MileHiCon 49: Full Schedule

2:00pm MDT

Handling Controversy

From bad reviews to rumors to industry issues to politics, should we talk or not?

Moderators

Betsy Dornbusch writes epic fantasy. Her short fiction has appeared in over a dozen magazines and anthologies, and she's the author of three novellas and five novels. Her first fantasy novel came out in 2012 and her latest trilogy, BOOKS OF THE SEVEN EYES, wraps up with ENEMY in 2017... Read More →

Jonathan Brazee

Writer

I am a retired Marine infantry colonel and now a full-time hybrid writer living in Colorado Springs with my wife Kiwi and twin pre-school-age girls, Danika Dawn and Darika Marie. I am a two-time Nebula Award Finalist, a two-time Dragon Award Finalist, and a USA Today Bestselling... Read More →

Marc MacYoung

No Nonsense Self-Defense

Marc MacYoung—author of "Beyond the Picket Fence" and the "Writing Violence" series of e-booklets—spends most of his time in the realm of non-fiction. With over 25 published titles he's a leading expert in a rather unpleasant and dangerous topic. When he discovered he was considered... Read More →

R. Alan Brooks

Friday October 27, 2017 2:00pm - 2:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

3:00pm MDT

Living Life in the Open

Panelists explore the impact of big data, surveillance, drones, data mining algorithms, etc., on public-private life.

Moderators

Arlen Feldman

Arlen Feldman is a software engineer, and co-founder of Cherwell Software, one of the leading service desk products in the world. Now semi-retired, he is also a technical adviser, computer book author, maker, costumer, and a semi-professional dilettante.

Participants

Alistair Kimble

Andrew Burt

Deena Larsen

Deena Larsen wrote the first interactive work published way back before the net. You can now play in Marble Springs, the wiki, and it is featured in the Electronic Literature Collection. (http://marblesprings.wikidot.com/). A pioneer in the new media/electronic lit field since before... Read More →

Veronica Roland

Veronica R. Calisto (she/her) is a massage therapist, an alto, a writer of speculative fiction, and a big nerd. One of those rare Colorado natives, she has a degree in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and is a two-time American Idol reject. Veronica is best described as... Read More →

Friday October 27, 2017 3:00pm - 3:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

4:00pm MDT

Group Reading & Discussion: Fantasy from Heroic to Anti-Heroic

Fantasy leads run the gamut from heroic to anti-heroic. Our panelists will dissect the range and share short readings.

Moderators

Lou J Berger

Lou J Berger writes mostly science fiction and fantasy, but is working on a literary novel set in 1978 North Carolina and centers around a young boy who lost his mother.He's a member of SFWA and has been professionally published in Galaxy's Edge Magazine, as well as in a variety of... Read More →

Participants

Catherine Spader

Founder/owner, Quillstone Press

Catherine Spader is the award-winning author of the dark fantasy Wulfhedinn series. Her first novel, Feast of the Raven, won a first place EVVY book award from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Her second novel in the series, Return of the Wulfhedinn, was released in... Read More →

Curtis Craddock

Deranged Lunatic, Author

Science Fiction/Fantasy Writer, Teacher, Gamer, Ubergeek.

L.F. (Laurey) Patten

Author/Editor, Stone Dagger Publications

L. F. Patten has often characterized her multitude of interests as A.D.D of the Right Brain. Degreed in Medieval History and archaeology, her checkered career has included teaching, work at a planetarium, a rock shop and an off- (off-off- off-) Broadway theater. A certified herbalist... Read More →

Veronica Roland

Friday October 27, 2017 4:00pm - 4:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

5:00pm MDT

The Strange History of The Rocky Mountains

Dr. Buland will discuss how the Rocky Mountains are unique among mountain ranges on Earth today and the geological forces that caused their existence.

Participants

Ray Buland

Friday October 27, 2017 5:00pm - 5:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

6:00pm MDT

Name That Sci Fi Tune!

Long ago TV theme songs, current Netflix hits, video games and movie soundtracks—come to compete or watch as others try to …. Name that Sci-Fi Tune!

