What follows is the finalized Programming Schedule for Scares That Care AuthorCon, taking place April 1 through 3 in Williamsburg, VA. At this point, no further changes, other than subtractions, can be made. Copies of the schedule with any last minute subtractions will be available to all attendees at the door.

You will note that Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks From Hell stage show (with special guest comedian Will Bozarth) and the workshops being run by Robert Ford and Richard Dansky are marked as ‘Ticketed Event’. This means a General Admission ticket will not suffice for admission to those three events. A separate ticket is required. Those tickets can be purchased here.

We are looking forward to a great show. Whether you’re a fan and a reader, or a beginning author, or an established pro, we’re offering something for everyone! And, as with all Scares That Care events, it’s for a good cause! Full details on the convention can be found here. See you in less than a month!

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AuthorCon Programming Schedule

FRIDAY  

Vendor Meeting – 4:00pm (Vendor Room): All vendors and Guests of Honor are encouraged to attend.

Vendor Room Hours – 5:00pm to 9:00pm

Silent Auction (Auditorium) – 5:00pm to 9:00pm

Grady Hendrix’s PAPERBACKS FROM HELL – 9:30pm (Auditorium) Note: This is a ticketed event.

FRIDAY READINGS (Rooms A & B)

5:15pm to 6:00pm: Todd Keisling and Justin Holley

6:15pm to 7:00pm: Russell James and Clay McLeod Chapman

7:15pm to 8:00pm: Josh Malerman and Jonathan Janz

8:15pm to 9:00pm: Mary SanGiovanni and Hailey Piper

 

FRIDAY PANELS (Rooms 2 & 3)

6:00pm to 7:00pm: CHILDHOOD NIGHTMARES – C.W. Briar, Tara Moeller, R.L. Parker, Ally Malinenko, Nathan McCullough, and Shawn Burgess discuss their childhood fears and whether or not those memories have influenced their fiction.

7:30pm to 9:00pm: SPLATTERPUNK STRONG – Splatterpunk Award co-founder Wrath James White, and Splatterpunk Award nominees C.V. Hunt, Kristopher Triana, Jeff Strand, Kristopher Rufty, Candace Nola, Wesley Southard, Stephen Kozeniewski, Wile E. Young, Carver Pike, Aron Beauregard, Daniel Volpe, Jay Wilburn, and Thomas R. Clark discuss the current state of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror. 

 

FRIDAY WORKSHOPS (Center Lounge)

7:00pm to 8:00pm: WRITING THE BADGE – Former Police Officer and Detective Joe Ripple leads this free seminar/Q&A on the correct way to write police procedure, tactics, and operations.

 

SATURDAY

Vendor Room Hours – 10:00am to 6:00pm

Silent Auction (Auditorium) – 10:00am to 4:45pm

Silent Auction Winners Announced by Joe Ripple (Auditorium) – 5:00pm 

 

SATURDAY READINGS (Rooms A & B)

10:15am to 11:00am: Holly Rae Garcia and Kim Alexander

11:15am to Noon: John Urbancik and Gemma Amor

12:15pm to 1:00pm: Chet Williamson and David Niall Wilson

1:15pm to 2:00pm: F. Paul Wilson and Thomas F. Monteleone

2:15pm to 3:00pm: Maurice Broaddus and S.A. Cosby

3:15pm to 4:00pm: C.V. Hunt and Wrath James White

4:15pm to 5:00pm: Aron Beauregard and Daniel J. Volpe

5:15pm to 6:00pm: Andersen Prunty and Christoph Paul

6:15pm to 7:00pm: Sonora Taylor and Red Lagoe

7:15pm to 8:00pm: Glenn Rolfe and Donnie Goodman

8:15pm to 9:00pm: RJ Roles and Tim McWhorter

9:15pm to 10:00pm: Michael Tyree and Michael Seidlinger

10:15pm to 11:45pm: CARNIVAL OF CHAOS – Jeff Strand, John Wayne Comunale, Kristopher Triana, Wesley Southard, Stephen Kozeniewski, and Wile E. Young present nearly two hours of mayhem and madness.

