Here is a listing of Guests and Panelists for MSC 39, more will be added later.
Dave Appleby Having been peripatetic most of my life David has picked up a wide range of skills and knowledge. He holds a BA(Hons) and MA in Classics with a specialization in Reception Studies looking at how Myth varies through the ages. His particular focus is the myth of Oedipus and it’s use from the Roman Emperors to the 20th century surrealist art movements, although he does touch on the bastardization inflicted on the story by the complete misuse by Freud. He is ex British army and has had a lot of experience with things that go bang loudly.
He has been writing now for 3 years and is still ‘new’ by author standards, however, after being bullied by Bill Webb to write his first story and is finding absolute delight in writing.
Jim Beall (BS-Math, MBA, PE) has been a nuclear engineer for 50 years, beginning as a nuclear engineering officer in the US Navy. Civilian experience includes design, construction, inspection, enforcement, and assessment with a nuclear utility, an architect engineering firm, and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC). Assignments included on-site health physics support, piping design stress analyses, reactor licensing, reactor startup testing (Canadian Point Lepreau heavy water reactor), research reactor inspections, and an assist mission to the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine in Kiev. USNRC positions included reactor site construction senior resident inspector (SRI), reactor operations SRI, inspection team leader, safety analyst, senior enforcement specialist, and reactor policy assistant to three different Presidential-appointed USNRC Commissioners while earning the agency s Meritorious and Distinguished Service awards.Duties of those policy-level posts included research into alternative and speculative energy sources, as well as energy forecasts and transmission technologies. Energy sources included coal, oil, hydro, geothermal, tidal, solar, wind, fracking, space-based, heavy water reactors, breeder reactors, fusion, and even anti-matter. Baen Books (baen.com) has published several of his non-fiction articles on a variety of subjects.
Leia is a cosplayer who moved to Arkansas to be closer to family. They mainly do work with sewing, makeup, and wig styling. Leia works as a professional seamstress, specializing in gowns for brides and pageants alike, but loves to play video games and watch anime or just nap with their dog when not at work. She also dabbles in creating their own music for her idol work, as well as choreographs for their idol group Natura. She is fluent in Polish, Ukranian, English, PJM (Polish Sign Language), and advanced in yiddish and Hebrew. She is also conversational in Spanish and Japanese.
Find Leia at AlderaanCosplay on Tik Tok and Instagram and Draculauruh on twitch!
H. David Blalock has been writing speculative fiction for over 50 years. His work has appeared in novels, novellas, stories, articles, reviews, and commentary both in print and online. Since 1996, his fiction has appeared in over two dozen magazines including Pro Se Presents, Aphelion Webzine, Quantum Muse, Shelter of Daylight Magazine, The Harrow, The Three-Lobed Burning Eye, The Martian Wave and many more. He is editor for parABnormal Magazine from Hiraeth Publishing. His work continues to appear on a regular basis through multiple publishing houses.
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S.C. Houff is the daughter of a revolutionary and a TV quiz master. A natural story tell and a full time geek, she has been known to tell a tale or two which mostly is considered lying. She is not a liar but the author behind the From the Files of the Department of the Arcane series. While, having not received any awards for her fiction, she is the two time Geography Bee Champion and once lettered in marching band. She is also the co-host of the Adventures of Todd and Shannon podcast and an unrepentant selfie-taker. When not writing or podcasting, S.C. Houff can be found taking a nap or hanging out with a tiny beagle named Watson.
Richard Cartwright was born and raised in Tennessee when he was not bouncing around the country and Canada in the sleeper of his parents tractor trailer rig that his dad bought after retiring from the Navy to go into trucking. His first reading lessons were road signs at four. His education was disrupted at five when he was forced to start spending the school year at school. After acquiring a note at six to allow him to check out “advanced ” books from the library, he discovered Heinlein and never looked back. Along the way he acquired degrees in history, law, and cynicism.
He learned the fine art of storytelling sitting around kitchen tables, campfires and courtrooms over the years but came to writing later in life after getting out of the legal profession while he could still get his soul back.
These days he managers a remote support team which lets him feed his writing habit.
French Canadian. Father. Gamer. Opinionated. Creator of the Akhamet, Olympia, and Ozaka Campaign settings inspired by ancient civilizations. Since the mid 80s, I have been GMing, running, and participating in RPG event. Other interests include history and wargaming.
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Lena Chipman (she/her/hers) has been a figure in Memphis LARP community since the mid-1990s. Before her transition, known by a different name, she was a collaborator on, staff member of, or storyteller of many of the World of Darkness LARPs in the city, including several Mid-South Con Vampire: the Masquerade LARPs. She also ran the local game company, Concept Syndicate, and taught game design at the University of Memphis. Since coming out as transgender in 2022, she has been a tireless advocate for LGBTQIA+ inclusion in all spaces, including gaming and fandoms. An acclaimed public speaker, she has also been recognized as one of the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute’s 2023 Empowerment Fellows.
