AuthorCon V Official Programming Schedule

What follows is the Official Programming Schedule for AuthorCon V (a Scares That Care charity event) taking place March 28 - 30 in Williamsburg, VA.

To purchase tickets for the event or to learn more about it, click here.

To sign up for the Gross Out Contest, click here.

AUTHORCON V – THURSDAY

7:00pm to 10:00pm - Spirited Giving (Auditorium): The popular Spirited Giving reading series makes it Scare That Care debut! Host James Sabata emcees and evening of live readings by Jamie Flanagan, Rebecca Cuthbert, and D.M. Guay. Plus, the debut of an original LIVE Midnight Pals performance with Midnight Pals creator Bitter Karella and a bevy of your favorite horror authors playing themselves (including Laurel Hightower, Todd Keisling, Wile E. Young, Stephen Kozeniewski, and Brian Keene). Cocktail hour and mixer from 6pm to 7pm with drinks designed by Scares That Care's very own Sonora Taylor. Show begins at 7pm sharp. All proceeds benefit Scares That Care.

AUTHORCON V – FRIDAY

3:00pm to 4:00pm – Relaxation and Wellness Session (Second Floor, Room J): Time and opportunity to learn and practice several wellness activities, including breathing exercises and supportive games. Designed to get you ready to enjoy a busy day of fun convention activities. This one-hour session is facilitated by Scares That Care board member Alfred Guy, Training Officer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work UMB-SSW. Take home a custom yoga mat (available only at this event) along with meditation scripts and affirmations. Participate at your own level of comfort and attend any or all three of the sessions. This is a ticketed event. Tickets are available at convention registration.

4:00pm to 5:00pm – Opening Ceremonies (First Floor, Auditorium): Brian Keene and Joe Ripple welcome all Guests of Honor, vendors, and attendees, give you important weekend information, and present the 3rd annual Wilburn-Thomas Award and the 12th annual Crystal Award. Attendance by all is strongly encouraged.

5:00pm to 9:00pm – Vendors (Ballroom and Promenade)

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

5:00pm to Midnight – Game Room (First Floor, Rooms A & B): Up for some Poker, Trivial Pursuit, Magic the Gathering, Call of Cthulhu, Pokemon, Monopoly, Cards Against Humanity, or other games with friends? Join the fun! Bring your own from home or play one of our curated games.

5:00pm to 10:00pm – International Film Festival (First Floor, Amphitheater)

6:00pm to 8:00pm – Ask An Agent (First Floor, Center Lounge) – Literary agent Becky LeJeune (Bond Literary Agency) hosts this workshop for writers of all levels. Learn how to pitch your manuscripts to an agent, how to write the perfect query letter, and much more. This is a ticketed workshop. Tickets are available for purchase at convention registration.

8:00pm to 10:00pm – Found Money For Writers (First Floor, Center Lounge): There are thousands of grants available for writers every year, but most writers never take advantage of this resource. Regardless of if you're just starting out or already a full-time writer, you can benefit from grants. In this two-hour workshop, best-selling author Maurice Broaddus teaches you the tips and tricks for finding them, applying for them, and what to do when you get them. This is a ticketed event. Tickets are available at convention registration.

10:00pm – Music Trivia (First Floor, Auditorium): Test your musical and horror knowledge. Hosted by Thomas R. Clark and Chase Will.

READINGS:

6:00pm – 6:45pm (Second Floor, Room 8): Nathan D. Ludwig and Viggy Parr Hampton

6:30pm – 7:15pm (Second Floor, Room 11): Thomas R Clark and M Ennenbach

6:45pm – 7:30pm (Second Floor, Room 12): Laurel Hightower and Todd Keisling

7:00pm – 7:45pm (Second Floor, Room 8): Jonathan Janz and Wesley Southard

7:30pm – 8:15pm (Second Floor, Room 11): Shane Hawk and Dorian J. Sinnott

7:45pm – 8:30pm (Second Floor, Room 12): Gary Frank and Craig Brownlie

8:00pm – 8:45pm (Second Floor, Room 8): Wile E. Young and Kenzie Jennings

8:30pm to 9:15pm (Second Floor, Room 11): Anton Cancre and Cassandra Celia

PANELS:

5:30pm – 6:15pm (Second Floor, Room 16): Writing Short Stories – Dorian J. Sinnott (moderator), Shane Hawk, Eric LaRocca, Valerie B. Williams, Bert Lestrange, and Rebecca Rowland discuss their tips and tricks for writing effective short horror fiction.

