Plus Panels on AI, Horror, Writing … and more!
This year at Confluence, I’ll be joining brother Christopher Connolly for an in-person preview of our forthcoming novel Minute-Men: Execute & Run, set for release this fall from Caezik Science Fiction & Fantasy, an imprint of Arc Manor Books.
The preview will take place 2:00 on Saturday, July 26, at a display near the convention’s registration table. Look for a Minute-Men banner featuring the book’s cover (pictured above).
We’ll have merch, giveaways, and possibly a few surprise guests.
Oh, yes … and I’ll also be taking part in a few panels with some terrific writers.
Here’s what to expect:
AI: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Set for 5:00 on Friday, July 25, this panel will consider the downsides of AI technology as well as its potential upsides. Along the way, we’ll endeavor to answer the question: Can AI be a co-creator or aid in writing fiction?
I certainly have strong opinions about this one, some of which I made clear at a Confluence panel in 2023. (You can read about that panel and watch a video of the entire conversation here.)
This time around, I’ll be moderating the discussion and likely learning a thing or two from my fellow panelists, both of whom have experience in computer programming and software engineering.
Donald Firesmith is a multi-award-winning author of science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal horror. Due to his strong background in software engineering, systems engineering, and science, his science fiction is well-researched. He relies on numerous science, technology, and military technical advisors to ensure that the non-speculative aspects of his stories are realistic and believable.
Donald’s most recent book, More Future Dreams and Nightmares, is a collection of mind-bending science fiction in the spirit of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits.
It’s out now from Magic Wand Press.
Clif Flynt is a computer programmer, filk singer, and sf writer who collaborated with Carol Flynt, publishing under the name C. Flynt until Carol passed away in 2021. He now continues working on the stories they started together.
Among his most recent stories is “All That Glitters.” It’s out now in the anthology Madam, Don’t Forget Your Sword, from Dead Fish Books.
Horror Tropes, Old and New
Taking place at noon on Saturday, this panel will consider the questions: What are some of the classic tropes in horror? How have they evolved and changed over the years? Are there new tropes?
This one will be moderated by Jamie Lackey, and our fellow panelists will be Brian Koscienski and Darrell Schweitzer.
Jamie Lackey writes science fiction, fantasy, and horror. She has served as a reader at Clarkesworld Magazine, an assistant editor at Electric Velocipede, and the editor of both Triangulation: Lost Voices and Triangulation: Beneath the Surface.
Her most recent book is Swimming in Uncharted Waters, a space opera novella about destined love, trident fights, and the power of friendship.
Brian Koscienski developed his love of writing from countless hours of reading comic books. He achieved minor successes early in his career but found more success in partnering with Chris Pisano. As a writing team, Brian and Chris have written stories, articles, graphic novels, poetry, novels … and even a few zany haiku.
You can find them working together (and running from two-headed crocodiles) in their book Scary Tales of Scariness (The Drunken Comic Book Monkeys 1).
Darrell Schweitzer is a writer, editor, and critic with a focus on dark fantasy and horror.
He is also a prolific writer of literary criticism and editor of collections of essays, among them The Thomas Ligotti Reader, from Wildside Press.
Getting Around Writer’s Block
Immediately following the Horror Trope panel (and right before the Minute-Men preview), I’ll be joining M. Christine Benner Dixon, Clif Flynt, Scot Noel, and Richard Kadrey to discuss strategies for contending with writer’s block.
M. Christine Benner Dixon is an educator, writer, and editor whose work has ranged from web design for small businesses, project editing for individuals, story consultation for media companies, and communication support for nonprofits.
Her latest book is the Orison Fiction Prize winner The Height of Land.
Scot Noel’s stories have appeared in Pandora, Strategy Plus, Tomorrow Magazine, and the Writers of the Future anthology. He has been a project manager and voice director for several award-winning games and is now Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of DreamForge Magazine.
Richard Kadrey is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sandman Slim series and other books. He also writes comics and movies and makes music with the band A Demon in Fun City.
His novel The Dead Take the A Train, which the Library Journal calls “an excellent grim and gory tale,” is available from Tor Nightfire.
(The bio for Clif Flynt is included above, under the header AI: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.
Join Us!
I’ll be posting reports on this year’s panels and the Minute-Men preview on this website as well as in the bi-weekly Minute-Men Newsletter from ConCom Entertainment.
The newsletter is free, and subscribing is as easy as typing your email into the box below:
More about Confluence
Visit the con website for a complete schedule and registration information, then get ready for a three-day celebration of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
I’ll see you there!
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