Brian Cooksey is an editor, game designer, and podcaster. He is the co-designer of the SagaBorn RPG system with Mike Bielaczyc and he has freelanced with several RPG companies such as Thoughtcrime Games and Accessible Games. He is one of the hosts of the Infectious Enthusiasm podcast as well as a co-host of Armor Goes Clank. He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife Melissa Gay.
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Daniel Reece Daniel Reece enjoys reading, writing, and soaking up the many streaming services he can t seem to let go. While he primarily focuses on novels, he will write the occasional short story when called upon. He writes across all genres but enjoys speculative fiction, emo YA, and sci-fi.
In 2019, Daniel gathered his writing buddies and launched their first endeavor Malfunction Junction: Memphis Stories of Starts, Stops, Wrong Turns, & Dead Ends. It was described as a sort of love letter to the Memphis and Mid-South area from the local writers. Malfunction Junction won the Memphis Public Library Richard Wright Award for Best Fiction in 2022. Against his better judgment, he once again dragged his friends into another journey in 2023 with a second anthology Malfunction Junction: Close Encounters of the Third Street Kind. Daniel enjoys making things with his friends.
Daniel has short fiction published in Memphis Magazine, a poem in 4 Horseman s publication Teen Angst Mixed Tape Vol.2, and the online sites Drunk Monkeys and Beyond the Veil. He published his first novel Knight and Daye through TouchPoint Press which is available through Amazon. The sequel, Knight and Daye: Box of Darkness is expected soon.
He currently resides in Memphis with his wife and daughter.
Greg Cravens Thirty two years of full-time cartooning: Freelance, advertising, Syndicated comic strips, comic books, editorial cartoons, and magazine cartooning- has filled Greg Cravens’ head with the idea that anyone can make a life from drawing funny pictures, and his artist’s alley table full of books, games, and comic strip originals he’d like to have a word with you about…
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Tom Deady’s first novel, HAVEN, won the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. He has since published several novels, novellas, a short story collection, and the first book in his middle grade horror series. He has a master s degree in English and Creative Writing and is a member of both the Horror Writers Association and the New England Horror Writers Association. You can find out more about Tom and his work at www.tomdeady.com
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Elizabeth Donald is a dark fiction writer fond of things that go chomp in the night. She is author of the Blackfire urban fantasy series and Nocturne vampire mystery series, as well as other novels, novellas and stories in the horror, science fiction and fantasy genres. She is a three-time winner of the Darrell Award for speculative fiction and finalist for the Prism and Imadjinn awards, and more recently received the Mimi Zanger Literary Award and was a finalist for the Imadjinn screenplay competition in 2023. She is the founder of the Literary Underworld small-press cooperative; an award-winning journalist and essayist with more than 25 years in journalism; a nature and art photographer; freelance editor and writing coach. She holds a masters degree in media studies and an MFA in creative writing from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and teaches journalism and English composition at SIUE and St. Louis University. She serves as president of the St. Louis Society of Professional Journalists as well as the Eville Writers, and is a member of the national SPJ Ethics Committee, Association of Writers and Writing Programs, Editorial Freelancers Association, Sigma Tau Delta and more writing and trade organizations than is healthy. She lives with her family in a haunted house in Edwardsville, Illinois. In her spare time, she has no spare time.
Michelle Doole
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Aaron Christopher Drown Aaron Christopher Drown is a Maine native who s lived all over, and whose stories have appeared in equally numerous magazines and anthologies. His debut novel, A Mage of None Magic, won the Darrell Award for Best Novel, and as he s promised his publisher for years now, the follow-up will be ready soon. His most recent work, a collection of short stories titled The Gods Must Clearly Smile, received the 2022 BIBA along with the 2023 Imadjinn Award. An award-winning graphic designer as well, Aaron is a frequent guest speaker who enjoys discussing not only the writing process but the important role branding and presentation plays in promoting an author s work. Aaron resides in Washington State with his wife, Sarah, their dog and cat, and his trusty Macbook, Sancho.
With an Associates Degree in Foreign Languages, Samuel A. Edwards writes in realms speculative, science fiction, metaphysical, and fringe science, which draws in his analytical fascination. If it s unexplained, he s willing to speculate alternatives to explain it, even in Spanish or French. He does not yet have any publication credits, but is actively working on several collaborative works with Bill M. Tracer, even as we speak, including a long list of shortstories relating to the idea that we are living in a simulation.
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Superhero by day, writer by night. Okay, not really, but when she is not writing books she is a librarian at a local library, which is kinda a super hero. Her superpowers include always knowing what kids like to read, being able to read more than 10 books at one time, and the ability to eat more pizza than anyone.