Moderators

Tim Simpson

Participants

Craig Chrissinger

Craig W. Chrissinger has reported on the Williamson Lectureship for Locus Magazine for a third time, and has started writing book reviews again for the Albuquerque Journal. He earned a journalism degree in 1984, and is happy to put it to use. In the past 25 years, he’s written for... Read More →

Jessica Coyle

Jessica L. Coyle has attended conventions since she was a tween, and has participated in several costume contests. She earned her Master’s in Museum Education from The George Washington University, and currently works at the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History. She serves as Bubonicon’s... Read More →

Friday October 27, 2017 6:00pm - 6:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

7:00pm MDT

The Road Goes Ever On: Keeping A Series Fresh

Can it be done past a certain point? If so, how? Or do readers enjoy series even without surprises?

Moderators

Nathan Lowell

Author, Durandus, Ltd

Nathan has been a full-time, self-published author since 2012 and working in social media since before it was called social media. His doctoral research involved teasing out the factors that govern how people relate in virtual spaces. That research helped him leverage social media... Read More →

Participants

Jonathan Brazee

Writer

Kal Spriggs

Author

Kal is a professional author of science fiction and fantasy. He has already begun publishing three science fiction series: The Shadow Space Chronicles, the Rising Wolf Series, and the Renegades. The Shadow Space Chronicles is military science fiction and space opera and follows a... Read More →

Stephanie Reisner

Stephanie Reisner makes her living as a full-time writer/publisher and is published both traditionally and independently, but with focus on her successful indie career. With four pen names, she has over 40 published novels in various genres to her credit and even more novellas and... Read More →

Sue Duff

Friday October 27, 2017 7:00pm - 7:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

8:00pm MDT

I Called 911 and Got a Zombie Instead

Our panel will examine the medical aspects of surviving (or not) in a post-apocalyptic world.

Moderators

Holly Roberds

Holly writes Paranormal Romance, a bit of sci-fi, and a dash of YA. Even as Holly grew up writing romantic fanfiction for the Terminator, Matrix, and anything Joss Whedon, she would have never presumed she’d end up a professional writer. Holly lives in the Denver area with her husband... Read More →

Participants

Catherine Spader

Founder/owner, Quillstone Press

Daniel Dvorkin

Daniel Dvorkin, a joint production of David and Leonore Dvorkin Productions, has served as an Army infantryman and an Air Force medic. He recently completed his Ph.D. in bioinformatics, which was harder than anything the military threw at him including Desert Storm. His most recent... Read More →

Marc MacYoung

No Nonsense Self-Defense

Vivian Caethe

Author

When not fighting crime, Ms. Caethe also writes and edits. The author of multiple short stories and novellas, her work has appeared in various magazines and anthologies. She lives with her husband in Colorado. Check her latest novel out on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/VivianCaethe... Read More →

Friday October 27, 2017 8:00pm - 8:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

10:00pm MDT

Werewolves of Miller's Hollow

Friday October 27, 2017 10:00pm - Saturday October 28, 2017 8:00am MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Gaming Programming

9:30am MDT

SFWA Business Meeting

Chaired by C. Felice; open to SFWA members only.

Moderators

Cynthia Felice

Participants

Alastair Mayer

Author Alley

Andrew Burt

J.L. Forrest

Saturday October 28, 2017 9:30am - 11:00am MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

11:00am MDT

Tech Yesterday, Tech Today, Why Not Tech Today?

Just another 20 years—the technology unicorns: AI, cold fusion, space colonization, flying cars, nanotechnology.

Moderators

Alastair Mayer

Author Alley

Participants

Andrew Burt

Ka Chun Yu

Tabren James

W.C. Bauers

W. C. Bauers' first novel, UNBREAKABLE, was an Amazon and B&N, Science Fiction and Fantasy Best Book of the Month pick, for January 2015. His second, INDOMITABLE, was a B&N and Kirkus Best of the Month Pick, for SF/F, for July 2016. Bauers's interests include Taekwondo, military... Read More →

Saturday October 28, 2017 11:00am - 11:50am MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

12:00pm MDT

Astronomy of Harry Potter

Join Dr. Slater for a lively presentation on the astronomy of the Harry Potter universe.