5:30pm – 6:30pm (Second Floor, Room 18): Blending Genres: Stephen Kozeniewski (moderator), Derik Cavignano, Jennifer L. Collins, Rowan Hill, and Andrew Najberg discuss mixing your horror peanut butter with the chocolate of other genres.

6:30pm – 7:30pm (Second Floor, Room 16): Ask A Prison Guard – Correctional Officers and horror authors John Lynch and Dan Shrader lead this informal discussion and answer all of your questions about what really goes on inside prison.

6:45pm – 7:45pm (Second Floor, Room 18): Hagsploitation: Witches In Horror – Daniel Braum (moderator), Tony Evans, Garrett Boatman, Douglas Ford, and Chris DiLeo discuss the history of witches and crones in horror.

7:00pm – 8:00pm (Second Floor, Room 17): Indie Publishing In A World Gone To Hell – Sirrah Medeiros (moderator), Katherine Silva, L.P. Hernandez, Vaughn A. Jackson, and Andrew Van Wey discuss the challenges facing small press and indie publishing in 2025.

7:45pm – 8:45pm (Second Floor, Room 16): Writing and Producing For Stage and Screen – Derik Cavignano (moderator), Jamie Flanagan, Nathan D. Ludwig, and Craig Brownlie discuss what’s involved in writing horror for film, television, and theater productions.

8:00pm – 9:00pm (Second Floor, Room 18): Writing YA Horror – Christopher Golden (moderator), Adam Cesare, Heather Mihok, and David Simms lead this informal discussion and answer all of your questions about writing for Young Adults.

8:30pm – 9:30pm (Second Floor, Room 17): Horror Writer’s Guide To Networking Etiquette – Joseph Pesavento (moderator), Robert Swartwood, Shane McKenzie, Rebecca Cuthbert, B.C. Lienesch, John Lynch, and Rebecca Rowland discuss the Dos and Don’ts of networking with authors, editors, publishers, and agents.

9:00pm – 10:00pm (Second Floor, Room 16): Kill, Marry, Shag (Monster Edition) – Host James Sabata and panelists Philip Fracassi, Mike Slater, Bitter Karella, Scott Cole, Elizabeth Broadbent, and Gavin Dillinger decide which monster they’d most love to kill, wed, or shag. Attendee Discretion Is Advised.

9:15pm – 10:00pm (Second Floor, Room 18): Self-Defense Made Easy: Experts Patrick Tumblety and Wrath James White lead this informal discussion and answer all of your questions about self-defense and what a real fight feels like.

AUTHORCON V – SATURDAY

9:00am to 10:00am – Relaxation and Wellness Session (Second Floor, Room J): Time and opportunity to learn and practice several wellness activities, including breathing exercises and supportive games. Designed to get you ready to enjoy a busy day of fun convention activities. This one-hour session is facilitated by Scares That Care board member Alfred Guy, Training Officer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work UMB-SSW. Take home a custom yoga mat (available only at this event) along with meditation scripts and affirmations. Participate at your own level of comfort and attend any or all three of the sessions. This is a ticketed event. Tickets are available at convention registration.

10:00am to 5:00pm – Silent Auction (First Floor, Auditorium): Winners will be announced at 5:00pm sharp.

10:00am to 6:00pm – Vendors (Ballroom and Promenade)

10:00am to Midnight – Game Room (First Floor, Rooms A & B): Up for some Poker, Trivial Pursuit, Magic the Gathering, Call of Cthulhu, Pokemon, Monopoly, Cards Against Humanity, or other games with friends? Join the fun! Bring your own from home or play one of our curated games.