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Glen Engel-Cox has lived in Texas, California, Malaysia, Ohio, Saudi Arabia, and Washington (both state and District of Columbia), working as a dishwasher, radio DJ, bank clerk, database manager, library assistant, technical writer, computer programmer, adjunct English teacher, and communication consultant. He earned an MFA with honors from American University. Glen has published a novel, Darwin s Daughter; a non-fiction compilation, First Impressions; and short fiction in LatineLit, Utopia, Nature, Triangulation, Factor Four, SFS Stories, and others.
Paul K. Fischer, MPH, HMBA
Graduate of the University of Memphis and Christian Brothers University.
HM1(AW) US Navy, Ret.
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Melissa’s inspiration for creating art comes from the natural world, both as explored through science and as storied in myth and legend. Her works are moments of dreams half-remembered, questing impressions, fleeting moments. She wants them to evoke a childlike wonder about the universe we inhabit.
Her two art books are Finding My Familiar (animal drawings on toned paper with various pencils) and Earth and Water (ink drawings and paintings). She is currently working on a book of her acrylic sci-fi paintings called I Dream Of Space.
She has been a cover artist and interior illustrator of books and tabletop roleplaying games for over twenty years. Her list of clients has included Baen Books, Llewellyn Worldwide, Hay House, Apex Press, 78 Tarot, and many tabletop roleplaying game companies. (Among the ENnie-award-winning and fan favorite games she has illustrated are the Dresden Files RPG, Fate Core, Part-Time Gods, Mermaid Adventures, Hero System, Over the Edge, Trail of Cthulhu, 13th Age, The Dracula Dossier, and Camp Myth.) She has won two Chesley Awards for her illustrations “Offering” and “Harvest”. Her imaginative realist work has been featured in ImagineFX Magazine, io9, tor.com, and several of the Infected By Art anthologies.
Apart from drawing and painting, she is never happier than when in the woods hunting for secret waterfalls and climbing on rocks!
Jim D. Gillentine grew up with a fondness for horror, science fiction and fantasy love stories flavored with the southern tang of his native Memphis. His debut novella, Of Blood and the Moon, was published in 2009 and was the first runner-up for the Darrell Award.
Other publications include stories published in anthologies Cover of Darkness and When the Shadow Sees the Sun, as well as a novella titled A Night at Death s Door. His novel The Beast Within begins as a bittersweet love story between a woman and a beast, which continues in Crossroads, published by Inkstained Succubus Press. The trilogy was completed with Heart of the Beast, published as a compendium by Pro Se Press.
A lifelong fan of tabletop RPGs, Jim is currently developing game modules for Grinning Demon Games as well as his latest fiction work.
Crymsyn Hart is a multi-genre author from Horror, Urban Fantasy, and Romance. Her years of experience at Boston s oldest psychic salon doing readings and her encounters with the supernatural have inspired many novels. She s a lover of all things dark and goth. Vampires, grim reapers, and other paranormal creatures tend to end up in her books no matter how hard she tries to keep them away.
She currently resides in Charlotte, NC with her hubby and their dog, Briar. By day she is conquering the world of Commercial Insurance, but by night she listens to the voices in her head telling her which rabbit hole to go down to find the perfect plot bunny.
Louise Herring-Jones (Amy L. Herring) writes speculative fiction with a preference for historical fantasy. Her stories have appeared in fourteen anthologies. Amy is a reporter for The Daily Dragon Online and was formerly a NaNoWriMo co-municipal liaison. She also coordinates the HSV (Huntsville, Alabama) Writers group online. She has been a lawyer licensed to practice law in Alabama since 1990* and is a member of her federal district (NDAL) bar and the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) Visit her at: http://www.louiseherring-jones.com.
*No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
Bryan Huff Huffoto has been creating amazing photography in the MidSouth for over 17 years. Bryan and Jessica Huff specialize in making the cosplayer the star of their universe! Huffoto also publishes a monthly magazine as well as weekly podcasts featuring artists of all disciplines. MidSouth Con is excited to have Huffoto as our official photographer for 2024. Check them out at Huffoto.com
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The International Bestselling Amazon Author of five books of ‘The Prince of Britannia’ series, with the next book, #6, to be released in late June. Fred is currently writing the seventh book in the series and the first book of his new series, ‘The First Solar War.’
Having served 20 years in the US Navy, most of it on submarines, he developed a great appreciation for the written word. Naval service also gave him an appreciation for organization and processes. It’s also helped in writing space combat.
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Celeste Marie has been hosting panels for around 6 years give or take. She always puts her best foot forward when she hosts because she wants people to enjoy themselves with her enough to want to come back. She is a very passionate person and does her best to let that show through her work. Celeste loves everything she does and works very hard to come up with fun panels that she thinks our community will enjoy.