Saturday October 28, 2017 12:00pm - 12:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

1:00pm MDT

Fangirling Over 30

Chat with fangirls who have discovered that it’s not “just a phase” and learn what being a fangirl means at ages 30, 50, and beyond.

Moderators

Holly Roberds

Participants

Carrie Vaughn

Carrie Vaughn is the bestselling author of a series of novels about a werewolf named Kitty who hosts a talk radio advice show. The most recent and final in the series, Kitty Saves the World, came out August 2015. Low Midnight, a novel in the Kitty universe focused on Cormac Bennett... Read More →

Jenna Lincoln

I'd love to talk about my books! I write YA and adult Science Fiction. The first two books in my trilogy are out: 1. The Protector Project 2. The People's Champion And I have a novella in an SFR anthology that just came out this month! Anthology is called Cosmic Cabaret and... Read More →

Jennifer Campbell-Hicks

Kit Campbell

It is a little known fact that Kit was raised in the wild by a marauding gang of octopuses. It wasn’t until she was 25 that she was discovered by a traveling National Geographic scientist and brought back to civilization. This is sometimes apparent in the way that she attempts to... Read More →

Saturday October 28, 2017 1:00pm - 1:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

2:00pm MDT

Set Your Controls for the Dark of the Sun

Come hear personal experiences and scientific knowledge about the recent, past, and upcoming eclipses.

Moderators

Courtney Willis

Participants

Connie Willis

Ronnie Seagren

Ronnie Seagren—when not writing—can be found photographing landscapes and flowers or leading moonrise hikes at Roxborough State Park. She's pleased that her novel, Seventh Daughter, has found a new home at Wolfsinger Publications, and she's working hard on the long-awaited sequel... Read More →

Saturday October 28, 2017 2:00pm - 2:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

3:00pm MDT

Cosplay 911

Emergency fixes and quick and dirty techniques for all of your cosplay needs.

Moderators

Charles Orndorff

Participants

Amy Griswold

Owner/Seamstress, Purrfection Sewing

Professional seamstress with over thirty years of experience in clothing construction and industrial sewing. I am self-taught and continued my education as an apprentice in my sister’s shop, Mary Pope Custom Sewing, where I learned techniques in alterations, custom clothing design... Read More →

Kitty Lickiss

Rebecca Hewett

Tauni Orndorff

Saturday October 28, 2017 3:00pm - 3:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

4:00pm MDT

Societies of the Future

Time for something completely different or mostly same as it ever was? How far outside their own culture can authors and readers manage to do?

Moderators

Richard Blake (a.k.a. Doktor Silas Conundrum)

Founder & Flunky, STEMpunkED

STEMpunkED offers innovative (and unusual) living-history learning experiences that appeal to artists and engineers of ALL AGES.Join us online or invite us to your location for hands-on, vintage-tech explorations and insights into the world before (and behind) our digital age!| SCIENCE... Read More →

Participants

Andrew Burt

Carolyn Kay

Carolyn Kay enjoys writing about an eclectic variety of things, and imagining what normally inanimate objects would do if given life. She is currently collaborating with award-winning illustrator, Chaz Kemp, on the World of Ashelon, a series of novellas set in a steampunk fantasy... Read More →

Doug Hawk

Doug Hawk—now etired from a public relations career—writes horror and adventure novels that are published online. Much of his fiction focuses on the fictional Colorado towns of Crystal Wells, Coronado and Shavano.

Ka Chun Yu

Shannon Lawrence

A fan of all things fantastical and frightening, Shannon Lawrence writes primarily horror and fantasy. Her stories can be found in over forty anthologies and magazines, as well as her three solo horror short story collections. In addition, her nonfiction book The Business of Short... Read More →

Saturday October 28, 2017 4:00pm - 4:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

5:00pm MDT

Bog Dino & Other Paleontological Discoveries

Join our panelists to geek out about recent discoveries in paleontology including the recent nodosaur discovery.