  

SATURDAY PANEL DISCUSSIONS (Rooms 2 and 3)

10:30am to 11:30am: WRITING RITUALS – Bryan Nowak, Daniel Braum, Dea Schofield, Kelly Martin, Dan Franklin, and Joseph Pesavento discuss their individual writing processes and practices, finding balance with day jobs and family obligations, and their tips for productivity and focus.

11:45am to 1:00pm: PUBLISHERPALOOZA – Join representatives from Apex Books, Apokrupha, Bleeding Edge Books, Castaigne Publishing, Clash Books, Crone Girls Press, Death’s Head Press, Grindhouse Press, Stygian Sky Media, Tenebrous Press, and Weirdpunk Books discuss the trials and tribulations of publishing, and what they’re looking for from authors and artists.

1:15pm to 2:15pm: THIS DYSTOPIAN OBSESSION – Mary SanGiovanni, Jonathan Janz, Adam J. Smith, Anthony M. Strong, and Matt Wildasin discuss why dystopian and post-apocalyptic horror fiction are more popular now than ever.

2:30pm to 3:30pm: DEATH OF THE DEAD? – Night of the Living Dead and White Zombie. Day of the Dead and Wet Work. The Rising and 28 Days Later. The Walking Dead and World War Z. The popularity of zombies runs in cycles. Matt Blazi, Jay Wilburn, Kristopher Rufty, Jeremy Wagner, Thomas R. Clark, and Anton Cancre predict what’s next for the undead. Are we approaching a downturn, and if so, will they rise once more?

3:45pm to 4:45pm: WRITING SHORT STORIES – Katherine Silva, James Noll, Tony Evans, and Joseph Sullivan discuss the tips, tricks, and challenges of crafting the perfect short horror story.

5:00pm to 6:00pm: SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE – Josh Malerman, Maurice Broaddus, F. Paul Wilson, S.A. Cosby, Wrath James White, and Clay McLeod Chapman discuss the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of what happens when Hollywood comes knocking at your door. 

 

SATURDAY WORKSHOPS (Center Lounge)

Noon to 4:00pm: UPPING YOUR GAME: HOW TO DELIVER A MEMORABLE LIVE READING – Author Robert Ford, one of the best live readers in the business, leads this interactive workshop on ways to improve your own live reading. Attendees will participate with live readings of their own work (so please come prepared) and receive practical developmental feedback. Note: This is a ticketed event.

4:30pm to 8:30pm: WRITING FOR VIDEO GAMES: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW – Video game veteran Richard Dansky (Red Storm, Ubisoft) leads this highly interactive seminar on how to write for video game. Note: This is a ticketed event.

 

SUNDAY

Vendor Room Hours – 11:00am to 4:00pm

 

SUNDAY READINGS (Rooms A & B)

11:15pm to Noon: Rebecca Rowland and Douglas Ford

12:15pm to 1:00pm: Jacob Haddon and D. Alexander Ward

1:15pm to 2:00pm: Robert Ford and Richard Dansky

2:15pm to 3:00pm: Bridgett Nelson and Lindsay Lerman

 

SUNDAY PANEL DISCUSSIONS (Rooms 2 and 3)

11:30 to 12:30pm: BABY’S FIRST MONSTER – R.L. Stine. Stephen King. Leisure Books. Weird Tales. Different generations of horror fiction fans discover the genre in different ways. Hailey Piper, John Kelly, Jeremy Megargee, Matthew Mitchell, Mike Duke, and Kim Alexander discuss their introduction to horror.

12:45pm to 1:45pm: MY FAVORITE HORROR NOVEL – Andersen Prunty, Rowland Bercy Jr., Chase Will and Pamela K. Kinney discuss their all-time favorite horror novel, and the impact it’s had on them.

 

SUNDAY WORKSHOPS (Center Lounge)

3:00pm to 4:00pm: YELL AT BRIAN KEENE – What did you think of the first Scares That Care AuthorCon? The Board of Directors wants your honest feedback, so that we can improve the experience going forward. (Please don’t actually yell, though).