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Born in Memphis TN, MissingxLondon, or Katie to her friends, has lived in the Memphis Metro area for 30+ years. Finding cosplay at the tender age of twelve, Katie’s love for creating cosplays only grew as time went on. From Sango’s 7 foot boomerang from Inuyasha to a RWBY Bazooka scythe sniper rifle, Katie’s eclectic taste has gone from anime inspired cosplays to original characters, D&D characters, and NPC’s from World of Darkness lore. Beginning her Larp career after over a decade at D&D tables, World of Darkness is where she found her first footing in the Larp scene, eventually leading her to becoming a Mentor for Memphis’s own Back Beat Ballad Changeling the Dreaming campaign larp. Her latest creations include intricate head dresses, cosplays showcased on tiktok, a mini-series for Onyx Publishing in 2022, and now a porcelain armor set!
John Hornor Jacobs, is an award-winning author of genre bending adult and YA fiction, a screenwriter, and co-creator of the (forthcoming) narrative podcast, The Listening Station. His first novel, Southern Gods, was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for
Excellence in a First Novel and the winner the Darrel Award. The Onion AV said of the book, A sumptuous Southern Gothic thriller steeped in the distinct American mythologies of Cthulhu and the blues . . . Southern Gods beautifully probes the eerie, horror-infested underbelly of the South.
His second novel, This Dark Earth, Brian Keene described as quite simply, the best zombie novel I’ve read in years and was published by Simon & Schuster s Gallery imprint. Jacob’s acclaimed series of novels for young adults beginning with The Twelve-Fingered Boy, continuing with The Shibboleth, and ending with The Conformity has been hailed by Cory Doctorow on BoingBoing as amazing and mesmerizing.
Jacobs s first fantasy novel, The Incorruptibles, was a finalist for the Morningstar and Gemmell Awards in the UK. Pat Rothfuss has said of this book, One part ancient Rome, two parts wild west, one part Faust. A pinch of Tolkien, of Lovecraft, of Dante. This is strange alchemy, a recipe I’ve never seen before. I wish more books were as fresh and brave as this.
He was recently shortlisted for the Shirley Jackson Award and the World Fantasy Award for his collection, A Lush and Seething Hell which has been optioned for television.
His fiction has appeared in Playboy Magazine, The Continental Literary Magazine, the Southwest Review, Cemetery Dance, Apex Magazine and his essays have been featured on CBS Weekly and Huffington Post.
Cynthia (aka Cyn) brings to the Backbeat Ballad Staff several years experience as a LARP staff member and contributor, as well as passions for costuming, community health and engagement, and storytelling. In addition, she has over two decades of customer service and people management experience, both in consumer retail, and in the hobby gaming industry. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, she focuses heavily on making Backbeat Ballad a safe and inclusive community space.
Cyn believes strongly that player agency and scene collaboration is vital to creating both a strong in-character environment, and a healthy out-of-character community. As the current Storyteller for Backbeat, she has refocused her efforts toward facilitating individual stories within the game world framework, and bringing new calibration techniques from her wider LARP experiences to the local community.
Bryan Jones is a chainmail smith, puppeteer, puppet maker and digital artist who proudly hails from Huntsville, Alabama, the Rocket City. He grew up in a computer-literate home long before computers were cool and enjoys transferring his imagination into digital space vistas.
On the other end of the space-time continuum, Bryan is a fan of Renaissance Faires and medieval combat, translating that interest into chainmail creations that will delight any fair lady and her knight in shining armor.
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Investigating and writing since childhood, My interests are wide and varied . A true skeptic who believes, I straddle Occam’s Razor without fear.
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Lauren Knight (Geekygothicgamergirl) is a cosplaying nerdy gothic mom. She’s known for making tiktok videos of her gothic clothes try ons, hair dye with Joey the Roady, random mom content, and really random everything else. Her cosplay style leans towards either the funny, bright, rainbow characters, or the complete opposite with the horror/villains. It all depends on her mood…(and what cosplay is good to go). She cohosts a podcast with D’elle Memphis called The I-Scream Queens where they discuss anything horror, dark history, or gothic pop culture. Sometimes you’ll see her in ads modeling (photos by Toy Robot Visual Arts), sometimes you’ll see her in magazines (shout out to you Huffoto).
D’elle Memphis D’elle Memphis is the madness behind I-Scream Queens, a video podcast series that covers the horror and gothic side of geek pop culture! She is a staple of comic & horror conventions where she hosts panels on Women in Horror, Cosplay, and Dark Pop Culture. She is also an internationally published and award winning pinup model and nationally recognized and award winning cosplayer.
D elle Memphis is also singer , formerly of the delta gothic band The Murdering Crows. The first album from the Murdering Crows is titled 4 Bad Crows and is available on Apple Music, Amazon and anywhere you get music!
Melinda LaFevers is a Renaissance woman with a wide variety of hobbies and interests. She spins, weaves, sings, writes stories, poetry, and songs, plays music, and much more. She is on the Arkansas Arts in Education residency artist and the Arts on Tour rosters with two historical interpretation programs. She has been involved in teacher training with Arkansas APlus since 2002, and believes strongly in using arts integrated curriculum.
