Wendy N. Wagner

If you’re a Pacific Northwesterner looking for some extra nerdy fun this weekend, be sure to check out Westercon, held here in Portland this year (at the Doubletree Hotel, Lloyd Center). Westercon is hosted by the annual summer steampunk convention, GearCon, so think of the weekend as a big, delicious sundae of steampunk, SF, and fantasy fun.

Unstaged reaction to hugging Totoro.
Photo by Remy Nakamura.

As a giant nerd, of course I’ll be there. I never miss a chance for fun. Who can forget the time I saw Totoro and totally freaked out?

Here’s my schedule for the weekend:

Saturday, 7/2:

More Than Just Black and White: Humanizing Heroes and Villians
12 pm , Roosevelt room
Heroes and villains can’t be all good or evil. Join the panelists for a lively discussion of favorite heroes and villians and what makes them so interesting and learn how to craft complex and relatable characters to give your stories emotional impact.
with Carol Berg, David Boop, and Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff.

Violence in Fantasy
2 pm, Jackson room
Battles, torture, swordfights . . . why do we see so much violence in fantasy literature? Is it a requirement? How much is too much? Do you as a writer have limits? Does every epic have to end in a battle?
with Anthony Pryor, Jim Doty, and John Shirley.

Sunday, 7/3:

Kaffeeklatsch
10 am, Multnomah room
Come hang out and drink hot beverages with me! I’ll be joined by writers A.M. Brosius, Erica Satifka, and Sharon Joss.

Wendy N. Wagner: solo reading
12 pm, Madison room
Before you grab lunch, spend half an hour having your ears tickled by my melodious voice. Nothing whets your appetite like a story!

Is it really Orycon all ready??

For me, nothing signals the start of the holiday like our annual SF/F convention here in Portland–Orycon! I usually pick up a few holiday gifts in the dealer’s room or at the art show, and getting to reconnect with all my favorite writers (I almost typed co-workers–they kind of are!) from around Washington and Oregon just feels special.

This year, I’ll be on a few panels on Saturday and I’ve got a reading on Sunday. It’s at 11:30, so you have just enough time to get brunch, pop in for taster from my most recent short story (it has ghosts!), and then catch the last few hours of the con.

Of course the highlight for any book lover is always the post-Orycon author event: Authorfest 9! Make sure to stop by Powell’s Cedar Hills location at 4 pm on Sunday. There will be more than two dozen local writers ready to sign books and shoot the breeze. Rumor has it that a contingent from the Cloud City Garrison of the 501st Imperial Legion will be there, too. How often do you get to take your picture with a storm trooper?

If you love the Cthulhu Mythos as much as I do (or hey, even one-third as much as I do–that’s still a lot!), you should be sure to make it to Powell’s Books on Hawthorne on November 12th at 7:30 pm. That’s right, in a little over a week, I’ll be reading from Cthulhu Fhtagn!, along with some of the other terrific writers in the anthology.

For all the details, visit the event site. It’s going to be a blast!

It’s that time of year again, folks–the time when the Deep Ones come out of the sea to gather at the Hollywood Theater and celebrate their maker. H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary with an amazing line-up of films, gaming, and author events, and I’m glad to be a part of it this year. For the full schedule of the event, click here.

If you’d like to catch me while I’m at the festival, here’s my schedule:

Friday

4-6 pm – Meet & Greet at Sam’s Billiards. Come hang out!

8 pm – Lovecraft on the Tabletop. We’ll talk about Lovecraftian board games and RPGs. What’s not to love?

Saturday

10 -noon – Carbload for Cthulhu. I’ll be selling copies of Skinwalkers and signing anything you put in front of me. With donuts!

8 pm – Reading with Andrew Fuller and Molly Tanzer. They’re two of my best friends in this business!

Other than that, I hope to be hanging out, watching great movies and letting the Gospel of HPL wash over my soul. I hope to see you there!

PS: I thought I’d share a picture of me from a few years ago. It looks like somebody got a photo when I wasn’t wearing my makeup!

Orycon is my local sf/f convention, and I love it. I always have a great time! This year looks like it’s going to be just as fun as ever, and I’ve got a pretty packed schedule. If you’re going to be at the convention, I hope I get a chance to say hi!

