Capclave

Next week (October 18-20) I'll be one of the guests of honor at Capclave, in Rockville, Maryland. https://www.capclave.org/capclave/capclave19/

Here's my schedule:


Friday 6:00 pm: Mystery Crossovers (Ends at: 6:55 pm) Washington Theater
Panelists:Martha Wells, Beth Brenner, Keith DeCandido, Gordon Linzner, Jean Marie Ward (M)
How can writers play fair in a mystery in a world with magic or teleporters? When crossing the genres how do authors put equal weight on both? Do mystery readers read mysteries with sf/fantasy? And how do bookstores determine where to put them?


Friday 7:00 pm: Nontraditional Protagonists (Ends at: 7:55 pm) Eisenhower
Panelists:Martha Wells, Brenda W. Clough (M), J. L. Gribble, Natalie Luhrs, Ted Weber
Until recently, the typical sf/fantasy protagonist was a white male in his late teens early 20s. Now we have more diversity. How has greater inclusion changed science fiction/fantasy? How does this diversity affect plot and characterization beyond just descriptions of the protagonist? Can this diversity attract new readers who now can see characters who look like them; or does it alienate existing readers? Have things gone too far or not far enough?


Saturday 11:00 am: Reading: Martha Wells (Ends at: 11:25 am) Wilson
Author:Martha Wells


Saturday 2:00 pm: World-building (Ends at: 2:55 pm) Eisenhower
Panelists:Martha Wells, Leslie Burton-Lopez , Charles E. Gannon, Edward M. Lerner (M), Mike McPhail
What does it take to build a world? How much world building is done before the writing starts and how much while writing. How do you know when to change things? What are common mistakes in world building? What authors get world building right and what are they doing?


Saturday 3:00 pm: Martha Wells Interview (Ends at: 3:55 pm) Eisenhower
Interviewer:Martha Wells, Jean Marie Ward (M)
Interview with Capclave GoH Martha Wells on Murderbot and a whole lot more.


Saturday 5:00 pm: Murderbots & Terminators (Ends at: 5:55 pm) Eisenhower
Panelists:Martha Wells, T. Eric Bakutis, Neil Clarke, Edward M. Lerner, David Walton (M)
How much do we have to fear from robots and AI? Will humans build our own replacements? How can we ensure they will not turn on the human race? Are Asimov’s Three Laws enough? What are some of the best stories about robots?


Sunday 10:00 am: Series: Diminishing Returns? (Ends at: 10:55 am) Eisenhower
Panelists:Martha Wells, Ken Altabef (M), Jack Campbell - John G. Hemry, Alan Smale
If no one will read book three in a series who didn’t read the earlier books, isn’t doing a series guaranteeing diminishing returns? If so, why are series so popular for publishers? What are the advantages for authors? Why are there so few standalones?


Sunday 1:00 pm: Managing Great Expectations (Ends at: 1:55 pm) Washington Theater
Panelists:Martha Wells, Beth Brenner, Suzanne Palmer (M), Alan Smale, Sherri Cook Woosley
Your first novel is coming out, you just got that nomination, or your book became a best seller. How do you manage career and writing expectations? Is it better to strive and fail or to set reasonable goals? What do you do if you fall short of your dreams? And what constitutes success for a writer?


Sunday 2:00 pm: Authorial Intent and Rewriting Cannon (Ends at: 2:55 pm) Washington Theater
Panelists:Martha Wells, Keith DeCandido (M), Kelly E. Dwyer, Natalie Luhrs, K.M. Szpara
What are problems with post-publication author revelations? What happens when the author changes cannon without rebooting (sometimes, in the case of Darkover, rewriting entire novels). What is the importance of fan fiction and reader interpretation?


***


FYI, The Cloud Roads, the first book in the Books of the Raksura series (Hugo-finalist for series in 2018) comes out in mass market paperback on November 19. https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Roads-One-Books-Raksura/dp/1949102181/

with The Serpent Sea and The Siren Depths to follow in 2020

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