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Scott Lynch Scott Lynch was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1978, the first of three brothers. Early in life he worked as a dishwasher, a waiter, a graphic designer, an office manager, a cook, and a game supplement self-publisher before accidentally selling his first novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora, in 2004. From 2005 to 2016 Scott also served as a paid-on-call firefighter in Wisconsin. Scott currently lives in Massachusetts with his wife, award-winning SF/F novelist Elizabeth Bear, plus four cats (Duncan, Gurney, Molly, and Fafhrd) and a pair of Icelandic horses (a gelding named Ormr and a mare named Spola).
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Anthony Mathenia is the creative force behind gritty crime comics and unfiltered documentaries that leave a lasting impact. Notably, Anthony led the production, editing, and colorization of ‘LUCKY’ a biographical graphic novel about Lucky Luciano. Beyond this, Anthony’s extensive portfolio includes serving as the Art/Animation Director for the documentary film ‘Dope Men: America’s First Drug Cartel,’ along with two compelling novels. Complemented by over 20 graphic novels and comic anthologies, his work exemplifies an unreserved commitment to raw and gripping comic storytelling.
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Mike McCarthy Mike McCarthy (JMM) has created comic books for Fantagraphics Books, created Guerrilla Monster Films and made local movies, played in many bands beginning with the Antenna Club era, JMM sculpted the bronze Johnny Cash sculpture in Cooper-Young and has founded the non-profit Sculpt Memphis to create more music legends sculpture. Come by his table and see the statuettes.
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John Jackson Miller Memphis native and New York Times bestselling author John Jackson Miller has spent a lifetime immersed in science fiction. His Star Wars novels include A New Dawn, Kenobi, Knight Errant, Lost Tribe of the Sith, and the complete run of Knights of the Old Republic comics. With the 2023 release of Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: The Old Republic Vol. 5, his entire library of Star Wars comics work is available from Marvel.
His Star Trek novels include the 2023 hardcover novel, Strange New Worlds The High Country, the Picard novel Rogue Elements, the Discovery novels Die Standing and The Enterprise War, the Prey trilogy, and Takedown.
He s written comics and prose for Halo, Iron Man, Simpsons, Conan, Planet of the Apes, and Mass Effect. For 2023, he has written the Dark Horse comics series Skull and Bones: Savage Storm, based on the upcoming Ubisoft game.
He is the only three-time winner of the Scribe Award for Best Speculative Media Tie-In Novel from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, with honors going to Kenobi, Die Standing, and Rogue Elements.
He was previously Midsouthcon’s Comics Guest of Honor in 2006, and Toastmaster in 2019 and 2022.
Alvin R Mullen started writing after attending a writer’s workshop By Barry B Longyear in the mid 90s, in 97 he attended the Institute for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas under James E. Gunn and sold his first short stories to Fantastic Collectables and Pirate Writings. He has written and attended Cons sporadically since. In 2016 he edited and published two anthologies, Mind Candy, and Mind Candy Too. His current project is with Shattermare Comics to write a graphic novel based on Frankenstein in the modern world.
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Chris Oakley owned and operated Oakley s Gently Used Books, a bricks & mortar used bookshop with a specialty in Sci Fi/Fantasy, for more than 20 years (1995-2016) in Charlottesville, VA. She has been a bookseller at Madicon, MarsCon, MystiCon, RavenCon, Libertycon DSC50, DSC60, AtomiCon and Omegacon.
She has edited and published undergound” newspapers as well as literary magazines. (Chris Oakley collection of alternative press, Special Collections, University of Delaware). As a GCIU Journeyman, she worked in small commercial print shops before opening her bookshop in 1995. For many years, she was the organizer and moderator for the VA Festival of the Book Sci Fi/ Fantasy programs with Katherine Kurtz, Hugh Howey, Stephen Hickman, Kim Harrison, Les Johnson, David Coe, Jack Campbell (John Hemry) and others as guests.
Chris still brings her passion for bookselling and science fiction to the vendor s rooms of conventions and does volunteer book sorting, research and pricing to raise money for her local Friends of the Library (Jefferson-Madison Regional) book sales. (Our team raised over $150,000 for the library system at our October 2023 sale.
Ginger Oh Snap has been cosplaying most of her life, thanks to a background in musical theatre, dance, and renaissance faires, She is a self taught maker and entrepreneur. Ginger dedicates her days to creating costumes, performing, promoting geek culture, and advocating for a more inclusive and welcoming cosplay community. Ginger loves sharing her passions and knowledge with the community. When not traveling around the world to conventions and events as a guest and entertainer, she can be found streaming on Twitch.
Ginger is also a burlesque performer and producer, sharing her special brand of shapeshifting nerdlesque at theatres, conventions, and festivals across the U.S.