Here’s my schedule:

Friday, November 7th

12:30 pm — Wendy N. Wagner reading — Grant
4:00 pm — Spaceships, Colonists, and Castaways — Madison
5:00 pm — Loving Your Villain — Roosevelt
8:00 pm — The Games Are Afoot: Sherlock vs Elementary Throwdown — Hamilton

Saturday, November 8th

1:00 pm — Freaking Me Out, Not Grossing Me Out — Idaho
[helping with the Writers Workshop during the afternoon]
7:00 pm — Writing & Art for the RPG Industry — Morrison
8:00 pm — SHATTERED SHIELDS anthology launch — Orycon Suite 1570

Sunday, November 9th

11:00 am — Writing in Other People’s Worlds — Morrison
1:00 pm — Women Role Models in SF — Hawthorne

and …

Sunday, November 9th — 4:00 pm — Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing

SF AUTHORFEST

Over two dozen NW sf/f writers and visiting members of the Cloud City Garrison!

I’m really looking forward to meeting lots of great people and getting my geek on!

First, a quick update: if you’re in the Portland metro area, then this weekend you should totally stop by StoryCon at the Fort Vancouver Regional Library! There will be great panels and readings from area authors, and the Friends of the Library will be having a big sale, too. Plus, it’s totally free, and I’ll be there! I’m sitting on two panels–Game of Tomes: Binge Reading and the Rise of Series (11:30 in the Klickitat Room) and a little later, The Paranormal as Metaphor (1:30 in the Klickitat Room). I hope I’ll see you there!

Women Destroy All Genres continues apace! If you haven’t yet checked out Women Destroy Fantasy! and Women Destroy Horror!, we’re still posting new material on the website. Of course, for all the awesome destruction (including my essay and printable reading guide), you’ll have to pick up the ebook or print editions. Here are a few more updates about the project:

Women Destroy Science Fiction! was selected Book of Honor for Potlatch 24.

Skiffy & Fanty posted a great review of Women Destroy Fantasy!

and best of all …

We have t-shirts! Check them out at the Lightspeed Zazzle store.

And that’s about it for now. But I can promise plenty more trouble coming soon.

Wild black kitten in Eastern Washington

It’s been a fantastic summer, full of camping, gardening, road trips, and lots of silly family activities. But now it’s September, school is back in session, and I’m back to my regular routine.

On the editorial front, I’ve been working hard to get Women Destroy Horror! and Women Destroy Fantasy! off to the publisher. I just learned that they have been formatted and sent to the proofreaders, so I’m feeling good. There’s a lot of great material in these volumes, and I think people will really enjoy them. I’m also really excited because in August Lightspeed took home its first Hugo award! (For pictures of her rocket, check out the September Editorial.) It’s pretty awesome working with this amazing team!

I have been doing some writing, of course. I’m making slow headway on a novel that’s percolating for the last eight months or so; the only thing I can tell you about it is that it has the word “Dogs” in the working title! However, I’ve been working on some other exciting projects that I am dying to talk about … and can’t! Stay tuned. 🙂

Next week on Wednesday the 10th, I’ll be taking part in SFWA’s Pacific Northwest Reading Series, held quarterly at the Kennedy School here in Portland. You can buy yourself some delicious beer and tots and listen to cool writers reading their work and sharing the secrets of the universe. Who wouldn’t want that? For more information, check out the SFWA site.

My mom’s bane: the canny old hen that won’t stay in the chicken yard.

If you’re in the Salem, Oregon, area, stop by the Downtown BookBin on Saturday at 7 pm–I’ll be there reading from my fun adventure novel, Skinwalkers! It should be a blast.

Me, having fun reading at Powell’s. (Sorry it’s a little blurry–it’s an action shot!)

Wow! Tomorrow is World Horror Con! I’ll be there, hanging out, handing out badge ribbons for NIGHTMARE and hanging out with all the fantastic folks. Oh! And catching the art show. If you’re going, be sure to check out Galen Dara’s art that will be on display (and buy a print of her amazing new piece inspired by the antagonist of my novel SKINWALKERS!).

I’m so excited to announce my upcoming reading at Powell’s Books! If you’re an Oregonian, you know that Powell’s is pretty much the mother ship for all things bookish, so you’ll be hanging out with not just me, but some of the coolest book lovers in the Portland area. Join us!

SKINWALKERS reading

7 pm, April 4th

Powell’s Books at Cedar Crossing

3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton

Come out and enjoy an evening of adventure!

Wendy N. Wagner

Category Archives: Appearances

Westercon!

Saturday, 7/2:

Sunday, 7/3:

Northwesterners: It’s Orycon this weekend!

The Stars Are Right … for a reading!

Get your tentacles on! Here’s my schedule at HPLFF

Orycon and SF Authorfest!

StoryCon and more destruction

September already??

Reading SKINWALKERS in Salem!

World Horror Con!

SKINWALKERS reading at Powell’s!