Noon to 7:00pm – International Film Festival (First Floor, Amphitheater)

8:30am to 10:00am – Just Add Writer / From Script To Page (First Floor, Center Lounge): Bestselling, award winning author Tim Waggoner teaches you all of the ins and outs of writing media tie-in fiction, and movie novelizations. This is a ticketed workshop. Tickets are available for purchase at convention registration.

1:00pm to 2:00pm – How to Create an Amazing Author Website (First Floor, Center Lounge): In order for readers, agents, and publishers to find you online, you need a website. In this seminar, author and digital communications professional Sonora Taylor will share the unique advantages a website has over other online spaces like social media, then walk you through what makes a great author website. There will also be a Q&A session to answer any questions you may have. If you don’t have a website or you have one that’s in serious need of updating, then this seminar is for you. This is a ticketed workshop. Tickets are available for purchase at convention registration.

7:00pm to 8:00pm – An Evening with Psychic and Medium Dakota Lawrence (Second Floor, Room 17): In this group setting, renowned psychic and medium Dakota Lawrence will conduct live readings regarding loved ones, participant’s lives, and more. This is a ticketed event. Tickets are available for purchase at convention registration. Please note that participants will be chosen at random, and a ticket does not guarantee a reading.

8:00pm – The Fowl Players of Perryville Murder Mystery Event! (Second Floor, Room 18): Join us for this fun and interactive Murder Mystery event - where "The Fowl Players of Perryville" utilize YOU to help figure out the killer! Cash bar and light fare will be served. This is a ticketed workshop. Tickets are available for purchase at convention registration.

10:00pm – The Gross-Out Contest (First Floor, Auditorium): A 35+ year tradition continues as a new generation of your favorite horror authors square off once again in the literary world’s most vile, hilarious, and incendiary showdown. Each contestant has five minutes to gross out the crowd and impress new hosts Stephen Kozeniewski and Wile E. Young, and celebrity judges L.P. Hernandez, Kenzie Jennings, Bitter Karella, Eric LaRocca, and Judith Sonnet. Adults Only. No One Under 18 Permitted. No Phones or Recording Devices. Attendee Discretion Is Strongly, Strongly, Strongly Advised.

READINGS:

10:15am – 11:00am (Second Floor, Room 8): Shane McKenzie and Sultan Z. White

10:30am – 11:15am (Second Floor, Room 11): Adam Cesare and Scott Cole

10:45am – 11:30am (Second Floor, Room 12): Chase Will and Zach Lamb

11:15am – Noon (Second Floor, Room 8): Amanda Headlee and Katherine Silva

11:30am – 12:15pm (Second Floor, Room 11): RJ Roles and Lucas Milliron

11:45am – 12:30pm (Second Floor, Room 12): Dan Shrader and Benjamin Farthing

12:15pm – 1:00pm (Second Floor, Room 8): Philip Fracassi and Ronald Malfi

12:30pm – 1:15pm (Second Floor, Room 11): Bitter Karella and Stephen Kozeniewski

12:45pm – 1:30pm (Second Floor, Room 12): Tommy B. Smith and Joseph Pesavento

1:15pm – 2:00pm (Second Floor, Room 8): Tim Waggoner and Robert Swartwood

1:30pm - 2:15pm (Second Floor, Room 11): Douglas Ford and Jay Bower

1:45pm - 2:30pm (Second Floor, Room 12): Valerie B. Williams and Jenny Allen

2:15pm – 3:00pm (Second Floor, Room 8): John Durgin and Tony Evans

2:30pm - 3:15pm (Second Floor, Room 11): Justin Holley and Larry Hinkle

2:45pm – 3:30pm (Second Floor, Room 12): Chris DiLeo and Andrew Najberg

3:15pm – 4:00pm (Second Floor, Room 8): Wrath James White and Judith Sonnet

3:30pm – 4:15pm (Second Floor, Room 11): Stephen Mark Rainey and Richard Dansky

3:45pm – 4:30pm (Second Floor, Room 12): Kit Power and Justin Lutz

4:15pm – 5:00pm (Second Floor, Room 8): Nikolas P. Robinson and Austin Shirey

4:30pm – 5:15pm (Second Floor, Room 11): Carol Gyzander and Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar

