Stellar Fest Panels *Updated with Locations and Times*

 

Come and visit me and so many other fantastic folks at Stellar Fest from April 24–26, 2026, at Sonest Gwinnett Place in Duluth, Ga. While there, I'll be taking part in the following panels.

Saturday, April 25

Old Time Radio... On the Spot

Panelists and those who come to enjoy the panel will be assigned roles for an old-time radio drama. Nobody except me will know what that drama script is. Fun ensues, particularly because a lot of things are now double entendres. 

Saturday 1:00pm – Deep Space Diversions

Blood in the Gut: Visceral Fiction 

Panel discussion on how to make your writing engage the guts and not just the brain.

Saturday 3:00pm – Literature/Science Track

Creative Cussing and Other Writing Hacks 

A panel discussion on ways to write better swearing so the reader doesn't get buried in f-bombs but does get quotable sass. Samples provided. 

Saturday 4:00pm – Literature/Science Track

40 Years of Howard the Duck

Forty years ago, the genius behind Star Wars gave us something SO BOLD that many audiences just couldn't handle the awesomeness. If you love Howard the Duck, come join us as we look back at Quack Fu, Dark Overlords, and love conquering all like no one had ever seen before. If you're a hater, you're welcome too, but be warned: you might walk out a changed person!

Saturday 5:00pm – Other Worlds One

Sunday, April 26

Self-Publishing and Writing: Horror Stories 

Panelists will describe the writing, editing, and publishing processes along with mistakes that almost got published as self-published authors. The audience will be encouraged to contribute things they’ve read that horrified them. 

Sunday 10:00am – Literature/Science Track

Old Time Radio... ReRun

So much fun, we're doing a second day! Panelists and those who come to enjoy the panel will be assigned roles for an old-time radio drama. Nobody except me will know what that drama script is. Fun ensues, particularly because a lot of things are now double entendres. 

Sunday 12:00pm – Deep Space Diversions

Panels I'll be doing at Stellar Fest!

Blood in the Gut: Visceral Fiction 

Panel discussion on how to make your writing engage the guts and not just the brain.

Creative Cussing and Other Writing Hacks 

A panel discussion on ways to write better swearing so the reader doesn't get buried in f-bombs but does get quotable sass. Samples provided. 

Old Time Radio... On the Spot

Panelists and those who come to enjoy the panel will be assigned roles for an old-time radio drama. Nobody except me will know what that drama script is. Fun ensues, particularly because a lot of things are now double entendres. 

Old Time Radio... ReRun

So much fun we're doing a second day! Panelists and those who come to enjoy the panel will be assigned roles for an old-time radio drama. Nobody except me will know what that drama script is. Fun ensues, particularly because a lot of things are now double entendres. 

40 Years of Howard the Duck 

Forty years ago the genius behind Star Wars gave us something SO BOLD that many audiences just couldn't handle the awesomeness. If you love Howard the Duck, come join us as we look back at Quack Fu, Dark Overlords, and love conquering all like no one had ever seen before. If you're a hater, you're welcome too, but be warned: you might walk out a changed person! 

Self-Publishing and Writing: Horror Stories 

Panelists will describe the writing, editing, and publishing processes along with mistakes that that almost got published as self-published authors. The audience will be encouraged to contribute things they’ve read that horrified them. 

I'll update with dates and times as the final schedule is done.

Celebrate Free Comic Book Day with me and Galactic Quest!

Join me and other special guests at Galactic Quest Comics in Lawrenceville on Saturday, May 4th for free comic books and fascinating panel discussions as we celebrate Free Comic Book Day together!

See Me at MidSouthCon 38 this weekend in Memphis! Cons are back, baby!!

 

I'll be a guest for MidSouth Con 2022 this year in Memphis again! Come visit me on Pro Row or at any of the following panels (maybe one or two more to be added). I'll also be doing game beta demos for some of the games I have in development from time to time in the game room.

Friday, March 26, 6 PM
Pulp Fiction for Today's Market

Join the New Pulp Movement as discuss how to formulate and write a Pulp story for today's market.

Friday, March 25, 8 PM
Boardgames: A Gaming Movement 

Board games are exploding in popularity in America. There are a dozen different types, all of which appeal to various players for a gambit of reasons. Panelist discuss trends, from gateway games to the newest and hottest, and why this type of game is growing is popularity.

Friday, March 25, 9 PM
Pro Row

Meet your favorite MidSouthCon professional, maybe get their autograph or buy their works. Pro Row is located in the hallway outside of the Tennessee Ballrooms.

Saturday, March 26, 10 AM
Self-Marketing for Authors

You have published your works, either independently or through traditional publisher - now what? Our panelists discuss how to market yourself.

Saturday, March 26, 4PM
Pro Row

Meet your favorite MidSouthCon professional, maybe get their autograph or buy their works. Pro Row is located in the hallway outside of the Tennessee Ballrooms.

Saturday, March 26, 9 PM
Short Stories: How to Fit It All In

Writing a short story can be harder than it seems. One of the biggest challenges is to figure out how much detail is needed without having to be minimalists.

Sunday, March 27, 10:00 AM
Reading: Sean Taylor

Sean Taylor reads his from his collections Giddy and Euphoric and Show Me A Hero.

Game Demos
Saturday & Sunday, March 26 and 27, between other sessions after 11:00 PM

I will also be running game demos of the beta versions of several games I have in development between my other posted sessions at MidSouthCon. Come look for me at Table 23 any time after the Open Gaming Room opens at 11:00 on Saturday and Sunday!

"What games?" you ask. 

• Last Mouse on the Left
• Cap'n Kelly's Custom Critters
• The Battle for Classic City
• Shark Detective

Come join the fun as a beta tester for new games!

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now #334 -- Panel Problems

NOTE: This one comes from a friend with some questions about her first comic book script. She was gracious enough to let me share her questions and my responses here.

So, my artist sent me the first sketches of his sequential art and he's concerned because it has eight panels on the page. He said 4-6 panels was the norm with 7 being the upper edge (typically).

I don't have many pages in the book that are more than 5-6 panels, but there are a few. And I don't want to be dismissive of his concern, but I'm not sure if I should reshuffle the entire script to eliminate the few pages that have 8-9 panels.

What's your experience in this regard? Am I overthinking this?

It's not a simple as a black and white answer. In one sense, he's right. The current trend is to write between 4-7 panels per page in standard mainstream comics, fewer in manga. But, when laid out well, more panels than that are perfectly acceptable. It's all about readability.

There is this however: more panels = fewer words per panel in dialog and narration, fewer panels gives you room for more words per panel.

Watchmen is consider the pivotal masterpiece of graphic novel storytelling, and it consistently runs a 3x3 grid (9 panels per page) throughout the book except for key events. The trick is to find the right ratio for you and your artist since you're a team.