She is best known for her cosplays as the Nuka Cola Girl from Fallout, Sarah from Labyrinth, and as Mary Jane Watson (riding alongside Stan Lee himself), in the 2017 DragonCon parade.
Melissa Olthoff is a military science fiction and urban fantasy author who delights in sneaking in romance wherever she can. She is a lifelong geek of all things scifi and fantasy, as well as a veteran of the United States Air Force, both of which are incredibly useful when writing. Her degrees in meteorology and accounting are slightly less applicable to writing, but absolutely useful when it comes to supporting her family. She is published by Chris Kennedy Publishing, and is best known for her Salvage Title Universe novels, Hit World Valkyries, and numerous short stories. She can be found at her website melissaolthoff.net, Facebook, Twitter, and on her Amazon Author Page.
Josh Plock As a staff writer for the popular blog the House of Geekery, Josh has covered everything from comics to horror to grindhouse cinema and even the paranormal. Beyond this blog, he has contributed chapters to the acclaimed books The American Superhero, the American Villain and Robots in Popular Culture from ABC-CLIO. Most recently he was a co-author on the book We Are Gotham from McFarland Books.
Chad Powers Chad’s a lifelong gamer, and has been a member of the Memphis LARP community since 2017. Most recently, he’s joined the staff of Backbeat Ballad: Memphis’ own homegrown Changeling: The Dreaming LARP that’s gained a fair bit of fame in the nationwide LARP community over the last two years.
Chad’s a lifelong gamer, and has been a member of the Memphis LARP community since 2017. Most recently, he’s joined the staff of Backbeat Ballad: Memphis’ own homegrown Changeling: The Dreaming LARP that’s gained a fair bit of fame in the nationwide LARP community over the last two years.
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Herika R. Raymer grew up consuming books – first by eating them, later by reading them. Her parents taught her the value of focus and hard work while encouraging a love literature and art; so she has been writing and doodling off and on for over 30 years. After much encouragement, Mrs. Raymer finally published a few short stories and has developed a taste for it. She continues to send submissions, sometimes with success. Make Mine With A Side Of Creepy was her debut collection, with CHICKEN PULP being a recent release. Former Assistant Editor for a science fiction magazine and Lead Editor for a horror magazine, Herika R. Raymer is married with two children and a dog in West Tennessee, USA. Check out her Amazon Author Page
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Gifted by God with a talent and passion for creating and writing and inspired as a child by Superman s alter ego Clark Kent, a go-getter reporter at The Daily Planet, Tyrone Tony Reed Jr. s writing career began in his teen years.
Tyrone is the author/creator of the superhero novel series, S.O.L.A.D. : Soldiers of Light Against Darkness and is currently writing the third and fourth novels in the series.
Tyrone is also the host, executive producer, writer, and co-designer for the talk show Hub City Now with Tyrone Tony Reed Jr.,” which airs Sundays on 97.7 FM, Radio731.com, on the Radio731 app, Facebook, YouTube, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
Tyrone is also the co-host of Tad & Tony’s Overdue Movie Reviews, a podcast featuring older movies, which drops new episodes Fridays at Radio731.com, on the Radio731 app, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Tyrone is also the co-host of the podcast Picture This…, a podcast that explores the possibilities of follow-ups to your favorite movies, TV shows, and series. Hosts Tad and Tony present potential sequels, reboots, or remakes, giving you all the details on the plot, characters, and ending. They have an impressive collection of ideas, and you can count on their ideas to always keep you excited and entertained! You can find episodes on Radio731.com, on the Radio731 app, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
South Carolina native S.H. Roddey has been writing for fun since she was a child and enjoys building worlds across the speculative fiction spectrum filled with mystery and intrigue. She brings to the literary world a unique blend of humor, emotion, and wild ideas filled with dark themes and strong characters. She is a voracious reader, wannabe chef, and video game addict with three full-time jobs: IT Specialist, professional formatter/cover artist, and mom to a herd. She also enjoys being married to her best friend and full-time muse while moonlighting as romance author Siobhan Kinkade. Visit her at http://www.shroddey.com.
Alison Rushing has always said that her favorite thing about Memphis is the “geek scene” since she moved to the area in 2014. She has participated in fandom culture by playing Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon TCG, cosplaying, doing cosplay photography and vending at conventions; and, most recently, hosting K-Pop cup sleeve events.
In 2022, Alison collaborated with Memphis cup sleeve event host Our Heartshakers/Michelle Sweeney in organizing an event in Las Vegas at Ume Tea Shop during the week of BTS’s Permission to Dance concerts. The two-day event filled with vendors, decorations, music, and a free cup sleeve giveaway drew in at least 500 attendees. Rushing later hosted her first small solo cup sleeve event at Sugar Ghost Memphis celebrating Jin’s (from BTS) 30th birthday after he released his single “The Astronaut” and shortly before he began his mandatory service with the South Korean Army. Alison used her training from Michelle to produce her cup sleeves and fan art merchandise (photo cards, stickers, and a photo booth), gather decorations, market her event online, and collaborate with the venue.