4:45pm – 5:30pm (Second Floor, Room 12): Rowan Hill and Erin Kelly

5:15pm - 6:00pm (Second Floor, Room 8): D.W. Hitz and Alex Matsuo

5:30pm – 6:15pm (Second Floor, Room 11): Pamela Kinney and Drew Huff

PANELS:

10:15am – 11:15am (Second Floor, Room 17): Writing Thrillers, Crime, Noir, and True Crime – Marie Lestrange (moderator), Laurel Hightower, Robert Swartwood, Edwin Callihan, and Robert Whitmore discuss their favorites from the genre, and tips for writing it.

10:30am – 11:30am (Second Floor, Room 16): Teaching Writing -- Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar (moderator), Jonathan Janz, Tim Waggoner, Mary SanGiovanni, and Andrew Najberg discuss how to effectively teach writing.

10:45am – 11:45am (Second Floor, Room 18): Editing and Publishing Anthologies – Stephen Kozeniewski (moderator) Shane Hawk, Carol Gyzander, Rebecca Rowland, Tom Deady, and Candace Nola discuss the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of editing anthologies.

11:30am – 12:30pm (Second Floor, Room 17): Podcasting 101 – Kit Power (moderator), Viggy Parr Hampton, Lucas Marino, and Rick Hipson tell you everything you want to know about starting your own podcast.

11:45am – 12:45pm (Second Floor, Room 16): Horror In Gaming – Richard Dansky (moderator), Mike Slater, Jamie Flanagan, Anton Cancre, Andrew Najberg, and Jon Cohn discuss what goes into creating good horror tabletop role-playing and video games.

Noon – 1:00pm (Second Floor, Room 18): Time To Roar (NOT Just Another Women in Horror Panel) – Mary SanGiovanni (moderator), Laurel Hightower, Red Lagoe, Gemma Amor, V Castro, Candace Nola, Jenny Allen, and Elizabeth Broadbent discuss what’s improved for Women In Horror over the last thirty years, what hasn’t improved, and what the hell they’re going to do about it. Note: ALL women are welcome to attend this panel. Fellas are invited to attend something else, per Brian Keene and Joe Ripple.

12:45pm – 1:45pm (Second Floor, Room 17): Paranormal nonfiction and investigation Justin Holley (moderator), Alex Matsuo, and Nikki Nelson-Hicks discuss investigating and documenting real-life paranormal occurrences.

1:00pm – 2:00pm (Second Floor, Room 16): Writing Nonfiction -- Mark Sieber (moderator), Victoria Price, Mike Slater, Kit Power, Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar, Rick Hipson, and Nikolas P. Robinson discuss writing biographies, memoirs, reviews, literary criticism, and more.

1:15pm – 2:15pm (Second Floor, Room 18): Full-Time/Time-Full – Lucas Milliron (moderator), Philip Fracassi, Scott Cole, Adam Cesare, V. Castro, Rowan Hill, and Ben Farthing discuss writing full-time, writing part-time with a full-time job, and other combinations of time management.

2:15pm – 3:15pm (Second Floor, Room 16): LGBTQIA+ Storytelling – Cat Voleur (moderator), Jamie Flanagan, Dorian J. Sinnott, Cassandra Celia, Amanda Headlee, and Jason Nickey discuss what they’d like to see more of and what they’d like to see less of when it comes to LGBTQIA+ representation in horror fiction.

2:30pm – 3:30pm (Second Floor, Room 18): Our Favorite Reads of 2024 – B.C. Lienesch (moderator), Eric LaRocca, Shane Hawk, Gemma Amor, Erin Kelly, and Eric Butler discuss the books and stories that stuck with them over the last year.

3:00pm – 3:45pm (Second Floor, Room 17): Victoria Price In Conversation – Angel Hollman moderates this Q&A with author and public speaker Victoria Price.

