest resources to help you get it right.

Moderator: Wayland Smith
Speakers
avatar for Kal Spriggs

Kal Spriggs

Literary Guest
Kal Spriggs is a US Army combat veteran, gamer, and science fiction and fantasy author of over 40 published novels.  He has visited over 35 countries and has worked in a variety of industries including environmental remediation, farming, civil engineering, the military, and transportation... Read More →
avatar for Dennis M. Myers

Dennis M. Myers

Literary Guest
Born and raised in central Minnesota, Dennis M. Myers developed a serious reading habit early in life due to the influence of his grandmother. In late high school he read one particularly "awful" book and, with all that teenage hubris, decided that he could do better.After spending... Read More →
avatar for Wayland Smith

Wayland Smith

Literary Guest
Wayland Smith is the pen name for a native Texan who has lived in Massachusetts, New York, Washington DC, and presently makes his home in Virginia. His rather unlikely list of jobs includes private investigator, comic book shop owner, ring crew for a circus (then he ran away from... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 6:30pm - 7:30pm EDT
Grand Ballroom Salon C (panels)
  Literary

7:00pm EDT

Readings Hour Sat
Saturday July 18, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
High Point Room (Panels)
Join our authors in a round robin selection of readings!

MIchael G. Williams
Gail Z. Martin
Mur Lafferty
John Scalzi
Speakers
avatar for John Scalzi

John Scalzi

Guest of Honor
John Scalzi is the Hugo-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Old Man’s War, Redshirts, The Kaiju Preservation Society, and Starter Villain, among other novels. Some of his short work was featured in the Netflix animated series Love, Death + Robots.He was president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (now the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association), but he got better.He owns one dog, three cats, a six-necked guitar and a church. His burritos are internet infamous and possibly actual crimes. He lives... Read More →
avatar for Mur Lafferty

Mur Lafferty

Literary Guest
Mur Lafferty is an author. Mur Lafferty is a podcaster. Mur Lafferty podcasts about writing and writes about podcasting. She also writes about murders in space, zombies, Minecraft and Han Solo. Her writing and podcasting have resulted in numerous award nominations and wins, such... Read More →
avatar for Gail Z. Martin

Gail Z. Martin

Literary Guest
Gail Z. Martin writes urban fantasy, epic fantasy, steampunk and more for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing and Darkwind Press. Urban fantasy series include Deadly Curiosities and the Night Vigil (Sons of Darkness). Epic fantasy series include Darkhurst... Read More →
avatar for Michael G. Williams

Michael G. Williams

Literary Guest
Michael G. Williams writes queer horror and science fiction celebrating the monstrous and the macabre. His books include the award-winning vampire series The Withrow Chronicles (Laine Cunningham Award); the thrilling urban fantasy time travel series Servant Sovereign; the sci-fi... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
High Point Room (Panels)
  Literary, Readings

9:00pm EDT

Workshop: Flash Fiction Frights: Crafting Chilling Tales with Tally Johnson
Saturday July 18, 2026 9:00pm - 10:30pm EDT
Piedmont Salons 1-2 (panels)
Join Special Guest Tally Johnson, a renowned storyteller, on an exciting journey to create concise and impactful flash fiction pieces inspired by eerie pictures. Participants will be challenged to craft chilling tales, with the chance to win prizes for captivating storytelling. Dive into this unique opportunity to explore the enchanting art of storytelling in a compact and powerful format.

Speakers
avatar for Tally Johnson

Tally Johnson

Special Guest
Mr. Johnson is a graduate of Spartanburg Methodist College and Wofford College with degrees in history. He is the author of Ghosts of the South Carolina Upcountry, Ghosts of the South Carolina Midlands, Ghosts of the Pee Dee (all for The History Press) and Civil War Ghosts of Sou... Read More →
Saturday July 18, 2026 9:00pm - 10:30pm EDT
Piedmont Salons 1-2 (panels)
  Literary, Workshop
 

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