Rushing became a cosplay photographer in 2017 when she took her first photography class at the University of Memphis. Rushing opened her photography business, Bunny Malkavian Photography, vending in 2021 at Clarksvillecon doing photoshoots, and opened her digital composite photobooth at MCFC.
Ru has over 20 years of cosplay and tabletop experience and 10 years LARP experience.
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Laura Sellers
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John E. Siers is a Viet Nam-era Air Force veteran. In civilian life, he spent many years as a software developer and client support specialist for a New York company that provided analytical systems to Fortune 500 clients.
An avid reader of science fiction since grade school, John started writing in the late 1970s, mostly for his own enjoyment. He wrote for more than 20 years and produced three complete novels before ever showing his work to anyone.
Escaping from the overcrowded northeast, John moved to Tennessee in 1997 with his wife and youngest son. Encouraged by friends, he finally published his first novel, The Moon and Beyond in late 2012, followed by Someday the Stars in 2013. The latter won the 2014 Darrell Award for Best SF Novel by a Midsouth Author.
John’s Lunar Free State series had grown to four novels — with no thought of doing anything outside his own comfort zone — when he encountered William Alan Webb at MidSouthCon in 2019. Webb led John astray tempting him with visions of other universes whispering names like Four Horsemen, Last Brigade, and finally Hit World.
John succumbed to the temptation, and The Ferryman (Hit World #3) was the result, followed quickly by Jack the Gunsmith a short story in the Last Brigade universe. John has since entered a rehab program and produced five more novels in his own universe; but rumors have it that he has fallen off the wagon and just might be working on another one for the Last Brigade.
John lives with his wife, son, dog and two cats in west Tennessee, where he also operates a small business as a gunsmith (Gunsmith Jack, of course). Readers can follow him on Amazon, Facebook, or his own website at www.lunarfreestate.com
Libby A. Smith s short stories have appeared in Avast, Ye Airships and Haunted Holidays, online at 4 Star Stories, and in small press comics. Her adaptation of Rainbow Bridge was designed for cross stitch by Sue Hillis. A member of the filk pirate group Bad Bards & Beyond, she has been known to burst into songs at inappropriate times. Libby lives in Central Arkansas with Oscar Wilde, Dolly Parton and Jolene… her cats.
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H.C. Playa lives and works in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, as she’s yet to reach escape velocity. She enjoys gardening, hiking, reading genre fiction, and Olympic napping. By day she is a research scientist and when not otherwise occupied crafts fantastical stories. She is the author of the Crossroads of Fate series and the Of the Other series, in addition to several short stories. She shares her realm of adventure with an ever-changing cast of critters and her pulp princess girlfriend.
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Lilium Rose
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Mark Stallings is an Internationally published and Amazon Best Selling author living in Colorado Springs, Colorado since the early 80’s. He is a publisher of the Eldros Legacy, speaks at International conferences on technology topics, is a writer of Wuxia, Fantasy, and Military Sci Fi. Mark is a competitive shooter, avid martial artist, drinker of craft beer, and motorcycle enthusiast. He continues to sling the ink with further stories in the Silver Coin Saga, The Eldros Legacy, and the 4Horsemen Universes.
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Aubrey Stephens is a retired teacher from Mississippi. He has Masters degrees in both theater and history, with certification in English, science, and special education. He is also a marine veteran and former military officer. The rumor that he has attempted to blow up the earth is just that a rumor, though he was on combat missile crew alert when the NORAD mistakes that caused a false report to believed that there were Soviet inbound missiles headed for the U.S. He is a trained martial artist with a second degree black belt in karate, brown belt in judo, and brown belt in Kendo. He also studied and taught European fencing for over 45 years. His hobbies include recreating the Middle Ages and the American Civil War. He is squired to one of the S.C.A.’s most well known knights and at this time holds the rank of Captain in Co. A 2nd Mississippi Cavalry (Union and Confederate.) He has acted, written, directed, and done set design and construction for over 200 theatrical shows. He has written several articles on the history of the War Between the States for regional magazines. Since his retirement from teaching he has edited for Pro Se Productions and is now its Executive Editor. He has had published several stories and book. His anthology Tales of the Interstellar Bartenders Guild won the 2019 Pulp Factory Award for Best Anthology. He is currently working on two alternate history novels, one a different WWII ending and the other a terrifying day in the cold war of 1968.
Kevin Steverson is a retired veteran of the U.S. Army. With over forty published works in several genres,
not counting those in three other languages, he stays busy. His military science fiction bestsellers, The Salvage Title
Trilogy has been picked up and is in development into feature film. He s also a published
songwriter, with ten songs written or co-written and recorded onto various artists albums. When
he s not at a convention, out hunting or fishing, or listening to live music somewhere, he can be
found in the foothills of the NE Georgia mountains, writing his next song or story.