3:30pm – 4:30pm (Second Floor, Room 16): Marketing For Indie Writers: Sirrah Medeiros (moderator), Jay Bower, John Durgin, Chase Will, and Andrew Van Wey discuss guerilla marketing and DIY promotion.

3:45pm – 4:45pm (Second Floor, Room 18): Grief Horror – Dorian J. Sinnott (moderator), Laurel Hightower, Red Lagoe, Todd Keisling, William F. Gray, Katherine Silva, and Chris DiLeo discuss why this sub-genre has become so popular, and the joys and perils of writing and reading it.

4:45pm – 5:45pm (Second Floor, Room 16): Creature Features – Vaughn A. Jackson (moderator) James Sabata, Chase Will, Gary Frank, Tom Rimer, and Garrett Boatman discuss their favorite monsters.

5:00pm – 6:00pm (Second Floor, Room 18): Folk Horror Thomas R. Clark (moderator), Todd Keisling, Tony Evans, Marie Lestrange, RJ Roles, Douglas Ford, Nikki Nelson-Hicks, and Jeremy Megargee discuss folk horror’s history and enduring popularity in these modern times.

6:00pm – 7:00pm (Second Floor, Room 16): The End Of The World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand – Brian Keene, Christopher Golden, V Castro, Wrath James White, Jonathan Janz, Ronald Malfi, and Maurice Broaddus discuss the year’s most anticipated anthology while they sign the signature sheets for the limited edition.

AUTHORCON V – SUNDAY

9:00am – 10:00am – Worship Service (First Floor, Auditorium): Maurice Broaddus leads this non-denominational service, open to all attendees and members of all faiths.

9:00am to 10:00am – Relaxation and Wellness Session. (Second Floor, Room J): Time and opportunity to learn and practice several wellness activities, including breathing exercises and supportive games. Designed to get you ready to enjoy a busy day of fun convention activities. This one-hour session is facilitated by Scares That Care board member Alfred Guy, Training Officer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work UMB-SSW. Take home a custom yoga mat (available only at this event) along with meditation scripts and affirmations. Participate at your own level of comfort and attend any or all three of the sessions. This is a ticketed event. Tickets are available at convention registration.

10:00am to 3:00pm – Vendors (Ballroom and Promenade)

10:00am to 1:00pm – Game Room (First Floor, Rooms A & B): Up for some Poker, Trivial Pursuit, Magic the Gathering, Call of Cthulhu, Pokemon, Monopoly, Cards Against Humanity, or other games with friends? Join the fun! Bring your own from home or play one of our curated games.

READINGS:

10:30am – 11:15am (Second Floor, Room 8): Marie Lestrange and Nikki Nelson-Hicks

10:45am – 11:30am (Second Floor, Room 11): Andrew Van Wey and Sonora Taylor

11:00am – 11:45m (Second Floor, Room 12): Red Lagoe and Elizabeth Broadbent

11:30am – 12:15pm (Second Floor, Room 8): S. M. Sykes and B.C. Lienesch

11:45am – 12:30pm (Second Floor, Room 11): Tom Deady and Patrick Tumblety

PANELS:

10:30am – 11:30am (Second Floor, Room 16): Splatstick – James Sabata (moderator), DM Guay, Viggy Parr Hampton, Nathan D. Ludwig, Stephen Kozeniewski, and Wile E. Young discuss the thin line between humor and horror.

10:45am – 11:45am (Second Floor, Room 18): Music and Horror – Justin Lutz (moderator), Craig Wesley Wall, Tommy B. Smith, and Cassandra Celia discuss the long connections between music and horror.

1:00pm – 2:00pm (Second Floor, Room 18): The Thirtieth Annual Yell At Brian Keene Panel – Brian Keene, Jake Lerner, Joe Ripple, Sonora Taylor, Angel Hollman, Alfred Guy, Brian Smith, and the rest of the Scares That Care staff welcome your feedback in this open forum, so that we can implement your suggestions next year. Please don’t really yell at Brian, though…