Moderators

Courtney Willis

Participants

Daniel Dvorkin

Jane Bigelow

Jane Bigelow has published short stories this year in Gifts of Darkover and in Luxor: Gods, Grit and Glory. She has had a story accepted for Realms of Darkover, to be published in May of 2016. She is currently doing final (really) revisions for Children’s Knives, a sequel to her... Read More →

Michael Carroll

Michael Carroll has been an astronomical/science fiction artist and author for three decades. He has done work for NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and dozens of book and magazine publishers internationally. His art has appeared in several hundred magazines throughout the world... Read More →

R. Gary Raham

Owner, Biostration

Author/illustrator Gary Raham loves to help connect kids (and adults) to science with his stories and illustrations. He has written 18 books of science fact and/or science fiction and numerous articles on science and nature. Kirkus Reviews described Raham’s Confessions of a Time... Read More →

Saturday October 28, 2017 5:00pm - 5:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

10:00pm MDT

Werewolves of Miller's Hollow

Saturday October 28, 2017 10:00pm - Sunday October 29, 2017 8:00am MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Gaming Programming

10:00am MDT

Universal Basic Income: Boon or Bane to Society?

Both Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have proposed a Universal Basic Income. Where would this money come from, and what are some of the possible negative and positive effects on society?

Moderators

Nikki Ebright

Participants

Alex Acks

Attendee

David Dvorkin

David Dvorkin has published non-fiction, science fiction, mystery, horror, and Star Trek novels. Nowadays, he self-publishes his work in the form of e-books. He finds his new publisher and editor to be infinitely accepting and endlessly accommodating. Visit www.dvorkin.com for lots... Read More →

Eric James Stone

A Nebula Award winner and Hugo nominee, Eric James Stone has been published in Year’s Best SF, Analog, and elsewhere. His debut novel, a science fiction thriller titled Unforgettable, was published by Baen. Eric lives in Utah, where he works as a web programmer.

John Barnes

John Barnes is a widely published obscure writer. His first published science fiction story was in 1982, in CoEvolution Quarterly, and his most recent appeared in Light Reading, which is a website for optical communications engineers. In between he has appeared in places like The... Read More →

Sunday October 29, 2017 10:00am - 10:50am MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

11:00am MDT

Xenobiology: Building Believable Aliens

Will alien life forms resemble us or something else entirely? Making them believable within current science, yet also alien, is a tall order for authors.

Moderators

Holly Roberds

Participants

Daniel Dvorkin

John Barnes

Rebecca Lyons

Rebecca Lyons is a writer, editor, and jewelry artist. She has been a MileHiCon participant for over 20 years and has had her jewelry displayed in the art show for the last several. She is a freelance science copy editor and has had stories published in Pulphouse, Women of Darkness... Read More →

Wil McCarthy

Sunday October 29, 2017 11:00am - 11:50am MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

12:00pm MDT

Deadlier of the Species: Stealth Weaponry of Shady Ladies

From giant hatpins and poison rings to purse sized derringers and bladed fans, women in fiction and real life have armed themselves in unique and enterprising ways.

Moderators

Becca Lee (Goth Hobbit)

Participants

Emily Godhand

LitRPG author and professional formatter, admin assist, and world bible architect. Nurse. Loves kittens.

Kerry Major

Marc MacYoung

No Nonsense Self-Defense

Rebecca Lickiss

Rebecca Lickiss, a passionate reader, began telling stories at an early age. She finally decided to write them down for publication, since it was better than cleaning house again. Her day job is teaching physics at the Air Force Academy, which explains why she doesn't write hard... Read More →

Sunday October 29, 2017 12:00pm - 12:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

1:00pm MDT

Group Reading and Discussion: Stranger in a Strange Land

The fish out of water trope was popular in the SF/F genre long before Heinlein: Gulliver’s Travels, John Carter, and countless other examples. Panelists discuss the allure and share short readings.