Bill M. Tracer With degrees in Art, History, and Computer Science, Bill M. Tracer, Rogue Philosopher, Artist, Metaphysicist, Ufologist, Science Fiction Enthusiast, Time traveler and writer of that thought provoking stuff, now blends these otherwise dissimilar realms through the creation of computer graphic art with science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal themes, as well as mounting expeditions into fractal geometric realms. He creates abstract works enriched with these fractal layers, as well as book cover art. Posters & other art products including home décor and fashion are available with his work at the following:
Zazzle: https://www.zazzle.com/billmtracer,
Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/BillMTracer?asc=u,
VIDA: https://shopvida.com/collections/bill-m-tracer, and
Fine Art America: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/william-tracer.html?tab=artwork. Not limited to the art world, Bill writes in the same genres. You ll find Bill s speculative fiction & non-fiction at his Amazon Author page
Bill is actively working on several collaborative works with Samuel A. Edwards, even as we speak, including a long list of short stories relating to the idea that we are living in a simulation.
Kevin Watson has been running RPGs for over four decades; in the last ten years, he has evolved from writing home game content to publishing his content for others to use. Having a collection of unplayed RPGs longer than his arm, he is an encyclopedia of obscure mechanics and the keeper of settings.
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William Alan Webb is a native Memphian and University of Memphis graduate with concentrations in English (Creative Writing) and History. Fifty years of crafting stories has left Bill with more left to tell than he started with. Sales of his books have topped 250,000 copies.
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Known to her kids as “Indiana Mom”, Dr. Mel. is a scientist, writer, artist, lecturer, storyteller, and former computer systems analyst who enjoys rockhounding, fossil hunting, and digging in the dirt with the Texas Archaeological Society. She moderates an Egyptology forum online and has been know to leap in with lengthy diatribes on Akhenaten. In her spare time she’s busy writing the next book in the DUNCAN & MALLORY series.
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Mr. Williamson grew up in Memphis, Tennessee during the forties and fifties. It was a time when reading books, especially fiction, was very popular. After a tour in the United States Air Force and Keesler University, he moved to Horn Lake, Mississippi with his wife, Connie. His first two novels, Pragamore, A New Beginning and Krypendorf, The Fourth Lesson reached seven countries through E-bay and sealed his fate to write Speculative Fiction. He is a coordinator and charter member of Imagicopter a group of writers, artists, illustrators, and publishers who are on constant tour in the Mid-South.
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Wolf is a second-generation nerd who started writing genre stories at six. At least one was good enough to be laminated, and she’s been chasing that high ever since. Over the years she majored in English to get credits for reading, taught middle school, was headbutted by an alligator, built a career in education, earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and finally decided to finish all those half-started stories in her head. She’s written in shared universes across SFF, including military science fiction and space opera in the bestselling Four Horseman Universe (with six co-authored novels: Assassin, Hunter, and Ally with Kacey Ezell, Night Song with Mark Wandrey, The Lyons Pride and World Enders with Chris Kennedy, and a co-edited anthology with Kacey Ezell, Negotiation), urban fantasy in Hit World (with The Valkyries Initiative), and video and table top gaming in tie-in stories.
With over twenty short stories across multiple publishing houses, she s had the opportunity to range from romantic fantasy to postapocalyptic genetic nightmares, and multiple genre points in between. Her forthcoming novel with Baen Books grew from one of those short stories, so no wonder she’s not planning to stop any time soon.
She s currently based in Texas, but as she lives in an RV with her husband and their two absurd rescue dogs, it’s anyone’s guess where in the country she is at any given moment. More at www.marisawolf.net
H.Y. Gregor was born in Portland, Oregon, but she ll always call the mountains of Colorado home (where as a kid she was usually reading a book with a flashlight under the covers at night). In college she interned for congressional offices and law firms, and has a bachelor s degree in political science. She soon discovered office life was not for her. This brought her full circle back to childhood ambitions of being a writer to bring new, fantastical stories to life. After narrowly avoiding law school, she now puts her international relations and government background to use creating intricate, colorful worlds to serve as backdrops for her fantasy fiction novels.
Her debut novel, Stonewhisper, releases from Eldros Legacy Press in June 2023, and she’s previously received a Silver Honorable Mention from the Writers of the Future contest for her short story, A Secret Spoken. Her short fiction can be found in Animal Magica Volume 2, by Tanya Hales, and Particular Passages 4: South Wing, by Knight Writing Press, with more exciting projects in the works. She can be often be found at writing conferences with an overstuffed messenger bag and too many pens. When not writing, she laughs hysterically at the concept of free time and enjoys hiking and adventuring with her family.
For updates, free short stories, and photos of her dubious gardening attempts, you can check out her website or follow her here:
hygregor.com
Twitter (@toviahy)
Instagram (@toviahy)
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