FantasyCon2015 – Where To Find Me

I'll be attending FantasyCon 2015 this year up in Nottingham.

Here are the panels I'm on and where to find me:

Room: Conference Theatre
Friday 8.00pm Doing ‘It’ Right: Love, Romance & Sexy Times
Why are we often so reticent about love in genre fiction? Conversely sex seems to be everywhere, often done badly. How do we show love in a better light and balance plot tension with sexual tension? Warning: adult references (& childish innuendo)

• the perfect sex scene: making up making out/making love
• a matter of taste: where are the ‘no-go’ areas?
• is love undervalued as a character motivation?
• how can our characters express their feelings without mawkishness?
• diversity and sexuality in genre fiction: what works and what doesn’t?
• are ‘romance’ and ‘conflict’ mutually exclusive terms?
• finding the right words: choosing appropriate vernacular

Moderator: Den Patrick
Panellists: Hal Duncan, Cassandra Khaw, Kim Lakin-Smith, Foz Meadows

Room: Conference Theatre
Saturday 4.00pm Here Be Dragons: How Can Epic Fantasy Reinvent Itself?
The success of Game of Thrones has thrown a spotlight on epic fantasy, but what does it reveal–a genre of originality or one that is becoming a parody of itself? Our panel of warriors, wizards, paladins and thieves considers the tropes of the genre:

• 50 shades of grim: darker, grittier, grimmer, longer. . .always?
• the young hero, the older mentor, the evil wizard, the rogueish sidekick: archetypes or stereotypes?
• what is diversity bringing to this sub-genre?

How ‘epic’ can fantasy get before it eats itself?

Moderator: Gillian Redfearn
Panellists: Bradley Beaulieu, Den Patrick, Brandon Sanderson, Marc Turner, Jen Williams

Room: Suite 2

Saturday 7.00pm Super Relaxed Fantasy Club

till 9.00pm. A FantasyCon special edition of the monthly genre-fic social gathering, featuring the usual blend of readings, author Q&A and drinks. Hosted by Den Patrick and Jen Williams. Guest authors: Kim Lakin-Smith, Adrian Tchaikovsky

I hope to see some of you there. Please grab me if you want any books signed, don’t be shy.