Moderators

Stant Litore

Stant Litore is the author of Ansible, The Running of the Tyrannosaurs, The Zombie Bible, and Dante’s Heart. Besides science fiction and fantasy, he has written the writers’ toolkits Write Worlds Your Readers Won’t Forget and Write Characters Your Readers Won’t Forget, as... Read More →

Guests of Honor

Jason Heller

Jason Heller is a journalist, editor, and author whose books include: Strange Stars (forthcoming from Melville House); the alt-history novel Taft 2012 (Quirk); the Goosebumps tie-in Slappy’s Revenge (Scholastic); the Pirates of the Caribbean tie-in The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook... Read More →

Participants

Nathan M. Beauchamp

Acquisitions Editor, Centrifuge Press

Nathan serves as acquisitions editor for Centrifuge Press, an independent publisher of speculative fiction. He co-authored the award-winning YA science fiction series Universe Eventual under the pseudonym N.J. Tanger, including the novels Chimera, Helios, Ceres, and Ascension. His... Read More →

Ronnie Seagren

Sam Knight

Author/Publisher, Knight Writing Press

Sam Knight is publisher of Knight Writing Press and author of six children’s books, five short story collections, three novels, and over 75 short stories, including three co-authored with Kevin J. Anderson. A Colorado native, Sam spent ten years in California’s wine country before... Read More →

Sunday October 29, 2017 1:00pm - 1:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

2:00pm MDT

Podcasting, Audio Fiction & Other Ear Ticklers

From audiobooks to fiction created in aural format, interview-style podcasts and other formats just developing, how can creators fully engage listeners?

Moderators

Nathan Lowell

Author, Durandus, Ltd

Participants

Emily Hash

Giles Hash

Patrick Hester

Patrick Hester is a two-time Hugo Award winner, author of INTO THE FIRE, an Urban Fantasy set in Denver, blogger (Kirkus Reviews) and podcast host/producer for The Functional Nerds and the SF Signal Podcast (closed). He lives in Colorado, writes science fiction and fantasy, and can... Read More →

Travis Heermann

Author Alley

Sunday October 29, 2017 2:00pm - 2:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

3:00pm MDT

Who Owns Your Stuff?

Impact of technology restrictions from net neutrality, leasing operating systems, etc.

Moderators

Arlen Feldman

Guests of Honor

Eric Flint

Eric Flint's writing career began with the science fiction novel Mother of Demons. With David Drake, he has collaborated on the six-volume Belisarius series, as well as a novel entitled The Tyrant. His alternate history novel 1632 was published in 2000, and has led to a long-running... Read More →

Participants

Rachael Tanger

Editor, Centrifuge Press

I am a founder of a small independent publishing concern, Centrifuge Press, where I work as Publishing Editor. I am also part of a collective that writes YA science fiction under the pen name N. J. Tanger. I love both coffee and tea, but for different reasons and seasons. My favorite... Read More →

Robert Williscroft

Author Alley

Dr. Williscroft is a retired submariner, diver, scientist, businessman, adventurer, author. He spent 22 months underwater, a year in the equatorial Pacific, 3 years in the Arctic, a year at the Geographic South Pole. He has appeared on dozens of talk shows, the Michael Medved show... Read More →

Tim Anderson

Sunday October 29, 2017 3:00pm - 3:50pm MDT
Mesa Verde A Ground Floor

Programming

4:00pm MDT

Etymology Fictionary

Given a word or phrase (e.g., gumshoe, gangbusters) and two minutes (no internet allowed), our panelists will create its origin. After everyone presents their idea, the audience votes by applause for the one they find most convincing, creative, or humorou

Moderators

Laura Givens

Laura Givens is an illustrator and author who has done oodles of book covers and sold a dozen or so short stories. She loves to read hard SF but often finds herself writing western-flavored steampunk and fantasy. She lives in Denver and used to do improv comedy to stay sane. She has... Read More →

Participants

Programming